After it became known about the appointment to the post of head coach of Neftyanik Ilnura Gizatullina, the press service of the Almetyevsk club called the new coach and took the first interview in the new position.
- Ilnur Alfridovich, for you Almetyevsk is not a foreign city at all. How do you feel when you return here?
Here, in 1987, I could say I started my gaming career. After finishing school in Kazan, I was taken to the Uritsky Sports Complex and immediately sent to Almetyevsk. At Neftyanik I managed to play with some of his luminaries: Abdulkhaev, Zainullin, Mingazov, Mordvintsev. That season I became, if I'm not mistaken, the team's fourth scorer. (In the 1987/88 season, Ilnur Gizatullin abandoned 23 washers - Author's note). Therefore, I have the most pleasant feelings about returning to the city.
This is already your third visit to the club. And it turned out that they ended up playing in Almetyevsk. And another interesting coincidence - everything that you have associated with “Neftyanik” is associated with the number seven. They made their debut in 1987 and ended their career in 2007. Now, here is 2017 and a new stage in my coaching career.
True, interesting coincidences. I didn't even pay attention to it.
- Have you been thinking about the offer to head Neftyanik for a long time? Was it unexpected?
We are with Rafik Yakubov We started discussing this option back in March. But I had a valid contract with Lada and it had to be worked out. Of course, I wanted to continue working independently as a head coach. And Almetyevsk is a good option.
- Doesn’t the transition from the KHL to the VHL confuse you?
Neftyanik is always given the highest goals. Especially after the conquest of Bratina. Is this a plus for you as a coach?
Of course it's a plus. I repeat, Neftyanik is a top club and it is simply pointless to set tasks below your level. High goals are always interesting, they are an additional challenge.
Before the vacation, while the issue with the head coach was being resolved, Alexander Shakhvorostov and Evgeniy Mukhin, also new people at the club, worked with the team. From the previous coaching staff, only Airat Mukhitov remained. What can you say about your coaching staff?
We know each other. But we had never worked together before. The guys are experienced. Shakhvorostov and Mukhin have experience working in the KHL. We also worked with young people. I think we should succeed. We're the same age. We'll find a contact.
It is known which players remain in Neftyanik. In your opinion, how combat-ready is this squad? Do you have any ideas for new candidates?
Selection work is in full swing. We talk to Rafik Khabibullovich almost every day. Now the regulations have changed and age restrictions have appeared. Therefore, due to circumstances, I had to break up with someone. Now we have to do point selection. There is a backbone, and the youth are good. Everything will depend on the guys themselves. The team is combat-ready. Well, we are waiting for those who are on trial at KHL clubs.
- Who do you like to work with more - young people or experienced and proven hockey players?
I think there must be a symbiosis here. Hockey has changed a lot now. Even if you compare it with what it was three or four years ago. The so-called total hockey is “five ahead, five behind.” This is a very energy-intensive style of play. And if the veteran can withstand such a pace, then why not? Plus he has experience, he can give advice to young people. But the veteran must be adequate, understand what is being asked of him, what his role is in the team. In general, it makes no difference to me how old the player is - 35 or 17 .
When you worked in Volzhsk, Novokuznetsk youth performed very well. Does this mean that you are able to find contact with young people?
I have no problems communicating with either young or experienced players. I don't consider them some kind of robots. We are all human, we have ups and downs. Everyone has their own character. You just need to find an approach to everyone, you need to guide the person, become like-minded people and do one thing. To go out on the ice and fight for the name on the back and the emblem on the chest.
- And it is very important to create a healthy psychological climate in the team.
Certainly. And this is where experienced players play a very important role. It’s one thing when the coaches talk, it’s another when the hockey players themselves communicate well with each other, there is a good microclimate. This is very important for victory, and for life in general. After all, we spend most of the season together: trips, games, training camps.
- What is your coaching credo? What kind of hockey will Neftyanik strive to play?
I probably already mentioned this, as a basis - “five in front, five behind.” This is the call of the times. Even if you look at the last matches of our Olympic team, how the same Swiss played. How quickly they switch from defense to attack. If a defender sees that he can go forward, he should go forward. Of course, serious attention will be paid to defensive play. Without defense there is nowhere. Let's just say there will be systemic hockey.
ACCORDING TO ONE OF THE AK BARS LEADERS OF THE LATE 90S, AT SOCHI 2014 THE RUSSIAN TEAM HAS A CHANCE TO REHABILITATE FOR THE LOSS IN VANCOUVER
One of the legends of Kazan hockey, the 1998 Russian champion Ilnur Gizatullin is now the head coach of the Ariada-Akpars Major Hockey League club from Volzhsk. And before the start of the next meeting of the regular season, in an interview with a sports correspondent of BUSINESS Online, he spoke about his career at Ak Bars, about the lessons of Moiseev and Krikunov, about the young Pavel Datsyuk and the ability to work as the main factor of success in big-time sports.
“IF YOUR FINGER WORKS, DO YOUR FINGER”
Ilnur, now that you yourself have become the head coach, do you remember how Yuri Moiseev worked, under whose leadership Ak Bars became the national champion in 1998?
Yes, sure. Moiseev then clearly set the task - whoever does not work, does not eat. Those who did not work were fired by Moiseev. As an example, he fired the then best center forward of last season, Oleg Tolokontsev, after two months of pre-season. The same thing happened to several other talented guys who thought that nothing would happen, but it didn’t work out. He released those who began to whine or express dissatisfaction from the team without question.
I remember how Moiseev came to the recovery training camp at the end of the season in Turkey. Met the team. Previously, you could always go a little to the left, say that I was overheated, I was sick. And some did not go out to exercise. The first thing Yuri Ivanovich did was raise everyone up. And I went there with a broken toe. And every morning he went out with everyone else to exercise, because Moiseev had this principle - he’s all in a cast, but his finger is working, so exercise your finger. What doesn't work doesn't work. What works, work on it, improve it... At the same time, I tried to fulfill all the terms of the contract for the player.
In my opinion, the words that “Yuri Moiseev taught me to work” are uttered by almost every player of that Ak Bars.
Yes, that's true. And we are now trying to instill the same attitude in the current generation, the so-called next. It's obvious that they don't really want to work. For example, in the gym you explain that you need to do an exercise 15 times, but he does 10. And he doesn’t understand that it’s not me who needs this, but him, if he wants to develop as an athlete. And Moiseev taught us that as it is said, so must be done. Of course, we also had “I don’t want” or “Sachkan”, but then it stopped. At first it was interesting to watch the guys who came from abroad, how they stretched, for example, before training. And we arrived 10 minutes in advance, quickly changed clothes, trained and ran away from the sports palace. Now it's completely different. Before training, warm up, after training on a bicycle trainer, that is, you treat your body professionally. He feeds us, so we need to treat him with care and love. Then he will answer you in kind.
