CSKA head coach Igor Nikitin called the victory of his team deserved and said that in all games of the final his players had no significant advantage over Avangard.
“Now I have pride in my heart for the guys. They deserve to win their work, desire, attitude. I thank everyone who surrounded us - a spouse, children, everyone who gave positive energy. It is difficult to speak, the devastation is felt, but we are very pleased. The score of the series does not reflect what was in reality. All games were equal, ”Nikitin said on the air of“ Match TV ”.
CSKA goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin, who did not miss in the final for 137 minutes in a row, was named the best player in the playoffs. However, he himself said that the title of the most valuable hockey player would be divided among all the army team.
“It's hard to talk about emotions, some kind of emptiness for now. You are still in the game. It is necessary to rest, recover, and then emotions will come. In this series, we did not have jitters, we enjoyed hockey. They believed in each other and in victory. Each player is the best. Without any there would not be this result. Therefore, thanks to all the guys, they did an excellent job. Of course, they could not imagine that only four matches would be in the final. Look, all the games from the knife were. Each meeting could turn in any direction. It so happened that our time has come. I didn’t think where I’ll take the Cup, ”the Championship quotes the goalkeeper.
The captain of the Gagarin Cup winners Sergey Andronov agreed with the head coach that the outcome of the final does not show the balance of power between CSKA and Avangard. He also stated that he did not yet know anything about continuing his career.
“To be honest, the bill in the series absolutely does not reflect the real state of affairs. In every game we won ourselves somewhere. Every game had to do something. Avangard played well in their hockey. I think it is not particularly important that they went down in history, winning 4-0. The main thing is that we have achieved what was going on for so long. Of course, Omsk has a very strong team. They did not just get to the final and played great. In the future I can not say anything. Now I will drink a couple of glasses and then I will think, ”said Andronov.
The author of the puck, which made CSKA champion, was Maxim Mamin. After the match, he said that the decisive goal was issued almost by accident.
“Not I alone decided the outcome of the whole championship, but the whole team. With the score 0-2, there was no panic, we were sure that we would win back and win. In overtime, I was just lucky, I put a stick on the reflex and that's it. We had an unreal appetite, for so many years already accumulated. Now everyone is full, ”the attacker shared his emotions.
The best sniper of CSKA in the current playoff, Mikhail Grigorenko believes that the unsuccessful first period of the last match will be quickly forgotten and will no longer matter.
“Everything is very good, we went to this for a long time. We are very glad that we could win, emotions are overwhelming! Hard season turned out, glad to have won. Before overtime, we just tuned in at every moment, we realized that any mistake could be the last. Tried, great played in the minority. Sorokin made a couple of saves, and then managed to throw at the very end of the additional period. I do not know why they started poorly, it happened. I think that now it does not matter, the main thing is that they won in the end, and no one will remember about that, ”the Sport Express quotes.
To continue the match in overtime, CSKA helped Konstantin Okulov goal. He admitted that he still could not feel himself a champion of the Continental hockey.
“There was a lot of fruitful work, the team went to this for a long time, and was rebuilt a lot. I think when I wake up in the morning, I will feel like a champion. These will be real sensations, ”said Okulov.
Forward Cyril Caprice scored the first goal of CSKA in the fourth match. He noted that each game of the final to the last hid intrigue.
“Winning is always cool, now there are very cool emotions. My family was rooting for me, a lot of people arrived. It seems that they easily won the final series, but in every match there was intrigue until the last minute. How many times they led one puck and then threw it into an empty net. I think it turned out a cool series. It is impossible to compare the victory at the Olympics, all the victories bring emotions, ”said Whims.
CSKA players could not answer the question about their future and possible performance in the NHL. But Canadian striker Linden Wey is confident that Grigorenko and Kaprizov can go to North America.
“Winning the Gagarin Cup is an unreal feeling, it's hard to describe. You stick all year long, starting from mid-July, and when the result comes after hard work, you feel in seventh heaven for joy. No matter how cool the season was, but we had difficulties. We almost missed the victory in the series against the SKA, when it was all over with the seventh game. Thanks to Sorokin, without him we would not have reached the final and would not hold the Gagarin Cup now. Grigorenko and Whims - two very cool players. It gives me great pleasure to go on the ice with them. Very technical attackers, gifted with great talent and at the same time working not a team. If they manage to get into a good team for them in the NHL, then everything will be fine, ”said Wei after the final.