Yuri Ivanov: «Boris Shamarin taught me a lot»
02.04.2024
Players of the Neftekhimik Hockey School Coach Yuri Ivanov play in the KHL, MHL (JHL) and NMHL.
Two years ago, Yuri Aleksandrovich Ivanov released a team born in 2004 – several players joined Reaktor team, and played well in the current MHL season. Now he is working with children born in 2017, preparing a new generation of "wolf cubs".– Yuri, what is your approach to educating little hockey players?
– I myself am a graduate of the Nizhnekamsk hockey school. Our first coach was Boris Shamarin. He also became my mentor in coaching. Boris Shamarin taught me a lot, but the main thing he told me was: "Learn to love children, otherwise nothing will come back from them." The main task is to raise not a good hockey player, but a good person.
– Your team of 2004 year finished Hockey School. How was the hockey growing up for these guys?
– It was my first experience – I raised them from an early age and now they finished graduation. Before that, I spent three years with the guys from 1993, Nail Yakupov was on this team. I recruited boys in 2004, then 80 children came to my practices. The boys were eager to play from an early age and tried hard. Unfortunately, we lost in the first tournament. After which the chase for their rivals began, the boys worked hard. As a result, at the age of 10 we went to the "Gazpromneft" Cup and got third place in the East. Even then, all those boys who were in Reaktor this season showed their best game. All those who are in the game today were able to reach this level purely on their working qualities. Success is 1% talent and 99% percent hard work. I would like to note the help of the parent committee. There was one mother, Yekaterina Vorobyova, she went with our team on all our trips and watched all these games. Dads helped well with organizational issues – buses, meals. Nothing distracted me from training, games, I had the opportunity to focus on important things and not be distracted by everyday issues. Around the age of 12–13, new pkayers joined the team – Mikhail Burtsev from Lipetsk, Ilya Popov from Kirov.
– Do you follow your players’ games?
– I watch their games as if I were playing every shift myself. Of course, first of all, Reaktor team games, but there are many guys who play in other teams. Kamil Galimullin plays for Ladya, I watch his games. I remember Yegor Nikitin, he left for St. Petersburg at the age of 13–14, and now he plays in Admiral, I do not miss his games. I keep an eye on each of my pupils, for me they are still children. I watch the games, we call each other, discuss some points. I am still in touch with their parents, consulting on various issues. It is hard for me when the guys get injuries. God grant that they continue to have a good hockey story.
Congratulations to Reaktor boys on a good season. I would like to say: "Well done, you made it to the play-in. It’s a pity that you did not make playoffs, but all the victories are ahead ! Work hard and you will succeed in your hockey life!"
– Since May last year, the Neftekhimik Hockey School has been transferred to the structure of the HC Neftekhimik. What has changed during this time?
– A lot has changed and for the better. The school has become an important part of the hockey vertical. The salaries of the coaching staff were raised. Each team have two coaches. We get more time for practices, therefore, we train more. Gyms are provided. The inventory and equipment have become many times better. We were told that starting from this year they will begin to acquire hockey equepment for beginners. This will definitely help parents financially. After all, now hockey equipment is expensive, not every parent can afford to buy it. It should also be noted that the Club now provides buses for trips for younger ages. This is also a big plus for the budget of parents, who previously had to chip in on trips.
We know that all this is possible thanks to SIBUR and in particular PJSC Nizhnekamskneftekhim. We really feel this support, which allows us to look at the future with confidence.
