The captain confessed his love for “Bi-2”, Valiullin didn’t come, and Gatiyatulin held the fort for everyone

Location — “Black Lake” park

This year, the “Black Lake” park in the center of Kazan was chosen as the venue for the presentation of Ak Bars' new players. The club introduced four newcomers, organizing a meeting with fans. There were few fans, about 200–300 people, but this did not prevent the event from taking place.

All four newcomers were present at the presentation: goalkeeper Mikhail Berdin, defenseman Wyatt Kalynyuk, as well as forwards Mikhail Fisenko and Brandon Bayro. However, the latter immediately corrected the hosts and said his last name is better pronounced as “Bayro.” Also invited were head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin and team captain Alexey Marchenko, who also acted as translator for Ak Bars' Canadian newcomers.

The hosts immediately warned those gathered that questions to players and coach should not concern hockey. However, it was impossible to avoid them. Gatiyatulin was immediately asked about Ak Bars' roster, to which he named the team he dreamed of.

“Right now all thoughts are about the upcoming season, all the guys who are already with us, with whom negotiations are underway — thoughts about them. We dreamed about this team, and with them we will go for our success," said Gatiyatulin.

Canadian newcomers, of course, answered questions about Kazan and local food. Kalynyuk highlighted the beautiful architecture of the city, and Bayro again said that the food here is tasty, but still unknown to him.

Internship and contests

The meeting itself was supposed to start at 6:30 pm, but viewers came much earlier. For such cases, various fun contests were organized. First, fans were offered a game to put on Tatar skullcaps (tübeteikas) as fast as possible, and then to squeeze juice from oranges. However, the organizers did not consider the number of prepared prizes, and for example, in the paired contest, only one participant among the winners received a club scarf.

Among the fans, an Ak Bars game jersey and cap were raffled for the most interesting question. The main prize was taken by a fan with 27 years of experience. His question about Gatiyatulin’s trip to Vancouver pleased the coach himself, who gave a detailed answer:

“Internship in Vancouver? Every coach wants to develop, seeks various ways to develop. Such trips help, you see what and where you do right, and somewhere you learn. We look at the NHL, there they set standards. We try to introduce something new ourselves.

This trip opened eyes in terms of attacking hockey, we began to take more risks, the game with the puck implies risk. Somewhere we took Vancouver’s system, somewhere Carolina’s, where I was also and learned what they play. I was in Dallas, not the first time I went there, a friend of mine works there.

Such internships help understand where you are right, make you change your views on some things. Last year we proposed attacking hockey, moreover the roster allowed us to play it, the fans like it, almost all games had sellouts, the players also supported this decision," said Gatiyatulin.

“Provocative” questions

In general fans were interested in various moments from newcomers’ lives. Questions “flew” based on their situation. Native of Ufa Berdin was asked to talk about the upcoming derby with Salavat Yulaev. The newly minted Kazan goalie said that every year he visits Kazan and even supported the “bars” when the “Yulaevtsy” were eliminated from the playoffs. Over years of trips to the capital of Tatarstan, Mikhail even acquired a favorite food — echpochmak with duck meat.

Kalynyuk and Bayro admitted that they have been friends for a long time, so they try to stick together in the team. Also, both are fans of country music. So in the new season at Ak Bars matches there will be an updated musical repertoire at the home arena.

The captain of the bars, Marchenko, surprised a little with his answer to the question about his favorite artist. Among musicians, Alexey unexpectedly singled out the group “Bi-2”, musicians who are recognized as foreign agents in Russia. Fans immediately started whispering about the not very successful choice of the captain. But they calmed down when Marchenko named Roger Federer as the best tennis player in history.

To the lover to stand up for himself and partners on the ice, Fisenko was offered to mentally imagine a fight with Nikita Dynyak. Mikhail did not lose his composure and said that this sometimes happens, but they always reconcile afterwards, and coaches even encourage such “warm-ups” during training.

Where was Valiullin?

Gatiyatulin took the floor to end the meeting. The Ak Bars coach thanked fans for their support last season and asked not to slow down in the upcoming championship. Interestingly, Gatiyatulin left the venue last, trying not to refuse anyone autographs and photos for memory. Fans of the Kazan team did not want to let go of the beloved coach. Even the powerful Ak Bars security could not persuade them to leave.

However, the presentation itself left a rather unpleasant aftertaste. The format of the meeting corresponded to the current weak team selection. The event looked more like a “hook” for the only offseason home friendly game of Ak Bars with Neftekhimik in Kazan. The absence of general manager Marat Valiullin also did not add zest to the presentation; he was apparently too busy to meet with fans.