"I like to play according to the Boucher system — everyone acts on their instincts"

Omsk "Avangard" is considered one of the favorites of the current KHL season. He has assembled a very strong squad and has spent almost two years under the guidance of Canadian head coach Guy Boucher. "" In the previous three playoff draws, "hawks" were eliminated by Yaroslavl "Locomotive" following the results of a seven-match series. In the new season, they will try to overcome this trend.

The first month of the regular season "Avangard" had a rough time — four wins in eight matches. He recently lost three meetings in a row. This series was interrupted only in the last game, when Omsk defeated "Spartak" Moscow in overtime (2:1). """" In an interview with Izvestia, striker Egor Afanasyev, who joined the team in the summer, commented on the September results, compared the game for Avangard with the game for CSKA, where he was the season before last, and also explained why he likes Omsk, and noted the principled opposition with "Locomotive".

— How did the team manage to overcome an unsuccessful series of three defeats in a row?

"Before the match with Spartak, there was more focus on some details." Our goalkeeper, Vanya Prosvetov, played very well. And in principle, we played everything to the maximum — all the guys did well.

— What was the reason for those three defeats?

— We didn't play by the system. We ran all over the playground very often. And they played much more clearly with "Spartak".

— Why did it happen that way?

— We have a lot of injured guys right now. And in their place, new players have been introduced into the squad — they still need to digest the system that Guy instills in themselves, adjust to it a little. It's been difficult to do this since the first games. It was hard even for me to do this, even though I was logged into this system back in the summer, during the preseason. Still, the first games were hard for me. And those who take to the ice instead of the injured ones need more time to adapt.

— It is clear that you have played in North America and this is not the first time you have worked with a North American coach. But have you learned anything new in almost two months of working with Guy Boucher?

— Yes, of course. Each coach has his own approach. In principle, I like the system that Guy sets up. Yes, it has its nuances, but he explains everything clearly.

"Now we need to play easier in certain moments"

"Spartak" hockey player Alexander Belyaev — about the changes in the team's playing style, new assistant coaches and the first matches of the current KHL season

— Considering how well-defined Guy Boucher's hockey system is, is it even more convenient for him to have a preseason in Russia with classic training camps than the North American one, when players go to training camps shortly before the start of the NHL season?

— Yes, 100%. He managed to convey a lot of details to the players over the summer.

— Is it possible to say that this is more convenient for you than it was in the season before last at CSKA, where Ilya Vorobyov, the then head coach of the team, gave the players more creative freedom?

"That's right. I like playing in a system where everyone clearly explains to you where to run. Yes, in the attack zone you can create something yourself, but in the defense zone and the middle zone you play according to the system. I really like it. Because, in principle, no one thinks — everyone plays on their instincts and strictly follows the system.

— Do you feel that "Avangard" in its current form is ready to compete for the Gagarin Cup?

— Yes, of course. In a team like "Avangard", where they have assembled a powerful squad, they don't even think about anything else. Moreover, the injured guys should return now. This will also give us a positive boost, as many good hockey players have dropped out. We are waiting for them all. And we are sure that they will help us.

— But it seems that some of the young ones who replaced the injured are not going to give up their place in the squad. For example, Gleb Burlak, who started the season brightly.

— Yes, all the young guys are doing well, they are gradually getting into the rhythm of the main team. As I said before, some people needed time to adapt. The same Boatman was with us from the very camp, from the training camp. And someone, like Rodion Kazantsev and Vyacheslav Malov, I'm only taking strikers — they're just joining the squad now. But they adapt quickly — great fellows.

Ice of events: what made the first weeks of the new KHL season memorable?

""Hayes' departure, Razin's altercation with journalists and the sensational defeat of "Locomotive" by "Barys"

—"Avangard" played away against "Lokomotiv" not so long ago (1:2). And in the summer, for the preseason match against Yaroslavl in Omsk, your arena was as full as possible for the exhibition meeting. As a newcomer to the club, do you feel the principle of the confrontation with the "railwaymen"?

— Certainly, I feel it. ""Avangard" played against "Lokomotiv" for three playoffs in a row, after all. And the intensity in these confrontations is present.

— Even in a preseason match at the Blinov Cup?

— It doesn't matter for Omsk whether it's a pre-season match or an official one. The arena is packed every time.

— How do you live in Omsk? Is it anything like your previous cities?

— It doesn't look like it at all. I'm really excited about Omsk. The people are very kind, there are no traffic jams. And the arena is perfect — I spend a lot of time there. Everything is fine.

— Have you ever been bothered by traffic jams only in Moscow? Or somewhere across the ocean too?

— Yes, only in Moscow. In the cities of the USA where I lived and played — in San Jose, Nashville, Milwaukee — there were not much traffic jams. In the United States, traffic jams are common in New York, Miami and Los Angeles. And when I played at CSKA, there were always traffic jams in Moscow. It was always necessary to leave much earlier so as not to be late for training. It shows you that it takes 10 minutes to drive, but in the end you leave and drive for half an hour already.

"You didn"t live near Avtozavodskaya, where the "CSKA Arena" is located?"

— Nearby. But my parents in Moscow live far from this area. I often went to visit them on other business. And then he returned to the arena, getting stuck on the way. It was a little unpleasant because of that.

— Do you have any favorite places in Omsk yet?

— The arena — I spend a lot of time there. There are good restaurants there. And in general, I repeat, I like Omsk — the people are kind, it's sunny outside all the time.

— Well, you haven't lived there yet in the winter.

— Well, it's already cloudy in Moscow in early autumn. And Omsk, as they say, is one of the sunniest cities in Russia. And that's a fact. Even in winter. It can be at least minus 70 degrees, but the sun is still blinding. It's nice to get vitamin D.

— Is that why you like Moscow more?

— Yes, it seems to be warm in Moscow right now until the end of September, but it's raining.