Media: Volkov planned to bring Skabelka to the post of Avangard head coach

Alexei Volkov, while still the general manager of HC Avangard, offered either Andrei Skabelka or Vyacheslav Butsaev as a head coach. At the same time, the head of the board of directors of the club, Alexander Krylov, hoped that he would be able to attract a titled foreigner to Omsk, the media write.

After the Canadian specialist Bob Hartley left the Avangard hockey team, the now retired general manager Alexei Volkov offered either Vyacheslav Butsaev or Andrei Skabelka (who had previously worked in Omsk) instead of him. It is reported by “Match TV”.

As a result, neither one nor the other was chosen. Butsaev became the head coach of Vityaz, and Skabelka again headed the Astana Barys. At the same time, Alexander Krylov, the head of the board of directors of Avangard, rejected the candidacy of the Belarusian specialist. There were two reasons – the first was in the background, when working at Avangard in the 2017/18 season, Skabelka made a conflict with the players. Those, according to rumors, simply sent a delegation to the then president of the club and delivered an ultimatum to dismiss the specialist.

The second reason – until the last moment, Krylov hoped to lure a venerable foreigner into the camp of the “hawks”. Negotiations were held with Michael Babcock and Joel Quenneville. But those options fell through, so it was decided appoint Dmitry Ryabykinwho for four years as an assistant to Hartley, it would seem, was ready for work as the main one.

In a situation where Avangard lost many matches at the start of the season, Volkov was instructed to prepare plan B and at the same time carte blanche. Mikhail Kravets was called to the club’s headquarters on the initiative of Krylov and adviser Rashid Khabibullin. Because of this, Konstantin Kurashev was fired.

And then Volkov decided dismiss Rybykin and offered to make Kravets acting. head coach. Besides, Vyacheslav Uvaev became an assistant. At the same time, all his decisions were agreed upon by the Vanguard bosses.

Before that, we already wrote that Volkov he resigned himself from post. The same “Match TV” clarified that the decisive there was a problem of finding a top goalkeeper. This search was never successful.

Previously also “MK in Omsk” informedthat Avangard beat Ak Bars in Kazan.