Moiseev could easily cure the injury. If you “mow”, then it was worse for you, because the player outside the lineup, the one with something hurt, worked twice as hard. Therefore, no one wanted to be out of the lineup for a long time, because they understood what this would entail.
- They say that he argued with doctors about the players’ recovery time.
Yes. For him, a bruise or a sprain were not injuries at all.
- Do you yourself, as a coach, think that this was right?
You know, there are situations when you need to behave this way. I experienced this myself, and I told the guys about it. Of course, if there is a fracture, then there is no need to touch the player and aggravate the injury. And if I approached him, Moiseev, and explained the situation, he always reacted normally. You know, situations like this happen even now. He knew that there was a player who could, as they say, “make a mess,” and there were those who would play and “I can’t.” But if it’s impossible, then it’s impossible. Bruises are also different, and each person’s body can react to such sores differently. In some places you just need to give it a good stretch before training or a match, for example, a bruised hip. I know from myself that it immediately becomes easier. But he didn’t allow me to lie on the sofa at all.
WE ARE MOSCOW, AND WHO ARE YOU? FROM KAZAN, IN “FAREWELL”?
- How does your coaching staff in Volzhsk react to various player injuries?
For example, we ask whether a person can play or train today. If you want to skip training, you can blame your groin injury. It is impossible to check. Groin means smell. Well, okay, you don’t play, so you don’t receive bonuses. There is, of course, a downside to this. Let's say a player has a sore abdomen, and you force him to do some exercises. He himself is silent, and the doctor is afraid to tell you. This can only make the damage worse.
But it also happens, of course, that there is no injury, but only a simulation. We had one such player in Ak Bars. At a difficult training camp in Finland there was a friendly game. Well, he suffered a little in that meeting. And he sits, writhing in pain - it’s like a one-man show, and he quietly tells me: “Well, I have nothing.” And for a whole week I was quietly “recovering”, walking around Finland, enjoying forest walks (laughs).
- Moiseev, as they say, was a master of strong words.
It was, it was. And he could have cursed at us (laughs). My friends even came to training specifically to listen to Moiseev scolding us with the last words. But if he offended his hockey players with some words, I even tell my players about it, then he would definitely discuss it with us. Edik Kudermetov was once sent far away during training, but he took it and went to the locker room and shower. About ten minutes later, during the next training exercise, Moiseev asks: “Where is Kudermetov?” We say: “So you sent him!” Moiseev: “Well, I didn’t send it forever!” And then he gathered us together, told us not to be offended and that he was not going to offend us. And then we began to perceive these words much more calmly. But Moiseev never reached into his pocket for a word, anywhere.
Even senior colleagues in the journalistic workshop say that back in 1998, the capital’s press was very sensitive about Ak Bars’ leadership and championship. At a press conference, Yuri Ivanovich was asked, for example, if he was circumcised?
No, I personally didn’t feel anything like that. Of course, they don’t like upstarts from the provinces. Tolyatti, Magnitogorsk, Kazan - who are they? And in Moscow there were grandees. This could be seen even in children's hockey. When we came somewhere in our childhood and youth, they told us: “We are Moscow, and who are you? From Kazan, in the “farewells”?”
- Can we say that times have changed since then and Kazan is one of the hockey capitals in the country?
Certainly. Both us and Magnitogorsk. Quite the contrary, now they are again trying to return Moscow to the list of giants. So now our young hockey players psychologically feel much more confident. Now, when they see players from our Ak Bars Youth Sports School, they say - oh, this is Ak Bars itself! This is the name.
SUCH CAPITAL PLAYERS SOMETIMES CAME FROM MOSCOW
Ilnur, in the next season after the champion 1998, the team retained its core and strengthened even more. Bautin, Davydov, Prokhorov came. Why didn't there happen to be a dynasty team that won several gold medals in a row?
I'll tell you my feelings. We won the championship, but then the stars came, the Olympic champions. And all attention turned to them. That is, they had to make a result, lead Ak Bars to new heights. And we, the old-timers, seem to be second-class citizens. Well, or more softly - carriers of shells. But as the season progresses, we wait, but there is still no result from the stars. And then we had to get down to business and try to correct the situation as best we could. But, in the end, this situation did not have a good effect on the team and we lost in the playoffs to the capital's Dynamo in the semifinals, and then to Yaroslavl in the bronze medal series.
- So there is a division in the team into two camps?
Yes, right away. It was visible to the naked eye. That old team was very friendly. We still call each other and meet. And then the team was immediately divided. And yet, back then it was still a novelty, the colossal difference in salaries. You can’t hide the same thing in a team, although they tried to do it.
So the club's management made a strategic mistake here? But, in principle, great players were needed to strengthen the team.
Yes, but you also need to be able to work with stars. You can’t deal with them like you would with an ordinary, say, young hockey player. This is how conflicts arose. A mistake is not a mistake, but this was the first such experience, such a touchstone. Probably not entirely successful.
These were still the times when metropolitan hockey players came to Kazan and were not satisfied with the provincial way of life and the organization of business. Do you remember how Alexei Morozov’s older brother Valentin came? He didn’t seem to like the helmet that Ak Bars offered him, or something like that.
Yes, it happened. I remember Valentin Morozov in the preseason before the championship season. Such a cheerful and sociable guy. A talented player, but he lacked efficiency. Well, yes, such capricious players sometimes came from Moscow. But he never played for Ak Bars; everything was limited to the preseason. Apparently, it was not suitable for performance. I played in the same team with him and I remember that I was angry that he was underperforming here and there. And the coaches told me: don’t be indignant, play. It's not your concern.
WE JUST STARTED BEATING KRIKUNOV'S HOCKEY PLAYERS
There was another bright coach in your career - Vladimir Krikunov. I remember the words that the then head coach of Ak Bars said about you personally. He said that at first he did not put Gizatullin in the squad because he did not know what kind of player he was. But you were able to prove to him, Krikunov, that you are the team’s leading hockey player.
Yes, when he came to the team, we greeted him very calmly. After all, we recently won the national championship. And Krikunov comes and says: “And I am the champion of Slovenia. Brought Yekaterinburg to the major league.” Well, we, what kind of Slovenia is this? Well, he brought me to the big leagues and that’s good. In general, we look at him, and he looks at us. And Krikunov says: “I always work on the brink of conflict.” That is, it was a kind of withdrawal. He tried to impose his dictatorship, but we, the players, did not accept it. They thought it was wrong.
