Karri Kivi: Traktor players should be proud of team and city they represent

First off, a couple of words about yourself, Karri.
I was born in 1970 in Turku, Finland. When I was two, my family moved to Tampere, that is why this city is cited as my native in many hockey sources. After school I used to play hockey with my friends. I always dreamt about being Sergey Makarov or Sergey Babinov and tried to copy them. Now I know they are both Chelyabinsk natives, and that is so cool! I am married and a father of two daughters, 11 and 15 years old.

Some of your friends have become doctors, salesmen, and teachers. Why did you choose the career path of a hockey player?
Back then hockey was changing and becoming more professional-oriented. However, I did not plan on becoming a hockey player; it’s just how things played out.

You participated in two WJCs, one of them at the tender age of 18…
Right, I took part in two World Junior Championships, the one in 1989, hosted by USA, the other in 1990, hosted by Finland. I was 18 and 19 years old respectively. I was one of the youngest on the roster, and it did me a huge favor. It’s always great to train alongside experienced partners, not to mention to participate in a tournament of such caliber.

In 1990 you were drafted by Vancouver Canucks. Did you have the chance to try your fare in the NHL?
I knew Canucks had drafted me, but I did not receive an invitation to come to the training camp. Although, I did want to play in the NHL and stay there for a while.

You represented some of the best hockey clubs of Sweden and Finland. Tenure in which team was the most memorable one?
Yes, during my 13-year professional career I changed several clubs, including Ilves, TPS, Assät, AIK, and Kärpät. Each had their advantages and disadvantages. It’s hard to pick the special one.

When did you decide to become a coach and what was the reason behind that decision?
This decision was not planned. When I finished my player career, Assät’s GM called me and asked me whether I was ready to become the assistant head coach. It was unexpected, but I was honored to be a coach in Finland, so I didn’t think a lot before accepting this offer.

During your tenure as a coach, you reached the finals several times, performing there with various results. Do you think losing key matches is important for any coach? Ifso, howimportant isit?
Toughness and guts are what matters. When you win, your players start to get more and more confident by the match. When you lose, it’s important to keep your emotions in check, because not even for one second can your team notice that you are discouraged.

You led junior team Finland to gold in 2014 World Championship. In your opinion, what is the biggest difference between working in club and national team?
Off topic – being a national team coach in Finland is a great honor. The biggest difference is in the fact that you spend 24/7 almost 365 days a year with your club, whereas working in the national team requires only some 100 days a year.

You haven’t coached a team outside of Finland before, and then along comes the offer from Chelyabinsk. How are you preparing for the first ever season outside of Suomi?
I have been following KHL for quite a while, so I already have the notion of which style some of the teams stick to. Also, don’t forget that when I was a player in Finland, I worked under the wing of such mastodons as Vladimir Yurzinov Sr. and Vasily Tikhonov, meaning I have some theoretical basis to build upon.

What are your impressions from the team infrastructure and the city itself?
From what I have seen here, I am pretty sure that Chelyabinsk is a true hockey town. I have been impressed with how Traktor’s history is honored and revered. Team management consists of ambitious professionals who set attainable goals for the next season. Beautiful arena and hockey atmosphere all around the city only add to my positive impressions. It’s the conditions like these that make any hockey specialist work hard to achieve set goals.

What Traktor are we going to see next season?
You’ll see when the season begins. I can only tell you that dedication and guts are going to play an important role in team’s composition. Puck possession and constant offensive pressure will be of paramount importance. My players should be proud of the team and city they represent. There are not going to be any excuses if someone did not give it their all on the ice.

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