"Trophies are not won, but taken away — we have taken what belongs to us"

One of the key events of the Gagarin Cup final between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars was the injury of striker Georgy Ivanov in the fourth match. With the score 2-2 in the series, one of the Yaroslavl leaders was eliminated before the end of the playoffs, but Bob Hartley's team managed to win twice (4:1 and 3:2) and win the trophy.

After Ivanov's injury, the coaching staff rebuilt the links and brought Pavel Kraskovsky back into the squad, who scored two assists in the sixth match of the final. The forward has not played since the end of April, when he was left out of the application after the fourth semi-final meeting with Avangard. Then, despite the score of 1:3 in the series, Lokomotiv made an impressive comeback, winning it thanks to two strong-willed victories in double overtimes. In an interview with Izvestia, Kraskovsky told how he watched this from the sidelines and was preparing to return to the squad.

— What was it like to return to the squad in the middle of the finals?

— Fantastic! It's just fantastic! But I was ready for it. I've been preparing all the time to get back on the ice.

— What did you do in those almost three weeks before you played?

— I did something, I did something (smiles). I studied, trained, did everything to be ready to return. The training sessions were very fruitful, and I gave my best. I knew there would be this chance to play. But I can say one thing: life is the best playwright! Emotions overwhelm from this!

— Even before Georgy Ivanov's injury, did you realize that there would be a chance?

— Yes, regardless of George's injury, I understood that I would have the opportunity to help the team. And so it turned out. Fortunately, we were able to win the Gagarin Cup in the end. Happiness for me and for the team.

— When Ivanov was injured in the fourth match of the finals against Ak Bars and it became clear that he was out until the end of the playoffs, many now considered Kazan the favorite. How did Lokomotiv manage to win the next two matches anyway?

— It is difficult to single out one reason. It's just that we have great guys on the team who always fight to the end from the first to the last second. The golden team.

— You lost your place in the squad after the fourth match of the semifinal series with Avangard, when Omsk led 3:1. How did the following three winning games of Lokomotiv, the salvation in the series as a whole, and especially the 0-2 win in the last minute of the sixth match look from the outside?

— It's beyond words. I have 100 times more gray hair on my head (laughs). It looks terrible from the outside! You can't go out on the ice, but you really want to help your team.

On the sleepers again: Lokomotiv won the Gagarin Cup for the second year in a row

Yaroslavl won the sixth match of the finals against Ak Bars and defended the championship title.

— Was it important to win this Gagarin Cup after head coach Igor Nikitin left the team a year ago?

— What is the meaning of "fundamentally"? And in general, trophies are not won, but taken away.

— What is the difference between "winning" and "taking"?

"You're taking what belongs to you." And that's exactly what we did.

— But did the unexpected departure of Nikitin and his staff after last year's triumph motivate you in any way?

— Let's not bring up the past. Let's talk about the present.

— Is Lokomotiv capable of winning the Gagarin Cup for the third time in a row next season?

— Everything is in our hands.

— What is the essence of this Yaroslavl system, that for two years in a row the main team has been the strongest in the KHL with a large number of local students?

— This is not a team, but a family. First of all, this is a family. Everyone is fighting for each other here.