Workers in FHR are now trained in such a way that talking with recently still friendly and pleasant people is a real headache. Igor Tuzik, general manager of the national team, stopped saying hello and began to bark in response to simple questions. The Federation employee, former referee Igor Khimich, who dragged a carriage with carnations along Sheremetyevo-2, also behaves. This is a new rule, according to which no one can speak with the press, except for the press attache, they will not bring to good.
Meanwhile, the carnations were decided to be handed to the players (maybe, if they won, they would have forked out for roses). FHR tried to punch a separate exit for hockey players so that they would not mix with a crowd of obsessive taxi drivers and meeting other flights, but to no avail.
Hockey players met sparingly. One television camera, three reporters.
And that’s all.
“Thank you for coming,” said Vladislav Tretyak, president of the FHR, in all seriousness. - The children will be very pleased.
The head of the federation himself initially did not want to go to the airport, but then changed his mind. He met with the players in the arrivals hall. Say a little speech. Gave, again, flowers.
The exit was also not crowded. A man with a bouquet of flowers and a sign “Semen Varlamov” turned out to be a representative of the Yaroslavl “Locomotive”, who was supposed to pick up all the guys from this club and take him home. Flowers, by the way, he handed only to the goalkeeper. Semyon was phlegmatic and confident in himself, as befits a high-class goalkeeper.
“It's a shame, of course, that we lost,” the athlete shook his head. - But second place is also not bad.
- You have also lost the dispute for the best goalkeeper of the championship to Canadians Price.
“Ah,” the goalkeeper waved his hand. - The fact that it is Price that will be called the best has become clear even before the semi-finals.
- Who is clear?
- To everyone. Some information leaked. Is it a shame? Not. The main thing is that I am satisfied with my game. He missed a little, played twice for zero.
The youngest player in the team, representative of Tractor Vyacheslav Voinov, too, did not express any emotions.
“I didn’t play very much,” he sighed. - The coach did not trust me too much. No, I'm not offended. Still, really the youngest player, I still have ahead. But he felt that they always let me out onto the ice with caution.
- Upset after losing in the finals?
- Yes, they cried a little in the locker room.
Vyacheslav Buravchikov, captain of the national team, was already in a hurry to Kazan.
- Vyacheslav, you are such an experienced player, play in the Super League. And make a baby mistake in the finale. What happened?
“Eh,” the hockey player sighed. - It happens. Something we did not foresee at the end of the first period. Lost concentration. And you can’t play against Canadians in the minority.
- But still, the result you showed is excellent. Seeing you off, we dreamed of reaching the semifinals.
- There were such forecasts, I heard it myself. But we knew our strength. They knew that we could compete for the championship.
- Did the team help that there were no unconditional leaders, like Malkin or Ovechkin?
- We didn’t have such bright leaders, it’s true. But there was a star team.
The best striker of the tournament Alexey Cherepanov was waiting for reporters with a selfish purpose.
“You don't have an Aeroflot phone,” he asked. - I should have left a ticket to Omsk there at the box office. Where is the window? On the second floor? Okay, I have gone.
Hockey players in bright red jackets and with a medal around their neck slowly dispersed. None of the taxi drivers dared to offer them their services.
Alexey Shevchenko