Andrey Chibisov: “I prefer active sports, but football is a drag, you can fall asleep. Chibisov - in Magnitogorsk. Why is it good. Why is this sad? “Now girls don’t do anything, they’re bored. I don’t need such good things.”

Chibisov came to Ak Bars in 2015 from Khanty-Mansiysk Ugra, where in a total of 47 games he scored 11 points (4+7) with an overall utility indicator of -20. Andrey's arrival at the club caused great indignation among Ak Bars fans. In his first season, the striker was subjected to the Everest of criticism over and over again. And I must say that the criticism is justified. Chibisov was hired for “gruntly” work, which he could not cope with at that time. At times it felt like Chibisov was afraid to even hold a hockey stick in his hands. What can we say about the joints, the fight for the puck, and even more so about the threat to the opponent’s goal. As a result, Andrei finished the season as one of the team's worst forwards.

In the summer, the unexpected happened - Chibisov became Ak Bars' top scorer in the preseason. No one could have foreseen such an outcome. 6 points (2+4) for 9 matches against the same 6 points in the last regular season for as many as 37 games - this is powerful! Along with his scoring qualities, his main qualities also improved. Match after match, Chibisov played more confidently in tackling and pressing. Many could not believe their eyes. A seemingly hopeless player suddenly began to perform a large amount of work almost flawlessly, and from time to time he also did something creative in attack. Chibisov finished the 16/17 season with a solid fourth. Perhaps his main quality was great game in selection. Chibisov won most of the martial arts. In addition, his puck was very difficult to scratch.

This season Andrei did not slow down, and it seemed that he was playing better again. In the trio with Vladimir Tkachev and Stanislav Galiev, Chibisov looked almost the best. Galiev was not visible on the ice at all, Tkachev constantly played with himself, only Chibisov stood out with his trademark tackling, pressing and sharpness at the goal. It could be said that the striker has become a very versatile player. However, all the “rosiness” ends there. Chibisov played 6 games and then was relegated to the VHL. Why? No one knew. Bilyaletdinov said that he needed to get in shape (ha ha ha). Chibisov played 14 games for Bars, in which he scored 5 goals and gave 3 assists, and is now heading to Metallurg.

Undoubtedly, this transition will be useful for Andrey. After the arrival of Rob Klinkhammer, the path back to the second link was closed to him. The trio Glinkin - Popov - Glukhov Bilyaletdinov will not change (now the injury of Popov and Azevedo has intervened in the matter), only the 4th link remains, in which players and the untouchable Lukoyanov often change. And let’s be honest – Andrey has no place in the fourth line and certainly not in the VHL. Chibisov played at least on the third line. We could try him in place of Azevedo, where Glukhov is currently playing. It would probably even be more correct. But Azevedo was out for 2 months and sooner or later Chibisov would have been sent back to Bars. So his departure from the team was highly expected. We are waiting and sad. Over these 3 incomplete seasons, Chibisov became his own. Largely due to his progress and effort. I don’t remember that we had newcomers who grew so noticeably in terms of play. On the contrary, they “faded” more often. For this I respect him. Hardworking players are always worth their weight in gold. And personally Chibisov good guy. It's a shame to lose such a player. All that remains is to wish him good luck at Metallurg and further success!

Andrei Chibisov was traveling to Kazan as a 22-year-old guy, whom few people knew about. The striker's first season in Kazan turned out to be somewhat crumpled. The lack of pucks caused a wave of criticism against the coaches and the player himself. The closer the playoffs of the Gagarin Cup, the more the 76th number of Ak Bars was revealed. Today Andrey is one of the “dark horses” of the upcoming knockout matches for the Leopards. Our correspondent talked with this modest, but youthfully sincere hockey player before flying to today's Green Derby in Ufa. About why he came to hockey, how he perceived criticism from fans and the media, why football is a “difficulty,” and why modern girls are not suitable for him - in an exclusive interview with Realnoe Vremya.

“The coach got me interested in hockey, although my mother didn’t send me anywhere.”

- You’ve been in Kazan for a year and a half, what do you remember most from this stage of your career?

Naturally, there is a base here and the conditions are very good. It is clear that this is not the case in other cities; they are not so good at this matter. All conditions for work have been created here. You can come at any time and do whatever you want. Practice the necessary exercises. I won’t say anything special to highlight it. Here you spend every day like one. Games every other day, a little break, and the games started again. Therefore, there is no time to remember anything. We must prepare.

- With hockey it’s clear. Was Kazan not a sports city surprising in any way?

Kazan is a very nice beautiful city. There is something to see, where to go. And before the New Year it’s very colorful here, so it’s very comfortable to live here. Unlike other Russian cities.

By the way, on the topic of other cities. You yourself are from the small town of Prokopyevsk, in Kuzbass. Tell us about your life there, how did you come to hockey? Was there an alternative?

My grandfather played hockey and also played football. Previously, everyone played together, there were no boundaries. Then my grandfather was a judge. Since childhood, my mother always went to see her father, and later she started taking me too. But it didn’t happen that she insisted “you’ll go to hockey.” Mom took me to different sections and gave me the opportunity to make a choice. I did both swimming and boxing. Everywhere, in general.

