Since the announcement of the transition Vladislav Gavrikov from Lokomotiv to SKA, a little less than a week has passed, but the emotions from the loudest transfer of this summer do not subside. There are not so many intra-league transfers in the KHL between clubs that set themselves the highest goals. However, after the sale of Gavrikov, you willy-nilly begin to doubt Lokomotiv's cup ambitions.
In general, the comments with which both clubs accompanied the news about the transfer of Gavrikov should be included in the PR textbook marked “how not to do it”. Whatever the line, it's absurd. Yaroslavl, having declared that having sold their pupil, are on the right track, they signed their readiness to be donors for the club from the Northern capital. What is excusable for “Forge” or “Siberia” looks wild in relation to the three-time champions of Russia.
SKA bought Gavrikov from Lokomotiv! In total for 115 million rubles
Vladislav Gavrikov moved to SKA, Kuznya was admitted to the VHL, and Burmistrov will leave Arizona at the end of the day.
Being a kind of hockey "Udinese" is not shameful, but only if the sale of their pupils or the resale of visiting youth is the only possibility of existence. Lokomotiv, behind which there is a rich history and such a powerful structure as Russian Railways, is in a different situation. Just a couple of months ago, the "railroad" fought SKA almost on an equal footing in the conference finals, and now they are throwing the white flag in another battle - the transfer battle.
The SKA press release looks no less comical. Petersburgers would have received much less angry reviews if they had simply announced the transfer of Gavrikov. Now we are forced to read about partnerships with Lokomotiv and gratitude from Russian Railways as a sponsor of the club. “The clubs are working together to prevent the outflow of young players across the ocean, which is seen as especially important in view of the upcoming Olympic Games, - all this sounds nothing more than a mockery. However, it is not the first time for the St. Petersburg "army team" to hide behind good intentions.
The attempts of SKA to disown the amount of the transfer, which first appeared in the messages of the “Championship”, also look funny. On the news that Gavrikov cost the Petersburgers 115 million rubles, the club from the banks of the Neva reacted in its usual style, starting the game “Refut the fake”. The irony is that SKA did not specify whether the real amount of the transfer was more or less, and soon colleagues from Business Online published their version, according to which the “soldiers” paid for the defender ... 125 million. If this is so, then we are even a little ashamed, that we unwittingly underestimated the amount so important to Russian hockey deals.
In fact, there is nothing sensational in the amount of Gavrikov's transfer, whether it is 115 or 125 million. Per Sergei Shumakov and Maxim Shalunova CSKA laid out 150 million rubles each, although neither one nor the other world championship didn't play. All the same Moscow "soldiers" a few years ago paid for Gavrikov's partner in the Russian national team Bogdan Kiselevich 100 million. For the oil and gas oligarchs, there seems to be no amount less than this “cherished” mark. Yes, and what to talk about, if only for the rights to Evgenia Kuznetsova, not going to Russia in the coming years, SKA is ready to shell out 150 million?
“However, nothing new,” we could say in the words of one odious TV presenter. Yes, only now we are talking about a pupil of Lokomotiv and, concurrently, one of the most progressive defenders of the country. It is customary to blame both the SKA and Vladislav himself for leaving the banks of the Volga. Like, he betrayed his native club, chased a long ruble, and so on. Of course, not all Lokomotiv fans throw curses at his back, especially since there is a reliable three-letter lightning rod. But what if you look at this story from a different angle?
If the case with Gavrikov was an isolated one, it would be possible to accuse SKA of robbing the Yaroslavl club, and to offend the player himself on a tangent. However, this transfer is not the only example of how the leadership of Lokomotiv cynically and without regret releases its leaders. As a rule, all in the same club from St. Petersburg. For Yegor Yakovlev, the "railroad" stopped fighting when, as a result of bidding, the amount of the defender's contract reached 90 million rubles. Yaroslavl residents did not hold on to Sergei Plotnikov when he decided to return to Russia from across the ocean. Yes, and Plotnikov himself was not eager to put on the Lokomotiv uniform again for reasons that we will talk about later.
What if SKA is not a robber at all, taking Lokomotiv players by force, but just a club ready to pick up those who are not particularly held on in Yaroslavl? Do you remember at least one hockey player for whom the leadership of the "railroad" really fought? And you should not reduce everything only to an "arms race". Sometimes the difference in the contract offer can be compensated for by something intangible, but no less important for the players - a human attitude. Lokomotiv, on the other hand, shows that there are no irreplaceable, and every hockey player is just a gear in big mechanism. So it reads about Gavrikov between the lines: "One leaves - we will educate others."
