On the eve of CSKA won the Gagarin Cup for the third time in its history and strengthened its status as one of the most titled clubs in the KHL. In terms of the number of victories in the playoffs, the army team caught up with their yesterday's rivals in the final, Ak Bars, and became only the second team that managed to prevail two years in a row. Previously, this bar was obeyed by the same Kazan residents, as well as Dynamo Moscow, which excelled in 2012-2013.
Even after the triumph, CSKA head coach Sergei Fedorov was rather restrained and laconic. He thanked his players for a great season, and especially noted those who helped the team throughout its entire length.
"Congratulations to us, but this toast to our relatives, friends, children and everyone who supported us in these difficult days, rounds and months," Fedorov said.
Despite the fact that after the end of the final series, many were quick to proclaim the hegemony of the red-blues in the KHL, it was not easy to achieve this. On the way to gold medals, they had to play 27 matches, which is an absolute league record. CSKA was one step away from relegation in the confrontations with Severstal and Lokomotiv, experienced problems at the start of the series with SKA, and Ak Bars allowed them to recoup from 1-3, but at the key moment they always came out triumphant.
"Now we are moving a little away from the last minutes. I have never experienced such tension in my life. 27 meetings, the guys worked, played every other day for two months. We left everything we could on the ice. Now it's just devastation. For me personally, this cup was much harder, so after the siren, the emotions were unreal. The second time you understand its price more, how hard it is to achieve this. Now we will rest, get high," Mamin said on KHL TV.
At the same time, the author of the "golden" goal in the fourth match of the 2019 KHL playoff final had an extremely difficult time. In the first meeting with Ak Bars, Mamin received a concussion and was forced to miss more than a week, and upon his return he failed to help the team gain the upper hand in two games in a row. And although in the seventh he also did not score any goals, he can be satisfied with his performance in the current draw of the tournament. With 16 (7 + 9) points, he finished sixth in the scorers' dispute.
"I had a concussion. Thank God I recovered quickly and was able to get out... It was hard, but then there was a quick recovery ... We played in the final against Ak Bars - this is a very cool team. It's hard against them... We won three in a row, but then, I think, we also looked good. It's okay, we thought. Let's go to Moscow and get the upper hand there. Once - it didn't work either. But we are unlikely to be broken. We were still one step away from the cup," Metaratings quoted Mamin as saying.
In turn, the top scorer of the Gagarin Cup admitted that he did not feel much excitement before the key duel with Ak Bars. According to Mikhail Grigorenko, CSKA has repeatedly gone through similar tests before, so this time the emotions were not so bright.
"It was a serious series. Psychologically, it's hard to play 27 games throughout the playoffs. Starting from the first round, there were situations when we were not favorites. With Severstal 0-2 burned, with Lokomotiv, with St. Petersburg too. The entire playoffs overcame themselves. The guys are all handsome, all well done ... Sergei Viktorovich made a speech. He was right that none of this would have happened without our loved ones, wives, parents. It's even harder for them than for us," Grigorenko said.
In his opinion, the key to winning the series with Kazan was the realization of chances and the experience gained in recent years. And one of the main creators of the success of the red-blue can be called Grigorenko. He not only became the best in the "goal + pass" system (12 + 13), but was also recognized as the Most Valuable Player and, along with seven teammates, became a three-time winner of the Gagarin Cup. And he approached the sole record holder - five-time champion Danis Zaripov.
"We are already joking that we are chasing Zaripov. It's always nice to win. It's great to be in a team that sets the highest goals every year. It is clear that according to statistics, I became the top scorer. But many of the guys could get the prize of the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs," the forward said.
According to one of the main stars of the army team Sergey Plotnikov, the success of the team is explained by the lack of selfishness among partners.
"It's very simple, we have a friendly team that always supports each other in difficult moments. We play all for the sake of the team, no one wants to pull the blanket over themselves, we do not want to become the best scorers, we want to be champions, "Sport-Express quotes Plotnikov as saying.
At the same time, the triumph of CSKA would hardly have been possible not only without Grigorenko and such star fielders as Konstantin Okulov, Anton Slypyshev and Nikita Nesterov, but also goalkeeper Adam Reideborn. The Swede had an impressive playoff, during which he reflected an average of 93% of shots on goal, and also scored as many as five "crackers" - more than any of his colleagues.
"A lot of experts say I'm the best goalie in this playoffs? It's hard to say. There are a lot of good goalkeepers in the KHL. I can separately mention those who played against us in the playoffs - Samonov, Isaev, Nikolaev and Bilyalov. I don't think I'm the best... Of course, I'm happy. It was a very difficult series and in general a difficult playoff, so now I feel relieved, "RB Sport quoted Reideborn as saying.
For the Swede, the duel with Ak Bars was special, because he had previously defended the colors of Kazan in the period from 2019 to 2021. He spoke highly of the local fans and admitted that he wanted to help them win the trophy, but managed to succeed after leaving the capital of Tatarstan. In turn, Reideborn did not give a clear answer to the question about his future. In the summer, his contract with CSKA expires, as a result of which he becomes a free agent.
"I don't negotiate during the playoffs. If CSKA wants me to stay in the team, they are ready to negotiate. But I don't know yet how it will be," Reideborn added.
CSKA President Igor Esmantovich, as expected, avoided questions about possible reshuffles in the team, but admired the performance of his athletes and revealed the secret of the success of the red-blue.
"It's a philosophy to win. Starting from the youngest children to a team of masters. It is very important from the age of five or six to instill in children the path to success ... When (the score in the series. - RT) became 3-3, were you nervous, worried? Of course. But the word "faltered" doesn't work here. This is the playoffs, there were different situations, "Sport Business Online quotes Esmantovych.
At the same time, the functionary praised Fedorov's contribution to winning the trophy, calling him the best coach in the KHL. He noted that at the moment the specialist is "squeezed like a lemon", but announced his readiness to let him go to the Russian national team, if such an offer is received.
Particular attention to the figure of Fedorov was also focused on his former partner in the Detroit Red Wings, Vyacheslav Fetisov. The two-time Olympic champion believed in the prospects of his former teammate in the coaching field and concluded that it was not in vain that he proposed his candidacy for the post of chief in the national team.
"Sergey is great, the guys fought today. Winning the Cup twice in a row is not an easy story. What did Ak Bars lack? Today I was at the celebration of the centenary of CSKA, I was asked before the start of the match who I was betting on. I said that it was for the Army Men, because the psychology of the seventh meeting has a certain principle. Most of all, pressure is exerted on the owners who got out of a difficult situation, "Sport-Express quotes Fetisov.
In turn, former SKA coach Oleg Bratash could not single out any of the hockey players during the final series. According to him, it was that rare case when the victory was brought to the team not by the bright actions of a particular athlete, but by teamwork. In light of this, he highly appreciated the merits of the head coach.
"I would give the title of MVP to Sergey Fedorov. In my opinion, he is the best player of all time. Moreover, in the course of his career, he played in all positions except goalkeeping. And always at the highest level. His level of understanding of the game, his experience is unique. Obviously, in every little thing, in any micro-episode, he sees how to play correctly for a team result. But it's one thing to know yourself, but to convey, to achieve fulfillment from your wards is another gift. And we see from the last two seasons that Fedorov has it. Two seasons of work - two Cups. A unique achievement," Bratash said.