Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [Trade] Flames acquire rights to Nikita Zadorov for 3rd acquired in Rittich trade

gvitaly · 08-02-2021, 11:50 AM

I only got through the first 25mins of a 2hr interview so far so let me know if I should keep going because it does have a lot of interesting tidbits.
Navigation
Part 1 – Offseason Training, Max Ivanov, Toughest NHL Moment, Trade to Colorado
Part 2 – Moving teams, Clobbering people in the NHL, Easy/Hard players to play against, Contract Demands, Zadorov’s Education
Part 3 – 2021 World Hockey Championship, Olympics, Taxes and Escrow, Barkov, NHL game management, Zadorov’s injuries
Part 4 – Best players in the NHL, MacKinnon, Keith, Vasilevskiy
Part 5 – NHL superstitions, Zadorov’s pre-game routine
The Original interview in Russian:

Part 1 – Offseason Training, Max Ivanov, Toughest NHL Moment, Trade to Colorado
• Before the podcast you mentioned you were flying out to Miami on the 15th so you can get ready for the season over there.
o Yes, usually I spend my time training there. My family and I have been flying there for the last 5 years. We end up spending July/August over there.
o I have my personal trainer over there. We also rent a rink with the boys. A lot of players from the NHL live there, so we end up renting a rink. We have a skills coach come over. He works with us on our hands and skating. He gives us a bunch of exercises as preparation for the season.

• Who’s the coach and who are you skating with?
o Usually Ekblad, Trouba, a couple of guys from the AHL, some from Europe. Russian players often come over. Ovechkin used to train with us regularly, in addition to many younger Russian players.
o We typically have 10-12 players for the on-ice sessions.
o The coach is from Florida.
o We have a more defensive group over there. That's because we have a lot of defensemen.
o We work on things we use during NHL games. We work on our blue-line play. We also work on the corner play. The exercises typically concentrate more on our hands.
o In the first two weeks we get used to the feel of the puck, and get our legs in game shape. We get our timing back, and work into shape. In the following weeks we keep increasing the pace, until we reach game shape. We cap it all off with inter-squad games.

• Will Max Ivanov(My own notes: apparently he used to be the skating coach for PIT( Letang, Crosby and Malkin think very highly of him), then Florida) come and coach you this year?
o I was skating with Max last year, after my surgery.
o After my surgery, I didn’t skate for two months. I could barely do anything during my rehab.
o I went to train with Max, and that was the last time I’m doing that(said jokingly). He has very intense practices, and I felt that they weren’t a great fit for me at the time. That's because I had to get into game shape first. I tried to train with him after I got into shape, but the Florida GM forbade the players from skating with Max. My notes: apparently, he was mostly working with players from Florida.

• Why don’t you train in Russia instead of the US? Is it simply cooler to train there? Or do you mostly come here to see your parents?
o I come here(to Russia) mostly to unwind and see my parents. It’s difficult for me because I have a lot of friends over here. They keep pressuring me to go out to restaurants and so on. Unfortunately, I have the propensity to gain weight. As a result, I need to keep myself on a very strict diet, so I can hit my game weight.
o It is much easier for me to focus on my diet and training over in the US. In addition, I was very lucky to meet Scott Forstman(sp) five years ago. He is my gym coach(My notes: strength and conditioning). Since I met him everything was going well for me in terms of strength and avoiding injuries. What I mean by that is avoiding muscle injuries, which is exactly what we’ve been working on. He always has me ready for the start of the season and I don’t want to change anything.
o I’m sure I could make myself stick to a diet and train in Russia, but it’s difficult to arrange everything I require for the training itself.

• What do you mostly work on in the off-season?
o I always had finicky groin muscles(thinks for a bit and changes direction)…
o I think it’s easier to list what I don’t work on: I removed all the heavy lifting from my training several years ago. All the barbells. That’s because I could easily deadlift 300kg. I didn't need that on the ice. For my trouble, I only got a big ass that wouldn’t fit my jeans, and was slower on the ice as a result.
o I mostly work on my explosiveness. For either one or both legs. We concentrate on exercises to improve my speed, because the league is only getting faster, and younger. Each offseason players prepare so they can improve their speed, instead of just keeping the speed they already had.

• Some questions about How Nikita ended up in hockey/CSKA-95 I won’t write up.

