"When I was 18, I dressed like a collective farmer"

At the end of July, two major hockey events were held in Russia with the participation of representatives of the NHL and KHL. On July 25, the traditional, third Match of the year with the participation of Russian stars from both leagues took place in St. Petersburg. Four days later, a farewell gala match was held in Cherepovets by Bogdan Kiselyovich, a local graduate, Olympic champion in 2018, two-time winner of the Gagarin Cup. Alexander Romanov, defender of the New York Islanders NHL club, participated in both games. In an interview with Izvestia, he recalled the game at CSKA with Kiselyovich, commented on his team's last season in the NHL, told how he was recovering from a serious injury, spoke about the nomination of his club partner Ilya Sorokin for the prize of the best goalkeeper of the season and the situation with the suspension of the Russian national team from international competitions.

— You played with Kiselevich when you started in the adult team of CSKA. How did he influence you at the start of your career?

— I would say that in the two years that we played together at CSKA, he was my mentor, assistant and a good partner. He is a very good defender who, with his play, discipline and behavior, set me a good example of how to play adult hockey, moving from youth hockey.

— And how do you switch from youth hockey to adult hockey?

— Don't be afraid of anyone, act confidently — both in the locker room and on the ice.

— Bogdan has a sparkling sense of humor when talking to journalists. Is he the same inside the team?

— Yes, yes, exactly the same. He's a versatile person. You can have a serious conversation with him, and laugh. He is a very interesting person. In any case, when you play with such a hockey player, an Olympic champion, you should look at his actions when you are next to him on the ice or sitting on a bench, learning from his experience.

— Do you remember any specific joke he made about you?

— I remember when I was about eighteen, he took a picture of me. And my style of clothes was so free back then.… I dressed like a collective farmer (smiles). I have nothing against collective farmers, but I didn't dress properly. Bogdan took a picture of me, and for a while I forgot about this photo. Then, before I left for the NHL, he gave an interview to some journalist from America, where he was asked about me. And the Bug threw off the photo, which the publication posted along with the text. I was shocked and almost died laughing. Especially when I remembered where and at what point Bug had photographed me. It was a joke that paused for a long time. It was very funny. Imagine, I'm already in Montreal, but the season hasn't started yet. And suddenly I'm reading this article about myself with Bogdan's comment and I see that photo. I almost cried with laughter (laughs).

"What kind of clothes were there?"

"I can't remember for sure anymore. In my opinion, oversizing is a youth style. Everyone was laughing. Bogdan waited for the moment for this photo to go off.

— He also liked to joke at CSKA about Ilya Sorokin, who at that time did not have his hair cut short.

— It bothered me too, because I had long hair back then, almost to my shoulders. Everyone got hurt. But all without anger, in a kind way. A person could make jokes about others and about himself.

— Maybe that's how he prepared you and Sorokin to get into the New York Islanders, where then-general manager Lou Lamorello demanded that players get short haircuts?

— That could have been the case with Soroka, since he was already drafted by the Islanders at that time. Nobody knew about me that I would get there, because I was selected by Montreal in the draft and started my NHL career there. But maybe Bug felt something (laughs).

— To the question of how Bogdan taught you how to transition from youth hockey. Over the past six months, two of your partners in the youth national team, who took silver at the World Cup in Ostrava in January 2020, have completed their careers. These are Nikita Rtishchev and Alexander Khovanov. Doesn't it surprise you that they finished so quickly?

— That's because Bogdan didn't teach them how to switch to adult hockey (smiles). But seriously, on the one hand, it's amazing. But when you look at the situation globally, you realize that this happens every year. In every youth team, including the one that has achieved something, someone finishes playing early. This is natural — not everyone is meant to play hockey at a high level. It's not for everyone. The guys can find themselves in another field. We hold our fists for them so that everything works out for them.

— Who do you represent Bogdan Kiselyovich as after he finished playing?

"Some kind of politician." With his ability to speak (laughs).

— Have you completely overcome the effects of the shoulder injury that caused you to miss a significant part of last NHL season?

— Yes, I am fully ready for the season. The preparation is still ongoing, but there are no problems. It wasn't easy. But that's always the case when such severe injuries happen. Recovery is a chore, and it's very frustrating when you come to the arena, see the team, but don't train with them. You see them on the ice, but you can't do anything yourself. You work out with rubber for three to four hours every day, go through physical therapy. My head doesn't rest at all — it just boils all season.

