Yaroslavl Lokomotiv beat Chelyabinsk in four matches of the series «Traktor» reached the final of the Gagarin Cup for the first time in 15 years. For the Railwaymen, this decisive round of the playoffs will be the second in the history of the club in the KHL. And if the first attempt to win championship medals ended in failure, then this time the trophy should end up in Yaroslavl. It seems that there are simply no other options.
Regarding Igor Nikitin’s team, there is a great desire to say: “This team has no weaknesses.” In fact, of course, such a statement would be erroneous, because it is impossible to achieve the ideal in modern professional sports. But the current Lokomotiv is very close to this.
Igor Nikitin, who was once mercilessly abandoned by CSKA Moscow, literally trained the Yaroslavl team in less than three years. As people familiar with her inner workings say, Igor Valerievich’s ward needs just one glance from the mentor to understand what he requires and what he is dissatisfied with in a particular episode. During this period, the «railroad workers» honed and adjusted the mechanisms of their armored train so much that they became able to overcome any barrier.
Many journalists, experts and fans like to criticize the Yaroslavl team for supposedly boring hockey. But it's not fair. Yes, there are clubs in the KHL that perform noticeably brighter, but the end result is unlikely to satisfy them. “Lokomotiv” plays interestingly from the point of view of hockey as a phenomenon and its tactical subtleties, finds a balance in its lineup with talented youth and experienced fighters, successfully analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of opponents, focuses on the correct actions in any game situation, and evaluates with a cool head the situation on the court and mercilessly takes advantage of his chances at the opponent’s goal. If convenient, this approach can be called the killer instinct. The same thing that was applicable to CSKA in the previous two seasons. The same one that Loko was missing at the same time.
In relation to the current gang of Igor Nikitin, it is no longer possible to voice a stereotype about fear, fear and uncertainty, as was fashionable to do earlier. The Yaroslavl team confidently defeated the then-current champions CSKA, relaxed a little in the series with Avangard, but pulled themselves together in time and finished what they started, and then dealt with Traktor, one of the main sensations of the KHL playoffs. The Chelyabinsk team looked good and attractive, but this was not enough to instill at least a share of doubt in the “railroad workers”.
Now Lokomotiv will receive either Metallurg or Avtomobilist as opponents for the Gagarin Cup final «. Both teams are interesting and unique in their own way. But both at the same time do not look like equal opponents in the upcoming battle with the Yaroslavl team. Naturally, anything can happen in sports. And the current playoffs have completely accustomed us to sensations. However, in this situation, everything leads to the triumph of Yaroslavl. A city that has been waiting for and deserves big victories. At least in honor of those nice guys who left us in September 2011.
The author’s opinion may not coincide with the position of the editors