Andrei Eryomenko: «We have such a great team here»

Reaktor forward Andrei Eryomenko talks about his childhood, family and life in Nizhnekamsk.

– What is your hockey career’ story.

– I was born on the outskirts of Moscow in Novogireyevo. Once my dad bought a season ticket for HC MVD games. This team was part of the KHL that time. It was a strong team. This team reached the final of the Gagarin Cup and played against Ak Bars. I really liked everything; I told my dad that I wanted to be a hockey player. We visited Balashikha to join a team of 2003 year. I was born in 2004. I skated there for a year and got used to it. We decided to move to the club, which is near the home, so that my grandfather could accompany me to practices – it was a 10-minute walk to the rink. By the way, Andrei Kornienko and I played at the same hockey school, but only here we met, you know, kind of Vympel brothers in Nizhnekamsk. My coach was Oleg Belousov. I really grateful to him, he inspired me to love hockey at that time from 4 to 10 years old. He said that his task was for to inspire us to love hockey and be good human beings. We had a strong team; many of the guys now play in the JHL.

After that, there was a reconstruction of the Stadium where we played. The locker rooms and the rink were in different buildings. For the whole season, we went to other arenas, that were closer to the center of Moscow. My parents and grandfather helped me to get there and later decided to move to a club closer to home – Snezhnye Barsy. I played there for two seasons; we had a young and ambitious coach Igor Mizin. He always wanted to win. Igor Mizin was invited to HC Dmitrov. Our coached decided to take the goaltender and the first line of Snezhnye Barsy, including me. We had a quite successful season. We got wins over top teams.

Later, my dad saw an advertisement SKA team looked for new players. I filled out a form, and a week later, I received an invitation. Dad said: «We are getting ready, we are going to St. Petersburg.» There my coach was Alexander Pavlov. Now, he is on the coaching staff of SKA-Yunior. I was 14 years old and started living alone in another city. I spent two good seasons there; it was a completely different level and a more professional approach to training athletes. I got several injuries, so I did not have much time to show my best game. Nevertheless, the next season I became the team’s top scorer, the best forward in St. Petersburg.

After that, I was a part Russkie Vityazi team team. I played not so much in the JHL because mostly I played in the YHL, in the Vityaz team. At that time, I was playing with Timofei Urakov. I remember him from that time as a tough guy and powerful defenseman.

– You became Reactor player almost right at the beginning of the season. How did this happen?

– I talked directly to Igor Fyodorov and asked for a try-out. He gave me this chance, I appreciate it so much. It is unlikely that anyone would have been seriously looking for players at the end of August. First practices were not good for me. Probably, I was getting used to the team, because it is important for me to feel comfortable in the team and to communicate with the guys. At first, it was hard to show my best game. Now everything is fine. After these three months I really like our team, we have great guys. The most interesting thing is that for 6-7 games, I was a winger, and then Ilnar Misbakhov offered me to play in the center. I had to change my style of hockey. When you winger, you can skate aggressively and engage in a puck battles. In the center, you think more with your head so you do not make a mistake or get outplayed.

– Does your Jersey number mean a lot to you?

– I always tried to get No. 9 - it was my dad’s number when I played soccer. Back at school, at Vympel, the coach walked around the locker room, asking which number we want, and right in front of me the guy named number 9. I was so upset, and I choose number 11, like Malkin in the national team. Later, in all other teams, I chose number 9. Here in Nizhnekamsk, I had two options – No. 54 and No. 78. My mother was born in 1978, so I chose 78. Now I like 78, maybe I will keep it for next season.

– How does your family support you?

– Dad and mom became Reaktor fans; they write comments on social networks and worry about the team’s success. Grandfathers and grandmothers watch the games, we have a family chat, and my relatives actively discuss and congratulate me if there was a good game. My younger brother Makar, born in 2012, also plays hockey at the Petrov Academy in Krasnogorsk. In our family, we have four children. I am the eldest. There is my sister Vera, she is 6 years old, and there is also the youngest hockey player Miron, he recently went to his first practice.

– As the eldest child in the family, you are probably the most responsible.

– Yes, there is such a thing. They are always waiting for me; they want to spend more time with me. At home, in general, I am charged with positive energy from my younger brothers and sister.

– Where are you studying?

– At the Moscow Institute of Sports (sports management). This is my third year. I graduated from school in St. Petersburg as an external student. One year equals two years, and now I am already in my third year. I study part-time (distance learning).

– How do you spend your free time?

– If we talk about free time, then we have such a busy schedule that even if we have it, we have a rest at the Baza. We have such a great team here. I live in a room with Alexei Poteryayev and Renard Mustafin. We always have fun. I have been in Nizhnekamsk not so long ago, sometimes we go to the cinema, to the computer club – it is just a way to switch my mind from hockey.

– According to the calendar, Reaktor has its final game in Novokuznetsk on December 29, and on January 4 there is another away game in Omsk. Is there any chance for you to meet your family?

– They are waiting for me at home. On December 30, we will have a transfer in Moscow, I think I will stay there and spend two days at home. We will celebrate the New Year and after that, I have to get on the plane, because on January 1st we will have practice. Sure, you definitely need to come home and meet your loved ones.

– Who are the leaders of the team?

– I think now all four lines are strong, everyone scores, and everyone tries to do his best during the game. Our line – me, Amir Gizyatov and Danila Medvedev – we all score goals. Joey-Christophe Muissu, Kondrat Reshetnikov and Seva Sokolov have a great playmaker game. I cannot imagine what they will do against opponents in two years. Rinel Fakhrutdinov and Marsel Murtazin also always help the team. If the game is not going well for one line, other lines are ready to help. We must take advantage of the fact that we have a close–knit team, we are a really good team, the atmosphere here in the team is perfect. We do not want to go on vacation in February; we want to show our best game. We have three points gap before reaching the play-in zone; We want to please the fans, the coaching staff, and our families. If everyone works hard, everything will be fine.