• What was the toughest time for you in your NHL career?
o I think it was when I was sent down to the AHL, after my trade to COL.
o I was drafted by BUF, made the team on my first year. I injured my pinky finger. I lost half my finger when Alex Semin shot the puck. It hit my finger and crushed half of it. I got injured in the last pre-season game, so they couldn't send me down and I had to stay with the team.
o * Zadorov continues to explain he didn’t have many chances of sticking with the team* - Defensemen from the middle of the first round rarely make the team in their first year. Besides I was supposed to go to a very good junior team in the London Knights, which is a top notch organization. They were hosting the memorial cup that year, which would've added a lot of experience.
o As Zadorov was healing the team in BUF didn't have the best start to the season.
o Eventually when I recovered, I asked my agent if they would let me play (up to) 9 games. That’s because if you play less than 9 games you don’t burn the first year of your contract. So I asked if they could give me the opportunity, to see if I could succeed in the big league. Besides I got lucky because at the time the defensemen in Buffalo were playing like ####. They gave me my first opportunity to dress as the 7th D against COL. I played well for 12-13mins. In the Following game, I scored against BOS. I ended up playing 5 games, I sat for one. Then I played 2 more, sat for 1 more, and both the GM and coach got fired in the same day. I was drafted by that GM and that coach, which meant they liked my game. After those 7 games I was hoping I could stick around until the end of the season because I wasn't worse than the defensmen they had.
o The situation is as follows: BUF gets an interim coach in place. They also appoint an interim president of hockey operations, Pat LaFontaine, so that he can find a new GM. He is one of the best players in the history of the team, his number(16) is in the rafters and so on.
o I get called into his office and told that they are planning to play the vets this year, because the season is already lost. I was told that they want young players to play meaningful minutes in junior, the memorial cup, and world juniors championship. They said I’d gain the experience and be back with the club next year. I am a very ambitious guy so I was quite worried/stressed about everything. That’s probably the 2nd toughest moment in my NHL career.
o Eventually I played in the world juniors, we got third place. We lost in the memorial cup.
o Anyways after finishing the season, Buffalo finished last, they were supposed to draft McDavid, but lost the lottery and ended up drafting Eichel. With the new direction of the team, I felt like I was a part of the future. Especially from the way the new GM talked at the year-end presser. I thought Ristolinen and I were untouchables, being best buds and playing on the same pair.
o I just had my wedding at the Maldives. I woke up at 6am and saw like a million missed calls. I had missed calls from Sakic and Roy, and I couldn’t figure what was going on. I was in shock after I finally went online and got a text from Grigorenko that we got traded. At that time I couldn’t believe in it because I thought I would spend my entire career in Buffalo. I came to Colorado played for 20 games and got sent down to the AHL by Patrick Roy. I thought I was ready to be in the NHL at the time, but that’s a separate discussion. I'm not sure if it had something to do with Roy not liking me, but it’s hard to dig into all of that. It was a very difficult time for me because I wasn’t having fun out there. I couldn’t figure out why I was in the AHL. I remember watching the Colorado games, and thinking I wasn’t any worse than the Defensemen they had up there.

