An era is passing in Kazan. At the club’s official press conference Zinetula Bilyaletdinov made a statement that he would leave the position of head coach of Ak Bars immediately after the expiration of the current contract (until 04/30/2024). In essence, there remains a formality, but it must be observed in accordance with the regulations, since no one closed the agreement with the teacher of the national training workshop ahead of schedule.
“I must say that I worked a lot as a coach and I really like this job. This is what I love, what I was taught, what I myself studied and enjoyed my work. But this work requires a lot of strength, emotions and, in general, a lot of responsibility. I think it will be better for me if I work in hockey, but in some other format. We had an agreement that I would sign only for one season,” Zinetula Hajdarovich told reporters.
The end of the Bilyaletdinov era:
The first Russian NHL coach and creator of the great Ak Bars. Bilyaletdinov is an era
On March 13, 2024, Bilyaletdinov turned 69 years old: a respectable age. Long-haul flights are exhausting and lately the specialist hardly goes out on the ice: his assistants did all the work for him. However, as we see, the coach has no intention of completely abandoning the Kazan system. Recall that under Oleg Znarka it was Bilyaletdinov who held the position of advisor to general director Marat Valiullin. Apparently, now Bill, as fans call the coach, wants to return to his warm place. There is basically no responsibility and the salary will continue to trickle down. But, taking into account the experience and services of Zinetula Khaidarovich in Ak Bars and throughout domestic hockey, he certainly deserved such a bet. Especially if you yourself have the desire. Bilyaletdinov’s authority in Kazan is unshakable.
Zinetula Bilyaletdinov
Photo: RIA Novosti
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We can now safely say that the Club needs a global restructuring. After the failure in the regular season, and then the deafening exit from the playoffs, a purge was underway not only on the coaching staff, but also on the roster. Which unrestricted free agents have expired contracts? These are goalkeeper Bilyalov, defenders Adamchuk and Marchenko, forwards Galiev, Kagarlitsky, Koshelev, Lukoyanov, Petrov, Radulov, Semyonov. The list is solid, but there is the American Barber, who has not yet been included in the squad, under contract for next season, and the Voynov veterans with Shipachev on similar deals.
“Who are we planning to break up with? It is probably incorrect to say this a month and a half before the contracts end. Player representatives know this. The clubs also read every word. These are also certain tricks. I won’t name names, but we will try to retain many players with expired contracts. Melon? The contract was signed in January, it is an extension. If it had been signed in December, it would have been official, but it will be an extension after April 30,” said Kazan general director Valiullin.
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Who will stay and who will say goodbye will depend on the decision of the new Ak Bars coach. The main candidate for the vacant position is Ilya Vorobyov, who won the Gagarin Cup twice with Metallurg and played in the final two more times. Ilya Petrovich knows how to find a common language with star and experienced players and has extensive experience, including in the Russian national team. In general, he has everything you need to work in a top-level club.
ILYA VOROBYOV
Photo: Dmitry Golubovich, “Championship”
On the coaching market there is also Andrei Nazarov, one of the best anti-crisis motivational coaches in the country, capable of adequately shaking up the team and getting everyone moving, including the top stars. There were also rumors on the sidelines about Alexey Kudashov, whose Dynamo lost the series to Traktor in the second round with a score of 0:4.
In general, there will always be candidates for the vacant position, especially since in Kazan the salary is good and all working conditions have been created that are rightly considered one of the best in the country. All major decisions on Republican teams are made at the top, so fans need to be patient. But they will not delay too much with the new appointment in the capital of Tatarstan, this is not in the interest of the Club. We need to start building the team for next season, review the youth in the system and address other issues directly related to the head coach. Therefore, verbal agreements with the new person will surely be reached before the official end of Bilyaletdinov’s contract.
