Photo: Yarsport.ru

On Monday Yaroslavl sports web site YarSport.ru published an extended interview with native son Artem Anisimov.  Their conversation with the New York Rangers prospect covered a wide array of topics, from his first two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack to what he does in his free time to his plans for the off season.  Due to its length, the translation of YarSport’s interview is split into two parts.  The first half of the interview is available here.  The second half is translated below.

Anisimov: “I dream of making the Rangers”

Continued from part one…

“CAUCASIAN CAPTIVE” IN ENGLISH

- What do you do in your free time? And is there more of it in comparison to when you played for Lokomotiv?

- I have a lot of free time — more than enough! (smiles) I don’t know how it is now in Lokomotiv, but for us there was only too little time under [former head coach Vladimir] Yurzinov. Under [former head coach Nikolai] Borschevsky and [former head coach Paul] Gardner there was enough.

But free time in Hartford… there’s nowhere to go for a walk there. Downtown is only four blocks. Sometimes I go to stores or to New York. There are things to see there. In my first year I often went to look at the sights.

And so in my free time I like to surf the Internet — to communicate with friends — [and] read books. Now, for example, I’ll read “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne. It puts me in a positive mood really well.

- You read in English?

- No way — in Russian. I can only read magazines in English, and that’s rather difficult — I don’t know some words.

- You said that you go to New York. How?

- I bought myself a BMW X5, I drive it.

- Do you love speed?

- There is nowhere to exceed [the speed limit]: on the highways there’s a continuous stream [of traffic] and so you move at the speed of the stream. And then they monitor the observance of traffic laws very seriously, and punish people very strictly for violating them. Why should I break them? I’m a young driver, and in life I like calm. So I’ve gone two years without accidents and tickets.

- And have your musical tastes changed after two years in America?

- No, I can listen to practically every kind of music, from pop to hip-hop, to jazz, to guitar music. I used to listen to classical music. And it’s not important what language the vocal is in. The main thing is the mood…

- And what kind of films do you prefer to watch?

- For the most part Russian comedies — I bought them in Brighton Beach: “The Diamond Arm“, “Heart of a Dog” and other Russian classics… “Caucasian Captive”. Incidentally, I watched the English translations — I didn’t like them, even though I remember the Russian dialog by heart. I wasn’t impressed…

- And that’s all for entertainment?

- Well, I like to play games. We had this thing on the team: we bought X-Boxes and played “Call of Duty” against one another online. In general we play a lot of computer games. Which ones? Again, it depends on the mood: bad [mood] — shooting games, good [mood] — football or hockey.

Sometimes we go to bars to hang out, or if it’s a sports bar, to watch some broadcast or other. I watch a lot of hockey. I have the sports package and if on a given day there are 10 games, they show a minimum of 8. I don’t watch as a fan, but I “spy” on other players. I arm myself with what I see, and adapt it for myself.

- What kind of regimen do you have there? A strict one?

- I wouldn’t say [that]. Yes, we don’t let ourselves do things in excess. But the only thing the coach may say is: tomorrow there’s a game or practice, don’t go to bed late.

I WOULD HAVE ALLOWED SIMEON ONE GAME TO REST

- Did you meet with your friend [Alexander] Vasyunov, who now plays in the AHL for the Lowell Devils?

- How could we meet? He lives one and a half hours away by car. But after games we called one another without fail… I corresponded with [Evgeny] Grachev. I communicated with Simeon Varlamov quite often.

- How would you evaluate Simeon’s game? Was he lucky or did he earn it?

- Simeon is a good goaltender, he always proves that he deserved to be number one. But that’s how things turned out. It didn’t work out for him in the seventh game with Pittsburgh… He got tired or nervous, but it was the second seven game series. And when we on the Rangers played against him, we didn’t shoot on him so much. But against Pittsburgh Simeon made up to 40 saves… such is the defense there… If I was the coach, I would have given Simeon one game to rest.

- And with whom from the players do you still communicate?

- I had a teammate on the team, Belorussian Vladimir Denisov, who, by the way, played in the last World Championship. And so I often hung out with him; he learned English before me and often helped me.

THE SAME DREAM

- Is your dream still the same — to make the Rangers? Or would you be satisfied to remain in Hartford?

- Nooo… Why would I be satisfied there!? Every hockey player has a dream — to play in the NHL — and he will try to make it reality no matter what happens.

- How do you estimate your prospects to make the Rangers?

- It’s difficult to say. The head coach told me, he said, ‘well done, I liked your game, I hope that you’ll spend your summer well and prove yourself in training camp.’ So I need to prepare well for the season. I need to be in very good physical shape and to prove myself in training camp.

