[News] Sharangovich - new 2 hour interview

[gvitaly]

01:26:52 The story of a lost hockey bag
- A lost hockey bag. You had one of those.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yeah, that happened in NJ.

- Tell us that story.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

We had a game. More correctly back to back games. We flew in from the away game. I already drove home, woke up on the next day, it's a game day. The equipment manager calls me. No first Kulikov messages me. He told me that my hockey bag is missing, and that I have to get to the rink to pick your uniform. So I ask him, what do you mean - missing? As we're texting, I get a call from the equipment manager. He tells me that I have to get to the rink ASAP, to get my new equipment, because they lost half of the hockey bags.

- Half of the hockey bags? Half the team?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

As a result, I get to the rink, and they explain what happened. The guy that was picking up all the hockey equipment from the airport, forgot to lock the truck's barn doors. So all the hockey bags... and that happened at night, because that's when we flew in. Anyway, because he forgot to lock the doors, he started losing the hockey bags all along the highway. They and the police scoured the entire highway at night using flashlights. They found all bags but 8. We got to the rink started picking out our new equipment. That's quite uncomfortable, breaking in new equipment.

- Everything's new

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yeah, new skates, everything.

- And you have to play that night?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, and we don't have a practice because it's a back to back. So we picked the equipment, but as we were picking it, they found 7 of the last 8 missing bags. People that found the hockey bags started calling the numbers written on them and giving them back. They found 7, but my bag was the only one that wasn't found.

- So out of all the hockey bags, yours was the only one lost? I guess someone took it for himself.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. I ended up playing the entire game in completely new hockey gear.

- How did you end up playing?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I can't remember, but I think I got an assist that game.

- That's good you managed to overcome it

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Eventually, they found the bag. In a bit of a bad neighborhood, but it was found. Someone took the skates for himself. Everything else was there.

I'll do the plane chapter after, I just figured I'd do this one since I didn't see any requests and thought it was a cool story.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by butterfly

Thanks for translating it! Can you do the Calgary plane chapter?

01:35:23 Calgary plane
- After a game, you either come back home on a plane, or fly to another city. How does it look from the inside?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

You want me to outline how a plane looks on the inside?

- I mean, what's waiting for you in there? What food? Drinks? What's available there? How does it work?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Everything is available. The entire plane is business class. You have two columns, 2 seats on each side. The seats are pretty big, and can lean back quite a bit. We have tables. There are two spots that have tables. You can either play cards there, or something else. Many players are laying down reading books. Others are on their tablets watching movies.

As far as food goes, we always have a good selection. The same applies to drinks. You just take anything you want.

- Is it true that the stewardesses already know each player's prefernces as far as food and drinks go?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, because the plane is crewed by the same people all the time. It's a rented plane, so every time before we use it, they add a bunch of Flames logos to it, so they prepare for our arrival. So they often remember. For example, we have Stewart, and he always remembers that I like to drink coke, so he can place it in my seat ahead of time. That way, it's already waiting for me before I get seated.

- Who do you usually sit with?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I sat with Chris Tanev. Mangiapane sits across from me. I get to sit at the table.

- So you already made it, getting all the perks on the team.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, the only thing that's uncomfortable is that I'm facing the back of the plane.

- And they're facing the nose of the plane

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, Mangiapane and Kadri are across from me.

- That's great company, seems like you're a part of the core. Which games do they/you play?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Here we only play poker.

- Only poker? Do you play for money?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

No. *awkward laugh*

- No seriously?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, we play for money.

- Who's the best poker player in Calgary?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Zadorov was.

- And now?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Now, Markstrom, since he joined us. He started playing with us after Zadorov was traded.

- Did you win?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Sometimes, yes.

[butterfly]

I’m pretty sure they use the Air Canada Jetz charter. The seats are fine but there are nicer ones available on commercial widebodies. It is nice that they keep the same crew and remember the drinks though. That’s got to be relaxing after a game.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Locke

I do love that Solo story.

"I must get to Hockey Game!"

"Well...alright, you did hit me with your car though! Okay, but you have to hop in the back with the kids!!

Okay kids...scooch over and give the man from Belarus a little space! And...Roll 'em up!!"

- Father Flames Fan...probably.

Imagine having to clarify what it means to be hit by Solo.

"Yeah he hit me, and then I drove him hard all the way to the front entrance of the Dome."
"You don't look like you could physically intimidate a guy like Solo..."
"No, no. This was a traffic collision."