— What did you spend your free time on?

— For the family first of all. Indeed, I had a lot of free time because I didn't go to away matches. I even had a friend fly in for the first time, with whom I spent a lot of time. But, I repeat, I was with the team a lot anyway — I went to home matches, I practiced for four hours before lunch. It took a lot of effort too.

— Why didn't the New York Islanders make the playoffs? Didn't you get enough?

"Maybe me, too." I don't know. After all, it is usually not a single component that affects the result, but a certain cumulative component. If a team does not qualify for the playoffs, then everyone is to blame - both defense and attack. And injuries do. I wasn't the only one out there, Kyle Palmieri didn't play all season, had knee surgery. The command mechanism did not work due to the fact that not all the small gears were functioning. This is the total component. The only one who was really good was the Magpie. He was dragging the team behind him.

— So you weren't surprised that Ilya Sorokin was nominated for the Vezina Trophy for the best goalkeeper of the season?

— I was sure that he would win.

— Didn't you win purely because of the team's results?

- yes.

— Why couldn't Maxim Shabanov gain a foothold in the New York Islanders last season?

— We talked to him. Not as tight as with Magpie, but tighter than with many guys in the team. Why it did not gain a foothold is a question that can be discussed for a long time. It's just that not all players can be suitable for a coach. The same question was asked about Iskhakov at the time: why didn't Ruslan play for the Islanders, even though he is such a great player? But sometimes you don't fit the system or the coach doesn't like you. I don't know what Max was missing, but I believe in him and I wish that everything would work out for him at Minnesota.

— When you went on vacation to Russia after the season, was there already a stir in New York before the World Cup?

"I didn't really notice." Maybe because I'm not a football fan. Although I knew that the matches would take place two hours from my house in Long Island. But I didn't even watch all the games on TV, let alone go to the matches. I heard that the organization was not always good — there were difficulties with access to the stadium.

— Is the USA not a football country after all? In the sense that European football, which they call soccer, has not become as popular as hockey?

— Yes, it's not a football game. They have their own sports, which they are more sensitive to. You know what I'm talking about— hockey, basketball, American football, baseball. I didn't feel any excitement from the championship. At least, it wasn't felt where I live.

— You recently participated in the Match of the Year and visited the SKA Arena in St. Petersburg for the first time. What do you think of her?

— It's beautiful, I really liked it. We didn't have time to take a tour of the stadium there. But what I saw was cool.

— The 23,000-seat SKA Arena has become the world's largest hockey stadium in terms of capacity, surpassing the Bell Center in Montreal, where you played. Do these palaces have anything in common besides capacity?

— After all, these are different arenas. The Bell Center is known not only for being big, but also for having a huge history. This is a historical place. And for many decades, this has been the main point of Montreal, where people gather every night either for concerts or for hockey. The love of hockey is on another level there, in Montreal. It's a sport they pray for there.

— Is there no such thing in Russia?

- no. I would really like it to be like this.… Although no, if we take such an aspect as hockey fanaticism, then we have many cities where people are just as in love with hockey. But not everywhere there are conditions to create the same "Bell Center" and achieve the same hype.

— Do fanaticism and capacity not combine?

- yes. Novosibirsk, for example, is a very hockey city. But there is still no big arena with a history like the Bell Center. For example, Yarik is like Montreal in terms of hockey history. When everyone knows everyone and this sport comes first. But Yaroslavl does not yet have the same arena as the Bell Center. Although it's probably the No. 1 city in Russia in terms of hockey obsession.

— Former CSKA goalkeeper coach Sergey Naumov has been working in the New York Islanders system for several years. Did the club ask for your advice when considering his candidacy?

— Of course, they asked the Magpie more. They just asked me what I could say about Sergei Ivanovich. Naturally, I said only the best things. He is a really kind, decent and responsive person. We often have dinner together, go out. Even though he's twenty years older than me. But our communication is friendly.

— Considering that the suspension of the Russian national team from international competitions continues, do you still hope to compete at another Olympics?

— Hope dies last. But the fact remains for now. When they tell us that the national team can play at the World Championships, then... there are conversations all the time. There's always some kind of conversation. And what do they give if athletes and hockey players don't solve anything? If we are asked if we are ready, the answer is yes. Just give me the go-ahead.