- Is it not important how you proved yourself in the previous season?

- Yes, but no matter how good you were in the last season, if you arrive at training camp out of shape and with excess weight, nobody will take you on the roster for your former accomplishments.

- This system of preparation for the season is also different between us and overseas — you must bring yourself into the season in optimum shape?

- In general, yes. At the end of the season I talked to the Rangers strength and conditioning coach, he gave me a workbook by which I’ll get ready for next season. From June 1st I’ll start working in the gym. I need to gain three to four kilograms of muscle mass. And I’ll probably get on the ice at the end of July with Lokomotiv’s second team. Or I’ll rent ice time, it seems that there are now no problems doing so in Yaroslavl. And in addition Yurzinov’s training camp begins on the 29th of June.

- And how well do you think you managed to prove yourself in the games [you played] for the Rangers?

- In the game with Atlanta in the regular season I managed only one shot. I could have scored, I only needed to shoot the puck a little higher. And in the second game, with Washington, I played strictly defense. I had a clear objective — not to be scored against. And we spent the majority of the time on the attack, we kept our opponent on the boards.

- And what is your impression of the famous arena, Madison Square Garden?

You know, it wasn’t the first time I played in that arena — I had played in exhibition games. But during the season it’s totally different! Everything there is saturated with crazy energy. To play there is fantastic!

I LOVE TRANQUILITY

- How do you plan to relax [this summer]?

- The first week I visited relatives. Then I searched for an apartment to rent, and equipped it. Now I’ll move there to live with my girlfriend Ksenia. After her term ends (she studies in the first year in the Department of Philology) and I return from Yurzinov’s [camp] we’ll go somewhere on the sea. Where isn’t important, the main thing is the sea, the sun and tranquility. I love tranquility.

- And you’re not going to take Ksenia to America?

- We thought about it. But, first of all, it’s complicated [for her] to study there. The English test alone is something else. But the main thing is that it’s unknown where I’ll play, in New York or Hartford, [and] its necessary to choose an educational institution based on that. When there is certainty, we’ll come back to this conversation.

• Anisimov: “I dream of making the Rangers” (Part One)

Photo: Yarsport.ru

On Monday Yaroslavl sports web site YarSport.ru published an extended interview with native son Artem Anisimov.  Their conversation with the New York Rangers prospect covered a wide array of topics, from his first two seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack to what he does in his free time to his plans for the off season.  Due to its length, and because there’s not much else going on in Ranger Nation, the interview is split into two parts.  The first half is translated below.  The second half should be ready by Thursday or Friday.

Anisimov: “I dream of making the Rangers”

Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers forward Artem Anisimov stopped by as a guest of Yaroslavl Sport. The native of Yaroslavl and alumnus of the local hockey school has returned to his home town after a difficult season overseas, which he can easily put on the positive side of the ledger.

This year Artem not only became one of the best scorers in the AHL — 81 points (37 goals + 44 assists) in 80 games (that’s fifth place in the league!) — and participated in the All-Star game, but also debuted in the NHL. Anisimov has played two games for the New York Rangers: one in the regular season, one in the playoffs, in the game against Washington’s Simeon Varlamov which became the last in Stanley Cup competition for the Rangers.

ANISIMOV AND LOKOMOTIV

- The first question might not seem entirely proper. The fact is that there was no official information on your departure, and that has caused much conjecture. In particular, many fans still believe that you just left Yaroslavl without permission, without notifying the club’s management. What really happened?

- I ran away?! Strange… Before my departure for America that summer I signed a contract with the Rangers, who drafted me in 2006 in the second round at number 54. And I’m positive that the management of the club knew about it. Furthermore, after signing the contract I returned to Yaroslavl and trained with the team. Honestly, I no longer remember if it was with the second or first [team]… But I don’t know all the details and nuances of the transfer — they were handled by my agent, Mark Gandler. At least, now I have a good relationship with the management of the club — both with [President Yuri] Yakovlev and [General Manager Yuri] Lukin…

- They didn’t invite you back?

- In the first season there were such conversations. In my contract it was even registered that if I wanted, up until January 15th, I could return to Yaroslavl. And they invited me… But I decided to pursue my own goal.

- To pursue your own goal — that is to fight your way onto the Rangers? But that was only possible for you this season.

- Partly… I have only played two games — [one] in the regular season and in the seventh game in the playoffs which became the last for our team. I would have liked more, of course.

I WAS “FLYING” ALL OVER THE ICE

- Let’s compare the two seasons which you have spent in America. Were they very different?

