"During the anthem, you notice that you're in front of 20,000 spectators."
In 2023, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey player Dmitry Simashev was unexpectedly selected at number six in the NHL draft, the highest among Russians, ahead of even star forward Matvey Michkov. The 2005-born defenseman was selected by the Arizona Coyotes, who moved to Utah a year later. Simashev made his debut for the Russian national team last week at the First Channel Cup in St. Petersburg.
He played all three games at the tournament and won a trophy with the national team. The 19-year-old reached the final of the Gagarin Cup with Lokomotiv last season, and in the current regular season he is in first place with a huge lead - the nearest pursuer is eight points behind the Railroaders. In an interview with Izvestia, Simashev shared his impressions of playing for the national team, talked about his trip to Utah, and also explained the reasons for Lokomotiv's leadership and why we shouldn't emphasize the Yaroslavl team's lack of a championship since 2003.
- What are your impressions of the last Channel One Cup?
- I'm very happy that we won the tournament. It's especially important for me, as it's the first time I made the Russian national team. This is my first adult tournament. Thanks to the coaching staff of the national team for trusting me to play in all three games, for giving me the opportunity to go on the ice next to such masters as Evgeny Kuznetsov, Marat Khairullin, Vasily Glotov. This is a new experience. And the impressions are inexpressible.
- Your team had difficult victories in two games - Belarus you defeated only in overtime (4:3), Kazakhstan won in regulation time (3:1), but until the last minute led by only one puck. Did they have a special attitude towards Russia?
- And who doesn't want to win against Russia? I think every national team tries to win.
- But not everyone can.
- But we won in the end. Yes, in the match with Belarusians we were losing 2:3 after the second period, but we got back, won, showed character. It's great. This is my first tournament for the national team, so I tuned up as seriously as possible.
- Vladislav Tretiak said that in the locker room after the match with Belarus he was impressed by Kuznetsov's speech, who urged the rest of the team to cherish every minute.
- Yes, the speech was powerful. Kuznetsov said: "Nobody knows, maybe it's your first and last game for the national team - just enjoy the moment." And yes, you have to enjoy this moment, no matter how old you are - 32, like Kuz, or 19, like me. You have to always cling to the opportunity to play in the national team because it's cool.
- This tournament was special for you, taking into account the fact that due to the ban of the Russian national teams you didn't have a chance to play at the Youth and Junior World Championships.
- Yes, it was my first experience. Before that I only played for the national team at the youth tournaments in Belarus the season before last. I went to exhibition matches in Finland and the Czech Republic for the junior team born in 2005, until February 2022. But I didn't play in big tournaments. It's a shame, but what can you do. The more valuable is the participation in the First Channel Cup. And from the first game against the national team of KHL legionnaires (4:1) emotions were special. Some teammates said: "Enjoy the moment". And indeed, we did enjoy it. Especially the fact that we won. It's a pity we didn't manage to score or give a goal, although there were chances. But it's all ahead. The main thing is to enjoy every shift.
-Were you impressed with the KHL's roster of foreigners, assembled from scratch? In your opinion, did the foreigners fight at full strength or were they trying not to get injured before returning to their clubs?
- I don't know. Maybe they could have played a little bit better. But I think the guys played at their best. But I can't say for sure - they have to figure it out among themselves inside the locker room. Especially they have their coaches. I think, anyway, when you go out on the ice, you give your best. Who doesn't want to win? I think there's only a few. Maybe there is someone like that in hockey, I can't speak for everyone. But most people always play to win. The main thing is that we wanted to win. And we did it.
-Did Lokomotiv head coach Igor Nikitin and head coach Dmitry Yushkevich say something special when they saw you off to the national team?
- They told me and Sasha Elesin simply: "Play the way you should, you represent your club, you represent the country!". That was it. Dmitry Sergeevich Yushkevich told me separately: "Don't forget what club you are from, show your level, don't go below your level!".
-How does their system of play at Lokomotiv differ from the one you encountered with Roman Rotenberg in the Russian national team?