But I stayed in hockey, I think even more thanks to my coach, he interested me. Everything is in children's sports It depends on how interested the child is in the coach - that’s where he will go. Maybe the parents want to send him to one sport, but the child wants to go to a completely different one, because there the coach is more interested and makes the game more interesting. Yes, it happens that a coach has trained a bunch of stars, but there are coaches who, perhaps, didn’t graduate anyone, but managed to get a child interested in hockey. Therefore, everything depends on the coach.

- So hockey is completely your choice?

Yes. I remember they even sent me to football, I went there for a year to get my legs stronger. But he still returned to hockey later.

“I didn’t create idols for myself, but Jagr is something”

Just recently you played in a team with several other Leopards on the ice with little hockey boys. Did you have a pleasant feeling of nostalgia for children's hockey?

No, there wasn't really any nostalgia. But it’s just nice when such meetings are held. Children look at us and want to achieve the same heights, maybe someone will succeed. And it’s nice when children look like this, and you feel positive from such meetings. It doesn’t even matter whether we met on the ice or just came to see the children, such meetings are always pleasant.

- Did you have such meetings with idols as a child? Did you manage to play or at least meet them?

No. I didn't have any idols as a child. There was no TV (laughs). Just kidding, of course. There simply weren’t any idols in my childhood. Well, later I really liked Jagr. This is a legend. He is now 44 years old, and he is still on the ice, playing at this level, a man with a head, a man in perfect order. It seems to me that he has always been a legend for everyone and will remain a legend. So I followed Jagr more. But, basically, I was not somehow interested, as is customary for children now, to choose idols.

“When I moved to the adult team of Shakhtar Prokopyevsky at the age of 16, the guys there were quite positive. And we played for shootouts all the time.” Photo vk.com

Before the start of the season, when the fans were officially introduced to the team, you performed an unusual shootout on a biathlon theme. Then he admitted that it had something to do with the beginning of your career. Tell in details.

Yes, it was when I moved to the adult team of Shakhtar Prokopyevsky at the age of 16, the guys there were quite positive. And we played for shootouts all the time. If you lost the shootout, then they put five pucks on the side, and you run a circle, like in biathlon, and you have to push behind the goal with one leg, or you take a prone position and do push-ups, and this counts as a “shot.” And someone is standing behind the board - hop, he removed the puck, hop, he missed one. We had many such funny stories.

Is it something like in football, when the loser stands with his back, and everyone aims the ball at his “area below the back”?

Something like that. To make the game more interesting, there was an additional goal - to score, and for the goalkeeper to stand better.

“I didn’t set myself the goal of getting into Ak Bars. I played for myself"

Tell us your success story. At the age of 22, you already joined the best and most titled team in the KHL at that time. Did you imagine that everything would turn out this way when you played with the men in Prokopyevsk as a boy?

To be honest, I didn’t even think that I would end up somewhere there. I just had a desire to play hockey. Therefore, I even played not only for the team of my year, but also for the senior team, for example. I just had a desire to play. But in order to get somewhere there, as it is now, “Oh, we must, we must!”, no. I was just training, I wanted to look better first in my children’s team, then when I got to the men, I looked at them, I wanted to look better than them. That’s why I already went to Tyumen to watch it. I think: “Damn, they play even better here, we have to try.” They play differently, so why can't I? So little by little I somehow ended up here.

- So you didn’t see hockey as work? More like a personal hobby?

There has never been a need to get somewhere. On the contrary, everything was modest. That's how people play there, but I'm not at that level yet. Still grow and grow.

- Wasn’t there a surge of emotions when your agent told you that you were now at Ak Bars?

No, again there were such thoughts: “Me and Ak Bars.” The people there are stars, and I’m a guy from somewhere in the outback, from Prokopyevsk.” Naturally, it’s not easy, that was the first impression.

- What did your parents say when they found out that you were going to Ak Bars?

Mom was just visiting me when the agent called. Well, what will she say? We must continue to try, continue to play.

“I didn’t pay attention to fans’ criticism”

When you first arrived, throughout the first season there was quite harsh criticism about your game. And the press “helped.” Like, they took a striker, but there were no pucks. How did you deal with this?

I didn't pay attention, that's all. Criticism, of course, is always needed. I always ask the coach during training, even as a child, what’s wrong? They explain it to me, and I start working on it. Naturally, if people who have played tell me something, I take it normally. On the contrary, I get positive emotions and understand that I need to work. And if this is criticism from people who have never played hockey, or who don’t even know what hockey is from the inside... It’s not like, “I’ve been going to hockey for seven years,” but if you ask them something about tactics, they ask, “What is this?” such? They need a basic drawing. They don’t see hockey from the inside. And what's the point of taking anything from such criticism? Helpful criticism needed. Even recently, I think, Jagr said: “If the puck doesn’t go, no matter how many chances you create, it won’t go at all.” The time has come and the pucks have appeared.

