Imports Talk. Episode 1

Imports Talk will introduce you to KHL, its players, coaches and their families. You will discover new cities and cultural habits from your favorite KHLers.

It’s time to break stereotypes and hear all stories coming directly from active players and coaches. In our first program we combined different views and points of a highly successful hockey coach Bob Hartley, who continues his journey to the Gagarin Cup with Avangard, Jordan Schroeder and his wife, who treat their first season with Torpedo in Russia as an adventure, and two of the most experienced and popular Avtomobilist players captain Nigel Dawes and Geoff Platt.

Bob Hartley has a great career record: Stanley Cup, Calder Cup, NLA championship. Last season his team was a few steps away from the Gagarin Cup, but lost in the final round. Fans of Avangard love Hartley. His TV experience is valuable set of skills for Russian media. But most importantly is Hartley accepts and enjoys his new lifestyle. He says that it’s crucial to do everything with your heart.

One of the stereotypes that foreign players have to hear is acclimatization. It takes time to adjust to everything, it impacts a player’s performance and stats. It’s a different story for Jordan Schroeder, who fits right in. His great support system is his wife Gabriel. They both share their opinions about a new lifestyle and a language barrier.

It’s hard to surprise Nigel Dawes and Geoff Platt. They play together, they see each other every day, but do they really know each other’s habits?! It’s time for some fun and participation in our “chemistry game”.

We will continue our learning process with our fellow KHLers in the next programs.