Alexei Kalyuzhny - The best Belarusian hockey player of the year

I can’t say who have done more for the national team of Belarus – Dave Lewis or Vladimir Bure. They’ve agreed their responsibilities even before the tournament. And if Vladimir hadn’t given the necessary physical training, we wouldn’t have been able to play Lewis’ hockey. That would be a suicide tournament. But we liked this kind of hockey. And even for me, although I have seen many coaches and coaching styles.

They say that in the playoffs defense primarily wins. But I want anyway to play with free hands. The style of Pyotr Vorobyov always brings the results. Playing against his teams was a real torture. And I think that spectators have no interest in watching this kind of hockey.

Our hockey in Ostrava became an actual spiracle for me. We've never played so well. At least I do not remember that. It happened, of course, that we’ve pressured the opponent. But usually when we have already been pushed to the wall. And our coaches asserted to the defenders with the first shift: «Roll in to the middle zone or to the opponent area, and immediately attack the person with the puck». And they’ve done this! Therefore, the attackers felt more comfortable, especially center-forwards. You do not need to fall back to your gates to give a puck and to start an attack all over again. You leave all your power in attack. The heaven of heavens!

The opponents did not expect such impudence from team Belarus. And when they were making conclusions about our style of play, we were bending our line. My friends told me when we finally stopped. But we continued to play well. The team was exactly the same as two years ago. And we have enough young players. But we played a totally different hockey.

Of course, all at once interested in what Bure has made with us. I have not been skating so much in the last ten years. I admit that I do not always understand the training process. I tried to write, remember but I did not understand why I felt for at least five years younger in the World Championship. And Bure is a good psychologist. Apparently, he practiced with his sons. He saw that we were at the limit of strength and constantly reassured: ”Tomorrow it will be easier”. And the next day, Bure gave us a couple of extra laps. He is amazing and a very interesting man.

Whatever, I watch on Dave Lewis through different eyes. At first Dave has been interesting because he is from the NHL. And Dave was the assistant of Scotty Bowman in «Red Wings». Now I went into details of his work. I don’t know where north-American coaches get it, but Lewis trusts his players boundless. And I remember his words:   “We'll go on my way. I know this road, and we will pass it!”

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