- It's not that we at Lokomotiv pay more attention to playing defense, but we are more disciplined at the back. Still, we have the attitude that we must first defend well, take away all the risks in our zone, and then go on the attack. In the national team there is more two-way hockey - in the first games, in the first shifts it was hard to reorganize. But then I got used to it anyway, because in Lokomotiv, before I got to the first team, I always played a lot of offense in the youth team and scored points. I would say I scored a lot of points, so attacking hockey is not new to me. But at the same time, as I said, you should never forget about defense. I agree with Igor Valerievich Nikitin that defense is one of the most important things in hockey.
- It was the first time you played at SKA Arena. How does it feel to play in front of 20+ thousand spectators?
- Yes, when you stand during the anthem, you notice it all. During the game, you don't, because you're focused on what's happening on the ice. It turns out that this arena itself is big and not loud. And there is no such thing as hearing the noise of the stands.
- In Yaroslavl at Arena-2000 it's a bit more loud?
- Yes, the arena in Yaroslavl is very loud. All the sounds are reflected there, the fans shout very loudly. But I can't say anything bad about the arena in St. Petersburg. The conditions are great for the game and preparation. There is a very large locker room, there is everything you need. It's just that the arena is too big - it takes three minutes to walk from the locker room to the kitchen(smiles). I'm exaggerating, of course, but just so you understand why my impressions of SKA Arena are so unusual. The place is still cool. It's cool that Russia has such an arena.
-Does Arizona, who selected you in the NHL draft last year, have any contact with you?
- Arizona is no longer in contact with me, but Utah was. We're in touch, we're communicating. I'm not gonna say anything else.
- What do they tell you? Do they give you any tips on preparation?
- They just ask how I'm doing, how I'm feeling. That's all they say. I'm in Lokomotiv now, and Utah doesn't tell me anything else. Just reminds me that if I need any help, I can turn to them, and they will always help.
-How did you react to the club's move?
- Well, it's actually a unique story. It doesn't happen to many people when you get drafted by one club and a year later the whole system changes. I was in Utah this summer. The conditions there, of course... I think they have some of the best conditions in the NHL. Because the owner of the club is also the owner of the Utah Jazz, a basketball team in the NBA. The money there is very different. And, as I saw from the video, even the locker room is, if not the best, one of the best in the NHL.
-What do you think of the terrain?
- There are mountains there - very beautiful. But it's hot in the summer, and in the winter it's so cold in Europe. I thought it was cool there. I will not say that it is better than here, as I have not lived there. Well, God willing, of course, I'll be able to play in Utah and live there.
- Did Mikhail Sergachev, who moved to Utah in the summer, communicate with you?
- We contacted a couple of times, , I congratulated him on his transition. Or rather, I didn't congratulate him, of course - I just wrote a couple words to him about the trade and that's all. So we met, we literally talked for 20 minutes before the game.
-Why is Lokomotiv leading the KHL with such a lead?
- Discipline. Everywhere, in everything.
- But it has always been in Yaroslavl under Nikitin and Yushkevich, who have been with the team for three years. And you became the leader only this season.
- Well, Nikitin and Yushkevich always had teams at the top. So you can draw conclusions.
-But what have you improved this season? What should help you win the Gagarin Cup and overcome the trophyless syndrome?
- There is no syndrome. There are syndromes in the NHL, too. Toronto has a syndrome.
- Lokomotiv hasn't won anything in over 20 years. Although I agree, it's not Toronto, which hasn't won a Stanley Cup since the 1960s.
- Well, CSKA hadn't won in how many years until Nikitin and Yushkevich brought them the Gagarin Cup? What year?
- 2019.
- How long had they not won before that?
- 30 years.
- That's about it. So what's the syndrome here. Yes, we had the final last season, it was frustrating to lose it 0:4 to Magnitka. But, as they say in basketball, you have to lose once to win. This may sound silly, of course, but I think words like that make sense. "Florida" in the NHL lost the Stanley Cup Final last year and won it this year. "The Boston Celtics in the NBA how many times they've gone for the championship since 2008. Ended up winning it now. So it's okay. We're going to win it, too.
-Do you feel that the whole city of Yaroslavl is waiting for the trophy this season?
- Every city, every fan is waiting for the trophy. And we play for it all. We don't just come out to play. We play for something.