You understand this only now. When you yourself stand on the coaching bridge. And then I thought that we were right, and he was wrong, and was deliberately torturing us. He said, they say, you don’t know how to run, you don’t know how to throw, you don’t know how to take the puck. I also remember these famous cylinders. And we "die". The first preseason with Krikunov was the hardest in my life; I lost 8 kilograms during it. And he tells us, you haven’t even started working yet, you’re just warming up for now. Well, we, hockey players, think, what will happen when “real work” begins, in Krikunov’s style, we’ll definitely die. And the head coach also says that in Yekaterinburg he had Datsyuk, Simakov, Kraev, Sokolov and others, they could do everything, but we couldn’t. And we think, what kind of team was there at the local Dynamo, that they could do everything, because they had just made it to the major league. And they came just in time to play a friendly match with us. And, apparently, Krikunov got us so excited that we had no time for the game in that match. We just started beating them. But the players from Yekaterinburg won’t understand, they came to visit for a friendly match, but here it is. They ask captain Rafik Yakubov: “What’s wrong with you? What's happened? It's a friendly game, and your eyes are burning. They don’t play in the championship like that.” And we nodded towards our head coach and answered - thank him. Of course, we beat Yekaterinburg in that game.
Therefore, of course, there was a grinding out of the team and the new coach then. But then, I don’t remember whether some kind of conversation took place or what, but we ourselves realized that the problem should be looked for not in the coach, but in ourselves. Show that you can play - everything will be fine. And if I had continued to act like this, I would simply have been kicked out of the team and she wouldn’t have even noticed it.
But it is believed that these dictatorial habits prevented Krikunov last season during his return to Ak Bars. What do you think?
You know, I talked to him before the start of last season, and he radically revised his views. He became much softer and calmer. Yes, he is a straightforward person. If it’s bad, he’ll say it’s bad. Probably many people don't like this. Even here in Volzhsk, my players don’t like it when you tell them that they don’t know how to make accurate passes. And in a team of the level of Ak Bars, you need to have a more subtle approach to working with star players. And Krikunov cuts from the shoulder. He said so, so it must be so.
Although he is a good and fair person. I left Ak Bars immediately after he was removed from his coaching position during the 2001-2002 season, it happened. We had a good talk with him then in Novogorsk, where he was one of the national team coaches. Krikunov was always fair in remuneration. Although there was a dictator.
AFTER AK BARS, PETER VOROBYOV CALLED TO TOGLIATTI
- After Ak Bars, things didn’t work out for you in Nizhnekamsk. What were the reasons for this?
It was hard in Nizhnekamsk, especially after 14 years at Ak Bars. It was a serious psychological blow; I didn’t want to leave home. There was no time for hockey. Still, when you are used to home, family, friends, when you leave, you find yourself at ease. Although there was an excellent team in Nizhnekamsk. Roma Baranov, Lenya Labzov, Misha Sarmatin, Rinat Kasyanov, Rafa Yakubov and others played there. But the management there just changed, head coach Vladimir Golubovich, who called me, was removed, the situation was not very clear. Plus, as far as I know, there was a problem with the monetary compensation that Ak Bars asked for me. In general, they told me to leave Nizhnekamsk.
Immediately after Kazan, Pyotr Vorobyov called me to Togliatti. I remember that we were just playing against Lada and I asked Denis Metlyuk, who played there, about the city and the team. I was never afraid of work, although I knew that Pyotr Ilyich had his own vision of hockey and training. Maybe it was worth going there. But in hindsight, we're all smart.
- Then in your hockey career there was even such a stop as Slovenia.
There was a moment when the period of additional applications for the 2002-2003 season was ending, and I didn’t have any luck with the proposals that I had. And in January Sergei Stolbun called and invited me to play in the Slovenian championship. I went. There was plenty of playing time. The local championship is not very strong. Two teams stood out in it - “Jesenice”, in which Krikunov worked, and “Olympia” from Ljubljana. Ildar Rakhmatullin played for Olimpia. The only negative is that they cheated with money. Otherwise, quiet and calm Europe. Everything is clear, everything is on schedule. No stress.
- Did you have any desire to stay there?
No, there was no such desire. Still, I wanted to continue my career in a serious championship. Well, in terms of life there, there are also difficulties, I talked about this with Rakhmatullin then. And even though he played there for so many years, it was difficult for him in terms of obtaining citizenship and other things.
- Is he still in Slovenia?
Yes, he stayed to live there.
- Is Rakhmatullin still connected with hockey there?
According to the latest information I had, he works at a hockey school in Ljubljana.
- But Sergei Stolbun eventually returned.
Well, yes. Basically, they went there to make money. There were generally a lot of Russian hockey players there, but there were virtually no famous players.
AND I SAY TO DATSYUK: “PASHA, ARE YOU BAD?”
Ilnur, season 2000-2001. you spent time in the same team with Pavel Datsyuk. Did you think that this would be the best center forward in the world of the 2000s?
We knew that he was a very talented guy, but it turned out that he was also a hard worker. And very modest. Yes, he is still like that. You can calmly call him with any question and no problems. My son really wanted to see Datsyuk live, he saved up his money and bought his T-shirt in America, I think for $120. I tell my son: “Buy yourself toys with this money.” But he doesn’t, I’ll buy a Detroit jersey with No. 13. Now it hangs in his room, Pavel wrote something to him there.
I give an example, if Nicklas Lidstrom said that he has not seen a more hardworking hockey player than Datsyuk, then this is really so. And these Krikunov cylinders. I remember we ran with them in Kazan. And Pasha is sitting. It happens when a person sits down all red, and then turns pale before our eyes. We were sitting somewhere in a corner on the ice, and I said: “Pasha, are you feeling bad?” “Yes,” he answers. Come, I tell him, over the side. He went overboard. I don’t know if he vomited there or was given ammonia, but he endured any load, calmly and silently. The coaches said, that means this is what needs to be done. He is still a little “bumpy”, one leg is shorter than the other. At the same time, during the cross-country I could not keep up with him. I told him: “Pash, it’s hard for me, but how are you running, and so fast?” But he still “puffs up”, but runs.
- And on the ice, exactly how did the player stand out?
Yes, it was obvious. His hands are beautiful. I could have played well. It seems that he is nearby, and Datsyuk has already passed through you. He could make an excellent pass into any hole. It seems like the pass shouldn’t go through, but he passes it right to the stick. And not a word to anyone, if one of the partners made a mistake or an inaccurate pass was given to him, he will catch up, run, and correct the situation. I never made any complaints against anyone. But it was clear that the guy was very talented; he did not immediately get lost in the Russian team.
Another one of the leaders of that team, Dmitry Kvartalnov, had a good start as the head coach of KHL clubs. And he worked well at Severstal, now Siberia is confidently in the playoff zone in the East with a rather modest selection of players.
