NIZHNEKAMSK, December 22, Adela Ziatdinova. Five-time winner of the Gagarin Cup Danis Zaripov told reporters that he has no desire to return to hockey, and also said that he will follow the debut of Ilya Kovalchuk as part of Spartak Moscow.
Spartak announced the signing of a contract with 40-year-old Kovalchuk on December 6. The forward signed an agreement with the “red-whites” until the end of this season.
“»I have no desire to return. I know Ilya (Kovalchuk) very well. If he takes on something, then he achieves almost everything. I support him. He is younger than me, his efforts, I am sure, will lead to something «a good result. Even if not on the ice, then in the locker room he will do a lot. I will definitely watch his debut,» Zaripov said.
Kovalchuk has been without a club since 2021. The striker's last team was Omsk Avangard, with whom he won the Gagarin Cup. Kovalchuk began his adult career with Spartak, from where he left for the National Hockey League in 2001. The forward is an Olympic champion in 2018 and a two-time world champion as part of the Russian national team, and he also won the Gagarin Cup three times. Kovalchuk returned to Russia several times — he played for Ak Bars Kazan, Khimik near Moscow, SKA St. Petersburg and Avangard.
Zaripov is 42 years old, he has represented Ak Bars since 2017, before that he played for the club from 2001 to 2013 and won the Gagarin Cup with the team three times. He won the trophy twice more with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. As part of the Russian national team, Zaripov became a three-time world champion. He also holds the record for matches played in the Russian championships — 1324 games.