You can respect Yuri Yakovlev for the fact that he adheres to certain principles and does not give the players more than they, in his opinion, deserve. Business - and nothing personal. If all the leaders in our hockey had such a position, perhaps there would be no inflated salaries in the KHL. That's just this reasonable, at first glance, the strategy has a downside. The Lokomotiv president distances himself so much from the players, sometimes not even answering their calls, that they may have fair doubts: do the club and the entire hockey Yaroslavl really need me?
Lokomotiv shows that no one is irreplaceable, and every hockey player is just a cog in a big mechanism.
“We have negotiated with Yaroslavl, but Lokomotiv is not yet ready to agree to our terms. The attitude towards Loktionov from the side of the club is not entirely adequate, ”said about the course of negotiations in an interview with our portal Igor Larionov. If this concerned only Loktionov and his agent, one could turn a blind eye to this. Larionov is not the easiest person, and like any agent, he tends to exaggerate the importance of his clients. But the fact of the matter is that that very “not quite adequate attitude” is not only about Loktionov, but also about Gavrikov. According to our information, since the beginning of the year, Vladislav has been patiently waiting for an offer from his native club, days and months have passed, but nothing has come of it. In addition, in Yaroslavl they were ready to give him a contract for only one year, while in St. Petersburg they put a two-year agreement on the table.
One can only guess why in Yaroslavl they did not fight for Gavrikov, whose salary demands were moderate. Perhaps Lokomotiv's management resigned itself to the fact that the defender would sign a contract with Columbus in the offseason. Vladislav had other plans. Unlike Antipin, Mironov, Shipachyov and other Russians who went to the NHL this summer, he really wants to play in the Olympics. After Gavrikov became the most valuable player of the Russian national team at the World Championships and played the entire tournament in the first pair, this goal became tangible. By not offering his pupil a contract, Lokomotiv, in fact, left him no choice: either you move to St. Petersburg with high chances of a trip to Pyeongchang, or you go to the NHL and remain without the Olympics.
The Olympics are more important than the NHL. Who stayed in Russia for a trip to Pyeongchang
Gavrikov refused Columbus and moved to SKA, and Tkachev was promised a star partner in the top three. Who else decided to stay in Russia for the Olympics?
Of course, it is not worth making a martyr out of Gavrikov. Even if it was not easy for him to leave his native club, in SKA, in addition to the opportunity to play in Korea, he will have a fight for the cup, a good salary and trust from Znark, who highly appreciates the Yaroslavl player. It makes no sense to justify the SKA, which primarily worked not to strengthen the Olympic team, but to eliminate one of the competitors. But all this does not negate the fact that Lokomotiv in this story is not at all a victim, as many try to imagine, but full member deal, who reaps what he sows. When another talented pupil of the club, having seen enough of the attitude towards Gavrikov, decides to go where he is more appreciated, no one will be surprised.
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The father of the Olympic champion, defender of SKA and the Russian national team Vladislav Gavrikov Andrey Evgenievich used to be a military man, and now he is engaged in construction. At the same time, he plans to create in his native Yaroslavl Education Centre, in which the younger hockey players with the help of special training simulators could develop their skills. Andrei Evgenievich spoke about how his son's champion character was formed, why he did not become a goalkeeper, how through tears and participation in children's tournaments the understanding came that hockey is not just a game, but a science.
Vladislav Andreevich Gavrikov
Age: 22 years old
Weight: 97 kg
Height: 190 cm
Position:
Defender
Career:
2011-2014 Loko (Yaroslavl) MHL
2014-2017 Lokomotiv (Yaroslavl)
2017-present v. SKA (St. Petersburg)
Achievements:
Silver medalist of the youth world championship, bronze medalist of the world championship, Olympic champion.
Playing hockey is a balanced man's decision
No one knows their son better than the parents. What are the main qualities of Vladislav?
A.G. Firstly, Vlad is a rather purposeful person who clearly understands the tasks that he set for himself. When he was 13-14 years old, we had a conversation with him: either continue to engage in hockey, or education. He studied very well, and all the teachers spoke of him as a good, promising, capable student, despite the fact that Vlad was constantly distracted by sport competitions and workouts.
Then Vlad decided that he would go in for hockey, and I told him that this decision was already balanced, let's say so, muzhik and determining his future life.
With which he agreed and, I hope, is now on the right path, overcoming certain difficulties: injuries, missing the squad, there is also a negative attitude from the coaches, but the son clearly knows the goal. Plus he's pretty humble person, does not like to get into some incomprehensible stories, like some other hockey players. Polite enough on the court: he does not use force to harm the opponent.