Kvartalnov was always very charismatic, a leader by nature, a leader. Sometimes the coaching staff and I try to behave calmly and not shout at the players. And they begin to perceive this as a weakness of the coach. They begin to bend their own. And Dima, he is very lively, constantly active, constantly screaming. Here in Kazan he showed me when he came to Kazan with Severstal. They lost to Ak Bars and right in the locker room he began to fine the hockey players for unjustified deletions. I ask him: “What is it?” Then Kvartalnov takes the stick from the player, walks with me along the corridor and shows: “I showed him!” Put your clubs back! Legs are working! So I walked along the corridor of the Tatneft Arena. That's it, he can show how it should be done on the ice too.
By the way, then in 2001, after an excellent season in the trio with Datsyuk, Kvartalnov (in the 2000/01 season 36 matches, 19 goals + 20 assists) was not taken to the World Championship. There was talk of a conflict with Krikunov, who was part of the coaching staff of Boris Mikhailov’s national team.
Yes, it happened. It happens when two leaders by nature collide. Dima had his own opinion, the head coach had his.
HOW MUCH DO YOU DRINK! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
- Ilnur, name your favorite partners in the attacking trio in Ak Bars.
I felt comfortable with everyone. And with Edik Kudermetov, and with Seryozha Zolotov. Among the central forwards, this is Vadik Shakhraichuk with his power style. Igor Stepanov loved combination hockey and knew how to pass.
By the way, when you started playing on the same line with Kudermetov, you, accordingly, changed your attack flank. From the right we moved to the left edge. Did this somehow affect the game?
In school, I generally played in the center of attack. Then they put me on the flank. Yes, at first it was much more convenient for me to play on the right flank. And then, apparently, there was no fundamental difference with experience. Wherever the coach put him, he played there. The only thing is that there are some nuances. For example, if you play on the left, then for me, I am a left-handed hockey player, it was not so convenient for me to finish the attack on the move. But it also has its advantages.
- You found the first foreign legionnaires. How was it?
Well, it was very interesting. We look at them to see what they can do. What kind of life they had was also interesting. How they live in the hotel, how they work. To be honest, they didn’t work as hard as we did. Jan Benda, I remember, had difficulty running cross-country courses and also lifting weights, although he seemed to be a healthy guy. As the saying goes, what is good for a Russian is death for a German. I'm exaggerating this, of course. He tried, he puffed. But the player was clearly experienced and skilled.
- He spoke Russian well, as I remember.
Yes, he’s Czech, he just left for Germany later.
And in one of his interviews, Benda told how at the banquet on the occasion of “silver” 2000, he tried vodka for the first time in his life.
Our first foreign players came for the first time to the pre-season, which took place in Turkey. And we have such a concept - unity. And so we got together (laughs). And they looked at us like this: “How much do you drink! This is not possible." And they themselves drank a little beer.
"AK BARS" IS NOT A MIDDLE PEOPLE
- Then a little more about current events. Do you have time to follow what is happening in the KHL?
Of course, I’m actively watching. There is Internet, you can quickly switch channels, there is KHL-TV. So I don’t experience a lack of information.
What are your general impressions of the first half of the KHL regular season? Are there any discoveries, perhaps disappointments?
There are no super sensations. Of course, Ufa is still upsetting its fans and is in the wrong place. A sensation with a plus sign, of course, is Novokuznetsk Metallurg. And not because we have a partnership with them, but because the team, despite not having the strongest lineup and the huge financial problems that we had in the summer, is performing so well. This once again proves that even without stars, with a certain attitude towards work, you can achieve good results.
- Do you have your favorites this season in the KHL?
Today there are no clear leaders. Even SKA and CSKA with such a set of players lose quite often. Ak Bars can also strengthen their game. Magnitogorsk has changed since Malkin’s arrival. You watch the match and understand that Malkin, the same Kulemin, are people who simply decide the game.
- Will the possible end of the lockout in the NHL greatly change the situation in the KHL?
Likely. If Malkin leaves, it will be very difficult for Magnitogorsk, since a lot of the team’s current game depends on him. I don’t think that Dynamo Moscow will suffer much - they are a stable and working team. Of course, NHL players add color to our championship and people come to see them. Although some teams, like Ak Bars, decided to completely do without players from the ocean. But Emelin was still signed.
But if you, as a head coach, had the opportunity to sign a player like Datsyuk during the lockout, would you do it or agree with the point of view of the Ak Bars bosses?
Of course, this is an internal matter for the team, and you shouldn’t interfere in it. But I would certainly be in favor of signing such a player, taking into account my personal attitude towards Datsyuk. But here different nuances play a role. Financial, etc. etc.
In Kazan, a great resonance was caused by the statement of the famous hockey expert Sergei Gimaev that “Ak Bars” and “Salavat Yulaev” this season are ordinary middle peasants.
Looking at the standings, Ak Bars is no longer average. Let's see, chickens in hockey are counted in the spring. Dynamo also didn’t have such big names on its roster last season, but it won the Gagarin Cup. You can reason as you like. There was a 2005 team in Kazan consisting of only stars. Wherever you point, there is a star. And what came of it? Therefore, I do not think that the current Ak Bars is average. The latest matches show that Zaripov has started scoring again, and the youth are catching up. I wouldn’t even compare Kazan with Ufa. My opinion is that Ak Bars looks much stronger than Ufa this season.
A REAL MASTER REALIZES ONE OF TWO POINTS
- Did the lockout in North America somehow affect the VHL?
So far we can say for sure that the lockout did not affect the VHL in any way. The only thing is Alexander Semin, who gathered full stands in Krasnoyarsk. And he played his last game against us.
- Well, how was it clear that it was Semin?
Yes, although it was noticeable that he was not very physically ready. But when he was with the puck, the player’s class was visible to the naked eye. And it’s good that our guys were able to see and feel it. They have long wanted to play with a KHL team and understand their current level. In Krasnoyarsk they could feel this difference. We explain to them what Yuri Ivanovich explained to us. That a real master does not run faster, but simply realizes one of two moments, and you need five to realize it. That's the whole difference.
- And also about the difference between the KHL and VHL. Does cooperation with Novokuznetsk Metallurg help you a lot?
- “Ariada-Akpars” entered into an agreement with “Kuznya” before the start of the season. They send us players so that we can try them out at the VHL level. And these players provide us with real help. Klyuchnikov, Turukin, Kapotov have already played in the KHL this season.
- Surely it’s not easy for little Volzhsk to compete in a league like the VHL?
Not easy. Our city is one of the smallest in terms of population in the VHL. The budgets of the territories and regions are not behind Ariada-Akpars. Our club is private, it is maintained by the management of Ariada CJSC, thanks to them. It’s difficult, but we face serious challenges this season. I hope that we can solve them in the playoffs.
