Ilya Bryzgalov: Russian hockey school is poor now – as well as the whole country in general

Money, stars, Zhirkov

Ilya, everyone knows what you’ve been up to during the vacation. What are your further plans?

I’m going back to America. I have to move to Philadelphia, then the training camp will already start, and I will have to prepare myself for the new season.

You wrote on Twitter that you had been tired of the holidays. How is it possible for a man who had played a season in the NHL?

It happens. I’m just eager to get back to work already. I’ve got a new team, ‘ll have to get used to everything, get back to my best form, and a lot of other things.

How does it feel to be the most highly paid player in the NHL?

Nothing special. Money was never a priority for me. I believe it’s not the figures in my contract that are the most important, but rather the fact that I will now play for a strong team. That’s what makes me happy.

If there was a club in the KHL who could double or treble your contract with the Flyers, would you return?

Of course, not. I want to play in the strongest league and to defeat the strongest players. Everyone has his own priorities; mine are constant self-development and self-improvement. I don’t think there can be a better place for that than the NHL.

How many NHL stars could theoretically agree to go to Russia in case of a salary increase?

I don’t think there would be a lot of them. Today’s stars would definitely refuse. Why would they need it? On that side of the Atlantic they will achieve victories of which they would be proud thereafter. But what’s for them in Russia? They can earn their money in America as well.

Still, Yury Zhirkov, for example, seems to be perfectly comfortable with that.

You all understand why it happened. However, in sports other kind of men gets remembered.

Putin, KHL, youth

What do you make of Putin’s words that the best Russian sportsmen should play at home?

I even can’t imagine that.

He also repeatedly said that it was he who had personally thought up the KHL and that he expects to increase the interest in the league thereby.

It’s a good idea to create a major league that would compete with the NHL. But you can’t increase the interest to it with players only. Everything related to the league should be at a high level – then it will be interesting for the fans. They will start attending matches, as well as training sessions and the players will feel differently.

What does the KHL lack today?

I have no idea. To answer this question, I would have to live and play here. Now I’m not in the KHL, therefore, it’s hard for me to say.

Do you keep in touch with any players who play here?

Yes, with Enver Lisin and Vladimir Malenkikh.

Did they complain of something?

Well, they both spent the previous season at Magnitogorsk, where everything is always fine. Everything is good at Yaroslavl and Kazan. But there are also teams in Novokuznetsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, Khabarovsk – they can’t offer such conditions. So, I say, when everything will become top level in each city, the league will be OK. But, still, these all are huge pourings of money made where hockey is loved by the heads of regions. It’s all a kind of charity, there’s no slightest financial return, but hockey should be a business. That’s why it all happens in Russia the way it does now.

Do you watch KHL matches?

No, I haven’t seen a match, I just don’t have enough time.

Let’s assume you do. What would you choose: the KHL or any European football game?

I would turn the TV off. Though, it depends on what football is on. If it’s the Champions League final, I would watch it, of course.

Is it reasonable that young players crave to get across the pond?

In my case it was reasonable. And in general it’s a wise choice for goalkeepers – there they can teach guys how to play. If they want, of course. However, I can’t tell anything about the other types of players.

Huge numbers of young Russians leave for North American minor leagues. Why is it that only few of them progress and reach a good level?

It’s natural selection. Those who are strong-minded, who can bear everything and go on – they win. It’s not only about fitness, I also mean the language barrier, some cultural complications, and what have you. It’s natural that some will fail to win through. But you just can’t imagine how many American and Canadian guys get also counted out.

Maybe, schools also play a part in this?

I believe the Russian hockey school has been in a very poor state lately. As well as the whole country in general.

Can your school of goalkeepers reverse this situation?

I hope it happens. I will be always glad to the best of my ability to find some time for children, to work with them, to share some of my knowledge so that they could continue to progress.

Olympics, Bykov, Bilyaletdinov

A lot of people have already started thinking about what will happen in Sochi. What are your expectations on these Olympic Games?

I just prepare and hope for the best. Everything will depend on how our team will be prepared.

Do you keep in mind the possibility that the NHL players will not be released to the tournament?

I don’t think it will happen. A huge number of hockey players want to play at the Olympics. Among them there are stars on whom both the league and the clubs earn money. Therefore, I don’t think that the league would want to go into a conflict.

What do you make of the changes in the Russian national team?

I see only the positives in them. The changes are logical, as recently the national team hasn’t been playing in the way that would yield results. It wasn’t just once: the team lost the Olympics, failed to win the World Championships in Germany with a super-roster, flunked at the last Championships. It was getting worse, that’s why the national team and these coaches need to have a rest from each other. Let’s just turn the page and think about what we have now.

What would you do if you were in Bykov’s place?

Perhaps, I would resign after Vancouver already.

What do you expect from Bilyaletdinov?

Some assiduous work. Hopefully, Zinetula Khaidarovich will succeed in everything. Speaking about myself, I don’t think the same scenario that I encountered under Bykov will repeat once again. I am ready to come to the national team on the first summons.

Is there any periodicity based on which the national team’s coaches should be changed?

Ideally, the coach himself should feel the moment when he can’t give anything new to the team any more. If there are no ideas, no new thoughts or concepts, he’d better leave. Why stay put, show bad results, and disgrace both yourself and others?

You once said that there are many great players who retired and now their country doesn’t need them. Why should anyone deal with it and who should it be?

You know, we used to have one country, now it’s another one, in ten years there will be the third one. That’s why it is hard to make someone responsible, compel to do something and care about other people. Our country doesn’t look ahead, it just lives here and now. That’s the main problem.

How do they deal with it in America?

There is a pension fund in place and a certain amount is credited to a player’s special account every year. The amount accrues and when he reaches 60 years old, if I’m not mistaken, the money can be withdrawn. Of course, it’s not millions of dollars, but if anything happens, the man won’t starve to death.

Will you get down to the development of Russian hockey after you retire?

Why not? I do have ideas. The main thing is to be given such an opportunity and not hampered.

It’s a rare in our country to not be hampered by anybody.

Then maybe I shouldn’t.