Kasatonov about coaching in NHL

 

From Izvestia.ru, Mar. 11, 2009:
Last summer, after more than 10 years of living overseas, Alexei Kasatonov has returned to Russia. The legendary CSKA and Soviet Union defenseman became a head coach of Major League team "Lynx", but the millions of fans remember him primarily as a player. The leaders of the International Ice Hockey Federation share these memories, as Kasatonov in the coming days will be included in the IIHF Hall of Fame. The Izvestia correspondent found these news as a good occasion to meet with the world hockey legend.

You lived in America a year ago, had your own hockey school for kids. What made you to abruptly change your life and come back to Russia from New York?
When I just arrived in the NHL my son was only 6 years old. So even after the end of my hockey career we did not want to snatch him from place to place. He had to get a good education, get back on his feet. Now he is a family man himself. And when a year ago I received an invitation from Russian Major League, I did not hesitate.

What did struck you the most after the return?
The last time I spent a lot of time in Russia was in mid 90's when I was finishing my career in CSKA. Now I go around and I am surprised, each team has an excellent arena. Even in the lower leagues the conditions are chic. I am surprised by very life around. I walk at night in Podolsk and I see a quiet, well-groomed city. I almost don't see teenagers with beer and cigarettes, the sharp contrast to the nineties is evident.

In the beginning of your coaching career what method did you use more frequently, a carrot or a stick?
It's difficult to stick to just one. Even when your team has lost, but you can see that the guys gave it all till the end, you can't say a bad word. But if it becomes a norm, you have to take some measures.

Do you use profanity?
Anything that will work. But it is never worth to offend a player, go personal, it won't work.

The financial crisis has arrived. Certainly money has become one of the most debated topics among the players, hasn't it?
And money has always been a hot topic. The information on who makes so and so goes through the grapewine quickly. I know this from my personal experience. It is especially true in the NHL where the star's and the role player's salaries are very different. If someone knocked a lucrative salary, then he is immediately under scrutiny and his relationship with other players can go awry. If there's a lot of money involved, there's a lot of tongue wagging.

By the way, have you ever thought about becoming an NHL coach using your own hockey school as a start?
After I lived for so long in America and understood the manners and the customs of local leagues, I came to the conclusion that over the pond being a director of hockey school is my ceiling. Throughout more than a century of the NHL history there were only two Europeans. Even legendary Ivan Glinka was very quickly fired.

Why it is so?
If you want to be a coach, you must possess an excellent knowledge of English, thoroughly learn and explore the North American everyday's life.

After so many years of residence in America, don't you have this knowledge?
Everything is much deeper than it seems. The head coach should know not only the playing style, but all the details of everyday's life of his players; what is happening in their soul, what movies they love, who was their childhood idol, what's happening in the country right now, and what is important to these guys. You need to have absolutely all the details, to the smallest tiny ones. Otherwise, there will be a misunderstanding. It seems to me in order to become a coach in the NHL you need to be born in North America.

But Vyacheslav Fetisov had a chance. He worked as an assistant coach in New Jersey.
So what? Chances were there, but how it's ended?

By the way, you've became the only player who took the side of Viktor Tikhonov during his conflict with the hockey players and CSKA team. You quarreled with Fetisov for many years because of that.
I do not like to address this topic. Yes, there was a time when we played in New Jersey, and we did not communicate with each other at all. Although it was the very beginning of the 90's, and the Russians were supposed to help each other. But now all our resentments are in the past. We reconciled with Fetisov two years ago during the game on the Red Square. Back then on the eve of New Year it was a real gift to us, a real holiday. Indeed, we felt like we were in a fairy tale, we were moved and decide to forget our old resentments.

Now check this out, isn't Kasatonov right?

"Boudreau talks to all of us. Every day he walks around the room and asks what you did last night or what movie you saw."

~Caps left wing Dave Steckel.

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