THE OLYMPICS MUST BE WON
Ilnur, how do you like the prospects for the Russian national team in Sochi 2014? It is believed that we have big problems with defense and there is not a single truly star defender.
Yes, such a problem exists. But there are quite good defensive players. Including those who play for Ak Bars. The same Alexey Emelin, and Nikulin, I think, will play. Medvedev has been looking great lately. And we have a great offense, including some rising youth. The same Yakupov. Well, Malkin and Datsyuk must show themselves in all their glory at the Olympic Games. Our team's goalkeepers are good. I think we should win in Sochi.
If there are no elite defenders by world standards, then we will play primarily in attack. Attack - it decides a lot. The last World Championship showed that one visit by Malkin is fifty percent of success at such a tournament. So, at home at the Olympics we must rehabilitate ourselves for our defeat two years ago from the Canadians in Vancouver.
Reference
Ilnur Alfridovich Gizatullin, date of birth: 05/13/1969 - head coach of the Ariada-Akpars Major Hockey League club (Volzhsk)
Russian ice hockey champion in 1998 and silver medalist in 2000 as part of Ak Bars Kazan
Pupil of the children's and youth sports school "Ak Bars-Itil" (Kazan). Extreme forward. Master of Sports of the Russian Federation
During his hockey career he played for the teams: SK Uritsky, Itil, Ak Bars (Kazan); SKA (Sverdlovsk), SKA (Serov), Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk), HC CSKA (Moscow), Jesenice (Slovenia), Neftyanik (Leninogorsk), Khimik (Voskresensk), Neftyanik (Almetyevsk) , "Ariada-Akpars" (Volzhsk)
Since the beginning of the 2011/2012 season. is the head coach of Ariada-Akpars, having previously held the post of assistant head coach at the same club. Last season he led his team to the VHL playoff series.
The head coach of Almetyevsk about the seasonal failure of his players, squats with a barbell and alcohol
“Neftyanik” Ilnur Gizatullin sensationally lost in the quarterfinals of the Petrov Cup to Karaganda “Saryarka”, which eventually won the trophy. The disappointment with the playoff result is largely due to high expectations: the team finished the regular season in second place, and was faced with a minimum task - getting to the finals. The sports editors of BUSINESS Online spoke with the head coach and found out what happened in the knockout games.
Ilnur Gizatullin: “Of course, I want to try my hand at the KHL, but I also have something to prove in this league [VHL]” Photo: Aidar Garaishin
“OUR FAILURE IS SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED TO HC TAMPA BAY”
— Ilnur Alfridovich, you have been working in the VHL for the second year. Personally, aren’t you tired of working in this league, especially after your experience in the KHL, where hockey is at a completely different level and living conditions are much better?
- Of course not. Of course, I want to try my hand at the KHL, but I also have something to prove in this league.
— In the regular season, your team lost only 8 matches and showed aggressive hockey. Perhaps the players simply burned out and were unable to prepare for the playoffs.
— Yes, we scored a record number of goals in the history of the team and became the first in the league for the most goals. Of course, the comparison may seem strange, but our failure is somewhat similar to what happened to HC Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup. The best team in the championship was eliminated in the first round. This is the beauty of hockey: it doesn’t matter who you were at the beginning and middle of the championship, it matters who you are and where you are in the last playoff match.
— Maybe in the regular season we should have played more calmly and not chased first places?
“We fought for first place and set this task for the guys. Perhaps we needed to let go of the situation a little, drop to third or fourth place, and think more about the playoffs. At the end of the regular season we did not have enough bench. We expected to give the team leaders a rest during the last trip, but we simply did not have players to replace them. Injuries let us down.
Photo: BUSINESS Online
— Ak Bars is full of young people who play in Bars, which is devoid of tasks and, as it seems to us, goals. Was there any desire to take players from there?
— Perhaps one of the Barça guys could help us. We attracted young players from Almetyevsk Sputnik to the games, but they do not yet reach the level of the master team.
— So we can say that Bars partly reduced your resources?
- You can’t say that. Barca has its own task - getting into the playoffs. He's working on it.
— He has no task. Even if there is, why is it there? This team needs to prepare players for Ak Bars, and not solve tournament problems. Let's take striker Vladislav Kara: he was in Ak Bars all season, but then he was sent back to Bars. Would he bother you in Almetyevsk?
“I think he could help us.” But it is what it is.
— We understand that you are in the same system with Ak Bars, and for you to say that they somehow mismanage youth there is not entirely correct. In our opinion, forwards Maxim Marusheva and Dmitry Voronkov, as well as defenders Mark Marin, Mikhail Sidorov and Timur Fatkullin would look no worse in the Neftyanikae lineup than those players who were at your disposal. There is no doubt that Russian youth national team player Artem Galimov, who is not given a chance at Ak Bars, would also suit you.
- You are right, it is not entirely correct for me to answer this question.
Photo: Aidar Garaishin
“IN ONE MATCH 19 MISTAKES IN THE SIMPLE SITUATIONS”
— How do you prepare your team for matches? For example, Kurban Berdyev in Rubin forces players to watch videos of games and look for their mistakes, and then compares them with what he himself found.
— Video analysis is an integral part of preparation. Let's see how the opponent performs, how he plays in the majority and minority. We try to analyze our own play more often, analyzing our mistakes. Several times we told the guys: “Tomorrow will be like school.” We put on a video of our game - and the guys themselves find and comment on their mistakes: what they were doing wrong and how they should have played in this situation. And the most interesting thing is that theoretically they understand everything, but in practice they still make mistakes. At meetings, we try to remove denial and avoid the phrases “you can’t”; on the contrary, we say: “You can, play to your strengths.” And it works.
— What other techniques did the team use?
- For example, I applied certain things to myself. From experience working with coaches, I know that sometimes after a serious mistake by a player it is better to remain silent. It doesn’t always work out, of course, but I try to control myself, especially when the concentration of these errors is very large. For example, a player one and a half minutes before the end of the match, leaving his zone, begins to look for a diagonal pass, although the task for the game is to exit through the near side. As a result, his pass is intercepted in the center and scored into our goal. Then I start to “bounce” inside. I tell myself: “Calm down!” Inhale and exhale 10 times, helps to calm down and not lose concentration.
Sometimes guys, if something doesn’t work out for them in a game, start to bite. We say: “You are all different, and the one who expresses complaints can go out after a shift and make exactly the same mistake, so sit down on the bench, calm down, and we will analyze the points later. Now get ready for the next shift." There should be no swearing or panic under any circumstances.
— Another football coach said that he begins to reprimand the player only from the third mistake, when he sees that this is already a trend and not an accident.
