Salavat back on track with Zakharkin

19 Oct 2015 | Stanislav Pisklakov

After a disappointing start of the season the management of Salavat Yulaev (winner of Gagarin Cup 2010/2011) decided to invite Igor Zakharkin to the post as acting head coach. The last head coach, Anatoliy Emelin, will now be senior coach at the club.

Remember that Igor Zakharkin was winner of Gagarin Cup with Salavat Yulaev as assistant coach to Vyacheslav Bykov in 2010/2011 and also won Gagarin Cup last year with SKA Sankt-Peterburg also as an assistant coach to Vyacheslav Bykov. Now, he returned to Salavat Yulaev without Vyacheslav Bykov.

After two games - won away 4-3 during the overtime against Slovan and won away 3-2 against Medvescak Zagreb the management of the club changed Zakharkin’s status to the head coach, signing a full contract with Anatoly Zakharkin.

In the first game as head coach Zakharkin loses 2-5 at home against Medvescak Zagreb and then he wins three consecutive games on the road against Jokerit Helsinki 5-1, 5-3 against Dinamo Riga and 6-4 against Metallurg Magnitogorsk in a stunning game. Salavat Ulaev in these games started to play a very aggressive, offensive, combinative hockey thanks to Igor Zakharkin and the players of the first line Salavat Ulaev returned back to the playoff spot in East Conference of KHL (7th place now) and most important -returned to the list of favorites of the season.