- The first season was very difficult for me. Different country, different mentality, totally different hockey, even the food was different.  It was very difficult to get used to.

- Expand on “different” hockey…

- They play more “physical hockey” there: they always play the body. In Russia they don’t play that way. When I arrived there, at first they hit me in in such a way that I was simply flying all over the ice — first to the left, then to the right. The ice surface there is so much smaller and there is practically no time for deliberation. The play goes to each zone of the ice and the speed, the speed is much higher. And, I don’t know how it is in Russia now, at the time it wasn’t like this, but there in America there was a clear distribution of roles between all players. Right down to the smallest things. There are two groups of five which play on the power play only and there is a player who plays exclusively in the slot on the power play, screening the view of the opponent’s goaltender. There are lines that are “checking lines” which play the penalty kill and hold the attacking activities of the opponent in check.

- Did your linemates not change this season?

- No. Like last year, I basically played with Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau and Brodie Dupont. Dupont, like me, was a rookie last year, and Parenteau, a veteran. We played well in general. It’s true that in the beginning of the season I played with different linemates — the coach searched for the best combinations. But he then understood that our [line] was optimal and put us together again. For 30 games we played very effectively, but then our opponents figured us out and started to put their “special teams” out against us. Therefore, at the end of the season our effectiveness dropped somewhat.

- For the same reason you didn’t manage to “shine” in the playoffs?

- Yes, we were constantly covered. And in general our opponent played us tactically.

- Nobody expected that your Hartford Wolf Pack, the winner of the AHL’s Atlantic Division, having taken a 2:0 lead in the series, would then lose four games in a row to the fourth team in your division, the Worcester Sharks…

- They had experienced defensemen, and a good attack. And their goaltender stopped everything: I alone got 24 shots, and scored only two times. But the main thing is — they were a unified team, they fought for one another. But with us… there happened to be a little “lack of understanding”…

- We’ll return to the comparison of the first and second season…

- The second season was easier. I improved my English, it became easier to communicate with the guys, I began to come to terms with how to better play in this or that situation. And on the team I’ve “come into my own” now. The guys began to trust me, to pass [to me]. In the first season that didn’t occur.

- You, being a Russian, how did they relate to you?

- In the first season… not very [well]. Both my teammates and the coach… were trying to figure me out I guess. Now, everything’s in order: the coach knows my capabilities, the guys understood what kind of person I am. There’s no problem.

- And what is their attitude towards Russian hockey players and hockey in general?

- In my opinion, the nationality is not so important to them. The main thing is how you play as a hockey player. They admire Ovechkin or Malkin the same. One day a teammate bragged: Today I put 13 shots on goal, just like Ovechkin! (smiles).

TALENT AND ADMIRERS

- Do they recognize you on the streets?

- There were a few times. They recognized me in the store, at the hairdressers. One fan even took a photograph with me on his mobile phone and sent the photo to his son.

- And in general does the team have a lot of fans?

- No, unfortunately. We play in an arena where until 1997 the NHL team Hartford Whalers was based. It holds about 16 thousand spectators. So during our games the second level of the arena is simply blocked off. Even during the playoffs it wasn’t sold out.

In Hartford, basketball — and not the NBA, but the championship among colleges — enjoys greater popularity. And it’s not important whether the woman’s team plays or the men’s — the stands are always full. American football is very popular. For example, the American football stadium in Hartford seats 110 thousand people. There was an ordinary practice game: “Red vs. White”. And despite pouring rain, more than 50 thousand fans came to it.

- And what did they say about the World Championship in Hartford?

- Nothing: nobody watches it there. When it started, I began to flick through the channels on the TV (and there are many!) trying to find at least something — it was empty… At the same time they broadcast four basketball games from the college championship simultaneously. The whole of American went out of their minds for it.

- In the All-Star game, you have collected three points: you scored and had two assists. But did you participate in any of the [skills] competitions inherent in such matches?

- Yes… In the goaltender competition (smiles). With other players I helped show who was the best. We shot at the net, one player shoots five shots from one side, another shoots five more shots from the opposite position. I scored on three of five. Then I scored on penalty shots as well. And I was one of a group of only six guys who got the better of the goaltender.

- In general, what were your impressions of the AHL All-Star game?

- Complex. In the first period I was very nervous. For me everything was a novelty — all the best players players of the league gathered in the same place!

- You also are one of the best!

- Noo, I don’t rate myself amongst the AHL elite…

- Is your salary in Hartford large?

- No – $62,500 per year. Minus taxes.

- But it’s sufficient to live?

