“You don’t need to think about superstitions”: Fetisov on the “curse” of the Continental Cup, increased attendance and cross-playoffs in the KHL

— What impression did the KHL regular championship make on you?

— This season I attended a certain number of matches, and I was pleased with the attendance.

Including at Megasport, where Spartak plays.

Of course, the arenas were not always packed to capacity, but the overall occupancy of the stands was impressive.

On the positive side, I would like to note the intrigue in the championship: throughout the entire regular season there was a fight for first places in the conferences and for reaching the playoffs.

Some skilled teams had bad periods, and this only added fuel to the fire.

— What do you attribute the increase in attendance to?

— The league did a good job.

Perhaps the organization of events and the quality of work of the KHL media service have improved.

In particular, there have been more interesting interviews during television broadcasts.

There are many factors that influence the final quality of a product.

Often, a casual visitor who comes to a hockey game for company later becomes a fan.

This is also an important factor.

— Only CSKA managed to win the main trophy after winning the regular season.

What do you think about the talk about the “curse of the Continental Cup?”

— Some kind of stupidity 

(laughs)

.

The final success at the end of 68 matches gives a high seeding in the knockout cup matches.

The guys train and work hard, including for the sake of such achievements.

If you are looking for an excuse for not being able to take possession of the main trophy, then talking about a curse is an excellent option.

At such moments, all superstitions must be thrown out of your head and just not think about it.

I won the USSR championship 13 times in a row.

There, too, one could talk about signs, but this did not happen.

Yes, there were mistakes somewhere: someone could cheat and not give their all in the training process, or not mentally prepare for the game, but everyone wanted to prove their skill and superiority.

It couldn’t be otherwise, because we had a name, a reputation and fans.

This is a whole philosophy.

— Nikita Gusev beat Sergei Mozyakin’s achievement in terms of the number of points scored in the KHL regular season, although he played more matches.

Record - is there a record or is it not worth comparing these two historical successes?

— At one time, we held 44 meetings in the championship of the Soviet Union.

It is, of course, incorrect to identify that number with the current 68 matches, but statistics can also be diverse.

It is important to analyze such milestones from different angles, including paying attention to the average per game.

One way or another, Nikita is great.

I consider him a landmark hockey player for our country.

He played in my “Red Army”, and I can say: the guy is extremely unusual.

Nugget 100%.

In fact, he almost single-handedly carried the Olympics into Pyeongchang

(in the final, Gusev scored a double and assisted his partners twice. - RT )

.

That's who is definitely not superstitious.

Gusev will not look for excuses for himself and Dynamo, but will lead the blue and white team to medals.

— You have enormous experience of performing overseas.

In your opinion, why was Gusev unable to fully realize his potential in the NHL?

“Perhaps there was an element of bad luck: I ended up in the wrong club or with the wrong coach.

It’s difficult for me to judge for one simple reason: I didn’t closely follow the overseas stage of Nikita’s career.

It is extremely important for such a talented and extraordinary hockey player to find the right application.

I think the stumbling block lies in this.

Two Nikitas - Gusev and Kucherov - played together for Polar Bears-92.

Look what a star the last one became.

He was in good hands with Tampa General Manager Steve Yzerman.

And he knows hockey, believe me.

Unfortunately, Gusev was unlucky in this regard.

— “Spartak” became the most scoring team in the league following the results of the regular part of the championship.

Are these, first of all, the fruits of the work of two Alekseevs - Zhamnov and Kovalev, or does competent selection in the off-season still prevail?

- Both one and the other are important here.

For me, the most important thing is the presence of that very Spartak spirit, which in previous years was the definition of red and white.

This is captivating.

“Spartak” of those years also scored a lot and pulled out the most difficult matches in the end.

— You noted the Spartak spirit, but you are a student of one of the most important rivals of the red and white — CSKA…

— When I joined the main army team, Spartak won the gold medals of the USSR championship for the last time

(laughs)

.

All!

Didn't win again.

This is an interesting fact.

We, of course, liked their spirit, but we had our own - it didn’t matter who we were going against: skilled or spirited groups.

— Did Vyacheslav Fetisov put a curse on Spartak after 1976?

— And not only in red and white

(laughs)

.

— The return of Ilya Kovalchuk has become one of the most discussed topics of the season.

Supporters of the forward's appearance in Spartak talk about the forward's leadership qualities and experience, which will certainly help his partners, while opponents talk about the player's rather respectable age, by hockey standards.

“Ilya and I are friends, and he also consulted with me before returning.

For me, Ilya is an iconic person in the world of hockey.

At the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, I called him to the national team, being its head coach.

You could see his eyes burning.

He dreamed of becoming a champion.

Then his winning goal in Quebec at the 2008 World Championship comes to mind.

After the game, he jumped up to the camera and shouted: “This is for you, Russia.”

It is impossible to do such things without dreaming of triumph in your country's jersey since childhood.

I know for sure: the team definitely needs such a guy, a veteran, or whatever you want to call it.

He can pat you on the shoulder at the right moment, give advice to younger partners, and find the right words.

We cannot know the entire inner workings, but I admit: Ilya plays an important role in the Spartak players’ locker room.

There are two completely opposite opinions regarding the resonant return - this is already an understandable formula.

I believe that the coaching staff made the appropriate decision carefully.

Even the owner of the club, Gennady Timchenko, took part in the discussion.

Moreover, Ilyusha himself, I’m sure, came for a reason.

Only the end result will show whether management did the right thing by signing the forward.

Let's wait until the end of the playoffs - Ilya prepared for these cup matches in the first place.