“Sometimes players see the coach’s gaze and understand everything. But error is different. When your opponent played so well that you didn’t have a chance, that’s one thing, but when it’s an obvious blunder on the player’s part, that’s something else entirely. The player knows for sure that he should not make such a mistake.
For example, we had to remove one of the options for getting out of pressure because the players did not have enough skill, although you don’t need to do anything supernatural. Our opponents punished us by intercepting the puck, or we simply couldn’t pass the ball accurately. The peculiarity of many VHL players is that we still sometimes do children’s technique exercises.
“We are trying to have more passes in training: long, short, touch, pass-through” Photo: Aidar Garaishin
— A VHL coach has a hybrid job—you also need to be a children’s coach.
— This also happens in the KHL; in Tolyatti we did the same with some guys.
- But then you had a team above the VHL level, Lada.
- I understand, but what to do? We have to train the culture of transmission. Passing is the language of hockey. We give the kids so many exercises on this element, but there are still a lot of mistakes. In Togliatti we did this: three team errors in a simple exercise - the coach whistles, the guys run a circle at speed. In Almetyevsk they also practiced this - and, you know, it worked.
— Is there any progress in two years?
— Yes, but there are still too many mistakes in simple situations. This year, when we played in the playoffs, in one match we counted 19 mistakes in the simplest situations, when no one is nearby, and the player cannot give or receive an accurate pass. I believe that during a game, for example, a defender, when no one is attacking him, can make one mistake in a cross pass to his partner, but not four or five.
— Is it a lack of concentration or skill?
- Both this and that. There are different exercises. We try to have more passes in training: long, short, touch, pass-through.
— How to train concentration?
“They must develop this in themselves.” The most interesting thing: when you give some kind of punishment, for example, the same run for three mistakes, you see that the players tense up in every attempt and try not to make mistakes. But for the most part, everything is different: it didn’t work out, and that’s okay.
“Once a week we take blood from the players and look at lactate levels and other important indicators. It is important to monitor the physical condition of the players" Photo: Aidar Garaishin
“I DON’T USE ALCOHOL AT ALL, IT’S MY MEDICINE — TRAINING"
— Do you keep track of your heart rate during your workouts?
- Yes. It all depends on the focus of the training session. If we are training endurance, we do long exercises that end at a heart rate of approximately 150–160 beats per minute. If the pulse is 170–180 beats per minute, then this is anaerobic work. It can't be long. The most important thing is recovery: if an athlete finished the exercise with a heart rate of 160 beats per minute, then within a minute or a minute and a half the heart rate should drop to 100–120 beats per minute. This starts training from pre-season.
Now cross-country races for general endurance run with a heart rate of 140–150 beats per minute, but before we ran according to time - a lap for a certain time, no one looked at your pulse. Now they look at it differently. An unprepared person can be ruined this way.
— How can you tell if a player is tired or in bad shape? He can’t come up and complain himself.
- Firstly, it will be clear that he does not have time in the game. Secondly, in addition to the feelings of the player and coach himself, there is objective data: medical indicators. Once a week we take blood from the players and look at lactate levels and other important indicators. It is important to monitor the physical condition of the players.
— You can’t go up to the coach and say you’re tired, right?
- Of course not. What does "I'm tired" mean? I will hear the player, but I will draw conclusions.
— How is the interaction between the players and the coach? It is believed that you cannot communicate directly with the coach.
- Why can’t it? But there is a type of player who starts to get under the skin: “Yes, coach, thank you, coach.” Such a good boy, no one likes that.
— Can a player come up and say: “Coach, I’m sorry, but I can’t play, I have problems at home”?
- Maybe, of course. Everything happens in life, but they never approached me. One player had a child, and he immediately dropped out of hockey life. For example, for the second year in a row, I gathered my wives before the playoffs and talked to them. It helps a lot, you learn a lot of interesting things. Any information about my guys is interesting to me - it’s food for thought. The wives say they are not afraid.
They play an important role in the life of any athlete. I know several cases when the wives of athletes argue with each other and hockey players are also in conflict. Can you imagine how this affects relationships within the team?!
Photo: BUSINESS Online
— How do you personally cope with stress when the team loses?
— This season, after the games, I went to the gym and did squats with a barbell. If you have a pear, you can throw out all your negative emotions on it.
— Do hockey players still squat? This seems to be an outdated exercise that aggravates injuries.
- They squat. Where to get the strength from? Rubber bands won't help here. There are many exercises, but we also use the squat. I’m soon 50 years old - I do stand-ups and squats. The main thing is to maintain the technique and take adequate weights. We have goalkeeper coach Dmitry Yachanov training in the gym, as well as other assistants. There's nothing special about it. And if after defeats you sit and delve into yourself, then this is a big blow to the psyche. I need to be tired to calm down. And the best pill for all this is victory.
- Alcohol calms many people down...
- This is not for me. I don’t drink alcohol at all, so my medicine is training.
— Are players allowed to drink alcohol? How do you feel about this?
“I’m sure this doesn’t help either in life or in sports.” I always tell them: time, place, quantity. I have already said several times in interviews that on a day off I will never approach a player who is sitting in a restaurant with a glass of wine. But everything is within reason: if a hockey player, who is considered a media personality, lies face down in a salad, this is wrong, to put it mildly.
Photo: BUSINESS Online
“SOMETIMES YOU ARE FORCED TO WORK GOOD FOR YOUR SALARY. NONSENSE!
— Which hockey do you try to focus on more?
— I want to see intense hockey, but not house, but systemic. We try to take NHL clubs and national team matches at the World Championships as a guide. I'm not saying that I looked, took it and everything works. It is clear that the level of players and competition is different, but globally hockey in the NHL, KHL and VHL is the same game with a clear goal: you have to score the puck into the goal. Of course, all ideas, findings and techniques need to be adapted to our hockey.
— Who did you beat as a coach? They knew that they would play this way and were ready for it.
- This happened more than once. Even in the playoffs we restructured during the games with Saryarka. We won the first two matches, but changed the formation of our defense. It worked. But the key role in the final result was played by the game in unequal lineups, in which the opponent surpassed us.
— How manageable is your team now?
— About 80 percent. The problem is that the guys are flirting. This again comes to questions about discipline. For example, a problem for us is imposing a shift when the opponent’s back bench is on. The same “Saryarka” changed better than us during the games.
— In the KHL, which team do you like best in terms of game organization?
- CSKA. In terms of organization and system, this is the pinnacle. For example, during positional defense, the puck often reaches the goal after shots, while CSKA has almost all shots blocked. The players are trained and clearly feel the shooting line: they immediately run towards the opponent with the puck, and if he starts to shoot, they immediately block the shot. It seems like our hockey player is not losing position, but the puck still reaches the goal, that is, he did not block the shooting line.
— Has hockey in the VHL become smarter?