Originally Posted by butterfly

I’m pretty sure they use the Air Canada Jetz charter. The seats are fine but there are nicer ones available on commercial widebodies. It is nice that they keep the same crew and remember the drinks though. That’s got to be relaxing after a game.

Having experienced drinks on the table on the Disney cruise... it's an underrated and super cool thing to have you drinks ready as soon as you sit down.

[1qqaaz]

It's interesting how pretty much every other player that he mentioned is no longer with the Flames, except Kadri.

[gvitaly]

01:08:12 Leaving New Jersey, moving to Calgary

- Which side decided that you won't be renewing your contract in NJ?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

The writing was on the wall. It was obvious at that point that I wasn't going to be with the team.

- It was mutual then. The coach didn't have a role for you since it changed, and you didn't see yourself in that role either.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, pretty much.

- You just had different ambitions?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, but it's still difficult. Changing something even after such a season. I've been with the organization for 6 years, or maybe 5. When you're familiar with everything, it's very hard to just change it.

- The fans really loved you over there.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I liked it over there as well.

- In my opinion you had a very good relationship with the city, with the organization

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, with all the staff. Sergei Brilin for example, he's a coach over there, I had a very good relationship with him. I liked it over there, but I needed a change after the season. That season was the most difficult for me psychologically. Even Dasha saw that I was frustrated. You can play well, but you still only get to play on the 3rd or 4th line. The amount you spend on the ice is completely different. I was playing for 17–18 minutes a night for 2 seasons, and then it dropped to 9–10 minutes a night.

- So at some point mid-season you realized that you were ready for a change.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes.

- The season was over. Dan [Milstein] was probably looking for options. What options did you have? Which serious inquiries were there?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

In reality, there weren't too many rumors. At some point, Dan mentioned Nashville, and the Islanders. It never evolved into serious offers, though.

One night, Dan calls me around 3 or 4 am. He tells me that there's an option to go to Calgary. Then about an hour later, I get a call from the GM of the Devils. He thanks me for the job I've done, and everything I've done for NJ, and tells me that I've been traded to Calgary.

- He personally called you?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, and Dan called me. The [NJ] GM called me first, then Dan, then the Calgary GM. So I got a bit of a sleepless night. Then we got the contract done right away. You can say that I was traded with that contract already in place.

- So you realized what you were getting yourself into.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes.

- Many don't really want to go to Calgary, because of the cold, and the large distances. How did you approach it?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

First of all I wanted the change. Change the entire atmosphere after the season, because I knew I couldn't stay there any longer.

The cold is definitely a factor. We felt it this season, but we really love it over there. Even when there's snow, it's different from NJ. We also live in a house in Calgary [like we did in NJ]. We could just leave the house and take our kid for a walk, there are many parks around. It's a very family friendly city.

- It's quiet/safe

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. In NJ, we always had to drive 20–30 minutes just to go for a walk in the park.

- Based on your personality, Calgary seems like a better fit.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. We like it over there.

- And Dasha's personality is probably more suited to NJ

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I wouldn't say so. She does get a bit bored in Calgary, but you always have to sacrifice something.

- Is it true that your house comes with an elevator?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

It had. *awkward laugh*

- How many floors is it? Is it a 2-story home?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Come on, I won't be able to live it down.

- Are you actually concerned with people giving you ####? Do you read the comments?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I don't read the comments.

- Do your parents or wife read them?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

My friends, sometimes send me quotes.

- Let them. Wait, so you don't deserve to live in a house with more than one floor? You're an elite athlete, and you're not the only one on the planet. It's very normal for that league. And let's be honest, that's the most modest league in NA when it comes to compensation. Especially when we compare it to basketball, and it doesn't bother anyone there. So why should it bother you?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

It doesn't.

- So how often did you use the elevator?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Honestly, a couple of times. To move the couch or other heavy furniture.

- So you don't use it to get up to the 2nd floor. I think it would be faster walking.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, of course. I don't know why the previous owners installed an elevator. Probably so they could move heavier things. For example a heavy armchair, and just push the button, but yeah we never really use it.

- It just sounds cool, a home with an elevator. Like a mansion. We organized the entire move from Belarus.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. We realized that I was going to get traded. We packed all our things in boxes at the end of the season, and put them in storage. Whenever a trade happens, the team hires a moving company.

- So when you arrive, your things wait for you in your new house?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

When we got to Calgary, we still had to wait for our things. There were a couple of questions with customs.