Helpful criticism needed. Even recently, I think, Jagr said: “If the puck doesn’t go, no matter how many chances you create, it won’t go at all.” The time has come and the washers have appeared

- Do you read the sports press, have you seen what they write about you?

I don't really read or pay attention or be interested in it. I'm more interested in what coaches will tell me, what people who really know hockey will tell me. It’s better to go to work one more time than to read.

- What did Bilyaletdinov say? Did you encourage me?

Yes, he didn’t say anything, he just said “do your job, complete your task.” There was no pressure, only support.

- What do you think, was it a psychological moment that prevented the pucks from opening the scoring?

Yes, to be honest, I have no idea. There were a lot of chances, but the goals never came.

- And when you gave up for the first time during the pre-season in Nizhny Novgorod, did you have the thought that now it would be trampled?

I prepared in the summer, worked on weaknesses that needed to be improved. There was no such thing as “Whoa, I scored!” I was just doing my thing. After all, that season there was no time to work on it, but in the off-season I worked for it.

“The Tatar-Bashkir dispute is for the fans. We have clear instructions from the coach."

- How did you adapt to the new “3 on 3” overtime format? You seem to be pretty confident in carrying them out.

When playing 3 on 3 there is still more space. And if you are an individually strong player and can beat 1 on 1, then the other team naturally starts to panic and very dangerous moments arise. So I think 3v3 might be the best option. All the same, we won’t have such spectacular hockey as in the NHL. After all, everything is aimed at attacking. Their defender can run away, they can get two to zero, and the reverse attack will be three to zero.

- But were the team practicing new overtime periods when they found out about the transition?

No. There was no time to just work it out. When they said, there were seven games every other day, then again five games. Everything just happened by itself. At the training camp we played 3 on 3, so we remembered quickly.

Ufa is ahead of you. Is there any special mood in the team for these matches? Or is the “Green Derby” still more of a fundamental moment for the fans?

Yes, I think it's more for the fans. We have our own tasks that are assigned to us. We need to roll in now, play together, so that we don’t stumble later. Yes, maybe the fans always have their own Tatar-Bashkir dispute. But for us this is an ordinary game that needs to be won. I think for them too.

Hasn’t “Salavat Yulaev” already become some kind of irritant within the team? Haven't the matches with them set your teeth on edge? How many times have we lost disappointingly while leading just this season!

There's no such thing. We don’t have such a super task, to win a bloody nose. Just like the fans, for sure. We have clear, strict instructions from the coach, and we need to follow them. But, of course, you need to win any matches. Therefore, we go out and prepare ourselves, just like for any team.

- Don’t you have any teams on your personal “black list” that you go out against with a special attitude?

In general, there are no weak teams and strong ones. It all depends on what mood you go out with, and you can beat any team. The main thing here is not how you are alone, but how the team is set up. If the team is one fist, then it doesn’t matter at all what the opponent is. You can beat a strong man today, but lose to a weak one tomorrow.

Now it’s clear that I’m a little lacking in motivation for the rest of the regular season. Are the team already prepared for the playoffs?

Let's get ready. Everyone understands that the playoffs are a game with no room for error. Now there was such a period, everyone worked very well, now there are games to get into. You say you lack motivation. On the contrary, everyone will be gearing up to get into the decisive games and go along the normal path. There was a break after all. And breaks are always confusing. Therefore, we must now take everything into our hands and play the games normally.

In general, there are no weak teams and strong ones. It all depends on what mood you go out with, and you can beat any team. The main thing here is not how you are alone, but how the team is set up

“I don’t think about the NHL, there is an agent for that. My task is to work"

- You play on a team with our candidates for the national team. What are your ambitions for this?

No, of course, everyone on the national team wants to play. Ask any player, he will say that he wants to join the national team. But again, it's all about the work, how you work. It all depends on you, how much you show yourself. My job is to raise my standards higher, and maybe this chance to go there will present itself. All the same, the national team is something more. It’s one thing to play for a club or a republic. Another thing is for Russia.

- And are you ready to go to the Eurotour, which even the fans are skeptical about?

I am for it". Watch, play. How to get to the World Championships? Naturally, the Eurotour is a kind of selection; how you prove yourself there will go on.

- We found out about the national team. Do you have any ambitions for the NHL?

There is no direct need for such a task. As it is destined, so it will be. We must work here and now, and not think about the future. We need to improve our business, but time will tell whether there will be proposals. In terms of who is interested there or not - I never know anything, I have an agent for this, whom I hired, so let him deal with all these headaches. My job is to work here on the ice. Let him solve all other problems.

“I rested for a couple of weeks on vacation, but then I just can’t live without training and hockey.”

- How did you join the team? There are a lot of tough guys like that on the team. And you are quite simple, positive.

Yes, everything is simple. The team is very good here, everyone is for each other. Positive. There are no such unpleasant people here. Therefore, it was easy to join the team.

- Who do you usually spend more time with and communicate with?

Yes, in different ways. Out of 365 days, we are probably with each other for 250, we are like one big family. We are more in the team, in the locker room, than at home. It is clear that you always need some kind of reboot, to rest. When you spend a long time in the same team, the same thing becomes boring. This is why rest is done so that everyone can unload and then come back with new emotions and strength, go through the pre-season and enter the season normally.

