Nervousness

— The hardest part for me was the start of the playoffs. We lost the first two games to Los Angeles, but everyone else was calm. That scared me. My thoughts were: "Did we really go through this whole 82-game season just to get knocked out this easily?" But my teammates had zero nerves at all. Fortunately, at that moment we were in the bench with Janmark, and he apparently noticed my state and said a very simple phrase: "We just need to win one game." It sounds banal, not some movie quote that would instantly boost your mental state. But the calm tone he used really affected me.

From that moment, we really took off. And things started going in our favor. The Kings in the third game challenged a disallowed goal after the referees had already conducted their own review. Kane’s goal wasn’t even controversial — not even a borderline situation. They got the wrong challenge, then a penalty for delay of game, and we scored on the power play. That moment had a positive effect on me too; I immediately thought that the momentum was shifting in our favor.

The Oilers have knocked out Los Angeles for the fourth year in a row. And this is my first season going through all this. I guess that’s why I was more nervous than others.

Kuzmenko’s Hit

—I believe the media blows these stories out of proportion. It creates an impression for readers that the level of hatred is higher than it actually is. “Podkolzin fought with Lyubushkin” “Podkolzin got into it with Kulikov” “Podkolzin hit Kuzmenko with his stick” Maybe it looked ugly, but it’s part of the game. Not that I’m saying I did everything right, but just the overall effect it had. I’m sure Kuzya thought about that incident during the series. I did too. Some sort of meta-game going on. Still, I’m happy for Andryukha [Kuzmenko]. He played great. Seems like he found his team, signed a new contract, and should improve after a slight slump.

On the ice, you see things differently. In that game, I first hit Byfield with my stick, then I see Kuzya coming and think, “Well, this is just asking for it.” But in reality, the moment meant nothing. I knew what I was doing and made a conscious decision. I understood I’d get a penalty but didn’t expect a 10-minute misconduct without a 2-minute minor. Later in the playoffs, I realized the referees probably had instructions — at the slightest thing, immediately hand out 10-minute penalties. No mercy at all.

At that moment, we were down 1-6, third period, five minutes left. Of course, I could explain it as trying to shake up the team, but honestly, I felt awful. I went straight to the locker room and sat alone until the final buzzer, with a lot of unpleasant thoughts. I usually try to stay calm, but this time, even on my way to the locker room, I smashed my stick against the wall — which is unlike me. Good thing it wasn’t caught on video.

After the series, the three of us — Gavr [Vladislav Gavrikov], Kuzya, and me — met, but the topic didn’t even come up. Everyone understands. Even by the third game, Kuza and I were calmly talking on the ice — “How’s it going?” and all that. But when I reflected on it, I realized I probably wouldn’t act that way if it were a stranger. By the way, I’m closer with Gavrikov than with Kuzya. I think I’d feel worse if I had hit Vlad like that.

I’m a kind person. Maybe on the ice it looks like I’m some sort of hothead, but that’s just my game mode.

Trolling from Florida After Losing in the Finals

— They won, that’s their business. They can afford to do whatever they want. I just noticed that Bobrovsky and Kulikov didn’t take part in those mockeries of the losing team. Maybe it’s a matter of upbringing and respect. I’ll say again that I can’t imagine such behavior from our leaders. Still, I believe all that mocking is their choice, but they won, so they could afford it.

Marchand having the “losers” sticker on his t-shirt didn’t bother me. And I can’t even be sure about myself — how would I behave if we had won? The series was, let’s say, ambiguous in terms of all kinds of little moments on the ice. It’s the finals after all. Both teams fought hard. Lots of hits, pokes, verbal exchanges. The emotions from victory have the right to overflow.

There was no reaction inside our team like, “Look what they’re doing, they’ll pay for it next season.” The players’ chat was silent. Though in America it’s not common to have conversations in such chats. In the KHL, even in the off-season, it’s constantly active — memes, jokes, and discussions about different events. Here, before the camp starts, not a single message appears. At first, I even thought maybe I was put on some blacklist.

So, I don’t think Marchand’s, Tkachuk’s, and others’ actions will serve as extra motivation for us. We don’t need extra words; everyone already understands everything. By the way, I’m even glad there was no hype. I catch myself thinking: I really want our leaders to just rest this summer and forget about hockey. A few years ago, when Tampa lost in the finals after two straight Cups against Colorado, you could see how physically tough it was for them. I remember Artyom Mikheev told me back then, “Vasya, they rested less than everyone else for three years.” I hope our leaders are now resting fully and don’t even think about hockey. Even if they play the first 10 games a bit off, even if we give up the start of the regular season again, let them come into the playoffs physically perfect.

First Goal in the Playoffs

For some reason, most people think it’s better to have home-ice advantage in the playoffs and start at home. To me, it seems the opposite is more beneficial. If you manage to score one goal on the road, the whole situation immediately changes. You already have an advantage heading into the home stretch. Right now, we’ve started every series except the final on the opponent’s ice. Against Vegas, it seemed to matter especially. They’re a strong team. I’ll remember that series well because I scored my first playoff goal in the second game. I got 1+1 points in that period. But I kept my emotions to myself at the time — it’s only now that it’s nice to look back on. Honestly, yelling and shouting after goals is not really my thing; I think it’s better to calmly hug your teammates and thank them for the created chance.

Of course, I put a checkmark for myself. After the goal, it got easier. We had a film crew from the club’s TV with us. In their playoff episodes, there’s a moment where we’re sitting in the locker room during the break and McDavid praises me: “Great shot, Podzi. Powerful. Probably shot the puck 10,000 times before warm-ups again.” And I’m sitting there smiling. His words are a team-wide joke about how I’m always the first on the ice before practices working on shots.

Only Two Losses in the Quarterfinals and Semifinals