- How do you move things, do the moving trucks drive across the border?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

The way I understand it is that your stuff gets loaded into one truck. It goes all the way to the border, then they take everything out, let customs check everything. Once it passes customs, they load it up onto a different truck on the other side of the border, and drive it all the way to our house.

- What about your cars? How did you move them?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I only had 1 car over there. We didn't renew the lease on the other. I asked Mikhail Grabovski, he had an acquaintance that was willing to drive it across.

01:15:01 Free cars for hockey players

- When it comes to cars, in Canada, hockey players can get cars from dealerships. How true is it? And how does it work?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, that's true. You can't find those types of deals in the US. In Canada, you can approach a dealership. We have a person in our organization, Gold Star, whose job it is to call various dealerships and inquire about a free car. Ilya Solovyov drives a Hyundai, can't remember the model. This year when Zadorov got traded, he left me his Cadilac Escalate

- Is that what you drive now?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I was driving it in the winter. Then I returned it. I did it because after returning from an away game, probably it was Florida or somewhere warm, and there was a snowfall in Calgary. I ended up drifting on a turn.

- Did you drive off the road?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Dasha even warned me that it's very slippery in Calgary. My other/previous BMW had better traction in turns. The Escalate is heavy, and I pushed the gas pedal a bit, and it drifted. As a result, I broke the brake rotor (disc).

- That's not too bad.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Also, one of the airbags deployed.

- No one was, injured, so that's okay

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yeah, we thought the car was going to be fine, but we went home and changed cars anyway. When we got home a few hours later, the suspension was all the way down, and the disc was broken. I called the dealership, told them that I hit the curb by accident. They fixed everything for free, I just gave them a couple of signed jerseys.

- Is it connected to the fact that everyone loves hockey in Canada

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yeah, they really love hockey in Canada. For example, I was getting a phone plan for myself and Dasha. As soon as I told the employee my name, he asked me if I was traded for Toffoli. After I told him it was me, he even gave me his 20-30% friends and family discount.

- So you feel it in Canada more than in the US?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, people really love it.

- Do people recognize you?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Not so much, but sometimes.

- You also don't go outside for hours at a time to be as recognizable.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

That's true. With all the away games, you get tired, so you spend a lot of time at home resting. Aside from that, you go shopping.

- How does your day off look like?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

It depends on the weather. When we just got to Calgary in September, the weather was really nice. We were going with the baby to Banff and Lake Louise every couple of days. On a typical day off, we have a nanny, so Dasha and I can go somewhere, either shopping, or eat out somewhere.

- Yes, you just want to rest, because you don't get many days off in the NHL. I think that the NHL is quite a hard league because an 82 games regular season is too much, and you get back to backs, and have to fly over the border

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

That's one thing I felt this season. Calgary is far away from all teams except Edmonton, which is a 30-min flight. All other flights take at least an hour and a half, two hours. That's pretty different from when I played in NJ, when you had 10 teams that are an hour flight away. The flights from Calgary, are not exactly harder, but definitely longer.

[GioforPM]

So Belarusians are bad drivers is what I’m getting.

[FlamesAddiction]

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I like his attitude. Yeah, it’s cold but whatever. There are good things about Calgary too. Travel is longer, but not harder. You just spend more time chilling on the plane.

It’s nice that he doesn’t sound like someone who needs to be pampered to be happy.

[cam_calderon]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I like his attitude. Yeah, it’s cold but whatever. There are good things about Calgary too. Travel is longer, but not harder. You just spend more time chilling on the plane.

It’s nice that he doesn’t sound like someone who needs to be pampered to be happy.

The travel would suck, let's be honest. I don't think players would typically come right out and admit that, though.

Sharky does seem happy here but I wonder what he really thinks about the rebuild. He'll be 31 when his new deal expires, so these are his prime years right now, basically, and we're gonna suck for at least 60-80 per cent of the contract.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

The travel would suck, let's be honest. I don't think players would typically come right out and admit that, though.

Sharky does seem happy here but I wonder what he really thinks about the rebuild. He'll be 31 when his new deal expires, so these are his prime years right now, basically, and we're gonna suck for at least 60-80 per cent of the contract.

Considering he just signed an extension 4 days ago, I’m assuming he’s happy with the team direction.

[cam_calderon]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Considering he just signed an extension 4 days ago, I’m assuming he’s happy with the team direction.

