BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

01/04/2009

Glen Hanlon is back in Belarus

Canadian Glen Hanlon is back again in Belarus as head coach of the Belarusian national team, a job he has done already a few years ago. Moreover, Glen Hanlon now holds the reins of Dynamo Minsk: he will coach them in the KHL for the next season.

Irina Kiyenia

In this season Glen Hanlon worked as Jokerit coach, but things didn't go run smoothly and the coach found himself withot a bench. Now Hanlon is committed to the preparation of the Belarusian national team for the 2009 World Championships. His team set as aim to reach a position not lower than the seventh. Belarusian hockey federations' representant Vladimir Naumov stated that he would like Hanlon to work in Belarus until 2014, at least. Let's remember that Belarus proposed themselves as candidate for the organization of the 2014 World Championships. Naumov admitted to count on the fact that with Hanlon, the team could fight for a medal in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Regarding Dynamo, club's aim for the 2009-10 season is to get the tenth seed in the regular season and advancing at least to the playoffs' second round.

"I'm very glad to be back again in Belarus, and I'll work not only with the national team, but also with such a good team as Dynamo. I've got many ties with Belarus."

What are Dynamo's aims?

Any team sets as own aim to reach the better they can get, to reach the playoffs, to play and win. It will be impossible to do without foreigner specialists and players, so I'm saying since now that we're going to sign some foreign players. Players that will have to represent worthly the club's and the nation's interests in such a league, like the KHL, indipendently from the fact that they are from Belarus or from another country. Belarusians don't consider themselves as second-rate players because we have a good atmosphere and every player deserves respect.

Haven't you forgot russian language?

I've forgot some words already, but I remember very well one of them: rabota (work). It was pleasant for me today to quickly visit the locker room, meet the players, with whom I worked in the international stage. This team has some veterans who has proved a lot and that has demonstrated that they can worthly do their job. But there are also some youngsters who try hard to prove that they can eventually take the spot of the veterans, but they still have a lot to prove. In the forthcoming training camp they will have a chance to prove that they can get the veterans' roles and to reach serious objectives.

Jokerit hasn't had much luck this season

Yes, and I sadly say that. As any other coach I wanted to win. We played well at the start of the season, but then we gave up, we didn't reach our aims. Unfortunately, it went like that.

Aren't you worried by the goalkeepers' lineup in the Belarusian national team?

No. I do not think that we'll have many problems. Regarding Vitali Koval, he's a young goalie who still has to work a lot. No problem, fatigue shouldn't strike on him at his age.

Regarding Andrei Mezin, we have good ties and I believe that he will be happy to play for the national team. Thus we have at least two excellent goalkeepers - goalkeepers who are now among the best players in the world in their role. Mezin wasn't awarded as best goalkeeper without a reason in two world championships - in Austria and in Latvia. I think that we must be up for him, when he'll be with the national team.

And the defense doesn't concern you?

No. Of course, we're waiting reinforcements from North America: we'll have Sergei Kolosov, Vladimir Denisov, Ruslan Salei. And if someone won't arrive, I hope everything is gonna be ok.

Do you think that Mikhail Stefanovich is ready to play for the national team?

We count on this young player and we wait him in the training camp. He trained hard last year, but he wasn't ready yet. Now Stefanovich plays in a good league, where he scored many goals. Yes, we hope that he can help the national team. If his team won't advance to the playoffs, of course.

Aren't you worried by the daily life in Minsk?

No. Our director for hockey operations Sean Simpson is already set in a flat, and he had good words only, talking about all the aspects of the life in Minsk. It's not a case that many specialists consider Minsk as the best city in the KHL.

Source:

http://www.eurohockey.net/news/story.html?id=20090401071955_glen_hanlon_is_back_in_belarus

Google
 


Partners:
Face.by Social Network
Face.by