A press conference of the CSKA hockey club was held in Moscow, during which the head coach of the team Sergey Fedorov and the goalkeeper of the CSKA Ivan Fedotov answered journalists' questions.
The press conference was dedicated to the signing of the contract between Ivan Fedotov and CSKA. Most of the journalists' questions were addressed to the goalkeeper of the CSKA club.
— Why did you decide to stay at CSKA? What guided you?
— A year was missed, the level of hockey in the army, as you know, is not very high. I tried to stay in shape. Now the decision has been made — I want to return to the podium and to the shape I was in as soon as possible. As far as we know, CSKA owns my rights, besides, it is the most titled club with the biggest ambitions. The decision to return to CSKA was made in order to start winning again, to feel the adrenaline and taste of life.
— What did you feel over the past year in the army? Was there any thought that this would negatively affect your career?
— What can a person who played hockey, and then found himself on the parade ground, marching, feel? Nothing. You count day after day, as is customary in the army, you cross out the days in the calendar, just wait. No emotions. You hope that when this is over, you will come out of the situation with your head held high.
— How did you manage to keep in shape?
— In the harsh realities of the army. I pulled Soviet-era dumbbells, the barbells. There was a good gym with history, with the spirit of the Soviet Union. Imbued with it. The army now loves hockey, especially the Navy. I skated, trained, found opportunities at free time. But there were no extraordinary trainings.
— How long did you manage to play hockey?
— Within the framework of the service, time was allocated — two times on ice a week for sure, where there are both officers, conscripts, and cadets. Sometimes there were three times. The rest was compensated by the gym. Combined whenever possible. Now I have a couple of days for acclimatization — and we'll get started. Today I passed an in-depth medical examination.
— Has military service influenced your career development plan for the next five years?
— The philosophy of a great athlete should not change. He should set himself the biggest goals and objectives. If you stumbled or not — it doesn't matter. You just adapt and that's it.
Sergey Fedorov shared with journalists his thoughts about Fedotov's return to CSKA, and also told why the Gagarin Cup winners came out of vacation later than other League teams:
— What are your emotions after Ivan's return to CSKA?
— As the head coach of CSKA, I am glad that he joined us, will play for our team. It is clear that he spent a year actively, although he did not play at a high level. Our task is to create comfortable conditions for his return. I think he will remember everything quickly. In my understanding, in December we will see Ivan Fedotov playing well in the goals of CSKA and the Russian national team.
— Why does CSKA come out of vacation late?
— And why is it late? Only two weeks difference. Last year our training camp started on July 15, now it's two weeks later. Considering our schedule and the last season, which we finished on April 30, this is logical. It's not a big deal. A long season and an exciting playoff are waiting for us again. I read an interview with the coach of Metallurg, in which he said that he assembled the team too early before last season. In addition to physics, there is psychology, this experience was also taken into account. The guys missed you, it's a good sign. From the first of August we can start fruitfully preparing for the season.