- How do you spend those rare moments of free time? There are places to relax in Kazan.

In different ways, like the last time, I traveled with the second team for a month (Chibisov played in the VHL as part of Barca, - approx. ed.). When you arrive, we were given two days off, and we just want to lie down at home so that no one bothers us anywhere. And so I went back and forth, for a whole month I went everywhere. And then go somewhere else? No really. I just want to lie down, go to the pool, swim, go to the bathhouse... Just restore my strength. Because traveling takes more energy both emotionally and physically than when you play home games.

- What do you do on vacation? Go straight home to your native Kuzbass?

Yes. First, with my family - with my sister and mother, we'll fly somewhere to warmer climes to relax. And then you arrive and you simply can’t live without hockey. This is already “automatic”. All my life I worked according to this schedule, I got used to the fact that I had to go and train. So you can no longer live without it. You will go to football, play volleyball. A little more time will pass, and you will already start training yourself. You can’t anymore, your body just demands it. A couple of weeks of rest is quite enough.

“Now girls don’t do anything, they’re bored. I don’t need such good things.”

- And about football. It seems that you were fond of going to football matches back in Tyumen. Do you go to Rubin here?

No, I don't go to football games here. I don't really like watching it. But you can play. In the summer, play with the men, for example. We have hockey players there who have played football for many years. And so, in order to play outside the city, they offer “let’s show up,” I don’t refuse. In terms of reason, of course. Because you can't get injured.

And so we often go to basketball games, to UNICS. True, we haven’t been there yet this year. To Zenit, to volleyball too. But somehow I don’t feel like playing football. It's kind of boring. I like more active sports, so that when you watch, your head works. And there, at football, you can fall asleep.

We often go to basketball games, to UNICS. True, we haven’t been there yet this year. To Zenit, to volleyball too. But somehow I don’t feel like playing football

- Among your fans there is a bias towards the female half. Didn't meet your destiny among them?

No, I didn't find it (laughs).

- Why?

Girls are interesting. But the spouse must be a spouse. Yes, you can go for a walk with some, and something else with others. But the wife should be like this best friend- through thick and thin, so that there are no secrets, everything is as it is. But now there are few of them. Basically, now girls just don’t do anything and they’re bored. If, for example, I come home all tired, and she spent the whole day at home, slept there, surfed the Internet - these are the girls now. And so she sat at home all day, she needs to get emotions from somewhere. Where can she get them from? From me, of course. The girl needs to do something and be versatile. Yes, a girl should be beautiful, I agree, but for her to just sit all beautiful like a statue, I don’t need that kind of goodness either. Let her be just a sweet and well-groomed girl, but she will have a soul.

“You’re thinking directly, as if you’re already wise from experience.” Did you get burned by these?

No, more based on other people's experience. We often communicate and discuss with friends from the team.

- And finally. Your message to the fans before the final matches of a smooth season and the playoffs.

Let them come and support their favorite team. When your stands are really actively shouting, and not like they are sitting in a theater, and only one sector is screaming - then you also have a surge of emotions, your legs are already running on their own. It's much easier to play this way. Let them get sick, let them not spare their voices. How are we? If we play against a strong team, people actively support us. And if a team from the middle of the table wins by one goal, they don’t like it anymore.

- The public in Kazan is spoiled.

Naturally, a high-class team. She won the Gagarin Cup twice, so expectations are high.

Eric Dobrolyubov, photo ak-bars.ru

“To be honest, I never thought that I would play in a big club. “I played for myself,” admits Andrei Chibisov. Last season, the striker, whom no one knew before moving to Kazan, was criticized only by the lazy. However, this season Chibisov is one of Ak Bars' discoveries. In an interview with BUSINESS Online, the player told how he arrived in Tyumen without a uniform and did not believe the agent’s words about moving to Kazan, as well as about poverty in his native Prokopyevsk and much more.

“MATCH FIXING IN HOCKEY IS FANTASTIC”

– Andrey, pDid the latest defeats somehow hit the players emotionally?

“Every defeat takes an emotional toll. There is some slight decline, but it’s better now than just before the playoffs. Now is the time to rethink everything, prepare and approach important matches in optimal condition.

– The explanation for these defeats is lack of motivation?

- No, I don’t agree. There was motivation, it’s just that in those matches everything came into our goal: in Nizhnekamsk we scored immediately in the first and third shifts, and the same thing with Lada. It cannot be said that we were relaxed; in general, everyone fought with Lada to the end - they scored all sorts of nonsense on us after stupid mistakes.

– Some people talk about match-fixing.

– That’s what those who don’t know the whole system say. They think that someone can come to an agreement, but hockey is a game where this is impossible. Only the strongest wins here.

– That is, there are no fixed matches in hockey?

- This is just unreal. And in football, I think there is no such thing. How long have I been in sports, I know that all this talk is fantastic.

– Another question is that the players in these matches could have taken care of themselves and did not give their all, risking injury before the playoffs...