- And much faster. He moves forward. Competition has increased, the league is being rejuvenated, a qualification is being introduced for 25-year-olds - you can only keep 10 players of this age. In addition, the coaching staff is being updated, there are many young specialists.
— They say that training needs to be constantly changed because you cannot do the same tasks every year.
— Exercises can and should change, but the system for constructing the training process is practically unchanged. It’s not like we do the same exercises all year, although, for example, I was told that a very famous Canadian specialist who also worked in the KHL had only five exercises. He worked according to this principle in all teams, even the sequence was always the same. It is rightly said that there are no bad exercises, only bad execution.
Photo: Aidar Garaishin
— Do you see potential for this Neftyanik lineup for next season?
— In my opinion, the team definitely needs to be rejuvenated. Young players are fresh blood, they are hungry for results. We have excellent conditions in Almetyevsk, but some guys quickly get used to good things. This is not just my opinion, many people tell us similar things. We sometimes have to simply force a person to work well for his salary. This is nonsense!
— And at the expense of whom to rejuvenate? "Leopard"?
— Yes, there is Bars, then negotiations are underway with several young players. In addition, you need to understand that any young hockey player is attached to his team, they won’t just give him away. For example, in KHL clubs there are many good players who have outgrown the youth team, but do not reach the level of the main team. They should play in VHL clubs, after all, this is a higher level than the MHL, but they are “marinated” in the youth team or they sit out.
— You have already taught experienced players your schemes, but young players will have to explain everything again. Is this a problem?
- No. For example, the Alshevsky brothers came and quickly understood everything. We don’t give anything complicated, we don’t turn hockey upside down. It’s just that a young man must be able to carry out the instructions of the coaches.
Ilnur Gizatullin
Place of birth: Kazan.
Player Career:“Itil” (Kazan) - 1991–1995; Ak Bars (Kazan) - 1995–2002; "Neftekhimik" (Nizhnekamsk) - 2001/02; CSKA (Moscow) - 2001/02; "Neftyanik" (Leninogorsk) - 2003–2005; "Ariad" (Volzhsk) - 2005–2007; "Neftyanik" (Almetyevsk) - 2007/08.
Coaching career:"Ariad" (Volzhsk) - 2009–2014 (head coach); “Lada” (Togliatti) - 2014–2017 (senior coach); Neftyanik (head coach) - since 2017.
Achievements as a player: champion of Russia (1998), silver medalist of the Russian championship (2000).
Achievements as a coach: VHL bronze medalist (2013), VHL best coach (2013), VHL bronze medalist (2018)
We know the 1998 Russian champions by heart. Some of them retired from hockey a long time ago, some became managers, but some still remain in hockey. Moreover, in sight and hearing, as the coach of the Togliatti Lada, Ilnur Gizatullin. It was in Togliatti that Ak Bars will play the next KHL championship match, so it was both timely and local to talk to Ilnur. As it turned out, Gizatullin does not follow Ak Bars very carefully, but he remembers everything, and most importantly, he is already ready to accept the KHL club as head coach. Read more in the interview with Realnoe Vremya.
The first goal was scored by Izhstal
Do you remember exactly when you played your first game as part of SK. Uritsky in the 1986-1987 season, when you were still in school? Exactly 30 years ago you made your debut as part of your native SC. Them. Uritsky. Season 1986-1987, remember what kind of match it was, only one per season?
No, I don't remember, to be honest. I graduated from high school in May 1986, apparently it was in the fall. I remember well the summer training camp in 1986, which I went through under the guidance of the then senior coach of SK.im. Uritsky Vitaly Stain. After which I was sent to Almetyevsk, Neftyanik in those days was considered the farm club of SK. named after Uritsky, to gain experience. Then he served in the army in SKA (Sverdlovsk), but also managed to play at home, although only 4 matches. And only in the 1988-1989 season I was able to get into the main team of my native team, and even played 20 matches. And I remember my first goal. We played against Izhstal, their goalkeeper Karklinsh rolled from one corner of the goal to another, his defender threw the puck out of his zone, it hit me, and I scored it into an almost empty goal from the spot...
- Who do you think had it easier, those coaches who worked with you or those who work today?
I think you can’t even compare different times - hockey is changing, everything is changing. Both then and today, for a number of reasons, it was difficult for coaches. It’s hard to compare your time, your difficulties, your circumstances.
- But would you agree that the methods and principles of work of coaches have changed a lot?
Yes, sure. You need to find a middle ground in everything, then you will live in nirvana.
- It seems to me that you haven’t reached nirvana yet?
Yes, and not only me. I'm still discovering and discovering a lot... Coaching is like any other job. Live forever and learn. Who is interested in our profession... But hockey is changing, that’s a fact. I remember I played in the Major Hockey League in Ariada-Akpars in 2008. And what I see now, everything has changed a lot, especially how we played, and how they play now...
Ilnur Gizatullin, No. 30 (third from right) in the champion team of Ak Bars, 1998. Photo ak-bars.ru
I lost five teeth at CSKA...
Was it difficult to hang up your skates in Volzhsk or were you told in advance that they were counting on you as a coach?
No. I ended my playing career after getting hit in the eye with a puck. I was 37 years old, it was in the first game of the preseason, it was in August 2007. I immediately realized that this was it. It’s impossible to get out, there’s a long rehabilitation road ahead. And in November I decided that it was time to finish...
It’s unlikely that you forgot where your health suffered the most obstacles, five knocked out teeth and three head injuries, remember where it was?
Yes, this is CSKA. I have never had such damage anywhere. This is pure coincidence. It was during training. We played the majority, I rolled out to the nickel, Kolya Semin threw, Kolya Pronin substituted his stick, the puck flies up, at that moment I turn my head... Moreover, I remember how Vova Starostin hit a television correspondent in Kazan, he is still working. A man came to do an interview, and during training, Starostin threw and hit the TV man squarely in the temple. I myself saw the correspondent sliding down the wall, everyone was scared, not only the hockey players were suffering. Anything can happen.
Was your long playing history in Slovenia, Jesenice (Bled), season 2002-2003, was it a resort or did you have to work it out?
At that moment I had no other options, the application campaign in Russia had already passed, and then Sergei Stolbun suggested to me, come and play. He came and played. I remember in the first game, I arrived four days ago, our team met with the base club of the Slovenian national team “Olimpia” (Ljubljana), half of the team played in this team, for which Kazan Ildar Rakhmatullin also played. We won 3:2, I scored three goals, then Ildar told me that I should buy my team beer for this occasion. I bought it and checked it out. How else?
- Was the contract in Slovenia modest?
More than modest. I will even say that I was not paid part of what was promised to me, and Seryoga Stolbun paid me something out of his own pocket.