Vlad from childhood could take on the role of leader
Vlad is also quite sociable, and partners trust him. From the age of 13 he was a captain of all ages in Lokomotiv, then from the age of 15-16 he was an assistant to the captain. When they were on youth championship world, Bragin also entrusted him with the "captain's armband". I think Vlad did an excellent job with this responsibility.
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When did you realize that he was capable of becoming a professional? After that conversation?
A.G. No, a little later. He always seemed promising, but not every promising player then grows into a good specialist. Those guys who were much better than him at their age have long since finished playing hockey… It is important to move forward without jerks, without jumps. Plus, he came across very good coaches: Kazakevich, Suyarkov, Kapranov and later Bragin are those specialists who predetermined him as a player and gave him all their best qualities.
Let's go back to the very beginning. Usually fathers lead to hockey. Did you have it?
A.G. It all started with the fact that the coach Aleksandr Vasilyevich Savchak came to the kindergarten, selected Vlad as a game boy, and we came to training.
Vlad was 6 years old when his father brought him to the hockey section at the Torpedo Sports Palace
At first it was difficult - classes were held at six in the morning. I put him sleepy in these hockey pants, put on his helmet, drove him to training, and he slept in my car. But as soon as Vlad approached the ice, he was transformed.
I quickly learned to skate. I really wanted to be a goalkeeper as a child. Even Boris Tortunov (at one time there was such a goalkeeper, he is still alive and well) gave him a trap. At home, I constantly threw balls and pucks to him, and he caught them. But in the end, somehow it didn’t work out in order to become a goalkeeper - we had a lot of goalkeepers, Vlad became a defender. Played one time and in the attack, but he did not like it. There you had to run a lot, but he was a plump boy in childhood, he was lazy, he was more comfortable in defense.
The son was always equipped "to the point"
Do you remember the first form of Vlad? Where was it taken?
A.G. He always bought a new uniform for him, and he tried, as soon as new collections appeared, to take more perfect bibs, leggings, and shorts, since the funds allowed. Then, over time, everything began to be given out in the club. And so, I always tried to buy good skates, and my friends from Canada brought the most modern sticks, they took them here from the players of the old Lokomotiv. So, of course, I remember his first form. He has always been "immediately" with me. At that time it was difficult: all these moves to tournaments and so on. My friends and I sponsored the team, helped in any way we could.
What was Vlad interested in as a child?
A.G. He always loved aviation, airplanes, helicopters. I bought him all these models for his birthdays. And when I became more or less an adult, of course, I dreamed of Canada. He has a lot of idols, I can’t even remember them all.
Maybe a couple of names, at least?
A.G. From Russian hockey players who he raved about from childhood - Andrey Kovalenko, Yegor Podomatsky, Vladimir Lutchenko (he is from the old defenders of the Soviet team, and now he is a New York Rangers scout). From foreigners - Bobby Orr, Bobby Hull.
What team did you root for as a child?
A.G. He sympathized with the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers. He always admired these top teams, as well as the hockey players who played at that time: Sergei Fedorov, Alexei Zhamnov. If we talk about those who are younger, he knows Syoma Varlamov very well. When I was in America, I met Alexander Ovechkin, they also communicate periodically. Vlad has been traveling on national teams since the age of 15, so he has many friends around the world.
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He would make a good diplomat
And who could he have become if hockey did not work out?
A.G. I don't know, but he could study at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. With his restraint and tact, he would have made a good diplomat.
Vlad became a diplomat in hockey
There were enough children's tournaments in Vlad's life. How did they affect his hockey development?
A.G. I do not know of any tournament where he did not participate. And from the age of 15 he was involved in all teams, went from junior to main ... Naturally, the more game practice, the more a person perceives hockey not as a game, but as a science. The greatest science to be comprehended daily.
As a child, I laid artificial ice for him, and he, standing in front of the TV, honed his stick skills.
We went through a lot, including tears, when you had to go out every night after school and throw the puck a hundred to two hundred times in order to feel the stick and have the right perception.
And when you trained through tears, did you have a desire to quit the sport?
A.G. Of course, every boy at his age wants to play and run with the boys somewhere ... Any skill comes first through force, you need to force a person to do this business, and then, when he already begins to understand, he does everything himself. Therefore, at certain points we showed more perseverance. He also had disappointment when something did not work out and, I will not hide, sometimes children's tears. But over time, Vlad realized that it was a big responsibility to play on the hockey team. This is hard work, and you are responsible not only for yourself, as in individual sports, but for your partner, for the team as a whole, for the result, for the coach. So he has a sense of collectivism since childhood.
It was hockey that taught the endurance mentioned above, or was it from birth?
A.G. I think it's hockey. He realized that emotions do not always have to prevail over reason. Therefore, Vlad is not removed from the site so much, he practically does not get involved in any conflicts when he is provoked. I think endurance is an important quality for a hockey player.