– There were no such thoughts even close. Everyone was preparing and wanted to win. On the contrary, if you start to feel sorry for yourself and entertain the idea that you can get injured, you will definitely get it. There was just a slight emotional setback. There’s nowhere in hockey without this. Now there are three matches ahead with strong opponents ( The interview was recorded before the game with"Salavat Yulaev" – auto) , which will help us get back into game tone and move forward without stumbling.

– Are there any downsides to such a long break?

– Someone is already tearing up and rushing, fighting for the playoffs. But everything is going smoothly for us - we are in third place, we are waiting for an opponent, but when you are always in good shape, it is easier. Breaks sometimes fail.

– Will three matches be enough to get back into the rhythm of the game?

“I think we’ll have time to get back into shape.” We still have serious teams as opponents, all games are away – it will be more difficult to play.

“WHEN I ARRIVED IN TYUMEN, I WAS A SHAME TO GO INTO THE LOCKER ROOM”

– True or not, they said that at some point you could have finished playing hockey.

– There was a time when, at the age of 16, I played in the adult Shakhtar team. We had a strict coach there. At one of the training sessions, everyone was being slack, and you can’t yell at old people, so he ran into me and kicked me off the ice. I thought to myself and decided that I would go to study. For four days he did not appear in the palace at all. Then I passed by and met the coach. He asks why I don't go to training. He says he only kicked me out of training, not from hockey. How did I know? I was afraid to come up and ask. Modesty failed me then.

– Were you in school at that time?

- No, at the technical school.

– Shakhtar played in the RHL, an amateur league. How are things going with life there?

- No way. Everything is very simple - to Ak Bars, as to space. With the form of the problem, you play in the same thing until the skates are worn down to the skin. You’ll be happy if they give you something from a form that was three years old. If they give you a stick, you take care of it like it’s gold. It’s still very difficult there now. The children's school has nothing, the children play in whatever they can find. It's fine if parents have the opportunity to purchase something from the form, but if not, then the children just run out. It doesn’t matter whether you are talented or not, you will be forced to leave hockey. It seems that the Kemerovo region is coal, the whole of Moscow is powered by us, but what is the output? Moscow thinks that our people get paid well, but in reality they get paid pennies.

– Does the club belong to the city?

– Yes, that’s where the funding comes from. I just don’t know where all the investments are going. Our coal sector is huge: open-pit mines, mines. And we love hockey - the palace was full at the RHL matches. But, alas, they ruin it all. Soon people will have nowhere to go.

– What is hockey like in Prokopyevsk?

“We’ve always had hockey, but few people have heard about it. You have a huge school in Kazan, all the resources, but there is none of this there. But people, coaches, and the school director are trying their best to preserve hockey. Thanks to them for this. I was lucky that we had a coach who himself played at a high level and gave us a lot. But the level, of course, is not the same, even when compared with the VHL. I remember I came to watch the screening at Rubin, and this started happening there...

– What?

– It seems like I always worked hard physically and paid attention to it. And when I arrived there, I realized that I still had to work and work. And tactically it was necessary to catch up with everything. It was very difficult for me. And in general, someone believes that each such step up depends on luck. Like, I'm lucky. There is no such thing at all - you will be lucky or unlucky. You need to work, die for your cause, only then, maybe, something will work out.

	Photo: Vk.com

– What motivated you to move forward?

– To be honest, I never thought that I would play in a big club like I do now. I played for myself, I liked it. It happens that you come to training in the morning and spend the whole day working out first with your age group, then with three others. Constantly in the rhythm of the game - cool, you don’t think about anything else. When I was 17 years old, Shakhtar and I won the first league, and the next season I was invited to try out in Tyumen.

– Are you surprised?

- Very. I bought a ticket and packed my things. Then I thought to myself: “Where have I come to anyway?” There is no form, there is nothing. It was a shame to go into the locker room. And I wasn’t even interested in what kind of club it was. Just before the trip I opened the Internet, and I saw that they were in first place. I thought, that’s it, screw it – where am I going? Then I started training – one training session, then a second. The coach comes up to me, Miskhat Fakhrutdinov, and says it’s not bad for the first day. That's it, he didn't say anything else. I was preparing to be sent back. And then the team manager came up and said that the club was interested in me.

– Did you sign the contract in the end?

– Right away – no, the Shakhtar president didn’t let me go. Then, when the contract ended, he returned to Tyumen and went with the team to the training camp. At the training camp, at least I understood where I ended up and adapted more or less.

– They probably began to receive some money...

– Shakhtar also had a salary, albeit a small one. I remember I received five thousand - joy. I immediately ran to my mother and gave it to her. A young person needs money, but my mother invested her whole life in me.

– Was there a difference in everyday life?

- Certainly. A completely different level. Before the game they will feed you, and the trips will be by bus, but they will be good ones. I remember when we returned to Tyumen after training camp, I didn’t have a uniform. The administrator came up to me and asked what sizes were needed. I return an hour later, and he brings me a whole trunk with a uniform. Unusual. I'm used to playing in the same thing over and over again until everything is erased.