“I’m still discovering and discovering a lot... Coaching is like any other job. Live forever and learn." Photo kazanweek.ru
I don’t regret moving from Volzhsk to Tolyatti
- It turns out that you were invited to Tolyatti back in 2002, but it only happened 12 years later?
Yes, in 2012, I accepted the invitation of Neftekhimik after leaving Ak Bars, and the next day the head of the Lada team invited me to a conversation... Probably, it was destined that I came to Togliatti as a coach.
Is it normal that the head coach of a VHL team becomes a member of the coaching staff of a KHL club, are we talking about you – Ariada-Akpars and Lada?
For whom? I would like to immediately go for a promotion, but I made this decision for myself. And I don't regret it. However, this is strictly individual. I don't regret my decision.
- Do you communicate with your colleagues in the shop, your fellow Ak Bars members?
Yes, sure. What about Dima Yachanov, Almaz Garifullin from CSKA, what about Dima Kvartalnov, the head coach of the same CSKA, Rafa Yakubov, and practically everyone and Sanya Zavyalov. We continue to communicate as we did in the Kazan team. Of course, it’s one thing in a narrow circle, not in public, and another thing in public... Everything is fine. No problem.
- Can you call yourself an accomplished coach or a young one?
I'm ready to become a head coach. Moreover, in my homeland I played at home in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk, Leninogorsk... Everywhere except Naberezhnye Chelny. But let me emphasize right away that I wish success to all my colleagues. It is clear that coaching work has its own specifics, it can be interrupted at any moment, I remember Yuri Moiseev said that coaches are hired in order to be fired. Everything depends on you and your leadership.
- Which coach had the greatest influence on you?
I received something from each of my coaches. But most of all, in terms of attitude and in terms of relationships between players and coaches, I received from Yuri Moiseev. I learned a lot from communicating with Vladimir Krikunov when he was the head coach of Ak Bars, I talked with him a lot, came to him specially, learned a lot of coaching tricks, we talked for a long time. He didn’t hide anything from me, he explained everything about what he did and how he saw it. Krikunov always says what he thinks to his face. That’s why the players call him “The Man” behind his back...
The next match is between Lada and Ak Bars. Photo facebook.com/hclada
The interest in Ak Bars is purely professional
- Do you know what the players call you? When they played, Lawn, Gazik, me now?
I don’t know, maybe there is some kind of nickname...
- Is it easier for a coach who has played himself to get comfortable in the coaching workshop than for those who have not played?
Probably easier. At least in small things. You can know the theory, but show it, feel it... Even working with great players in the recent past, I understood why they don’t understand some things. They had it at the level of a machine gun, receive the puck, pass the pass, we were taught this, including Moiseev, and to do it all quickly. And when great players finish their careers, they just can’t understand how other hockey players can’t do such basic, simple things, it’s incomprehensible to them. For the same forward of Metallurg (Magnitogorsk) Sergei Mozyakin, it is probably strange that after a pass with a throw, the puck somersaulted and came to his partner inaccurately, but for some this is a problem. Of course, it is easier for someone who has played himself to become a coach, knowing many things...
Does today's Ak Bars evoke any feelings or purely professional interest in you; is your Lada's next match against Kazan?
Yes, the interest is purely professional. But I like that today many of their own students play in the Kazan team...I am impressed by the club vertical: “Ak Bars” - “Bars” - “Irbis”, the guys do not leave their hometown, they grow. And they grow up under the supervision of those with whom I played - Misha Sarmatin, Airat Kadeikin, Dima Balmin...
- Do you have any profile or specialization at Lada?
We only have two assistant coaches this season, not counting the goalkeeping coach, so we're doing everything we can to work with both the forwards and the defensemen.
- Do your players pay attention to how you show this or that element on the ice?
If you can show it, then yes. Still visible on the ice. I know for sure. When an attacker loses the puck in the corner of the ice, there are some nuances here, I show them. The guys see and understand, sometimes they even come up and say, yes, everything worked out. But if you yourself cannot show the player this or that exercise, then it is better not to go on the ice...
Sergey Gavrilov
Ilnur Gizatullin headed the Almetyevsk HC "Neftyanik"
Russian hockey champion with Ak Bars Ilnur Gizatullin has been appointed head coach of Almetyevsk Neftyanik. Gizatullin will be helped prepare the team for the matches of the 2017/18 season
Russian hockey champion with Ak Bars Ilnur Gizatullin has been appointed head coach of Almetyevsk Neftyanik.
Coaches will help Gizatullin prepare the team for the matches of the 2017/18 season Alexander Shakhvorostov, Evgeny Mukhin And Airat Mukhitov.
47-year-old Gizatullin is a native of Kazan. He spent most of his playing career in the Kazan team SK Uritsky, renamed “Itil”, and then “Ak Bars”. As part of Ak Bars, Gizatullin won the Russian Championship in the 1997/98 season, and in the spring of 2000 he became the silver medalist of the Russian Championship. He also played for the Russian clubs Neftyanik (Almetyevsk), SKA (Sverdlovsk), Neftekhimik (Nizhnekamsk), CSKA (Moscow). He finished his playing career in the Slovenian Bled.
As a head coach, he worked with the VHL club “Ariada-Akpars” (Volzhsk), and in the 2012/13 season he was recognized as the best coach of the VHL.
Gizatullin in an interview with KazanFirst said that it is too early to talk about updating the team’s composition.
Ilnur Alfridovich, have you been told the tasks that Neftyanik will face in the upcoming season?
Not yet, but Neftyanik is considered a top club in the VHL. And they expect him to play spectacularly.
Comment on the composition of your coaching staff, which includes Alexander Shakhvorostov, Evgeny Mukhin and Airat Mukhitov.
This will be our first time working together, but we knew each other before this appointment. We crossed paths with Alexander Shakhvorostov in Kazan, and with Evgeny Mukhin in Sverdlovsk. And I have known Airat Mukhitov for a very long time.
How serious will the changes in the Neftyanik lineup be?
It’s too early to talk about this - I think we need to wait until April 30, when my contract with Lada ends and I sign an agreement with Neftyanik. But work on recruiting the team is already underway.
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Kazan “Rubin” was allowed to register newcomers
Beginners were allowed to register with Rubin Kazan. The corresponding decision was made by the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Russian Football Union, according to the official website of the RFU. The ban was due to the fact that Kazan residents
Beginners were allowed to register with Rubin Kazan. The corresponding decision was made by the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the Russian Football Union, according to the official website of the RFU.
The ban was due to the fact that Kazan did not pay ex-footballer Shota Bibilov, with whom the club unilaterally terminated his contract last year, his salary for August 2016 and interest for the delay in payment of wages and compensation for early termination of the contract.
As soon as Rubin fulfilled all obligations, the registration ban was lifted.
