Borschevsky was succeeded not by anyone, but by Vladimir Yurzinov Sr. himself, a powerful Soviet coach who, for the last five or six years, has held onto his name. Yes, Yurzinov had good achievements in the field of training athletes, but as an acting specialist he ended a long time ago.
Nikolai Borschevsky personified a new coach with a Western mentality (after all, he played in the NHL), who respects hockey players, but also demands from them in full. Who is trying to come up with something on the ice and in training. Which can joke with the players, but at the same time keeps them at a distance.
But it seems that there was one serious mistake in Borschevsky’s career. For too long he was saturated with Yurzinov’s spirit, Yurzinov’s manners and by the beginning of his solo career he had become so. Instead of the intensified propaganda of Western hockey (the best teams of the continent play it) - the imposition of the Soviet style with a hundred assists in one combination, long rallies without shots and a desperate dislike for power hockey players.
It was under Borschevsky that the players ceased to understand what was required of them. Evgeny Artyukhin received little playing time. Overall hockey players came to the ice less and less. And Fedor Fedorov was generally exiled to double.
The leadership of the club realized that Borschevsky did not learn at all what was expected of him. And they took a brilliant move. The young specialist was not fired, but simply transferred to assistants, appointing Paul Gardner as the main American. And let knowledgeable people claim that he has weak statistics, - this is not what he was invited to the team for. Gardner will refresh Borschevsky with memories of the right hockey. And, quite possibly, the young coach will draw the necessary conclusions.
Young coaches in the championship of Russia
CSKA. Vyacheslav Bykov
Established a great relationship with the players. Tries to instill in them a modern style of hockey. Under him, the army team spent quite a long successful segments in the championship. But the team cannot fight for medals. Perhaps it is not so much the Bulls that are guilty here as the financing of the club.
SKA. Yuri Leonov
He came to the club without serious practical experience. He revived the team, lit hockey players. But at the same time, he cannot establish a stable game with a good selection of players. Replaced Boris Mikhailov, but the result shows almost the same.
Borschevsky about himself
(How he became a coach.) “After the end of my career, I returned to Russia for two years - I played for Spartak. And only then he began to seriously think about creating a school. By that time, I had already worked as a coach - in the first season in the NHL I spent a ten-day camp for boys. This experience convinced me that it was not the gods who burn pots and that, if necessary, I could also engage in pedagogical activities. ”
(About the credo.) “In everything concerning work, I am a maximalist. I never hid the fact that I am a fan of acutely attacking combination hockey. This style cannot be the result of exclusively individual actions of hockey players. So, each of them should know not only his maneuver, but also the maneuver of his partners in the link. In this case, from the chaotic “Brownian” movement, the entire team is moved, which the opponent simply cannot fully track. ”
Borschevsky after the defeat
October
Dynamo - 0: 3. Dynamo deservedly won, with which I congratulate my colleague. “The opponent was preparing to play against us very seriously, this was evident with the naked eye.”
Neftekhimik - 0: 2. “The previous game with Ak Bars took away a lot of our strength and emotions, but this cannot be an excuse. We convinced the players that this match would be even harder because Neftekhimik is a very organized team. We were faced with this debugged defense already in the middle zone. We also came across counterattacks. The guys tried, but they did not succeed. "
“Vanguard” - 3: 5. “We were let down by discipline. In the first period, the team scored ten minutes of a penalty. For a match with such an opponent, this is too much. As a result, two goals were conceded, and it’s very difficult to catch the “Vanguard”, which received such a serious head start. One thing is good: the team did not quit playing and saved face. ”
November
“Metallurg” (Mg) - 1: 2. “We could not win today, although we were very seriously preparing for this match, the guys completely surrendered to the game. But with a strong team like Magnitogorsk it is difficult to win by scoring just one goal. We missed two goals after the grossest mistakes. Allowed unnecessary removal and in the minority paid. But the guys still showed character, perhaps we did not have enough luck. We are working hard on momentum implementations. Not everything is so simple. I think that our fans still need to be patient, I believe that everything will work out. ”
December
SKA - 2: 5. “It can be seen that the hosts were very tuned in for this match. We were ready for this, but still could not do anything. Opponents mostly used their chances, but we didn’t. Playing in unequal compositions is what we need to work on. ”
January
Ak Bars - 1: 4. "The team fought to the end, and I have no complaints about the guys."
CSKA - 1: 3. “So, as we played ahead today, it’s impossible to act. It's hard to win, scoring one goal. We paid for gross errors in defense and poor implementation of the majority. What task does the team face in the third round? Get into the four. "
“Salavat Yulaev” - 2: 4. “It's a shame that we lost. There are no complaints about the guys - they fought to the end. The goalkeeper played very well with the guests. ”
Alexey Shevchenko