“IN PROKOPIEVSK WE ALL HELP AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER. IT'S NOT LIKE THIS IN BIG CITIES"

– The famous kickboxer Alexey Ulyanov said: “Chibisov is a star, the whole city knows him.” This is true?

- No, what kind of star am I? There is no such thing as someone passing by and saying: “Wow, this is Chibisov.” We've all known each other there for a long time. Sometimes in the summer we get together with the guys: some come from the tower, some from the MHL, KHL - there are about a hundred of us there. We meet with boxers or Thais in general every Thursday, play football - hockey players against boxers. We have a very friendly city, we support each other everywhere and always. Here and in big cities in general, everything is different.

– Why?

– It probably depends on the people. There we all try to help each other, if one is in trouble, then everyone will fuss and start helping. It doesn't matter if you're a hockey player or a boxer. In this regard, we try to treat each other humanely. What usually happens is: you’re in trouble, you ask for help, but the person doesn’t understand why he should help you.

– Are you implying that the city is spoiled?

- Maybe. Moscow is still nearby. Pathos is very important for people here, to appear in front of others. If everything is fine with you, everyone is nearby, they will gather, relax, but if a problem happens, everyone will go into the shade. We don’t have much money in Prokopyevsk, and it’s not important. Human relations and mutual assistance come first. Today you can have everything, and tomorrow – nothing, but you must remain a person.

– How did you get into hockey? As far as we know, there are only fighters in Prokopyevsk.

– Hockey has always been there, they love it. We have always had talented players. I’ll tell you a secret: there was such a player Zhiganov, he was invited to Moscow for a shootout competition, Tretyak played in goal. He scored nine out of ten on him, and once the puck came off his stick, and then he said: “Where have I seen your hockey like that,” and left. Then they hushed everything up, as if there was no competition at all, so as not to embarrass themselves. There are talents, but people see that there are no prospects and just quit.

– Has anyone else made it to big hockey since your age?

– Yes, Andrey Sigarev, who is in Khabarovsk now. The younger one is Vovka Butuzov from Sibir. Sergei Korostin won the youth world championship. Every year one or two people appear.

– Where do so many famous fighters from Prokopyevsk come from?

– If you were born in Prokopyevs, you are already a fighter ( smiling). There is such a contingent there, although it is calmer now, but four years ago: show-offs, concepts, colloquial vocabulary. There you immediately go through the school of life.

– Did this affect you in any way?

- It affected everyone. It happens that you play court against court, and the next day you fight wall to wall with the same court.

– Was there any risk of going down a bad path?

– It all seems to me to depend on upbringing. My mother never forbade me to do anything, but when the guys went to smoke behind the garages, I stayed behind to mint the ball. And if all this was not explained to a person in childhood, they were not laid down, then even if you tie him with chains, he will still find dirt. I have always tried to avoid all these things.

– Have you often visited fight gyms?

– No, although local coaches called me all the time. I don’t know, from childhood I somehow learned that I don’t like to give in to anyone. I don’t like it when they do something on the ice on the sly – I immediately get angry. You immediately start playing hard so that the person understands that you can’t do that.

– It turns out that you didn’t do anything else besides hockey?

– At the technical school I did everything, the whole wall was covered in medals. I played football and volleyball for the technical school - I worked off the absences that accumulated due to hockey. Although I passed the exams and tests absolutely myself, I couldn’t buy anything. We even won the region twice in volleyball. In athletics, he won the long jump three times.

“WHEN THE AGENT REPORTED ABOUT AK BARS, HE ASKED: “ARE YOU DRINKED OR WHAT?”

– Was everyone really calm about the fact that a guy from Prokopyevsk moved to Ak Bars?

– I will say that we have Thais here, boxers are world and European champions, famous people. Nobody was surprised. I remember when I was in Khanty-Mansiysk, an agent called me and asked: “Are you standing or sitting?” I thought he meant whether I was playing in the next match or not. I don’t know, I say, the composition is still unknown. And he meant it literally. Then he asks me again, I don’t understand anything. He told me: “Get your things, take your documents, that’s it - you’re an Ak Bars player.” The agent and I have friendly relations, I immediately said to him: “Are you drunk or what?” Did not believe. By the way, he never tells me who is interested in me, usually he already informs me after the fact.

– What was your reaction?

“I thought to myself: “Damn, what Ak Bars?” Who needs me there? One hundred percent joke." Yushkevich, who was also in Khanty-Mansiysk at that time, called me and told me not to worry. He supported me, reassured me, said that this is a step forward, I need to do my job.

– Have you calmed down?

– I was more worried that the system there was different, whether I would be able to join the team or not, whether I would be able to carry out the coaching task. But after talking with him I calmed down a little.

– The first time you found yourself at Ak Bars, weren’t your eyes wide open from all the infrastructure?

