Alexei Morozov’s move to CSKA after nine years with Ak Bars Kazan was one of the biggest transfer stories of the summer. The forward, one of the most prolific scorers in Russian history, two-time Gagarin Cup winner, spoke to our correspondent on the time of troubles at Kazan, including Sergei Zinovyev’s surprise exit.
Why did you want to leave Ak Bars?
I didn’t want to leave. It came as a big surprise to me. Right until the last minute I thought my contract would be extended. Negotiations had begun back in November and seemed to be going well, and I stayed in Kazan after the season ended to wait for news, and then I was told that there would be no new agreement.
Who wanted you to leave?
Certain interested parties. I wouldn’t want to give names, but someone benefitted from my exit. They say Kazan is looking to build a younger team, so let’s say I left as part of the rejuvenation process.
That process had already begun two years ago under Vladimir Krikunov. Were the storm clouds already gathering overhead?
Everything went fine for me under Krikunov. He’s an honest guy who always tells the truth and says it to your face. He had no plans to get rid of the leading players and I played a lot of hockey under him. I think you’re mistaken if you believe he wanted the Kazan first line to leave.
You played at Ak Bars for many years but you’ve never spoken out about the difficult times at the club. For instance, is it true that Sergei Zinovyev left in 2009 after falling out with you?
It was nothing like that. I’ve always been on good terms with Sergei and in the time since he left Kazan we’ve played together for Team Russia at the Worlds. We even played in the same line.
But there was some conflict?
Only the kind you get everywhere. Someone doesn’t put in enough graft, or fails to score, or ruins a move with some sloppy play. Sergei has a temper, so maybe that’s why these rumors appeared, but again, it was just the stuff you get at every club. You see players in other teams at each other’s throats on their own bench during games. Compared to some, it was all wine and roses with us.
So why did he leave?
Sergei felt the time had come for him to prove that he could achieve a lot on his own merit, and not just as part of a great troika. He thought the best way was to find another club.
Did you try to persuade him to stay?
We talked it over and discussed the possibilities, but no, I didn’t try to influence him one way or the other. We weighed up all the pros and cons, and Sergei decided to leave.
Are you sad that CSKA could not lure Danis Zaripov to the club?
Playing alongside Danis again would have suited me fine, that’s true.
Is playing in Moscow an important bonus?
I’m not sure that living in the capital is such a bonus. In Kazan I could get from my apartment to the arena in seven minutes, I’d just walk along the corridor from my building to the locker room. Here I’m living in the Odintsovo region and it takes me an hour and a half. There were different factors in favor of joining CSKA. For example, I could see they had plans to put together a very good team.
Were there any episodes in Kazan which you’d rather forget?
I don’t think you can ever forget, but there were rough periods, like four years ago when I wanted to give up the captaincy.
Why was that?
It seemed to me it was for the best. I suddenly realized I’d lost authority among the leading players; I couldn’t find common ground with them and the understanding had gone.
How did all this end?
I spoke with the club bosses about resigning as captain but they flatly refused to accept it.
You often spoke personally with the club’s owners?
Very often. It was one of the plus points during my time at Ak Bars. We were always talking with the bosses, discussing various things, solving any urgent problems. This really helped the team achieve such great results.
What kind of problems?
One time, just before the play-offs, we approached the bosses and convinced them that we needed to bring in some new personnel at the club. They advised us on what to buy to help us recuperate. We won the championship that year, by the way, and the fact that we could meet the owners and quickly solve any problems together helped us concentrate on our hockey.
Some fear that CSKA could become another club of millionaires, of the kind who are not hungry for success.
I’m sure that won’t happen. I talked with Sergei Fedorov and he explained the way he sees the team taking shape. CSKA is building a fine team, not a collection of expensive individuals. And I for one would not play at a club that went shopping for big names. I’ve already been through that. At Ak Bars they started trying to attract star players, and we all know how that ended up.
A legendary era.
You can say that again. There was a lot of nonsense was written about those times, but the team still failed.
Which things were not true?
The stories about the players arriving drunk at training, drinking pretty much all the time, going clubbing all night. I can assure you that if anyone had been caught doing stuff like that, they would have been straight out the door.
I heard that the stars of the team once hired a separate plane to fly home from a road trip earlier than the other players.
That is true. What happened was we had two free days after a game in Novokuznetsk, but the timing of the return journey practically robbed us of a whole day, so we chartered our own flight instead.
Wasn’t that expensive?
I wouldn’t say so. I paid about a thousand dollars, the kind of money you’d pay for a business class ticket. There were twelve of us, and even the coach came with us.
He chipped in as well?
No, the rest paid for him.
You would often be stopped by the English-speaking journalists when you were playing for Team Russia, but you would never answer them in their own language.
I don’t speak the language that well, so I wouldn’t want the rest of the world thinking I dumbly say yes or no to everything. I learned some English when I was playing in America, of course, and even gave a few interviews, but I’ve forgotten a lot of it since then.
You made a very sharp exit from the States. Were your circumstances similar in any way to those of Ilya Kovalchuk?
A little, although the situation with Ilya is not the same. On the one hand, I’m satisfied with my time in America and I learned a lot there, but it’s still a foreign country where the way they treat you is completely different to Russia. They do try to get the best out of you, but then again, you always get the blame if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
Did you know that Ilya would return?
He would have liked to stay on in Russia last season but back then the legalities made it impossible, but yes, I knew. He did not say very much because I think he didn’t want to tempt fate, but he told me a few times that he was poised to make a return.
Alexei Shevchenko, special to khl.ru