- Quite. In a month I receive $6,500-6,900 net. I rent an apartment. I pay for that. Plus the lease of furniture, payment for TV, the Internet and other things — in general I spend somewhere around $2,000. With the rest — do what you want. Little is spent for meals — you go to the store and for $100 stock up and cook for the week. So that’s sufficient. Over there, for example, in the OHL where [Evgeni] Grachev and [Andrei] Loktionov play, salaries are altogether ridiculous: If I’m not mistaken, they pay $150 a week. And, Canadian at that.

- You said that you cook for a week. Do you really cook for yourself?

- Yes, I can.

- And what are your specialties?

- There’s nothing special — I love everything Russian. For example, I love boiled potatoes. And I love them fried, but somehow I can never make them right… I love meat. I had a range with a “broiler” function there. You prepare a piece of meat, bake it 15 minutes, and it’s ready.

- And do you not indulge in delicacies?

- No, I prefer to eat delicacies at a restaurant.

- Many hockey players who come to America discover and become fans of this or that world cuisine. For instance Denis Grebeshkov has come to love Italian food…

- Well, I don’t know… There are no such special preferences. But I very much like the American steak that they prepare at “Mortons”. But that is a very expensive restaurant.

• Anisimov: “I dream of making the Rangers” (Part Two)
  

Not even two weeks after Nikolai Zherdev told Championat.ru that he wasn’t interested in playing in the KHL next season and wanted to return to the New York Rangers, the first rumor of the forward’s departure from the NHL has surfaced. On Thursday, Russian hockey portal AllHockey.ru published this brief report:

According to unconfirmed information, Nikolai Zherdev, forward of the NHL club “New York Rangers”, in the near future could move to one of the top clubs in the Kontinental Hockey League.

As is known, this summer Zherdev becomes a free agent and therefore there are no contractual obstacles to his return to Russia.

In the 2008/2009 NHL regular season Nikolai Zherdev shared the title of top scorer on the club with Scott Gomez, having scored 58 (23+35) points.

Despite lacking any substance whatsoever, the All Hockey story has already been picked up by about a dozen Russian sites and even Swedish hockey site HockeySvirge.se.  The Swedes merely parrot the original story and pimp it as another potential victory for the KHL over the NHL (according to this google translation), but figure it’s just a matter of time before Eklund posts it with an E4 rating because it came from “multiple sources”.

Let’s review what Zherdev told Championat when he arrived in Switzerland on May 1st:

- But you wish to extend with the Rangers?

- Yes, I do.

– And won’t you return to Russia? Has [Alexander] Radulov not yet advertised the KHL [to you]?

- But Radulov… (smiles). No, I don’t want to for the time being. I’ll always have time [to play] in Russia (smiles).

Seems pretty cut and dry, but let’s play along for a moment. What’s changed in the thirteen days since Zherdev said he wasn’t interested in playing in the KHL? Well, for starters, he won a gold medal at the World Championship. Did winning the IIHF’s top prize inspire a rush of patriotism that’s persuaded the 24-year old winger to consider a return to his adopted homeland?  Probably not. What has happened, however, is that — two days after coaching Team Russia to its second consecutive World Championship — national team head coach Vyacheslav Bykov and his faithful assistant Igor Zakharkin have accepted coaching positions with Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

Now, those of you who’ve been following along at home will recognize Salavat Yulaev as the KHL’s regular season champs, the team that was so stunningly upset by Jaromir Jagr’s 16th place Avangard Omsk in the first round of the KHL playoffs.  Despite their post-season collapse, they’d certainly still qualify as a top KHL team. Some might also recall that Ufa is the team for which the aforementioned Radulov — Zherdev’s friend and roomate in Switzerland — opted to spurn the Nashville Predators and the NHL. Perhaps Zherdev, who’s by no means a lock for the Olympic squad in Vancouver next winter, thinks his chances would be improved if he spent next season playing for the men in charge of selecting the Russian roster.  That he’d get to play with his pal Radulov at the same time is just a bonus.

One thing’s for sure, it’s unlikely that any potential defection to the KHL would be driven by money, since, given that league’s financial difficulties and the almost-assured lowering of its salary cap,  it’s doubtful Zherdev would be able to do much better than the $3.25m qualifying offer he’s likely to get (at the bare minimum) from the Rangers.

On the other hand, maybe the soon-to-be RFA’s agent was annoyed that his client, by denying any desire to play in the KHL next season, had negated the only leverage he had in negotiations with Blueshirts General Manager Glen Sather, and floated the rumor in an effort to get some of it back.

Then again, maybe it was just a slow news day for the KHL.