Malkin: neither we nor the Czechs needed a bronze medal match at the World Cup

He recently returned to Moscow after the World Hockey Championship, which brought our national team bronze. And in a few hours he will be flying to Miami to join his family to celebrate his son’s birthday. In life, as well as on the ice, Evgeni Malkin is moving at breakneck speed.

We managed to catch him before the next packing of his suitcase and talk about the psychologically difficult match for third place, not the most successful year in his career and the bright moments that give him strength. As long as there’s a stick and ice, a family in the stands and fans chanting “Russia,” there’s no doubt that Malkin will show it.

– You just flew to Moscow, and tomorrow you’re leaving again? How much time do you spend on flights?

– I spend most of the year in America, almost nine months. But I don’t spend that long on flights, I get 5-6 hours a week, but it depends on my schedule.

– Spending so much time in America, do you manage to remain Russian at heart? Do you retain any national traits?

– I think the Russian soul, character is something that was passed on to us with genes, so it can’t go anywhere(smiles). I enjoy coming to Moscow in the summer, seeing my friends, and my parents fly to America to visit me. Everything is really a bit different here, especially the food and humor.

– How important is the support of your family during the match? Do you look for your wife in the stands?

– I know where she sits, I look for her of course. It is especially nice when she comes with her son. Parents, when they come, also sit next to them, so sometimes I can find her by looking. There are different moments in life, including difficult ones, games can be unsuccessful, so their support is the most important.

– If the match is bad, is it better not to approach you?

– Yes, in such moments it is better for me to spend some time alone with myself. When I played badly or when the game was completely unsuccessful, it is easier for me to be alone, to think about some moments, to realize everything. Because after the end of the match there is still a lot of energy, you are still heated, you can snap even at people close to you. I know that I have a temper, so I try to spend some time alone.

– Was it like that at this championship? How hard was it to readjust to the bronze medal match?

– In fact, it seems to me that we need to change the format of the World Championship, because neither we nor the Czechs really needed this bronze medal match. It turns out that you lost the semifinal, you can’t sleep because of it, you think, you get upset, how can you tune in for another game. Especially the Czechs played at eight o’clock in the evening, so while they got to the hotel and had dinner it was already at least ten o’clock, and the next day at three o’clock in the afternoon it was already the game for bronze. Such a disappointing game, they also wanted to fight for gold. So it turns out that the day goes very crumpled, tense, you can not even gather fully for this match, you play on automatic.

In the last game we needed a win, we understood that, but we played very poorly, and it was just because of the mood, Vasilevskiy, of course, saved the day.

– Didn’t you manage to switch?

– There was a lot of pressure on us, of course, everyone was waiting for the final, for gold. There are different games, different situations, but we were well aware of what was expected of us at this championship. When such a team was assembled, we had to win. After the offensive defeat against Finland, even the coaching staff couldn’t find the right words of support. It is clear that we had to win in the last match, but this psychological disorder, it got us down. Nevertheless, we wanted to win, we went out on the ice and tried to do our best. In such moments you try to turn off personal and just play.

– Did you hear our fans? Did it help?

– Of course, I heard them, and that’s good, for example, during the game with Finland there was a very strong support. At the last World Championships, where I’ve been, a lot of Russian fans always came to any city. And naturally, when the whole stadium shouts “Russia”, it can’t help but energize you for success. Thank them very much! They spend their money and nerves, they come to support the team. We also try to give them a little time: to take pictures, sign, if they ask us on the street, we try not to refuse.

– Do you always stop if they ask you to?

– I try. Of course, there are moments when they come before the game, or vice versa after a lost match. You have to understand that there is not always an opportunity. Sometimes you tune in to the game, or think about what happened during the match, so you refuse those who come, and people get upset because of this. Do not take offense, it’s just the human factor or fatigue.

– During the World Cup we raffled off a jersey with your autograph for the fans, will you sign it?

– What, all 60 of them? Well, let’s try(smiles).

– By the way, does the support of brands somehow influence? For example, in your case it’s Nivea Men.

– Well, they give me cream, my skin is always moisturized (laughs). Seriously, first of all, I want to say thank you to them for promoting a sporting lifestyle, opening children’s hockey grounds, it speaks volumes. They are the main sponsors of the World Championship. They have great merits for children’s hockey, even if we take our record – the longest hockey combination in history, it’s not a super achievement, but it attracted boys of different ages, and for them it’s an important event in their lives. Believe me, they will remember it for a long time.

