Igor Larionov’s first press-conference as SKA head coach at the Lakhta Centre

SKA head coach Igor Larionov:

“It sounds unusual saying that Igor Larionov is the head coach of SKA! I arrived here in the morning. Of course, I’m really proud to take up this role with such a large club. I am glad to be in the city, glad to be in such an amazing building which is operated by Gazprom. The view is incredible and the weather is great.”

Matter concerning the amount of players with contracts…

“The issue cannot be resolved quickly. I have seen the squad, I have seen the players' ice time, I have seen the players' contracts, I have already had a number of conversations with people who are inside the organisation. It is too early to talk about specific steps. I want to think for a few days and gather all of the required information.”

Being offered the SKA job after a tough season in Nizhny Novgorod…

“When I joined Torpedo, there was one objective: to create a team which would attract the attention of the public with its entertaining play. Personally, I believe that we succeeded. The next step, of course, is the NHL. But, after three years, having understood and seen the evolution of the game both here and in North America, I realised that I needed to continue working with players who have Russian surnames on their backs. At the same time, though, we can’t do without foreign players.

“I will repeat once again that this is a great opportunity to be in the tallest building in Saint Petersburg, to start the season on a high note. It won't be easy, but it has always been like this in my career. There has never been a red carpet to success, there has never been a lift, instead there have been stairs which you have to climb up. And we will gradually climb up: together with the team, players and staff.

“I was walking in Moscow when I received a call from Vitaly Markelov. He offered me the position of SKA head coach, but I needed to speak with my wife before giving a definitive answer. By the evening, I stated my readiness to take on this challenge.”

Possibility of his son joining SKA…

“We have a lack of clever centre-forwards in Russia. To the surprise of many, Igor left Nizhny Novgorod as an unrestricted free agent. I know that a few clubs have already made him offers. We will consider his candidacy for SKA, especially taking into account that I used to play as a centre myself and consequently fully understand just how important this position is. 

“Furthermore, I would like to add that every player here has the opportunity to continue playing for SKA. In the coming days, we will hold conversations with everyone to see how ready they are to compete for our team. I want to see just what fire and desire they have inside them. No one will be given a place in the line-up for previous successes! Thankfully, we have time before the training camps begin in August. We want to invite a lot of young players to our camp with experienced guys mixing it up.”

How the summer training camps will look…

“Our demands are high. Nowadays, unlike back in the Soviet times, players have their own personal trainers with whom they prepare for pre-season. Everyone has to turn up for the training camp in excellent shape! Our initial medical tests will show just how well they have prepared.

“Players should understand that this is the best investment which they can make in their bodies. If they don’t understand this yet, we will explain this to them. We will have strong physical coaches in our team who will put together individual training plans for the players. We certainly won’t operate with CSKA's approach, when they made Larionov – who weighed 74 kilograms – lift 100 kg bars. We will treat our players as people, not pieces of meat.”

Development of Ivan Demidov…

“I would like to hold a conversation with Montreal, namely with Kent Hughes and Martin Lapointe. Montreal know full well that they have a jewel on their hands, Ivan will go on to make their fans happy for many more years to come. However, sometimes, it’s important to take a step to the side to subsequently take three steps forward. It would be phenomenal if we have the opportunity to loan Demidov for a year. My idea is that we loan him for next season. We will have to see whether this is a realistic possibility.”

Chances of keeping players in Saint Petersburg instead of seeing them leave for the NHL…

“Let’s talk about Demidov again. He’s a strong, unique player who will have to cope with immense pressure with the Canadiens. The day starts with hockey and ends with hockey in Montreal! Today’s success doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be successful tomorrow. It’s important that the Montreal management will use a wise approach with Ivan. If they told him to go to SKA on loan for next season, that would be amazing! As for players leaving for the NHL, then we’re not going to hold anyone back. We have to speak with everyone individually. I remember working with Yaroslav Askarov back in the days when I was the head coach of the junior Russian national team. Hopefully, he will become San Jose’s number one next year. He possesses the potential to reach the level of guys such as Andrei Vasilevskiy, Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Sorokin.”