"I always knew Ovechkin would do it"

During the recent Channel One Cup draw in Novosibirsk, the Russian Hockey Federation FHR held an induction ceremony for new faces into the Hall of Fame of Russian Hockey at the local main arena. Among them is two—time world champion (2008, 2009), Olympic champion in 2018, two-time Gagarin Cup winner with Magnitogorsk Metallurg Sergey Mozyakin. The legendary striker still remains the best sniper in the history of the KHL with 351 goals, and together with 128 goals scored in the Super League, holds the record for performance in the history of the USSR and Russian championships. In terms of scoring points using the goal+pass system in the regular KHL championships and playoffs, Mozyakin's record of 928 points was beaten by Vadim Shipachev only in October 2024.

In an interview with Izvestia, the current director of development at Metallurg commented on the situation with the non-admission of Russian national teams to international competitions, expressed hope for the speedy admission of our hockey players to international tournaments, commented on the results of Magnitogorsk this season, the game of its leader Vladimir Tkachev, the situation between the star newcomer Evgeny Kuznetsov and head coach Andrei Razin, He also shared his emotions about Alexander Ovechkin's record for NHL goals and the first victory in the Gagarin Cup for Lokomotiv from his native Yaroslavl.

"Razin gives Magnitogorsk the same combination style that we played"

— How do you feel about the news about possible IIHF decisions regarding the admission or non-admission of Russian national teams to international competitions? Do you believe that after the IOC's recommendation to allow young men in all sports, the youth and junior national teams will return to the World Championships in 2026?

— I believe it. And I hope that we will return to the world stage and start playing at the European Tour, the World Championships at all ages and the Olympic Games again, and under our own flag. It is very important for any athlete to compete internationally. When you practice idly, your arms drop. So I hope that some sense will come to us and we will return to the world stage.

— In the championship season before last, you worked for some time in Andrey Razin's coaching staff in the Metallurg main team. Is there a desire to return to this activity on a permanent basis?

— Not yet. I have my own tasks in my current position as Director of Children's hockey Development at Metallurg. The coaching staff in the main team has already been recruited, and there can be no question of my joining there. At the end of the championship season, I had a conversation with the club's management, and we came to the conclusion that I would not be part of the coaching staff. It was my decision.

— How is modern Metallurg, which won the Gagarin Cup a year and a half ago and is now leading the KHL regular season, stronger and weaker than Magnitogorsk in the mid-2010s, which won two Gagarin Cups with you, Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovarzh as the main team?

— Let's not compare it. After all, that was already ten years ago. Hockey is changing every year, and there are always some other trends in the game. I like Razin's hockey, which he puts on for Magnitogorsk. Because it's a combination style. He's trying to keep up with the game we showed. It's a pleasure to follow Metallurg this season.

"The squad has been significantly strengthened with guys who add skill"

— Do you believe that Evgeny Kuznetsov, whom Razin periodically removes from the team and talks about his suboptimal form, will still adapt to Metallurg and become its leader?

— I hope that he will prove himself again. He'll get in shape a little more and start playing his best hockey. Everyone knows what kind of master he is. But Zhenya missed the preseason and the start of the season, and had no playing practice for a long time. I am sure that he will help the team when he gets in shape and playing conditions.

Vladimir Tkachev, who joined Metallurg from Avangard in the summer, is now the KHL's top scorer of the season and the team's leader. Does it resemble you in any way in the way you play?

— I like his game and the way he sees the court in general. I also enjoyed watching him play in Omsk last season. I don't want to compare him with myself. But I'm glad that he's playing at Metallurg now. And, hopefully, he will be able to win the Gagarin Cup with the team.

"I achieved the desired effect by taking a bottle of Serebryakov"

Metallurg hockey player Nikita Kamalov — about shocking behavior in the KHL playoff series with Avangard, scandals at Barys and the death of coach Andrey Martemyanov

— Now Magnitogorsk is leading the regular season and is considered the favorite in the fight for the Gagarin Cup. How would you rate her chances of winning a second trophy in two years?

— I don't want to give estimates in advance, but the potential of the team is very high. There are still a lot of guys who won the trophy the season before last. Now the squad has been significantly strengthened with guys who add skill. And it gives a result.

"In 2006, we negotiated with Yaroslavl, but it didn't work out."

— The main event of the outgoing year 2025 in our sport was Alexander Ovechkin's record for goals in regular NHL championships. What emotions did you feel when he surpassed Wayne Gretzky's result in the spring?

— Well, what kind of emotions can there be? I always knew he would do it. I was interviewed once when Sasha didn't score for a long time. They asked how this was happening and why. I replied that as soon as he scored one goal, he would immediately start, and he would continue to score regularly. And so it turned out. He's a great hockey player with a good shot and amazing scoring sense. Ovechkin has been proving all this for years, so it makes sense that in the end he was able to surpass Gretzky's record. For several years in a row, he scored 50-60 goals in one season — this alone indicated that the record would not go away from him. Personally, I had no doubt about it.

— Do you remember the first time we played against him in the Super League, the first time we crossed paths in the national team? Did you understand the scale of this player even then?

— After all, he trained with us at CSKA at a very young age. I was wearing a helmet mask back then. He spent several weeks with us under Viktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov. It was clear that the guy had a great future.

"The challenge for us is to try to win the Gagarin Cup again"

Alexander Yelesin, hockey player of the Russian national team and Lokomotiv, talks about his chances of repeating his triumph in the KHL and his captaincy at the Channel One Cup

— How did you react to the success of your native Yaroslavl in the spring, when Lokomotiv won the Gagarin Cup for the first time in history and regained the championship 22 years after the last victory in the Super League?

— I always watched the team, I was very worried about Yaroslavl. And I am very pleased that the club has finally achieved its goal. This victory is a great happiness for the city. And it's important for the KHL to get a new champion. I think Lokomotiv fully deserved this Gagarin Cup. Yes, they were unlucky with us in the previous season, when Magnitogorsk won the final against Yaroslavl. But in the end, they got their way. The club has always been among the leaders of the KHL and Super League. Yes, it took a very long time to win the main trophy, but Lokomotiv was often next to him. And it is logical that in the end I got to him.

— Is it a shame that you never got to play for your hometown club in the Super League or the KHL?

— If you look back on the player's entire career now, there are many moments that could be replayed. But you shouldn't do that. It turned out how it turned out. I don't regret anything.

— Was there a moment in your career when you were close to returning to Lokomotiv?

— Yes, in 2006 we negotiated with Yaroslavl. But it didn't work out, and then I moved from CSKA to Atlant.