Maxim Chudinov is one of the most experienced hockey players in the KHL. The 33-year-old defender won the Gagarin Cup three times, became world champion, played for the league’s top teams and this off-season surprised by accepting a new challenge in the Far East by signing a contract with the Admiral. . In an interview with the “Championship” correspondent, Chudinov said:
about the decision to play in Vladivostok and Admiral’s main task for the season, about mutual understanding with Alexei Solovyov and the departure of Serebryakov and Williams from the club, about a terrible injury in 2019, recovery and playing after one season completely lost; about working with Hartley and famous goals from his half of the pitch; about the failed stage of his career at Ak Bars and the resurgence at Spartak; about motivation and the most important things in life.
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— Maxim, in the off-season you chose an unusual place to continue your career for an experienced hockey player. How do you feel in Almirante?— Of course, this is a new and interesting experience for me. An opportunity to discover the Far East from within. The region is interesting, there is a lot to explore and see. And people like it a lot. At Admiral everything is fine, there are guys I have known for a long time from previous teams and they fit easily into the team. I am absolutely satisfied.
—How long were you in communication with the club before the transfer? Did you follow any specific goals?—The negotiations did not last long, through an agent. The club gave me a few days to think about it and I made a decision. The tasks, as always before the season, were outlined, although I myself understand everything without discussing what the team’s overall goals are before the start of the championship. “Almirante” needs to at least not perform worse than last season. I always need to strive to play as well and as efficiently as possible.
—You’ve played in many places. Is everything the same in a team based in the Far East as in others?— Of course, everything has its pros and cons, both on the team and off the ice. But my family and I are absolutely satisfied with everything, we like it!
— Have you already experienced all the “charm” of long flights?– Yes, I managed to feel it, but you get used to everything. Long flights, we carry pillows, mattresses, we sleep. Overall, it’s okay.
— Is there some kind of hockey boom in the city after the success of last season?— Of course, you feel, you see that they love hockey here and support you, even during defeats. It is true that it is very valuable and you can feel it. I think the good result last season influenced this.
Maxim Chudinov
Photo: Dmitry Kulinich, photo.khl.ru
“The departure of Serebryakov and Williams? “Everyone was understanding, we didn’t choose.”
— You have a solid average playing time. Do you support loads without problems?– As you see, yes, I can manage, there is still gunpowder in the jars (laughs).
—Aren’t you worried about the consequences of that terrible injury? Maybe you need to take care of your knee a little?– Not all it’s rigth. In general I don’t like to remember the injury. I am very glad that everything is in the past. Then, of course, I got a headache, but thanks to a well-thought-out rehabilitation course, I generally feel the same as before. I play calmly, nothing bothers me.
Video of Maxim Chudinov’s terrible injury:
Video rights belong to KHL LLC. You can watch the video on the league’s official YouTube channel.
— You mainly play together with Alexey Solovyov, and he is also productive. It turns out that they make each other better? — Yes, there is a good understanding with Lyokha. It turns out that it is so.
—Does it help in any way that they crossed paths in Avangard? And you worked with Hartley, who teaches hockey players a lot?— Of course, it is always easier to work with someone with whom you have shared experience. We know all the nuances and little things that Hartley taught us. And off the ice, old acquaintances also help in a new place.
— “Admiral” now achieves a stable score. Do you feel like you are getting out of the hole at the beginning of the season? — I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but victories naturally increase spirit and unity in the team.
—How did the team react to the departure of Nikita Serebryakov and Colby Williams?— All the boys were understanding, they wished them good luck and, most importantly, that they would not get injured. We don’t choose. Today here, tomorrow there. That’s life in hockey.
— At the same time goalkeeper Demchenko and defender Shulak arrived. Have they given new life to the team?– Of course, the guys have experience, they will definitely help us. In addition, with his arrival victories began, the relationship can be traced.
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“The injury, of course, paralyzed me. “I spent a year recovering, had three surgeries, and I could be done.”
— You spent a lot of time in Avangard and were involved in the Omsk stage before moving to Balashikha. Do you feel something special when you come to Omsk?– Yes, there are many different memories. I made friends in Omsk, with whom I now maintain close contact. In general, my family and I periodically remember Omsk, the street where we lived there, and there are many important places left for us. And what an arena they built there! On a very large scale, of course.
