Alexey Churkin: Everyone is equal on ice
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Alexey Churkin: Everyone is equal on ice

Источник: Официальный сайт МХЛ

In an interview for the website of the Youth Hockey League, CSKA striker Alexei Churkin spoke about his first goal in the KHL and recalled his youth career. The 20-year-old hockey player was the author of the goal in the match against SKA in St. Petersburg. 

– Congratulations on your debut goal in the KHL! Tell us about your goal.
– Thank you so much for the congratulations. Dmitry Samorukov gave the puck away, I ran away from the defender, threw it and the puck rolled. The emotions were indescribable! All the guys in the team and the coaches congratulated me and told me to keep it up. It's always nice to score the first goals.

– It was not immediately clear in the stands who exactly scored.

– To be honest, I didn't understand either at first. I thought Kostya Okulov scored, but I was still very happy with the goal, because we evened the score. The main thing is to always play for the team.

– Before the very throw, you confidently "pushed" Alexander Nikishin. Does that make your goal even more awesome?

– I didn't even know who I beat. I don't care, Nikishin – well, that's fine. Everyone is equal on the ice, age and regalia do not play a big role. You have to go out and prove that you can play here.

– Is it harder to "push through" opponents in the KHL?

– Of course, people here are more fit to fight and hold the punch better.

– Did the integrity of CSKA derby make your first goal especially important?
— No. It was great to score in the derby, but we lost, because of this there was a slight sediment.

– You returned to the KHL a month later. Was it hard waiting for a call-up to the first team?
– I tried not to think about it, I just played in the All-Russian Hockey League and helped Zvezda. My goal in any team is to get a foothold in the squad and play constantly. CSKA clubs always have the same tasks.

– After your goal, do you expect to get chances in the KHL more often?
–We'll see. The decisions are made by the coaches. As they see it, so it will be.

– Was the game against Evgeny Kuznetsov a crucial moment for you?
– No. Some hockey players came to SKA from the NHL, but many of our guys played there as well. I watched Evgeny Kuznetsov on TV, saw his shorts on the Internet, but I didn't think about it at all on the ice.

– Do experienced CSKA hockey players often give you tips and advice?

– Yes, the guys really give a lot of tips. Sometimes I don't have enough experience to understand certain points, and they advise me to do something after shifts. I am very grateful to them for this!

– You play together with Konstantin Okulov and Pavel Karnaukhov, three-time winners of the Gagarin Cup. What did you have to "catch up" with them on the ice?
– Guys make decisions faster, they think a little differently. I tried not to fall out of their game. I think it turned out well.

– You could have taken a double, but you missed it. Was this lost moment stuck in your head?
– Yes, I was upset by this moment. I could have helped to quickly even the score and reduce the gap, but it didn't work out. Right after that moment, I had to think about how to continue to help the team, create chances and do everything to score again.

– Before the 2024/2025 season, you didn't have much practice at the adult level, but now you have 8 (3+5) points in 12 VHL matches, a goal in the second game for CSKA. What helped you to declare yourself in the new leagues right away?

– My last season in the Junior Hockey League. I must thank Pavel Baulin, head coach of the Red Army; a lot has fallen into place in my game thanks to him. He still helps me and gives some advice.

– Have you thought about what you lacked in the 2023/2024 championship to make your KHL debut? In the Red Army, you scored 49 points in 52 matches.

– Yes, but I didn't dwell on it. It's important to me that the team I'm in wins. In the 2023/2024 season, I played in the Red Army, and tried to do my best for us to win.