"Winning the Gagarin Cup is a tribute to the 2011 team"

Last week, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl's hockey players won the Gagarin Cup for the first time in history — 4:1 in a series with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Previously, the railwaymen won the main club tournament in the country even before the creation of the KHL — in 2002 and 2003 they won the gold of the Super League, and in 1997 they were the first in the same tournament, playing under their old name — Torpedo. Mikhail Evraev, Governor of the Yaroslavl Region, took part in awarding the team. After leaving the victory locker room of Lokomotiv, he gave an interview to Izvestia, in which he spoke about the club's place in the life of the region, described the long-term president of the railway workers, Yuri Yakovlev, and answered whether it was possible for an arena with a larger capacity to appear in the city.

— What emotions did you feel from the victory of Lokomotiv?

— I have the best emotions. Because we won. The Gagarin Cup, the KHL's main prize, is ours! We are very happy about this. In fact, the guys did a great job — they showed themselves to be real fighters and looked very worthy. I think this is a labor victory. It was a lot of hard work for the whole team. But the guys did it — they did great.

— During the three and a half years of working at the head of the region, how did you formulate the role of the Locomotive in the life of Yaroslavl and the entire Yaroslavl region?

— This is our pride. Lokomotiv is our pride. There's nothing to formulate here. This is the face of the region — a team that we are all proud of.

— After the 23,000-seat arena was built in St. Petersburg, it fills up easily. The same situation has been going on for a long time at the 15,000-year-old in Minsk. Doesn't it feel like the capacity of the Arena 2000 in Yaroslavl at 8,000 is already too small for such a hockey region? I understand that such issues are not easy to coordinate and implement, but is it theoretically possible in the foreseeable future to have a stadium in Yaroslavl for at least 12-15 thousand people?

— You know, it's not about chasing numbers. You have to win here. We have to be the strongest. Do you know what our fan zone in Yaroslavl was like at the finals? For 12 thousand people.

— This story caused a stir when it was not present at the first match of the series with Traktor, but after your intervention it appeared before the second game. Was it difficult to organize it?

— Well, what can I say? We decided and did it. Since the first two matches of the final series were in Yaroslavl, we first decided that the main thing was to fill the arena. In any case, it was planned to organize a fan zone when the matches started in Chelyabinsk. But in the end, they decided to open it for the second home match. And notice how many fan zones we've created — all over the region. Not in one place, not in two, and not in five. All over the region.

— How would you describe the president of Lokomotiv, Yuri Yakovlev, who has been running the club for 35 years?

— Yuri Nikolaevich Yakovlev is a legend! The person who made this command. What can I say? Bow low to him.

Yaroslavl the Wise: Lokomotiv wins Gagarin Cup for the first time in history

The Railwaymen won the final series of the Traktor playoffs after five matches.

— Is there a trace of the tragedy of 2011 in Yaroslavl and a desire to win in memory of the team that died in the plane crash?

- of course. In fact, what is happening this year is a tribute to the memory of 2011. And yet another revival of Lokomotiv, the legendary team that survived the tragedy.

— "Locomotive" is now associated primarily with Russian Railways. It is believed that this company is responsible for the main burden of financing the club. To what extent is the Yaroslavl Region involved in the team's life?

— I'll tell you this: I don't know what counts there, but we work together as a team. The Club, Russian Railways and the Yaroslavl region are all working as a team for success.

— Is the region financially involved in the team's life? Or is it more mentally nearby?

— Financially, mentally, and whatever else you want. I think that first of all we are talking about the spirit, about the place of the Locomotive in the life of the Yaroslavl region. But financially, of course, we also participate.