Remember when he received his first salary and what he spent it on?
A.G. He was 14 years old, he came joyful. Two hundred rubles, or something, they gave him then. I remember that I bought my mother flowers and a cake with my own money, she even shed a tear. We also have twin daughters, Vlad pampers his sisters and mother with gifts. Sometimes dad gets something.
Final of the Russian Championship among juniors born in 1995 (2012)
I was sure that our team would win
Are you into hockey yourself?
A.G. For so many years, I think so. Not as a pro, maybe, but as a good amateur. Without delving into some of the nuances, I understand the game quite well, I see the mistakes that hockey players make on the ice.
How did you feel when your son was first called up to the national team?
A.G. Pride, of course.
And with what emotions did you watch the finals of the Olympics?
A.G. Even when they lost 2:3, I was sure that they would win.
The father of Alexander Barabanov admitted that only the external grill prevented him from throwing the TV out of the window. You didn't have that?
A.G. He was absolutely calm. Although I am an explosive person, in certain situations I also show restraint.
Son became Olympic champion- this is perhaps the highest achievement in sports. What can you dream about now?
A.G. It is better to ask him, but most likely - to win the World Championship, the Stanley Cup and become a member of the Triple Golden Club. And at the same time play until the age of forty, like Pavel Datsyuk.
The transition of the defender of the Russian national team Vladislav Gavrikov to SKA is the main hockey theme of the summer.
In June, he made two decisions that might have surprised him. He left his native Lokomotiv and turned down an offer from the NHL. Match TV contacted the player to understand how it happened.
This is the life of a hockey player, - our call found Gavrikov in Columbus, where he arrived at the invitation of the club that drafted him in 2015. - I am a native Yaroslavl, I always wanted to raise the Cup over my head in my native arena. I remember very well my emotions after the club's last championship at the moment, feelings after the well-known tragedy. Since childhood, I have been imbued with the winning traditions of Lokomotiv, for me this is not an empty phrase. We don't know how things will turn out. Maybe there will still be a chance to play in Yaroslavl.
Can you imagine how you will enter the Yaroslavl arena in the form of SKA?
- It will be a special day in my life. While it is difficult to imagine that I will be on the guest bench. But now I don't think about it.
Are you ready for a not-so-friendly welcome?
- Everyone has their own story, but I did not betray anyone. We talked about a childhood dream, and can anyone really think that I easily gave it up. I hope for the understanding of the Yaroslavl fans. If only because he honestly worked for the success of the club since he came to hockey. I love my city, it was an honor for me to represent it at the major league level. I cannot predict the reaction of the fans, but I want to say a huge thank you to them. Both in the days of victories and in the days of failures, the support was crazy. Always felt it. The joy of the stands inspired, and criticism helped to grow.
How did your Lokomotiv partners react to your transition?
We had a great team that I will miss. I have a lot of real friends in the team with whom we have gone through a lot. But no one began to pull the veins, they didn’t get into the soul.
Columbus was shocked by your decision to stay in the KHL. Has your attitude towards you changed since then?
- Many thanks to Columbus for the invitation to come, for the attention that the club gave me. Here are all the professionals who are not the first year in the hockey business. Of course, it is interesting to try your hand at the NHL in the future, but now the goal is to play the next two seasons at a high level.
How would you explain your decision?
- The choice was very difficult, but you understand that such decisions are not made alone. I have a family, relatives. Moreover, a career in the KHL is on the rise. I think that I am growing as a player, and I hope this progress will continue in SKA. Look at the club's defensive line: to withstand such competition and get a lot of playing time is a serious challenge. And in two years, when the time comes to make a new decision, I will only be stronger.
There is an opinion that in some matches the Petersburgers do not have to give all the best. Is it possible to progress in such an environment?
- Everyone is used to judging by the score. Lokomotiv lost to Peter in the last semi-final 0-4, but I think we gave a notable fight, and with some luck we could count on more, up to reaching the final. I'm sure the opponent had to play to the limit.
Tell us about your debut at the World Championships, where you came second in plus or minus.
- I was ready for high level rivals, so I was not particularly worried. I felt comfortable paired with Bogdan Kiselevich. And for the "plus or minus" you still need to thank the attackers, but you should not get hung up on this indicator. He is not the most important in hockey, and my medal is not gold. But the experience remains big tournament which will help you in your future career.
At the World Cup, they trusted me: decent playing time, a minority. I hope the club does the same.
When are you returning to Russia?
- I arrive on the 29th, then we go with my girlfriend Nastya to settle down in St. Petersburg. And then it's time for hard work.