"There is mutual understanding in the team, but there is no limit to perfection"

Last season, Ak Bars reached the Gagarin Cup finals for the first time in 8 years, where they lost to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (2:4 in the series), although they started the regular season unsuccessfully, and the squad strengthened during the season.

In the summer, Kazan lost a number of leading players, and one of the most famous newcomers, American Kevin Hayes, played only five matches for the team without scoring points, after which he terminated his contract and ended his career. Despite the personnel changes, Anvar Gatiyatulin's team is at the top of the table by the end of September, having won 7 of 11 matches.

In an interview with Izvestia, Ak Bars captain Alexei Marchenko assessed the start of the season and the team's prospects, and also commented on Hayes' departure.

— How did Ak Bars turn around an unsuccessful match with Barys, scoring three goals in two and a half minutes?

— At the beginning of the game, it was as if they were watching the opponent play more. We lost the fight, we didn't act so actively in the joints. But after the first period, they reacted well to the situation — they began to impose their game, win the fight and neutral goals. Our first goal is the result of a single combat we won and the fact that we ran well into a counterattack. Then we had good shifts in a foreign zone, where we forced the opponent to make mistakes.

— Does it add to the optimism that we beat the current Barys, who started the season well and scored a lot of goals?

— There are no particularly weak teams right now. But yes, Barys started the championship well. Shows a good game. It was important for us to beat him, just like any other opponent.

— Once again, as a year ago, Ak Bars has significantly updated its squad, and we have to look for reinforcements during the season. During the first month of the regular season, did you manage to find mutual understanding on the ice for those players who are there now?

— We have a game, mutual understanding on the ice and on the team anyway. But there is no limit to perfection. We need to work on all this, fix the moments that don't work out. But there are still a lot of games ahead this season. And there's a lot more that can be fixed.

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— How does this first month of the season differ from last year, when Ak Bars also had an unstable start and was being completed on the move?

— More games. We played 11 matches in September. Last year, in the same month, Ak Bars had fewer of them, in my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong, of course (in September 2025, Ak Bars played 10 matches. — Ed.). But it feels like we had a lot of games this September.

— It seems that the atmosphere is different in the team. A year ago, during this period, when there were defeats, rumors constantly appeared in the media that Anvar Gatiyatulin could be fired. Things seem to be calmer now, even after unsuccessful matches.

— Well, we have won more matches now than last year in the same period. That's why it's quieter. Besides, even though we lost a lot of players at the end of last season, a lot of people have stayed since that time. And the guys, after all, know how to reach the Gagarin Cup final. Accordingly, there is an understanding of what needs to be done to win at certain moments, even in unsuccessful matches for us.

— So there is a potential to at least repeat reaching the finals this season?

— I think we're playing a pretty good game. We're doing everything we can. Of course, we need to improve in many aspects. But we believe in each other and we know that we can play even better.

— How did the team perceive Kevin Hayes' departure from within?

— It's hard to say… It was his decision to leave the team and end his playing career. We tried to support Kevin, helped him as much as we could. But he made that decision. In any case, he is a skilled player. Maybe if he had stayed at Ak Bars a little longer, everything would have worked out for him. Or if he could have scored points in the first matches, he would have felt better mentally.