He's happy now but maybe he doesn't grasp what a rebuild truly looks like. He hasn't experienced a tear-it-down rebuild before. Although if his biggest gripe with his time in Jersey was being on the third line he's basically guaranteed to avoid the bottom six for the life of the deal.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

I like his attitude. Yeah, it’s cold but whatever. There are good things about Calgary too. Travel is longer, but not harder. You just spend more time chilling on the plane.

It’s nice that he doesn’t sound like someone who needs to be pampered to be happy.

You're most welcome. From listening to him I get the sense that he's more of a shy guy. A bit of a loner. Has a quirky sense of humor similar to Monahan. He sounds very polite, and well spoken. I get the sense that he really appreciates the opportunity here.

Originally Posted by GioforPM

So Belarusians are bad drivers is what I’m getting.

Hehe, well you can add me to the list as well then, because I had a similar situation to Sharky after driving in the warm weather for a bit, and then getting to Calgary. Mine wasn't as bad though, I just damaged the rim of my back wheel.

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

He's happy now but maybe he doesn't grasp what a rebuild truly looks like. He hasn't experienced a tear-it-down rebuild before. Although if his biggest gripe with his time in Jersey was being on the third line he's basically guaranteed to avoid the bottom six for the life of the deal.

As I mentioned above, I think he really wants to be a part of the solution. When asked about breaking the Belarussian scoring records in a different part of the interview, he didn't care about that. He mentioned his -29 though and that he needs to get better defensively. I think he's going to be a good forward on a good, young, and exciting team in a couple of years.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by cam_calderon

He's happy now but maybe he doesn't grasp what a rebuild truly looks like. He hasn't experienced a tear-it-down rebuild before. Although if his biggest gripe with his time in Jersey was being on the third line he's basically guaranteed to avoid the bottom six for the life of the deal.

Why wouldn't he grasp that aspect of a rebuild? Isn't that what the Devils were doing the whole time he was there?

The Devils got high end talent that pushed him down the depth chart, we don't really have that in the org for the foreseeable future. So he will be OK here.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Why wouldn't he grasp that aspect of a rebuild? Isn't that what the Devils were doing the whole time he was there?

The Devils got high end talent that pushed him down the depth chart, we don't really have that in the org for the foreseeable future. So he will be OK here.

And the entire year preceding him signing an extension we were in the worst part of a full rebuild from a player’s perspective.

[gvitaly]

01:22:52 Additional perks for NHL players

- Do you have any other deals or sponsorships with various brands?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I have a contract with CCM. You sign a contract every year, and they give you a certain amount of money you can spend with them and on their brands.

This year I could spend, on hockey equipment, golf clubs, there was a fishing and hunting store.

- Do the things you get have to be a part of the CCM brand?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

No. I just have a contract, that's why most of the things I wear on the ice are CCM.

- Yes, and they(CCM) let you get their partners' brands as well?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, pretty much. They just give you gift cards. For example, I have a $500 gift card to a fishing store.

- So you just buy things for $500?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, they send you the gift card, essentially a number and a pin code.

- And how much does it all come up to in total for the year?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Less than 10 grand.

- If you don't need something, you can still get something, give a gift to someone.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. Before I had the benefit of working with Adidas, and Lululemon. If you ever heard of it, it's a brand in Canada and the US, and they had a good selection, the same as Adidas. We spent a lot of the money buying our family a bunch of things as gifts.

- How much money did you make signing hockey cards? Just so we understand how that business works in the NHL. For example, you get sent so many thousands of player cards, you have to sign them all. Each card gets you an x amount of dollars.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I can't remember exactly, but it's between $4 and $5 per card.

- For each signature? And how many cards do they send you?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, but I have to sign less and less cards each year. Usually, you sign a bunch of cards when you begin your career. The most I had to sign was 5,000-6,000 cards during one sitting.

- That will keep you busy in the evenings, just like LEGO. I mean, it must take a lot of time.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

That signing happened in LA. We were 3 or 4 players together. We sat there just signing cards. It took us about 5 hours.

- So you just dedicate a whole night to it?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes, that how it worked out for such a large batch. They only send me 1,500-2,000 cards I have to sign from home.

- Did you see your hockey cards anywhere? Where do they go?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Upper Deck, it's a company. Any person can buy a pack of cards.

- So it's a mix of cards.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yeah, it's a mix. They have different prices depending on the mix, and value of the collectibles.

- It seems that sports lore in general is pretty popular in the US.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Yes. There are always a bunch of fans waiting for us by the hotel. Even if we fly in late and get there by 3am, people are still waiting for us.

