Garnett interviews Klimontov in Russian
His own interview:
Where was your summer vacation? What stuck in your memory?
After the World Championships I called my friend and we went to the Philippines where we visited Manila and the Boracay island. I can say we had an excellent time there. After the Philippines I flew to Dallas to meet my brother and four friends at a country music festival. And it was great again. Imagine 10 thousand people walking in the open air, having fun and listening to their favorite music. It was wonderful!
When did you start preparing to the season?
I start cycling and running cross-country two weeks before the pre-season every year to lose weight and get good shape, so now I'm ready to training camps.
The Chelyabinsk region Governor Mikhail Yurevich set the aim for Traktor to win everything that can be won. What are your own aims?
I never set global aims. My one is to win every match. If my team gets into the playoffs, I must show my best with the team.
And how about beating your own Gagarin Cup record or taking part in All-Star?
OK, there should be some aims, but if I win every game, I'll get everything of it. The only thing I must do is to help my team to win.
Traktor stars a brand new Traktor-TV project this year. How do you find it and would you like to take part in our experiments?
It's a great idea. There is TV, the writing press. Of course you can read something, but it's rather more interesting to watch it. For my part, I'll do my best in taking part in the project.
Michael, how do you think of the KHL expansion and the two newcomers of this season?
I think it's great. People in these cities must love hockey and will be glad to watch the best European clubs on their ice. It's a step forward for the League itself, but we'll see how these two teams will do in the KHL. For players it's an opportunity to visit cities where they've never been.
How did you react to the news about Ilya Kovalchuk returning to Russia?
I understand him and think it's player's own business where to play. If the team of my native town played in such a league, I would be glad to play in this club.
Some leading players left the team. How can you comment on their departure?
As for Valery [Nichushkin], it was obvious that he was dreaming about the NHL. I was sure already at the mid season that he would leave us. Our managers were right in selling the rights and getting a kind of compensation for his departure. He's a talented and conversable guy, so he should be very successful. As for Deron [Quint], I'm sad that he won't play for Traktor anymore. He's been my best friend, but it's hockey, and it can be quite unpredictable sometimes. I'll miss him here in Chelyabinsk, as well as other guys.
