Lokomotiv head coach Bob Hartley shared his thoughts before the 2026 Gagarin Cup final series against Ak Bars. The first game is set for May 11 in Yaroslavl.
“You’ve knocked Ak Bars out of the playoffs three times (with Avangard – note). Do you have a formula for playing against them?”
“This is a new challenge for me. Even if there was a formula, it’s outdated. Those were fun series. I remember three losses in Balashikha and four wins in Kazan. A wild story, but everything has changed now.”
“Did the team have enough time to rest?”
“After the series against Salavat Yulaev, I felt the break was too long. You never know the ideal gap between series – I’ll be able to answer that after the first game. It was good we could give the team two days off. We held all necessary meetings. The guys are in a positive mindset.
We can build on the emotions from the previous round, but at the same time, this is a different opponent, and the series promises to be tough,” Hartley said.
