"We want to open qualitatively and forever"

One of the main surprises of the first month of the season in Russian hockey was the presence of Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo in the leading group. In the offseason, the team's head coach was replaced by Alexei Isakov, who had not previously worked in the KHL, but won the VHL playoffs with Torpedo Gorky (Torpedo farm club) in the spring. The car manufacturers lost all the pre-season matches. All the more surprising was their September success in the KHL regular season.

Torpedo won the first six matches, then lost three times in a row, but then won twice away from St. Petersburg SKA (5:2; 3:2OT) and takes second place in the Western Conference. In an interview with Izvestia, Maxim Gafurov, Chairman of the Board of Torpedo HC, General Director of the Nizhny Novgorod Region Sports Management and Development Center, spoke about the degree of readiness of the new 12,000-seat arena, which is close to the final stage of construction, and also appreciated the club's start in the championship.

— When will the first KHL match take place at the new arena?

"Soon." I think it's wrong to give specific dates now. We need to do everything efficiently.

— Is there a chance that this will happen before the end of this year?

— Yes, there is. But, I repeat, it is necessary to make the arena high-quality, so as not to redo anything in the future. We've been waiting for her for a very long time. And it's better to take your time so that you can thoroughly approach the opening of the facility.

— It seemed that the opening of the arena would be on the way this fall.

— We initially talked with the league at the end of last season that the club was focusing on the New Year. The KHL president also stated this publicly. As you know, all these processes depend on many factors, such as the supply of equipment. Ice filling machines can last from three to eight months. In these circumstances, it is difficult to predict the timing. So there are a lot of x-factors influencing the date of the first match in the new arena. A lot of work is underway. We remember that the first stone of the new arena was originally laid elsewhere. I'm talking about how difficult everything is in this case from beginning to end. That's why we want to open qualitatively and permanently. We can hurry up now, speed up the process, but this will turn into problems in the future. We would like to avoid mistakes as much as possible. Moreover, I would like to emphasize that we have redone a lot in the design of our arena. And they deliberately extended the opening time for the sake of quality.

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— What was redone in the project?

— There was a lot of work on sports areas, stands, and foyers. As a result, the bowl of the arena will turn out to be completely different with a completely different level of tilt of the stands — now the view will be much better. In addition, the facade was changed. The stands themselves are not ordinary plastic seats, but rather high—quality seats with cup holders, spacious foyers, and food courts. All the changes are aimed at the quality and convenience of the teams and the audience.

— Were you surprised by the successful start of Torpedo this season?

- no. We worked seriously in the off-season.

— After all, the head coach had no experience in the KHL.

— But the coach is experienced at the same time — he worked a lot in the MHL and VHL, last season he won a trophy in the VHL.

— In the summer, Torpedo did not win a single pre—season match, which did not add to optimism.

— I think it's time for everyone to get used to the fact that the preseason doesn't say anything good or bad about the team.

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— Will you still strengthen the squad?

— We are interested in this. The work is underway. It's too early to say anything for sure, but we are working in this direction.

— How satisfied are you with Torpedo's performance in the first month of the season?

— I wouldn't get euphoric about the start of the season yet. Yes, six wins in the first six matches is great. But still, there are 68 games in the regular season. We assess the start quite calmly and soberly. We understand that the picture could have been different in some victorious matches. Now it is important that the team transforms its work into a game and shows its best hockey.