– How difficult is it after a series of victories not to stop at what has been achieved and not to be proud, “Look how great we are”?

– I think it comes to everyone with time, you need some experience. It’s important to remember that there is no such thing as someone winning all the time, that’s what makes hockey interesting. One year you win, the next year you lose. This year we lost, of course, I won’t get conceited, but if we had won, I’d walk around with a crown, at least for a couple days(laughs). Defeats always bring you down to earth.

– During the World Cup matches, you often played on your partners, missing the opportunity to score yourself. But a player’s performance is counted by scoring goals, isn’t it a shame?

– Hockey is a team sport, somewhere I missed opportunities to score on my own, but it’s not just about pucks, it’s about the game and the end result. I think that both the coaching staff and the fans saw that I did the right thing in those situations and did everything to win. And so, in general, it was a bit of a crummy, unfortunate year, but we are moving on.

– Our athletes celebrate their victories in a big way, how do you feel about it?

– In general, it’s normal, the guys won the Olympics, so I think it’s normal if they “dabbled” somewhere, they deserve it. The main thing is to remain human with strangers despite all the awards, so that these jokes “I am an Olympic champion, and who are you?” do not go beyond the circle of friends.

– Can you remember which year in your career was the most productive?

– Probably 2009, when we won our first Stanley Cup, plus I won some individual honors. And also 2013, when we became world champions. Winning is very motivating. When you achieve some kind of result, you get a huge confidence in your abilities, you get a step higher.

– Has having a child changed your attitude to the world, to sport?

– It’s a very difficult question. Of course, it has changed, because I want him to be proud of his father. But when you think about it too much, it can be harmful, especially if you think on the ice(smiles). I remember when he came to the first game, I really wanted to score for him, and I was thinking about it. In the end I just got lost in the game because of that. Of course, the kid is the most important thing in my life and it’s an indescribable feeling.

I want him to be proud of his dad, I want him to say to everyone, “My dad is Malkin!”

– If your son wants to play hockey, will you support him?

– It seems to me that he will follow this path: he already has everything to do with hockey, when I play, he turns on the TV, he already watches and understands everything. He comes to the games, to practice, he even runs with a stick, measures skates, helmet. I don’t know if he will like standing on the ice on skates, falling, it’s not easy, but you have to endure it. When I go somewhere, I tell him: “Daddy is going to play hockey”, during the World Championship I called him and told him: “Daddy is playing hockey”. He hears that, and he’s put it off. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but so far it’s looking like he’s going to follow in my footsteps.

– Would you be able to coach him?

– My dad was not my coach, but he helped me a lot, but he never pushed me, and I think that’s the most important thing. I don’t remember my dad scolding me for anything hockey related, but I remember that we spent a lot of time at training and he helped me. It was great! It’s important to be a support for your child. And let those who know how to do it do the training.

– What are your plans for the future?

– I’m gonna share my non-sports dream. May I?(Smiling.) I want to build a house somewhere near Moscow, talk to specialists and design it exactly as I see it in my head, get a dog, move my parents to have a big family and all live near each other. Maybe even want more children.

– Where would you like to visit with your family when you have more free time?

– Yes, my first wish after I finish my career is to travel. I have not been to many places, so I would like to go to Asia first of all, to Japan, to China, to India, to see their culture. To see, to compare. I think Japan is a unique country, they are developing faster than anyone else. Those who have traveled there say that everything is completely different, they have their own cars, their own phones. I also want to travel around Russia, to go to Baikal, Altai, somewhere where there is no civilization. There are a lot of unique places on the planet that are worth seeing, and if there is such an opportunity, it is foolish not to take advantage of it.

– And when was the last time you were in your homeland, in Magnitogorsk?

– Last year I was, I was invited to the day of the city, but there it turned out literally for one day. I’ll tell you in confidence: it’s better not to even go there, because we haven’t seen many people for many years, and if we haven’t seen each other, we have to talk and drink (laughs). The last two years I really didn’t have time, because we won a lot. But if there is an opportunity, if they invite me, of course, I’m happy to fly for a few days.

– Do you manage to meet with the children who are training at the academy?

– Unfortunately, I don’t have time yet, I would like to hold maybe some tournament for kids, or organize a training camp. But it turns out that the season ends, I want to rest, and then I have to start training again. When I have more time, when my career is over, then maybe there will be some projects with Nivea Men. Let’s teach kids to love hockey! I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.