In a difficult situation for Russia in the international arena, Adam Lischka is one of those legionnaires who were not afraid to stay in the continental hockey league. The Slovak striker is preparing to start his fifth season at Severstal, making him one of the team’s main veterans at just 23 years old.
In an exclusive interview with Chempionat, which took place one day after Severstal’s big win in Nikolai Puchkov’s pre-season tournament match against Sochi (7-1), Adam spoke about the first pre-season with Andrey Kozyrev and why not he played all matches of the first round of the Gagarin Cup against CSKA and also suggested what is the secret of the rise of Slovak hockey.
A little earlier we spoke with Adam’s partner:
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“Severstal’s game will be different from before”
– Severstal started the Puchkov tournament with a victory, you scored the first goal. Share your impressions of the game. – For us this victory is important from a psychological point of view. We played well before, but the result was not in our favor. Yesterday I felt better, we are training to show what the coach wants to see from us. In the match against Sochi we dominated.
– How would you assess the first pre-season under the direction of Andrey Kozyrev? — I think our game will be different from before. We train and play differently. As long as I like it, everything looks interesting.
– The Severstal program includes a video conference of the day, which lasts only 10 minutes. What are you doing during this time? We practice every day, so 10 minutes is enough. Specifically, today we analyze the moments and mistakes of yesterday’s game: how we scored, how we scored. 10 minutes are enough to understand everything.
– Before the interview, you had a meeting about the new rules. – I learned with interest that the defender can no longer be more than three seconds outside the goal with the puck. I think we will try to press and play so actively that the opponents do not have the opportunity to stop there. This will be a great advantage for our team, we will create more chances and score more often.
What else has changed in the off-season rules?
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“I want to show myself and help the team to achieve high results”
— Next season will be the fifth in Cherepovets. — I am still young, I am 23 years old, but this will really be the fifth season here. I want to show my best hockey, take the team to a higher level.
– As one of the longest-serving members of the team, do you help newcomers, make speeches in the locker room? – I do not make speeches, but I communicate with everyone. If someone needs help, I always help, especially foreigners. Now, for example, I am helping Mark Barberio to establish himself. Colleagues can always turn to me, talk on any topic.
– Is it difficult when every year there is a large turnover in the composition? – Life in hockey is such that every season something changes: new players, partners. That is what the preseason is for, so that we can find “chemistry”, to get to know each other and understand each other better. It’s a shame the boys are leaving, but this is hockey.
How Severstal (and not only) changed in the off-season:
Gusev – in “Dynamo”, and Galchenyuk will be in SKA? KHL transfer table
– You play periodically on both flanks of the attack. Where do you like more? For one thing, I really don’t care. Accustomed to playing on both sides. But when I was younger I liked to play more on the right, you could move to the center, shoot or pass with a comfortable hand.
— You didn’t sign a new contract with Severstal until the end of June. Why such a delay? – I was at home and I didn’t know who the coach would be. I didn’t know if they counted on me, in what role they see me. Then I managed to talk to my teammates, I met the new coach and then I decided to stay.
– Agreement for a season: your condition or that of the club? – My. Part of the reason is the change of coach. I want to show myself and help the team to achieve high results. And then we’ll see.
“It was hard to watch the playoffs when I couldn’t do anything”
– How did you experience the defeat in the series against CSKA? – It was a good series. CSKA came out champion, it is a strong and qualified team. We didn’t play very well in the first game, but after winning the second game after extra time, things started to work out for us. I got sick after game four, missed two games and only came out for game seven. It was hard to watch from the sidelines.
Adam Lischka
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, Championship
I was at home, I had a temperature. I sweated even more than during the match (laughs). He wanted to help the team. When you play, you don’t worry so much, you don’t think about it. Through the Internet or on TV, it’s completely different: it’s hard to watch when you can’t do anything.
– There was a desire to give a damn about the disease and go to the ice? – Yes, I even recovered quickly, in about three days in total. She did her best to get back to normal as soon as possible.
– How did you say goodbye to Andrei Razin? — Everything went well, he said he was glad to work with me and maybe we will work with me in the future, he wished me good luck.
“Where I play is my choice”
– After the season he was not called up to the Slovak national team, although before that they did not plan to limit the call up of KHL players. Isn’t it embarrassing? “I am always happy to play for the national team. If they invite me in the future, I will definitely play. Let’s see how the situation develops. They talked to me, they said that it had nothing to do with the level of the game. But I had more time to prepare for the season. I hope this does me good.
– Have you discussed this with other Slovaks from the KHL? – We communicate a lot with each other. When they called me, he was sitting with Patrick Rybar. They both calmly accepted the information, but they didn’t discuss it much.
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– Your father works in the Slovan system. Didn’t he try to bring you back to Slovakia? — Where I play is mostly my choice. He always supports me wherever I go.
– Staying in Severstal, they probably understood that even in the case of a good match, they may not be called up to the national team again. Why did you choose the club? – Complex problem. You always want to play for the national team, but it’s only three tournaments a year. On the other hand, I have a team in which I will play the fifth season, there is a role in it. I played a lot, every year I got better. Here I am gaining experience, this is a plus for me. He decided to sign a contract because he is a professional security.
– Until recently, Slovak hockey was in decline and now it has prepared a whole galaxy of young talents. What has made this progress possible? – A few years ago Miroslav Šatan became president of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation. He invited Craig Ramsey to the national team, who plays very interesting hockey. Ramsey explains very interestingly and helps to understand the details. He gave a chance to young men who have shown that they can play with men. He turned out in both the World Cup and the Olympic Games. So, to a greater extent, this is the merit of Shatan and Ramsey.
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“I always dreamed of the NHL”
Do you still have the dream of playing in the NHL in your head? “I always dreamed of it. But I not only dream, but also work for it. I believe that everything is possible, I am still young. We have to show ourselves in Severstal, have a good season. Then all the doors will be open.
– Is it better to go abroad earlier and try to break the bottom, or immediately come to the NHL, but at the same time at a more respectable age? – Everyone has their own way. I know a lot of players who have been in North America for four or five years but never had a chance to play in the NHL or spent very little time there. So I decided to stay here first. Even when I was 19 years old I wanted to play at the highest level. I hope there will be another opportunity. If I play well, maybe in a year or two he’ll show up.
And someone, on the contrary, returns from the NHL:
to native lands. Eight hockey players who returned to Russia from North America
– In your social networks you can find photos of the Tottenham stadium. Are you rooting for the Spurs? – No, we just dreamed of visiting the English Premier League match with my father for a long time, we followed the tournament. I managed to get to the Tottenham game against Manchester United, it was very interesting. I would gladly go again. And I don’t have a favorite team, I follow the Premier League and the Champions League.
— Former Severstal player Zach Boychak recently spoke about the “Russian gas” he tasted during the match in Cherepovets. Did no one suggest this to you? (laughs) No, I haven’t experienced that.
