Vitaly Proshkin: “I didn’t want to fight, the score was slippery”

- Vitaly, what happened to you with the Czech? After all, did you provoke a brawl?
- Nothing like this. There was a throw, Eremenko pressed the puck, and then an opponent drives up and deliberately slows down next to Alexander to douse him with snow. I gently pushed the Czech away, and for some reason he climbed into the fray.

- That's so arrogant.
- Do not speak. He took it, hit me. And what could I do? In response, I also hit him (in the end, Vitaly won by points - 4: 1 - A.Sh.). But initially he just wanted to warn him not to do that anymore.

- The audience at this moment began to shout something about Valuev.
- Well, no, what I Valuev.

- It is clear that you did not particularly want to fight.
- It's true. The score was pretty slippery. And I could let the team go by the end of the match.

- And at the beginning of the match you knocked out the goalkeeper Gnilichka. What happened there?
“They just pushed me.” I'm not on purpose.

- The Russian team missed only one puck in this tournament. Are you satisfied with this result?
- Highly. In my memory, we played this for the first time. Before that, the team always played great in attack, but not too confident in defense.

“Why did everything work out this time?”
- Firstly, the goalkeepers played great, that Vasily Koshechkin, that Alexander. Secondly, all the defenders acted responsibly. And not only them. The attackers helped us a lot.

- Do you think that your chances of getting into the squad for the World Cup in Moscow have increased?
- I think that they increased among all the players who played in the Channel One Cup. All the guys acted well.

- How do you like the new Sports Palace?
- Very big. And it's good when it is filled with fans. We are a little used to the new arena, and those guys from our team who will play for the national team at the World Cup will not have to adapt.

- The Czechs were the weakest opponent?
- How to say ... In the first period we had a hard time. And only after the break we managed to tip the scales in our direction.

- And which of the rivals did you like most?
- Swedes.

- Will you root for the Finns in the evening?
- I definitely won’t watch the game, I’ll fly to Kazan. But, of course, I hope that the Finns will win. We did everything to become the first in the tournament.

Alexey Shevchenko