Shafagat Takhautdinov: ‘Preparation of our own trainees is the main goal of Ak Bars’
Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov met with players and coaching staff of HC Ak Bars on 9 August. A new president of the club – the director general of Tatneft PJSC Nail Maganov – was presented in the presence and active participation of his predecessor Shafagat Takhautdinov. Realnoe Vremya tells about kind words addressed to the latter and hockey as the number one sports in the republic and Ak Bars – as its symbol.
Raise the bar
Ak Bars is a symbol of our republic that made it famous due to its victories,' it is how Rustam Minnikhanov opened the meeting. All people came to listen to the number one fan of hockey at the base of Ak Bars: players and coaching staff of the team headed by its unchangeable mentor of the Barses Zinetulla Bilyaletdinov, the acting and former club presidents, including hockey players of Ak Bars youth school and players of the second team.
'Having become four-time champions of the country and two-time owners of the Gagarin Cup, the club has covered a long distance during its 60-year-old history. It has the best base, a powerful replenishment by their own pupils – it is all Shafagat Takhautdinov's merit. We see how the hockey life of the republic has changed for 12 years of his presidency at Ak Bars. It is a merit of our oil workers. An excellent foundation was laid for a further development of hockey. The new president of the club Maganov is your successor and pupil. You need to not only conserve the level you reached but also raise the bar,' Rustam Minnikhanov told.
However, not Takhautdinov but the head coach of the team was the second person to deliver a speech on the stage. This fact had a more political importance for Zinetulla Bilyaletdinov, especially because the specialist's contract expires next year. At the press conference after the event Nail Maganov would give to understand the prolongation of the contract with the coach, first of all, depends on very 'Bill'. And the specialist, in turn, paid tribute to Shafagat Takhautdinov. Bilyaletdinov enumerated all merits of the ex-president of the club for a long time. No one doubts the specialist's sincerity because Bilyaletdinov presented the 2012 IIHF World Championships gold medal to his former boss at the end. In 2012, the Russians became champions under the Kazan coach. 'It is your merit,' told Bill and presented the medal.
'Hockey is the number one sport in Tatarstan'
So, the presentation of the new president of the club segued to an evening with kind words addressed to Shafagat Takhautdinov who thanked all people for their kindness and reminded about the development of mass hockey in Tatarstan. 'We laid the foundation of hockey – we built 600 outdoor hockey ice rinks and more than 40 indoor ice palaces. It is the best result in the country. Preparation of our own trainees is our main goal. They already play in the first team. It is the coaches' merit. I hand the baton over Maganov and present my successor a picture that has room for new awards,' the ex-president of the club told the new head of regional hockey.
'Hockey is the number one sport in the republic and Russia,' Nail Maganov noted in turn. 'It indicates a huge job done on the popularisation of hockey. We will achieve a new, higher level. We express our gratitude to Takhautdinov for his big job. We will conserve traditions of the club and go forward. In conclusion, the captain of the Barses Aleksander Svitov and pupil of regional hockey Artyom Lukoyanov presented shirts: Minnikhanov was given the number 99 and Maganov – 58.
It should be reminded Shafagat Takhautdinov headed Ak Bars as its president from 2004. The Kazan players became three-time champions of Russia and won the two first Gagarin Cup under Takhautdinov. Moreover, Ak Bars 'made noise' in Europe quite well, won the IIHF European Champions Cup and the Continental Cup.
