"After the Avangard goal, there was a desire to cry in front of the fans"

One of the leaders of the Yaroslavl "Locomotive" in recent years is striker Maxim Berezkin. He made a significant contribution to two Gagarin Cup wins — last year under head coach Igor Nikitin and this year under Bob Hartley, who replaced him. In particular, the 24-year-old hockey player scored the winning goal in the middle of the second overtime of the seventh match of the tense semifinal series with Omsk Avangard (4:3). Berezkin may leave for the NHL this summer, where the Edmonton Oilers own the rights to him. In an interview with Izvestia, the player commented on the second consecutive triumph in the KHL playoffs and explained why Yaroslavl manages to dominate the league so much.

— Is there a difference in the perception of the previous Gagarin Cup victory and the current one?

— Last year, after the championship, there was a slight devastation. Now the joy has come faster.

- why?

— Last year we became champions for the first time. And we only found out what it is, what kind of emotions it is. And now it's all familiar. And the realization of victory came faster.

— Avangard goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov said that he understood what a championship experience was after the series with Lokomotiv, when you won back from 1-3 and saved the sixth match in the last seconds. What is a championship experience for you?

— It's hard to talk. But, probably, it's such a gorgeous character, faith in each other, in each of us. Due to this, we won. And also due to the experience of the guys, due to the fact that we are a family. But I will say that the series with Avangard was the most magnificent.

— What emotions did you feel after scoring the winning goal in the seventh match?

— When I scored the goal, I had a desire to cry in front of the fans (smiles). Because we returned to this series, won the seventh match in our arena, and won back with 1:3 both in the series itself and in the seventh match. That's cool! And now we are the champions — we have to enjoy this moment.

— What has Bob Hartley brought to the team's game over the past year?

— It was a very important experience for us. To be honest, I don't know what to answer specifically. There were a lot of details for each of us. Many meetings were held by the coaching staff with each hockey player. And as a general picture, it all resulted in a championship.

— Have you decided for yourself about leaving for the NHL?

— I haven't answered anyone yet. Everyone will know the decision soon.

— Edmonton selected you in the draft back in 2020. Has the club been in frequent contact with you over the past six years?

— There is some kind of communication going on. We'll wait and see.

— A year ago, after your first victory in the Gagarin Cup, many people thought that the issue of your departure to the NHL was already a settled matter. Why did you end up staying in Yaroslavl?

— It was my decision to stay and help Lokomotiv become a champion again. I wanted to prove that that success was no coincidence.

"I wanted to help Yaroslavl in memory of the team that died in 2011"

Lokomotiv head coach Bob Hartley talks about why he accepted Yuri Yakovlev's offer, winning the Gagarin Cup and retiring.

— What are the chances of the current Lokomotiv winning the Gagarin Cup for the third time in a row?

— I think they will tune in to us tenfold. Like two-time champions. It's going to be hard, but we can do everything.

— How do you feel about the memories of the team that died in a plane crash in 2011?

— I just want to say that hockey in Yaroslavl is alive. And thanks to those guys, and thanks to us. We're just fighting for ourselves and for our whole city. Yaroslavl is walking, we are the champions — and it's very cool. I want to enjoy these moments with my hometown and my hometown and once again pay tribute to that team.

— What is the secret of this Lokomotiv system, that the team wins the Gagarin Cup with more than a dozen of its own students?

— The secret is in the family. The fact that we've all known each other for a long time. And the fact that we have leaders like Sanya Radulov.

— Can such a system be scaled to the whole country, or is it possible only in Yaroslavl?

— I think this is a Yaroslavl trick (smiles).