Alexander Fomichev: Boucher enjoys being in charge and wants to take Avangard to the very top

- Let's move on to the Eastern Conference. And here, probably, first of all, attention is paid to the not quite successful start of Avangard. Many before the start of the championship almost everyone predicted the victory in the Continental Cup, but we see that they have problems at the start. What are they connected to?

- Seven people on the list are injured, seven! This is a lot, including the leaders: Captain Sharipzyanov, on whom everything hung last year. McLeod on the injured list is perhaps the best player at the point of throw-in in the KHL, one of the best when playing on the spot at the opponent's goal. That's the problem with Vanguard. Boucher is a head coach, a very bright specialist, and therefore, of course, everyone likes to pay attention that Avangard did not start as brightly as we would like. So much of that and so much talk. Bouche teams play very active hockey, he tries to squeeze the maximum out of the players. Perhaps that’s why there are so many injuries.

Some of them, like Damir, are from last season, and some were received this season. Then again, why is the team playing overactive hockey? This gives the result: a lot of power struggle, a lot of work done on the site due to their activity, and, unfortunately, injuries will occur.

Here, Avangard may have the same situation as two years ago, when the team also stalled at the start, but Boucher came and the team went up sharply. So this year, when all the injured by the New Year will recover, and the Canadian himself says that this Christmas gift will be, only then, we will be able to evaluate the “Vanguard”, what he is capable of.

- Maybe that's what's going to happen. Bush has a lot of credibility in Omsk. I can see he likes working in the Kontinental Hockey League. Many foreign specialists who find themselves in a similar situation in Russia immediately fade away, but about Guy this can not be said. He directly enjoys being in charge, actively working both on the ice and in the locker room and off the ice. He wants to bring the Vanguard there, up to the very top. He came very close last season and was stopped only by Lokomotiv in his seventh match.

To the already injured players, perhaps, added another – this is the best goalkeeper last season Serebriakov. If so, then the main burden will fall on Prosvetov, who, like Fedotov, returned to the KHL, and did not gain fame overseas. What do you think of the hawks’ goalkeeper brigade?

Serebriakov is one of the best goalkeepers of the Continental Hockey League. Isaev and Isaev are competitors against each other. I don’t know how serious his injury is, I saw that moment. We wish Nikita health. As for Prosvetov, this is another chance for him to show a brighter game already in the Avangard. Let me remind you that before that he tried his hand at CSKA, but he probably played not so reliably. Although there was a lot of scolding there too.

Last season, Ivan played in North America, in the American Hockey League. He also played, not very reliable, but his potential is very high. And therefore, when Avangard had the opportunity to sign Prosvetov, they immediately did it, so that there was just a second class goalkeeper, and he could compete with Serebriakov, and in case of injury could replace him. Now he might have that chance.

- While Avangard hovered a little on the border of the first eight, Metallurg traditionally became the leader. The leadership of this club in the East is somehow mundane and boring, and here Andrey Razin begins or begins to be teased about whether Yakovlev plays or does not play. Why does Vladimir Tkachev not have enough time - such bright press conferences the mentor of Magnitka interfere with the club or is it normal in modern sport?

In modern hockey, it must be a bit harsh. All Andrey Vladimirovich could be softer to say how he relates to the leaders of the team, very respected hockey players. The same Yakovlev, how many seasons he plays in Magnitogorsk - seven or eight, in my opinion? And Vladimir Tkachev, who at times was generally the best player in the Kontinental Hockey League. But on the other hand, maybe Razin knows what he's doing. The team needs a constant shake-up. We recall the regular season of last season, when very powerfully this team in one breath held a regular, and in the playoffs, unfortunately, lost to Ak Bars. I didn't have enough strength. This year it was not possible to start so powerfully, there were flaws in their game and not so high performance as we wanted in the first matches of this regular game.

So he teases his wards, that's how he tries to shake up the team and make the guys survive as much as possible. When Razin was in Avtomobilist, he did these things quite often. When he worked at Severstal, he stepped back a bit, maybe something was happening in the dressing room, but at least it didn’t go out into public space. Now in Magnitogorsk, he is again trying to play in public, and so far it works. Did the team really add to the game and start playing better and earning points in the last matches?

- One of the main discoveries of the starting segment is a confident and effective game "Neftechemistry". A team from which you do not expect a bright game, but at the same time they fall into the playoffs. How long will Nizhnekamsk stay in the upper positions of the East?

- Igor Grishin knows what he's doing. The head coach loves combinational, active hockey, and the team really plays brightly not only in the result, but also in the game. That is, it is very pleasant to watch the Neftekhimik play with this coach. Was there any doubt that it would work? Last year and this season is a good start. In the team, let's say, collected average hockey players. A lot of guys came there, showing themselves through the All-Russian Hockey League and they know what the price is to get into the KHL. That is, they did not succeed at the age of 18 to take you and once - you succeed. They went through the lower leagues, and, accordingly, their character is more tempered.

A clear example of Belozerov, the leader of the team, who was forced through the VHL to break through, declare themselves and earn a place in the KHL team, in particular in the Petrochemistry. Therefore, Grishin also knows this and squeezes the maximum out of the guys, from this and such a productive game.

- Vladimir Krikunov, the guru of our coaching workshop, also noted in the game "Neftekhimika" that they have now created a fairly good goalkeeper duo - Ozolin and Dolganov. What do you say about these guys?

Again, these are the same guys who never shone either. Dolganov was almost accidentally in the “Neftekhimik”: there was just no one to play. We tried one, it didn't go, we tried the other, it didn't go. And there is, relatively speaking, the third or fourth goalkeeper - Dolganov. Everything, please, began to work out, and he earned a name for himself and has been playing for several seasons. Well, Ozolin also gradually grew to a high level. When two good goalkeepers are in a team, one reaches for the other and they kind of push each other, both get better. This season we see that Ozolin, starting from the end of last season, also added a lot to the game. It makes a good team, and it all works together.

- Alexander, the time of our broadcast has quickly come to an end. At the finish line, literally a blitz poll and tell about Ak Bars and Siberia.

- Ak Bars. Here we see that slowly Anvar Gatiyatullin builds his team. But better than last season - we remember Kazan a year ago, they did not succeed there at all. And in this championship, maybe they have not such a bright game, but the coach says: “We are not in a hurry, we are building a team, we are preparing it for the playoffs.”.

As for Siberia, here, first of all, it is Evgeny Kuznetsov. The keys are needed, and will the coaching staff of Siberia be able to pick up these keys? We'll see before it works out. A number of players, who last season fancied after getting a chance to play in the KHL, while at the start of this season they do not look as bright as they wanted. Here again, the skill of the coaching staff of Yaroslav Lyuzenkov: will he be able to find the keys to an experienced and skillful leader, and will he be able to stir up those guys whom he gave a chance last season? Namely, they dragged Siberia to the playoffs last season.