Epanchintsev on Joining SKA: Working With Larionov
New SKA assistant coach Vadim Epanchintsev explains why he joined Igor Larionov's staff and how the team is building its attacking style of play.
"You don't turn down a chance like that – working with the Professor at a good club. So I didn't think for long," Epanchintsev said, using the nickname widely applied to Larionov in Russian hockey.
"It was a joint decision. We had a proper conversation, talked about it a lot. It's good that things worked out and I ended up at this club," he said.
"Having spoken with Igor Nikolayevich Larionov, I understood that the amount of work I had at my previous clubs, where I was head coach, stays roughly the same. So I didn't think for long and was happy to agree to work even as an assistant. What matters most is the process of the work and its volume. I'm very pleased to have ended up here," he said.
On the coaching staff's shared outlook, Epanchintsev pointed to a common commitment to attacking hockey. "We try to instil attacking hockey. It's much easier to work when everyone is on the same wavelength. Of course the head coach is the head coach – there are things we may agree on and things we don't, but we reach common ground. There are things that need improving, so we listen to each other. The main thing is that we're all rowing in the same boat," he said.
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