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

In 2025, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl won the Gagarin Cup for the first time in its history. One of the key creators of this success was the team's long-term defender Alexander Yelesin, the silver medalist of the 2022 Olympic Games, who last week, as captain of the Russian national team, won the Channel One Cup in Novosibirsk and was recognized as the most valuable player of the tournament, where our team beat Belarus (3:1) and Kazakhstan (9:0). In an interview with Izvestia, 29-year-old Yelesin commented on the recent calls by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to start allowing juniors to compete and assessed the current results of Lokomotiv in the KHL, told whether his game had changed after the departure of the head coach of the champion team Igor Nikitin to CSKA and his replacement by Canadian Bob Hartley, and also influenced Was there a November dismissal of defensive coach Dmitry Ryabykin from the Yaroslavl team?

"It's nice when the arena fills up"

— What was it like to serve as captain of the national team at the Channel One Cup?

— In general, there was nothing new for me in this capacity. It was just necessary to cheer up the guys in the locker room at certain moments of the matches. As it is, in my opinion, you always have to prove everything on the ice with your game.

— How would you rate your performance and the team as a whole at the tournament?

— The results of the matches speak for themselves. We won both meetings quite confidently, and we achieved a major victory in the match against Kazakhstan. All the guys took a very responsible approach to these games, completely devoted themselves to them. Hence the ultimate success. As for me personally, for my part, I tried to do everything to help the team. And the main thing is that we managed to win.

— Was it especially important to beat Belarus, with which the matches were very difficult in the last two training camps, up to three consecutive defeats in the May round?

— I think we played well with them. And it was important to beat such a team, which has a very strong squad — most hockey players play in the KHL, it is no coincidence that Dinamo Minsk, many of whose players play for the national team of Belarus, is now one of the leaders of our league. But we played a very strong match, our goalkeeper played well, who helped the team out at the right moment. Therefore, the victory is well deserved.

— The Channel One Cup was held in Novosibirsk, for the first time in history this tournament was organized outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Is the atmosphere very different compared to the capital?

— Yes, in principle, that there is a great atmosphere there. It is especially pleasant that people come to the national team matches, the arena is filling up. In Novosibirsk, more than 11,000 people came to each of our matches. Now was a good opportunity to show the national team to the audience in the regions — it's great that the federation took advantage of it.

— Will we ever see the Channel One Cup in Yaroslavl?

— Anything can happen. We have wonderful fans and arenas in our city. Therefore, it will be great if someday the tournament will be held in Yaroslavl.

— Not so long ago, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations start allowing Russian juniors to compete in their competitions, and perhaps this will soon affect the youth and junior hockey teams. Do you believe that in the near future it will come to the dismantling of the adult Russian national team?

— In any case, this is what both hockey players and fans of our country are waiting for. Everyone is waiting for the opportunity to perform internationally. Unfortunately, there is no such possibility yet. So, we need to look for other ways to develop. It's good that we can get together and participate in tournaments such as the Channel One Cup, travel around the regions and delight the audience. The rest does not depend on us, but I hope that soon we will be able to compete in all international competitions.

"We haven't been able to find our way to someone else's gate lately"

Dynamo Moscow hockey player Artyom Ilyenko — about the defeat from the outsider of the East, the sensational dismissal of the head coach and the mood for the next matches

"We paid for our own mistakes"

— Lokomotiv is currently leading the Western Conference, but it is not as dominant in the regular season as it was last season. What is the reason for this?

— We had a few matches where we paid for our own mistakes. The opponent used them and punished us. But we will try to clean it all up. This is another lesson for us that we need to maintain maximum concentration during the entire 60 minutes of each match. In principle, the fact that we are at the top of the table indicates our good readiness. But there is always room for improvement.

— How have the requirements for you specifically changed under Bob Hartley compared to the times of Igor Nikitin?

— I don't think anything specific has changed in this regard. In general, it all comes down to the same thing, that I have to act well in the defensive zone and, if possible, shoot at the opponent's goal.

— What has changed after Dmitry Ryabykin's dismissal from the Lokomotiv headquarters in November?

— He was responsible for working with defenders at Bob's headquarters, and Dmitry Krasotkin is currently doing this. I can't say that there were any significant changes after that. The requirements in hockey are generally pretty standard.

— How do you assess the chances of Lokomotiv retaining the Gagarin Cup at the end of this season?

— We have a strong enough team, capable of many things. It's a challenge for us to try to win the Gagarin Cup again. Yes, somewhere along the course of the season, things don't work out properly. But we have to overcome ourselves, do the right things on the ice and achieve our goals.