Ak Bars defenseman Ilya Karpukhin revealed how the team recovered after their playoff series win over Metallurg Magnitogorsk (4-1).
“Of course, the series is over and belongs to history. As soon as you get past one opponent, you take a day to catch your breath and prepare for the next one, focusing on the new goal,” Karpukhin told a correspondent.
Asked about their free time, he added: “We had a team event – the next day we all went to the bathhouse together. We had a good steam, recovered well, and now we’re waiting for the workdays ahead.”
When asked if the foreign players asked about the traditions of the Russian banya or had any initiation, Karpukhin replied: “No, nothing like that – they’ve been playing in the KHL for more than one season, so they know how things work here. We just wanted to spend some time enjoying ourselves, come in, have a steam, relax well in both body and soul.”
The Gagarin Cup final series between Lokomotiv and Ak Bars starts on May 11 in Yaroslavl.
