Igor Geraskin: “In Avangard, our trio with Filatyev plays better with every match”

On December 24, Avangard in the KHL championship match against Metallurg conceded 2:3. Mikhail Belyaev and Igor Geraskin scored goals for the Hawks.

It was Geraskin who assessed the results of the meeting in a conversation with journalists.

– It is known that the head coach of Magnitogorsk would very much like to have you as a player on his roster. And yesterday, in an interview with an Omsk journalist, he even spoke about it this way: that Geraskin was allegedly simply playing for the wrong coach, which is why he could have played much better with him. As a result, your goal today is like a greeting to him on this topic. What can you say about this yourself?

– Of course, I won’t say “wrong coach.” Well, something doesn’t work out. Something is not going according to plan. We just need to change this situation, it’s quite possible, we need to add more with each game. So I won’t specifically get into an argument with Andrei Vladimirovich on this topic. It’s clear that I played for him for a long time, I know his requirements, probably in this context he talks about which coaches are best suited for me.

– Maybe Razin really has the right to say that he knows some kind of key to you, some particularly subtle approaches, thanks to which he can reveal you even by 150-200 percent?

– I don’t know, it’s better to ask him himself. Maybe he knows something like that (smiles). In any case, the fact that I showed up well for him last season is obvious, everyone knows. As a result, thanks to him, I’m more likely to be at Avangard now.

– Overall, your trio played pretty well today. She was noticeable. How comfortable is it to play with the same Filatyev? What is your understanding with him?

– It seems to me that in this regard we are improving with every game. We are starting to play better and better. Filatyev needed time to get used to the transition from the MHL to the KHL. This period is usually difficult. But now, I think, he is already used to everything. He is not shy about anything and enjoys all the trust he has received. I hope we will add more in the game.

– How do you plan to celebrate the New Year and where? And what is the main gift you would like to receive?

– I will obviously celebrate the New Year in Omsk, there is not enough time there to be able to go and celebrate at home. I will celebrate with the team players, we have already agreed on this topic, there is no point in naming everyone who will be there by name, since there are many of them. In terms of numbers, this is almost half the composition. As for the gift, I don’t plan anything globally on this topic, but not only for myself, but for the whole team – winning the Cup in April.

We wrote earlier about how Avangard coach appreciated a crushing victory over Sochi.