01:29:35 A Like after a coach got fired

- You said that you don't read comments on your game on any social networks. Neither twitter or X, not while you're over in NA or Belarus.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I used to read twitter before, but I stopped doing it in NJ.

- While we're talking about twitter and NJ. I Let's talk about the firing of Lindy Ruff. It's a famous story in the hockey world. They found your like on that post, as well as Dasha's like. What did you think when you did it?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

It was an accident. My finger must've twitched

- I guess you haven't been on Twitter for a while, so you probably forgot how to work it.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Exactly

01:30:06 Historical record for Belarus
- You move to Calgary, you find plenty of success. You had a lot of on ice combinations. It took you a while to develop chemistry. As a result, you made history. You broke the record for Belarusian hockey. You pass both the Kostitsyns and Mikhail Grabovski. Now you're the person whose record someone will have to break one day. Other Belarusian players in the NHL aren't as productive as you, so that record can stand for a while. Do you feel as a part of history?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

Honestly, I don't, not yet. I'm still an active player, so I don't think about it. It feels nice to break the record, but Protas could break it again at any point.

- I agree, it could be Protas, Sidorov, or someone else. Here we were talking about the Kostitsyns for many years, we were doing the same about Misha Grabovski. People that follow Belarusian hockey understand that those are legends. Very productive hockey players, and they were productive for a very long time. A couple of months ago that changed, now Sharangovich is higher than those guys. Since they're not active players, they won't be catching you. At least for the single season records.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

The most important record is in aggregate.

- Are you passionate about beating them? Do you feel as though you can beat them on aggregate?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I don't think about it. I don't think about getting more total points than them. I just get ready for the next season, I don't want my game to plateau, but simply keep growing and getting better. I want to prove that I can better my game with every season. It was a good statistical season, but I don't even think that it's entirely true. There's a good side, but there's also one component I think about, that keeps bugging me. I mean my -29 in the stats. Yes, I beat the record, but that really takes away from it.

- That's something you will work on next season. You know you what you have to work on.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

The most important part is not standing still. It's improving each year. It doesn't matter what age you're in, you still have to work harder and harder each year.

- Do you have a number that you think to yourself that you can score? For example, do you think you can put up 70 points? Or 80?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

I concentrate on playing a good game. The points will come as long as I keep myself accountable when it comes to preparation. I put in the work in the off-season and in practice. All the details you work on become factors during the game.

If I don't put in the work in the off-season and only think of points, then I won't get any points.

01:34:00 Jonathan Huberdeau

- Let's talk about your line mates. Huberdeau is one of the biggest names in the NHL. How close are you on and off the ice?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

In the locker room we always talk, joke around, he's a very good person. It's always fascinating to have a conversation with him. We're on the same wave-length. I think it shows up on the ice as well, because we think the game alike. It's always easier to build a relationship/friendship when that happens.

- Is Huberdeau the guy you had the most chemistry with in the NHL? At least as far as thinking the game.

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

NJ also had guys. Jack [Hughes] was fun to play with. They have a completely different style of game, but I think I have more chemistry with Jonathan.

- Does Huberdeau have any quirks?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

No. He's similar to me that way. We don't listen to music, not wearing headphones all the time. We prefer to have a conversation instead. We could just sit together and talk.

- Do you have any game rituals?

Originally Posted by Sharangovich

No.

[butterfly]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

- While we're talking about twitter and NJ. I Let's talk about the firing of Lindy Ruff. It's a famous story in the hockey world. They found your like on that post, as well as Dasha's like. What did you think when you did it?

- I guess you haven't been on Twitter for a while, so you probably forgot how to work it.

Sharangovich must have really not liked Ruff. I can understand either he or his wife misclicking, but both of them sounds a bit far fetched.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by butterfly

Sharangovich must have really not liked Ruff. I can understand either he or his wife misclicking, but both of them sounds a bit far fetched.

Yeah, he was joking around. He can be a bit sarcastic.

I'm pretty sure cutting his ice time, and a lack of opportunity to get more minutes even when he played well didn't go well. It sucks being stuck in a job when you don't have any avenue for career growth.

[cam_calderon]

Thank you for the translation. I haven't read every word but I really appreciate the effort.

[gvitaly]

Should I translate any of the other chapters? I think I covered everything that directly relates to Calgary. Most of the other topics were about his way to the NHL and personal life.

[Draug]

I've enjoyed the "behind the scenes" look at a young player's NHL experience! Thank you. If it's not too much work, I'd love if you translated the entire interview!