The CSKA defender spoke about his summer vacation, the birth of his son, a tour with the Gagarin Cup in the Voronezh Region and preparations for the new season.
— Most of the vacation is behind. How did you spend it, where did you go to rest?
— At the beginning of June, my wife and I had a son, we spend almost all the time together. We didn't manage to fly to the sea this year, but I went fishing in Astrakhan for 4 days.
— The birth of a baby is always a holiday. What does it feel like to be a father, do you feel an additional responsibility?
— Of course, the responsibility is very big. The baby grows every day and begins to explore the world, and we are watching his success. This is a great happiness!
— Your big tour with the Gagarin Cup in the cities of the region has ended. How do you feel about it? It seems that it was very cool to watch from the outside!
— Yes, this year we visited many places, and covered the regions of the Voronezh region. Last year I saw comments that many could not come from the region. Therefore, we decided to go to different parts of the region this year. The photos are mostly just interesting places, but the main purpose of the trip is to show the Cup to children. It is a great motivation for young hockey players.
— There were a lot of stops, communication with children, autographs. How important is it to hold such holidays?
— It is very important, I want hockey to develop in my homeland. I remember perfectly well when I was 9 years old — Maxim Potapov came to us with a master class, then he played in the KHL. For me it was something incredible! I hope the guys are also inspired now and it motivated them!
— Many were surprised by the trip to the nuclear power plant. How did the idea come about? What are your impressions of such a large-scale object?
— The original purpose of the trip to Novovoronezh was to visit the Proton hockey club. On the way, we stopped at the nuclear power plant, we were given an extensive tour, the scale is impressive. This station is one of the five largest in the world. We also visited Bobrov with the Cup — there is also a youth team playing in the NMHL there. I talked to the young guys from the team. We visited the famous stud farm, which was created in the 17th century by Count Orlov. Everything was dynamic and interesting, including the rally. In two days I visited five events with the Gagarin Cup.
— Have you already started to gradually prepare for the new season? What are you working on now?
— Yes, I have already started training. I try to do everything gradually, ice and gym several times a week.