— You are well acquainted not only with Kovalchuk, but also with Igor Larionov, whose “Torpedo” stalled badly at the finish line of the regular season.

“I’m always a little worried about him.”

I wrote him a message and wished him good luck in the knockout matches.

He replied: “Thank you, we are getting ready.”

As far as I understand, Igor managed to make the whole of Nizhny Novgorod fall in love with him.

Getting on the coaching bench is an act initially associated with great risks.

Last season, he completed a full training cycle, did systematic work and instilled beautiful combination hockey in Nizhny Novgorod.

Unfortunately, I can’t know what broke in the team.

He is responsible, sensitively understanding how the microclimate works in the team.

He has vast experience as a player playing for great clubs and, I hope, he will find the right solution to improve the situation.

Now the team is worthy of butting heads with SKA, which literally took out everyone in the last two thirds of the championship.

That's why it's the playoffs - there's an opportunity to start over with a clean slate and motivate the players for a successful performance against the giants.

— Is it worthwhile to separate and remove from the main cast several performers who played an important role in Torpedo?

— Igor will not cut to the quick to the detriment of the interests of the club.

Such a specialist will not settle scores with someone - this means that the events taking place inside prevented the guys from completing their tasks.

This could be a signal to everyone else: nothing comes before the team.

I can only hope for this.

Of course, he would not take such steps without a reason.

Great coaches say: “Decisions must be made not now, but right now.”

If you don't do it right away, it will be even more difficult later.

And if Torpedo continues in the same spirit as in the first two matches of the series, then the coach will be right.

— CSKA had an unconvincing regular season, nevertheless, it was considered one of the favorites of the Gagarin Cup.

But after three defeats in a row, Sergei Fedorov’s charges are one step away from disaster?

- There is an explanation for everything.

The red-blues won the main trophy twice in a row.

I myself have been in a similar position in the past.

The winner of the tournament always has a short recovery period before the start of the new season and high expectations from the fans.

It has its own specifics.

Fedorov’s illness can be attributed to a set of problems: at that time he could not fully manage his charges.

Also, don’t discount the not-so-pleasant story with goalkeeper Ivan Fedotov.

He was given a chance to recover and return to his former form.

He took advantage of it.

As for the Gagarin Cup, CSKA had to understand that it was necessary to show their best qualities - they couldn’t win on one skate.

We succeeded in the first match of the series.

And then... When you score only four goals in 185 minutes, only an impeccable defensive game can save you.

However, the team has a chance to correct the situation.

— With your permission, we will move to the East.

How did you react to returning to the Lada elite?

— The participation of Tolyatti residents in this season is positive news from the point of view of the league’s image and reputation.

I would like to believe that the return of Novokuznetsk Metallurg is not far off.

— What steps do you think need to be taken for this?

— In Novokuznetsk, as in the Kemerovo region, they love hockey very much.

This is a sports region - they are waiting for their favorite team to return to the elite.

We must make every effort to return Metallurg fans the opportunity to go to KHL matches.

There is a large business in the region that can find the necessary amount for Kuzny to join the league.

Next will follow the expansion draft procedure to complete the roster, which, by the way, has already been tested.

There is an example of Vegas in the NHL, which won the Stanley Cup in its sixth year of existence.

At the same time, the Novokuznesk arena will be constantly filled: metallurgists and miners will come there.

The men will drive their favorites forward.

What could be better?

— You cited the Golden Knights as an example.

I remember another incident in the NHL that occurred in the 2018/19 season.

Then the Stanley Cup was won by St. Louis, which in the middle of the championship occupied last place in the league summary table.

Can you imagine something similar in the KHL?

“It is precisely such examples that later remain in history.

I believe it is necessary to regulate the rule of restricted and unrestricted free agents.

This must be done so that talented performers cannot be lured away at the snap of a finger.

Such transitions primarily hurt the feelings of the fans.

The principle of equal conditions and opportunities for all league participants must be observed.

This will only increase its importance and prestige, because competition will constantly grow.

We must be aware: in such an environment, without oligarch clubs, the greatest progress will be achieved.

Working on this principle, the NHL already occupies a leading position in popularity among sports leagues and competitions in North America, although it was previously in the second ten.

The sports business operates at a high level: just look at the $650 million admission ticket that Seattle paid to participate in the league.

Some time ago it was hard to even believe in this.

— Another tool for increasing competition and creating additional intrigue in the KHL was the cross-playoffs.

How do you feel about the innovation?

— It’s difficult to give estimates yet.

There were regulations that everyone understood.

Maybe this was started as an experiment?

If the main goal, as we heard, was the desire to avoid another Western Conference final with the participation of SKA and CSKA, then we can only see how it all ends.

— How did you react to the incident with Sibir defender Fedor Gordeev?

The club was accused of violating the limit on foreign players and was deprived of four points, which were just not enough to get into the top eight of the cup.

— The situation is surreal, at least for me personally.

Russian kid who played in North America.

We ourselves long for their return to our league... Why consider him a foreign player if he is a Russian in his own right?

Imagine how offensive it is for Novosibirsk fans.

This is a clear illustration of the fact that everything needs to be thought through to the smallest nuances.

In my opinion, the decision made by the league was quite formal in nature and determined the fate of not only Sibir, but also the entire city.

- There is an opposite opinion - the club itself is responsible for such a violation of the regulations.

- You know... The extreme can always be found.

This isn't what we're talking about now, is it?

Why are such harsh penalties needed during the period of the national team’s suspension from international competitions?

If a guy performed, who would feel bad about it?