08-02-2021, 11:50 AM	#532
gvitaly Franchise Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Exp:	I only got through the first 25mins of a 2hr interview so far so let me know if I should keep going because it does have a lot of interesting tidbits. Navigation Part 1 – Offseason Training, Max Ivanov, Toughest NHL Moment, Trade to Colorado Part 2 – Moving teams, Clobbering people in the NHL, Easy/Hard players to play against, Contract Demands, Zadorov’s Education Part 3 – 2021 World Hockey Championship, Olympics, Taxes and Escrow, Barkov, NHL game management, Zadorov’s injuries Part 4 – Best players in the NHL, MacKinnon, Keith, Vasilevskiy Part 5 – NHL superstitions, Zadorov’s pre-game routine The Original interview in Russian: YouTube Video Part 1 – Offseason Training, Max Ivanov, Toughest NHL Moment, Trade to Colorado • Before the podcast you mentioned you were flying out to Miami on the 15th so you can get ready for the season over there. o Yes, usually I spend my time training there. My family and I have been flying there for the last 5 years. We end up spending July/August over there. o I have my personal trainer over there. We also rent a rink with the boys. A lot of players from the NHL live there, so we end up renting a rink. We have a skills coach come over. He works with us on our hands and skating. He gives us a bunch of exercises as preparation for the season. • Who’s the coach and who are you skating with? o Usually Ekblad, Trouba, a couple of guys from the AHL, some from Europe. Russian players often come over. Ovechkin used to train with us regularly, in addition to many younger Russian players. o We typically have 10-12 players for the on-ice sessions. o The coach is from Florida. o We have a more defensive group over there. That's because we have a lot of defensemen. o We work on things we use during NHL games. We work on our blue-line play. We also work on the corner play. The exercises typically concentrate more on our hands. o In the first two weeks we get used to the feel of the puck, and get our legs in game shape. We get our timing back, and work into shape. In the following weeks we keep increasing the pace, until we reach game shape. We cap it all off with inter-squad games. • Will Max Ivanov(My own notes: apparently he used to be the skating coach for PIT( Letang, Crosby and Malkin think very highly of him), then Florida) come and coach you this year? o I was skating with Max last year, after my surgery. o After my surgery, I didn’t skate for two months. I could barely do anything during my rehab. o I went to train with Max, and that was the last time I’m doing that(said jokingly). He has very intense practices, and I felt that they weren’t a great fit for me at the time. That's because I had to get into game shape first. I tried to train with him after I got into shape, but the Florida GM forbade the players from skating with Max. My notes: apparently, he was mostly working with players from Florida. • Why don’t you train in Russia instead of the US? Is it simply cooler to train there? Or do you mostly come here to see your parents? o I come here(to Russia) mostly to unwind and see my parents. It’s difficult for me because I have a lot of friends over here. They keep pressuring me to go out to restaurants and so on. Unfortunately, I have the propensity to gain weight. As a result, I need to keep myself on a very strict diet, so I can hit my game weight. o It is much easier for me to focus on my diet and training over in the US. In addition, I was very lucky to meet Scott Forstman(sp) five years ago. He is my gym coach(My notes: strength and conditioning). Since I met him everything was going well for me in terms of strength and avoiding injuries. What I mean by that is avoiding muscle injuries, which is exactly what we’ve been working on. He always has me ready for the start of the season and I don’t want to change anything. o I’m sure I could make myself stick to a diet and train in Russia, but it’s difficult to arrange everything I require for the training itself. • What do you mostly work on in the off-season? o I always had finicky groin muscles(thinks for a bit and changes direction)… o I think it’s easier to list what I don’t work on: I removed all the heavy lifting from my training several years ago. All the barbells. That’s because I could easily deadlift 300kg. I didn't need that on the ice. For my trouble, I only got a big ass that wouldn’t fit my jeans, and was slower on the ice as a result. o I mostly work on my explosiveness. For either one or both legs. We concentrate on exercises to improve my speed, because the league is only getting faster, and younger. Each offseason players prepare so they can improve their speed, instead of just keeping the speed they already had. • Some questions about How Nikita ended up in hockey/CSKA-95 I won’t write up. • What was the toughest time for you in your NHL career? o I think it was when I was sent down to the AHL, after my trade to COL. o I was drafted by BUF, made the team on my first year. I injured my pinky finger. I lost half my finger when Alex Semin shot the puck. It hit my finger and crushed half of it. I got injured in the last pre-season game, so they couldn't send me down and I had to stay with the team. o * Zadorov continues to explain he didn’t have many chances of sticking with the team* - Defensemen from the middle of the first round rarely make the team in their first year. Besides I was supposed to go to a very good junior team in the London Knights, which is a top notch organization. They were hosting the memorial cup that year, which would've added a lot of experience. o As Zadorov was healing the team in BUF didn't have the best start to the season. o Eventually when I recovered, I asked my agent if they would let me play (up to) 9 games. That’s because if you play less than 9 games you don’t burn the first year of your contract. So I asked if they could give me the opportunity, to see if I could succeed in the big league. Besides I got lucky because at the time the defensemen in Buffalo were playing like ####. They gave me my first opportunity to dress as the 7th D against COL. I played well for 12-13mins. In the Following game, I scored against BOS. I ended up playing 5 games, I sat for one. Then I played 2 more, sat for 1 more, and both the GM and coach got fired in the same day. I was drafted by that GM and that coach, which meant they liked my game. After those 7 games I was hoping I could stick around until the end of the season because I wasn't worse than the defensmen they had. o The situation is as follows: BUF gets an interim coach in place. They also appoint an interim president of hockey operations, Pat LaFontaine, so that he can find a new GM. He is one of the best players in the history of the team, his number(16) is in the rafters and so on. o I get called into his office and told that they are planning to play the vets this year, because the season is already lost. I was told that they want young players to play meaningful minutes in junior, the memorial cup, and world juniors championship. They said I’d gain the experience and be back with the club next year. I am a very ambitious guy so I was quite worried/stressed about everything. That’s probably the 2nd toughest moment in my NHL career. o Eventually I played in the world juniors, we got third place. We lost in the memorial cup. o Anyways after finishing the season, Buffalo finished last, they were supposed to draft McDavid, but lost the lottery and ended up drafting Eichel. With the new direction of the team, I felt like I was a part of the future. Especially from the way the new GM talked at the year-end presser. I thought Ristolinen and I were untouchables, being best buds and playing on the same pair. o I just had my wedding at the Maldives. I woke up at 6am and saw like a million missed calls. I had missed calls from Sakic and Roy, and I couldn’t figure what was going on. I was in shock after I finally went online and got a text from Grigorenko that we got traded. At that time I couldn’t believe in it because I thought I would spend my entire career in Buffalo. I came to Colorado played for 20 games and got sent down to the AHL by Patrick Roy. I thought I was ready to be in the NHL at the time, but that’s a separate discussion. I'm not sure if it had something to do with Roy not liking me, but it’s hard to dig into all of that. It was a very difficult time for me because I wasn’t having fun out there. I couldn’t figure out why I was in the AHL. I remember watching the Colorado games, and thinking I wasn’t any worse than the Defensemen they had up there. Last edited by gvitaly; 08-04-2021 at 09:01 PM. Reason: Added links to all the parts, edited some grammar/spelling mistakes.