“Modern Russian hockey lacks quality”

The KHL regular season is gaining momentum. The teams played almost two dozen matches each, there were already bright victories and sensational defeats. Although in general, our hockey is still far from the glory of the Soviet. What needs to be done to revive the successes of that era? Who can win the Gagarin Cup this season? Is it worth betting on traditional favorites – CSKA, SKA and Magnitogorsk, or will there be a new champion, for example, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg? How are things going with youth hockey and reserve training?

Fyodor Leonidovich Kanareikin, Honored Coach of Russia, one of the most respected domestic hockey specialists, spoke about this and many other things live from the MK press center.

Fedor Kanareikin is well known to MK readers as our permanent expert on Continental Hockey and international tournaments. So this time the conversation began with the current situation in the KHL regular season, which started on the first of September. A month and a half has passed since the beginning of the season, and the teams managed to play 18-20 games each, the regular season is gradually approaching a third of its way.

“For the first time so many games, the schedule is very busy. At the start, the teams are always very charged. So far, there have been few coaching resignations. The loudest – in the “Vanguard”. Dmitry Ryabykin was dismissed from his post,” Kanareikin stressed.

According to the expert, if we analyze the beginning of the regular season from a coaching position, then while the start fails, the head coach of Kazan Ak Bars Oleg Znarok, who is not satisfied with the situation, is used to working for goals and results.

Omsk “Avangard” and Chelyabinsk “Tractor” also started not in the most successful way.

“If we talk about the championship, it is worth noting that the start of Avangard and Traktor failed, although these are target teams that set high goals for themselves. Neither the game, nor their position in the standings now suits anyone, but the championship is long, so I think it will still get better, ”Fyodor Leonidovich expressed his opinion.

After analyzing the first matches, the conversation turned to the possible favorites of the current KHL season.

“The favorites are the Big Eight: four teams each from the Western and Eastern conferences. As for the West, SKA is now working confidently, and Lokomotiv should also be the leader of the championship and CSKA – it will definitely be the favorite to impose a fight and reach the final. I can also single out Magnitogorsk Metallurg, Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist and Chelyabinsk Traktor. For whom getting into the playoff zone is quite real, ”the specialist predicted.

Training problems

Speaking about the quality of the game, Kanareikin noted a general decline in the level of skating of domestic hockey players.

“Modern Russian hockey lacks quality. Skill today averaged, the leaders, who were the face of the league, gave up.

Of course, I can mention Khairullin in St. Petersburg, Glotov – he started the season very well, but still, unfortunately, these are isolated cases. I also want to note that we also sank in training in skating – they really began to skate worse.

The USSR school is first-class skating, and we concentrated on this aspect in those days. And now many players do not know how to ride – the defenders cannot properly approach, adjust and get into contact correctly. This moment is also serious and you need to pay attention to it, ”Kanareikin shared his concerns.

Then he gave advice on a possible correction of the situation: “The coach is now addicted – but the main thing here is that the face remains with the young. One should not be afraid to take risks, and it is better to try and fail than to bend – this is my firm belief. It didn’t work out now, stay on your platform with your opinion, prove it, try hard – it didn’t work out today, get up and go forward, no matter what.

International sanctions and the future of hockey

Like all Russian sports, domestic hockey has come under unfair sanctions from international federations and sports organizations. At the same time, Fedor Leonidovich sees both positive and negative aspects of the lack of international starts at the moment.

“A pause is a time and a chance to invite guys to the national team,” said Kanareikin.

He noted that at the moment we can focus on finding new strong players in the clubs who would be worthy to enter the national team.

“Now the rivals are of a lower rank – Belarus, Kazakhstan. We are brewing in our cauldron, in the KHL. There are no clashes of tactics, schools. We are losing. But the pauses provide an opportunity to heal problem areas in terms of the health of the players and gain something,” the specialist added.

When asked how things are with youth hockey, the famous hockey player and coach replied that today we are also sinking in youth hockey.

“I think there is a lot of work to be done here. This also applies to the professional skills of our trainers, and communication, for example, between a trainer and a parent. I know that it is very difficult to work as a children’s coach, because there is a lot of pressure from parents.

In my opinion, the figure of a coach should be inaccessible to parents: he should work calmly and give results. And now we have stars growing with a creak – which means that there is definitely some kind of flaw. The stratum of young people is not bad, but there are very few bright shoots, ”concluded Kanareikin.