– In “Ugra” the players were skilled and Yushkevich himself created conditions that were close even to the NHL. Yes, there was no such base as in Kazan, but everything else in terms of everyday life was also at the same level. When I went to Kazan, they told me that young people at Ak Bars are given a chance, the main thing is not to miss it. At some certain point you just start to get lucky, perhaps I was lucky with Ak Bars, but this luck will not always be with you, you need to compensate for it with work. And if you think that you have caught the bird of happiness and it will drag you along - no, this will not happen.

– What surprised you most about Ak Bars?

– I was surprised that they immediately put me in the squad, I played several matches. They wanted to bet on the game even earlier, but I approached the coaches myself and said that I hadn’t played for a long time and asked to let me go to Bars. They were understanding, I played one match for the youth team, and then made my debut against Vityaz. Everything was somehow great right away, I felt support, when you feel it, you want to give all your best.

– They say, on the contrary, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov does not trust young people.

– It all depends on you, how you will carry out the game task, give your best on the ice. There are recessions, after which the first number will be inserted. Sometimes, on the contrary, you work, plow, it seems like you’re doing everything right, but it doesn’t work. At such moments, you need a coach to prompt you. It helps.

– Many fans and journalists did not understand your transfer to Ak Bars. A young striker, someone else’s pupil, although Bars is at hand with a whole bunch of its players.

– You know, criticism is useful. You just need to filter whether she is healthy or not. If it’s healthy, then you can take something out of it. And if they just shout something, insult, then there is no need to react at all. Since childhood, I was taught to take something positive out of everything. It happens that a fan goes to matches for seven or eight years and thinks that he knows everything. But he does not know the whole process from the inside. Especially if the person himself has never played. For example, I constantly call my former coaches, ask if they have seen my matches, and ask them to suggest somewhere. There is nothing wrong with this.

– You heard all these conversations: “Why did you sign, who is he anyway?”

– You couldn’t score for a long time afterwards. Pressure?

– I can’t say what pressure I had, because there were chances, I created them. Take Jagr, he recently said that if the puck doesn’t go into the goal, even if you smash your head against the boards, it won’t go in. Anything can happen: someone is a technical forward, fast, give him the puck and he’ll score right away. Some people fight harder, scratching out this very puck for their partners. I wasn’t angry with myself at that moment; on the contrary, I tried to create more and help my partners. Timkin also couldn’t score last season, but in the final he came out in the seventh game and scored two goals. Everything is king.

– That is, do you agree that you are a striker of a different type, for whom scoring is not a primary goal?

– Yes, but that doesn’t mean I should forget about the goals. I give my all in every episode, trying to do better for myself and my partners. If there is a moment, of course, I will try to use it.

- ABOUTWhere did the tactical understanding of hockey come from? You were never taught this.

- Don't know. But as a child, I was always taught to play a pass, then, when I grew up, I understood that I needed to see the field, my partners, in order to make a good pass. As for some tactical issues, I tried to just listen to everything they said. A person is capable of absorbing everything into himself like a sponge.

– What kind of hockey does Ak Bars play?

- Systemic. Many people don’t have this, they go out on the ice and do what they want. I heard that they are talking about some kind of rollback, but there is no such thing here. Yes, we play carefully in defense, we immediately try to eliminate mistakes, but, again, this is a systematic approach.

“THEY ARE BUILDING SHOPPING CENTERS, BUT WHO NEEDS THEM IF THERE IS NO MONEY?”

– The population of Prokopyevsk is becoming smaller every year. This is because low level life?

- Yes, they are leaving for Novokuznetsk, Novosibirsk - there are more prospects there, there is work. We only have mines and carriage building here, no wages. There are no prospects for young people. I can’t say that the city is gray - there are places to walk, alleys, and a shopping center. But who needs all this if there is no work? Poverty.

– Is it fair that miners, risking their lives every time, receive pennies?

– Previously, at the beginning of the 2000s, our miners received huge amounts of money. They could receive a salary, and then fly to Moscow for two weekends, relax and spend everything there. Now there is no such thing. A commission comes from Moscow, and according to the papers they are shown that the miners receive a lot of money, but in reality they receive pennies. Even if the miners begin to be indignant, they are simply told that we will fire you, look for another job. Where should we go? No choice.

– Should athletes receive 50-100 times more than miners?

- I do not know what to answer. Previously, they received more, but now it’s pennies - everyone still has families, children, loans. I really feel sorry for the people. I don’t know what happened, because before even ordinary miners received 50 thousand. Now there are no mines as such, they are unprofitable - only open-pit mines. When they leave there, they have a red light on their lantern - it shows the methane level. You know, if it is elevated, then any spark can lead to an explosion. So they go out - their lamp is constantly red, that is, people go to work and don’t know whether they will come back or not. You look at them - it’s a pity, they get such toxins there. These respirators don't help at all. This is all on the conscience of the directors. This will not pass without a trace.

– Where do athletes your age spend their money? You live at the base, the club feeds you and clothes you.

– I can’t answer for others, I don’t know. A career is also not forever - you need to save something, think about the future.

– Cars, phones?

– I have a car, I’ll drive it for four or five years, maybe I’ll change it. Someone changes every month, year - I don’t understand this. Some people change their phones every day, I don’t have that. I lived with the past for more than six years, it somehow functioned there. All these iPhones are constantly changing, but their main function is the same - to make calls and keep in touch. People are chasing all this, even if there is no money to live on, they are ready to give their last for their “wants”.

