‘Malkin was the first to call’: Valeri Bragin appointed as Russian national hockey team coach

Valeri Bragin, who has been appointed head coach of the Russian national hockey team, said that Pittsburgh Penguins NHL star Evgeni Malkin was the first player to congratulate him on the new assignment.

On Friday, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation announced that Bragin will take charge of the national team, replacing former Toronto Maple Leafs player Alexei Kudashov, who spent less than 11 months as head coach.

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“Evgeni Malkin and Yegor Zamula were the first players to congratulate me my appointment as team’s head coach” Bragin said at a press conference.

Bragin is famous for his achievements as a junior hockey coach, leading Russia to gold at the 2011 world under-20 tournament. This year, Bragin’s squad finished just shy of the championship, losing to Canada 3-4 in a nail-biting gold medal game.

During his long reign as junior coach, he discovered dozens of future stars, including Artemi Panarin, Nikita Kucherov, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Pavel Buchnevich, who are now playing in the NHL.

Bragin's two-year contract will expire in 2022 after the Beijing Olympics, which will run from February 4 to 20. His appointment was welcomed by Russian ice hockey pundits who hailed Bragin as a respected coach who can communicate with young players.

Bragin said his main goals as coach will be to win gold at next year’s IIHF world championship and defend the Olympic title won at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Russia claimed gold at the 2018 Olympics by edging out Germany 4-3 in a nerve-racking final.

NHL stars, including Malkin and Alex Ovechkin, could not participate in the Games after the North American league refused to pause its season and allow players to join their Olympic squads.