"When it's 30 seconds to the finals, it doesn't matter if you're tired"

One of the highlights of last KHL season was the Gagarin Cup semi-final between Lokomotiv and Avangard. The Omsk club led 3-1 in the series and was twice a step away from the finals, but Yaroslavl scored two goals both times, won in the second overtime and eventually took the series in seven matches. Then Lokomotiv defeated Ak Bars in the final and won the Gagarin Cup for the second year in a row. In an interview with Izvestia, Avangard striker Konstantin Okulov explained the opponent's success, appreciated the role of Igor Nikitin, shared his expectations for the new season and spoke about Belarus' return to the Junior World Cup, expressing hope for the early admission of the Russian national teams.

— After the departure from Lokomotiv, did you analyze for yourself why everything ended the way it did for your team?

— The analysis is the same as immediately after the episode. We are to blame for what happened. I don't think anyone will say anything new right now. Now is the time to just relax, reset your head, forget about it and start preparing for the new season.

— After the final, was there at least partial consolation that we lost the series to the future winner of the Gagarin Cup?

— I didn't care who won the final. Both teams deserved to win. But Lokomotiv won. And it happened in a fair fight. I personally did not support anyone in the final. So the fact that we lost to the champion didn't really bother me.

— Do you have an understanding of why Lokomotiv wins so much at crucial moments, escapes defeats in desperate situations?

— They did what they believed in, what they trained on a day-to-day basis. Even in those moments when something did not work out for them, they continued to bend their line and did not change themselves. This gave them their second championship in a row.

— They won these two championships with different head coaches. Igor Nikitin, who is well known to you from CSKA, has been building a team at Lokomotiv for almost four years. Bob Hartley, who replaced him, took the trophy now with almost the same squad. Many believe that it was done on Nikitin's "luggage" anyway. Are such judgments appropriate?

— I think every coach leaves his mark. If we take that CSKA and today's Lokomotiv, then these teams were built for a long time, built step by step. Even if you don't take coaching, the players have been in the same frame for a very long time. This is also very important when the atmosphere in the locker room doesn't change much. I think that's one of the factors that helped them win. So let's talk about the "baggage" of only one Nikitin... It is clear that he has done a great job, but Hartley is not just some kind of person who came from nowhere. He is also a great coach with a big name. And he deserved to win with Lokomotiv.

— Is the theory of Nikitin's "baggage" relevant in the context of the period of your playing at CSKA, when you won the 2019 Gagarin Cup under Igor Valeryevich, and then, after his departure, took this trophy twice under Sergei Fedorov?

— Sergey Viktorovich did absolutely the right thing — he did not particularly destroy what had been under construction for a very long time. Yes, Fedorov contributed certain things of his own, his own vision of the game. In some cases, he gave the players more freedom, in others, on the contrary, he reduced it. And it paid off. Because the backbone of the team was already built up by that time. Everyone knew each other, they knew what to do on the ice. We believed in each other. I think the coach's skill is also in not interfering with the team at some point and letting the hockey players act on their own.

— Are you ready for a lot of pressure on your team next season, when after such an insulting defeat from Avangard, they will only expect to win the Gagarin Cup?

— Every day, every season, only the Cup is expected from our team. Personally, I don't want to think about anything else but the Cup. Because the way we lost this year is very disappointing. To do such a lot of work and miss everything in 33 seconds... Now I want to relax, reboot a little and start a new season. We need to go through the playoffs more smoothly, reach the finals and take the most important prize there.

— Many consider one of the reasons for Avangard's defeat in the series with Lokomotiv to be that your head coach Guy Boucher overloaded the main forwards of the team, played with a narrow group of players, giving them too much time. Did you feel tired at the end of the episode?

— First of all, this question should be asked by Guy Boucher. Secondly, I don't think it's necessary to make excuses. It doesn't matter who played more or less. When there are 30 seconds left before reaching the finals, it doesn't matter if you're tired or not. The skill of even a "dead" but solid player can allow you to endure this remaining time. Therefore, complaining about fatigue or more or less playing time is the lot of the weak. Our team was ready to wait 30 seconds and calmly play another round. Every player was capable of it.

— In that last minute of the sixth match, did you have a feeling that something was going wrong at 2-0?

- no. We played well for 59 minutes. We tried not to give Lokomotiv any chances. Where necessary, our goalkeeper Nikita Serebryakov helped us out. Where necessary, the guys caught the puck and took it out of the zone. I think we played great. But two mistakes decided the outcome of the series. Let this be a good lesson for our team.

— The Russian national team is still suspended from international competitions. But in May, the Belarusian juniors were finally disbanded. Do you have any hope that they will let us in in the foreseeable future, and you will still get a chance to play at the World Cup?

— If this happens, I will be extremely happy. And I am already glad that the junior national team of Belarus has received admission. I would like our young guys to be admitted faster. Because many guys can have junior and youth world championships only once in their career. And it's even twice as insulting to miss them as it is for adult hockey players to miss the adult World Championship. That's why I'm worried about the youth. But of course, I myself would be happy to go to the World Cup again, feel its atmosphere, come out with my flag and coat of arms and play for the Russian national team.