Press Conference «Spartak – Neftekhimik» 3/20/2026
20.03.2026
Neftekhimik Head Coach Igor Grishin speaks with the media after a following 3–2 shootout win over Spartak.
– The game is forgotten, but the result remains – so to speak. I wasn't particularly pleased with our team's performance, but we still won, and that's nice. We played well in the last game, unfortunately, we didn't score a single goal in that game. Today, I think we played a little worse than in the last game against Salavat Yulaev, fortunately, we won.
– After getting inside the arena, you immediately said you hadn't been here in a while. Was it nice to play against Spartak?
– Yes, of course, because there are a lot of acquaintances, a lot of players I worked with, and practically the entire staff as well. When we meet, we greet each other. It was a good time, good memories.
– The regular season is over for Neftekhimik, and, in my humble opinion, it ended successfully. In your opinion, what percentage of the team's potential did you realize in the regular season?
– I think we played well: we entered the playoffs with a fair amount of confidence and finished the regular season well, except for the loss to Salavat Yulaev in the previous game. Overall, I think we played well.
– Regarding today's game: you said yourself that you didn't like the way our team played. What's the reason for that? Is it because the guys are already in the playoffs and are thinking about their opponents?
– Well, I don't know, but we've been trying to get focus our guys on this game, and we've been trying to help them to focus on these last game for the last few games, as if these were rehearsals for our game before the playoffs. Basically, for today's game, we wanted it to be interesting, for the guys to move well, for the puck to move well. I'll say it again: I don't know about outside observers, but I liked how we played in the last game, though, unfortunately, we missed a lot of chances.
– My colleague said it's nice to play against your ex team. Is it nice to beat them, too?
– No, you know, a win is always nice in any case. Even when the game isn't going so well, it still smooths over some of the unpleasant moments that you'd rather not have. It's not like I get any particular pleasure from beating an opponent, like where I used to work.
– After getting inside the arena, you immediately said you hadn't been here in a while. Was it nice to play against Spartak?
– Yes, of course, because there are a lot of acquaintances, a lot of players I worked with, and practically the entire staff as well. When we meet, we greet each other. It was a good time, good memories.
– The regular season is over for Neftekhimik, and, in my humble opinion, it ended successfully. In your opinion, what percentage of the team's potential did you realize in the regular season?
– I think we played well: we entered the playoffs with a fair amount of confidence and finished the regular season well, except for the loss to Salavat Yulaev in the previous game. Overall, I think we played well.
– Regarding today's game: you said yourself that you didn't like the way our team played. What's the reason for that? Is it because the guys are already in the playoffs and are thinking about their opponents?
– Well, I don't know, but we've been trying to get focus our guys on this game, and we've been trying to help them to focus on these last game for the last few games, as if these were rehearsals for our game before the playoffs. Basically, for today's game, we wanted it to be interesting, for the guys to move well, for the puck to move well. I'll say it again: I don't know about outside observers, but I liked how we played in the last game, though, unfortunately, we missed a lot of chances.
– My colleague said it's nice to play against your ex team. Is it nice to beat them, too?
– No, you know, a win is always nice in any case. Even when the game isn't going so well, it still smooths over some of the unpleasant moments that you'd rather not have. It's not like I get any particular pleasure from beating an opponent, like where I used to work.