—Perhaps we can say that that same injury prevented him from fully developing his potential in Avangard?– Yes, of course, the injury paralyzed me. I had good seasons before, but that’s life, that’s sport. The main thing is that you passed it. I spent a year recovering, then I started playing, but my knee was still inflamed, some complications appeared, then I had surgery again. As a result, I had three surgeries and had to miss a season entirely. Then I started recovery again.
– Surely they could have broken up after this.– Yes, a very serious injury, all the ligaments were torn. At first, after the first recovery period, it was like you played five games and recovered for 10. I could have finished, but I found the strength in myself and I continue playing hockey.
“At Avangard, under Hartley, at first we didn’t understand why everything was so difficult. “Bob said this is school and you can’t skip school.”
— Do you associate the Omsk period with three surprising goals from your zone?— Yes, I remember those goals very well, they were still very important, two of them in the playoffs. The first time the puck hit by accident, I realized it worked and in the next game against Barys I scored again. There were fun moments.
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—The first time you probably threw it randomly and then on purpose, to score a goal?– Of course, at first I tried it randomly. But at Avangard we had such a system that we played a lot through throw-ins, through preparations, and Bob Hartley allowed me to throw from his zone to the goalkeeper so that the puck bounced into the corner and the attackers put pressure on them.
—If possible, will you try to repeat it now?— In principle I keep trying to shoot from my zone and it turns out well, there are good rebounds. It’s just not there yet (laughs). I hope there are more goals like this.
¬- It is customary for players who have worked with Hartley to ask about this specialist. How was it with him? Did you teach me a lot, did you spend a lot of nerves?“I worked with Hartley for three years, I can say that he is a very strong specialist who gave me a lot. At Avangard, at first we didn’t understand why everything was so difficult, why there were so many videos, why there were such strict requirements for holding the stick, positioning the skates, etc. Now I am very grateful to you for contacting us then, through meetings and individual conversations. Bob always said it was school and you couldn’t skip school. And in fact, all this helped a lot on the ice, we worked like clockwork on the ice.
Maxim Chudinov
Photo: Yuri Kuzmin, foto.khl.ru
“My motivation is my love for hockey. “I can’t imagine myself without this sport.”
—After Avangard’s championship season, you missed the season. What did you do? Were you determined to return?—Then I had a contract with Avangard for the next season, the club decided to terminate it and I was not prepared either. I decided to skip the championship completely, not sign anything with anyone, not cheat on anyone and take care of my health. I worked on this in St. Petersburg, I had a personal rehabilitator. He lived outside the city, went to St. Petersburg three times a week and trained for two hours. I went through rehab for a year, then I went on the ice, I went through training camp and when I signed a contract with Ak Bars I was already one hundred percent ready.
“It didn’t go well at Ak Bars.” What happened? In many ways, they probably followed Znark, with whom they worked in St. Petersburg.“I immediately started playing a little bit there. There were a lot of defenders on the team, I didn’t feel very safe. Well, okay, in the end I was moved to Spartak, where I gained a lot of confidence in every match and began to score points steadily. Practice is what was vitally important to me back then, after a year-long break.
— A question for you, a hockey player who played in the early years of the KHL. Do you feel like the league has stabilized?— I think the league has stabilized and the salary cap influences it. Many matches are interesting and very unpredictable.
— The dimensions of the field are changing, the blue line is getting closer to the goal. Does this help defenders? It’s as if now you need to skate less and threaten the goal more easily.— Nowadays hockey has become fast and spectacular, there are many points and dangerous moments. This is more interesting for the public, more objective. Regarding the performance of the defenders, I do not notice any relief. In principle, everything remains the same as before.
— Is it true that the defender’s classic movement from the blue line is becoming obsolete? Could it also be due to the fact that the clubs are made to meet different and lighter requirements?— I wouldn’t say that the click is going to disappear. It just happens that there is not enough time to swing and click, so many people try to shoot at the goal with their wrists. And everyone’s clubs are individual, so many nuances and details of who needs what can be taken into account.
— You are 33 years old, in your collection there are three Gagarin Cups, all kinds of World Cup medals. How do you motivate yourself now? Is there an age limit established?— My motivation is, of course, my love for hockey, for my job, from which I live. I can’t imagine myself without this sport. I’m sure it will always be like this, there are never any motivation problems, I really love my job and I’m excited that everything is turning out this way. And there is another important motivation for me. These are my daughters, I want to be a role model for them. I see their eyes light up when they see me on the ice. They are proud of me, I can feel it. They say, “Dad, you’re the best.” This is the most precious thing to me. This is the main motivation.
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS