Oleg Znarok has been appointed head coach of the Russian national hockey team, said Vladislav Tretyak, President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. Mr. Znarok leads the national team for the second time.
“The znarok is respected among the NHL players, we hope that he will rally the team. He has charisma, he is a winner. The World Championship in Minsk proved it, ”said Mr. Tretyak (quoted by TASS). Valery Bragin, who was the head coach of the national team before that, will be a consultant.
The Ice Hockey World Championship was held in Riga from May 21 to June 6. Russian hockey players reached the quarterfinals, where they lost to the future winner, the team of Canada, with a score of 1: 2 in overtime. During a straight line, President Vladimir Putin said that the defeats of the Russian national hockey and football teams showed the need for changes, including personnel changes. Mr. Bragin agreed that mistakes were made in the management of the Russian national hockey team at the World Championship.
Oleg Znarok was the head coach of the Russian national team from March 26, 2014 to April 11, 2018. In 2014, under his leadership, the national team became the world champion, in 2015 it reached the final, in 2016 and 2017 it won bronze. Also, the Russian national team, led by Znark, won the Olympic hockey tournament in Pyeongchang.
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