– But it’s like this everywhere now.

– Yes, in Europe 85 percent of people respond to advertising and marketing. When they see something new, they go buy it. Around us, for example, the seventh iPhone did not have such a stir as there. There were huge queues.

– Our standard of living is lower.

– The fact is that people there react like zombies to advertising. That’s why it’s easier to start a business with them, you’ve removed advertising – and that’s it, you sit and wait for clients.

– Our people pay their last money for iPhones. Is this better?

- Of course not. Again, I don't understand this. A person takes out a loan just so everyone can see that he has a cool phone. He will be faced with a choice - to live in abundance for a month, eat well, or buy a phone with his last money, then survive for the whole month - and he will choose the second. Not all are like that, but many are. I saw a neighbor’s car, I also need one, I don’t have money, but I have a loan. For what? Save up, live according to your possibilities.

– Did Kazan make a strong impression after Prokopyevsk?

- A beautiful city, yes. As soon as I arrived here, I couldn’t get out of my head: why is Kazan, where there is oil, so beautiful, so many parks, an embankment - everything for people, children. But why is there not the same in Prokopyevsk, where there is so much coal? Our people don’t see anything there; what are the children to blame for? The mines have closed, but shopping centers are opening. What is the point of them when there is no money? Just a cover for the city.

– For example, people don’t go to Kuznya at all, but millions are spent on the club. Is all this necessary if your people are poor?

– The point is not how many millions they give to Kuzna. There is money for everything, enough for people. There is simply a certain group of people for whom everything is never enough and cannot calm down. All for yourself.

“TODAY YOU ARE IN A WARM BATH, AND WHERE TOMORROW?”

– They said that last summer you practically did not rest - you trained all the time.

– I don’t rest much, because I simply can’t rest, I have to constantly move. The body is accustomed to constant stress. I can go somewhere for a week to relax with my mother and sister, but no more. In Prokopyevsk I play football all day in the summer, go out on the ice, and volleyball somewhere on the beach. Sometimes you run so much in a day that after training during the season you don’t get so tired. This summer I worked more on endurance, I started running cross-country. Before the season, I ran ten kilometers every other day.

– They say that it is important for a hockey player to be a player.

– In the summer I live in a football-hockey-football mode; I used to come home at 12 o’clock at night. We have nowhere to go there - there are almost no clubs or restaurants, so we constantly kick the ball around with the boys. In the morning you get up, you think, you’re tired, you need to stay at home, but after a couple of hours there’s nothing to do - either go to the gym or play football again ( smiling). This time they even invited me to yoga.

– Yoga?

- Yes, I once went with boxers - I won’t come again.

– Hard?

- Very. It seems like just a stretch, but it’s such that every muscle is worked out. After this hike I realized how wooden ( smiling), there grandmothers next to me did this.

– You grew up without a father, right?

- Yes, I have never seen him in my life. Maybe it’s even for the best, mom is the head of everything in our family. It seems to me that she knows everything; if you ask her, she will always give any advice. She always did a lot for my sister and me, got out of it, although at that time there were big problems with money. We were never hungry, I remember when Kinder surprises first appeared - our entire sideboard was filled with these toys. Nowadays women are bothered: they say, there is no money, I need a man who will help.

– Was it difficult as a child without male advice in hockey?

– I had a grandfather who went to almost all training sessions, constantly advised and helped. Mom was more supportive. And so, I did not notice the absence of my father, if in childhood I needed to fix something, change a light bulb - I already did it all myself.

– Do you feel like the head of a family?

– I always felt this way. As a child, I tried never to take money from my mother, saved it somewhere, and brought everything home. I didn’t understand how a man could take money from a woman, especially from my mother.

– The current generation is more spoiled in this regard.

- Especially in big cities, where there is always work, part-time work - go earn money - I don’t want to.

– Don't you feel like you're in a warm bath right now? "Ak Bars", contract, money.

- No. Today you are in a warm bath, and tomorrow where? You need to constantly be on your toes and grow. I want your family and friends to be happy for you. The question is not even about motivation, because at some point it may not exist. The main thing is to be honest with yourself and not disgrace your family.

– Do you understand that Ak Bars may be your only chance to break into the public?

– Whether in Prokopyevsk, Tyumen, or Kazan, I never thought about it. I’m doing my job, and then whatever happens. Life is unpredictable, you don’t know where it will lead you. The main thing is to do your job. At any age, everything depends on the person.

DOSSIER "BUSINESS Online"
Andrey CHIBISOV
Role: attack
Date of Birth: February 26, 1993
Place of Birth: Prokopyevsk
Player Career: Shakhtar (Prokopyevsk) – 2010 - 2013; “Rubin” (Tyumen) – 2013 - 2015 “Yugra” (Khanty-Mansiysk) – 2014 - 2015; "Ak Bars" (Kazan) - since 2015.
He played 139 matches in the KHL and scored 29 (9+20) points.