In today’s edition of our continuing Not A Word About Hockey series we’re going to talk to Sputnik Almetyevsk goaltender Adel Minegaliev. Interviews with netminders tend to turn interesting and this one was no exception. Let’s hear what he has to say.

Spare time

- I live at the baza in Almetyevsk so it’s the team doctor who decides on our diet. I don’t have a favorite meal. I’m almost omnivorous. The only things are I don’t like are buckwheat and peas.
- I have a husky, his name is Lord. But I can’t move him to Almetyevsk yet, so he stays with my parents.
- I like to spend time outdoors with my family. I enjoy fresh air, woods and rivers. I like fishing so whenever there’s time my family and I go to Kama River. It’s a great place to rest and fish.
- I would like to visit USA. Especially Washington, DC. I know a lot about the city but I would love to see it with my own eyes.
- I don’t get to see my friends very often. Usually, I have the time only in the summer after academic year is over and everyone goes back to their hometown. When I come to Mezelinsk, I try to meet with everyone and chat. If there’s time, we can also have a barbecue.
- I like Russian war movies, especially about World War II. T-34 was one of the movies I liked recently. I like Danila Kozlovsky, because he’s different from other contemporary actors. He can impersonate different characters and he’s very convincing at that.
- I can listen to all kinds of music if it corresponds to my mood and situation. Although, several genres are dominant in my playlist. It’s Russian rap and the 90’s music. The latest track I have added to my playlist was Shantazh by Max Korzh.

Character traits

- I’m responsible. That’s my biggest asset. I try hard, I’m caring and friendly but very selective about who I talk to. As for my downsides, sometimes I can be arrogant, although I try to keep myself in check so it wouldn’t affect other people.
- I have never been in a situation when I didn’t feel like playing hockey. Even if my team is losing and I replace the starting goaltender, I always do my best to help my team win regardless of what the score is. If something goes wrong, I always tell myself, “You can do better and you will do better.”
- I think, everybody sees a ‘real man’ the same way. He must be responsible for his words and actions, always go towards his goal and achieve it.
- Character-wise I’m more like my dad but I inherited kindness, good people skills and work ethic from both my parents.
- To be honest with you, whenever I meet new people, the first thing I look at is how they’re dressed. I’m not talking about brands, I’m talking about tidiness. I also notice manners right away. If a person is open, calm, doesn’t try to make an impression but behaves naturally, there’s a much greater chance of us having a good conversation.
- I have a few superstitions. I always put my equipment on starting from the left side – left skate, left pad and so on. I also step on the ice with my left foot first. I have almost nothing of the sort in my everyday life. I don’t even know that many superstitions. Although, I do pay attention to black cats.
- I’m a gambler on the ice. I play till the end no matter what. But I can stop when I need to in real life.

Style

- I don’t pay much attention to other men’s style but if I had to single someone out, it would be Robert Downey Jr. He’s brutal, manly and just gorgeous!
- Comfort is the may thing in clothes. I usually wear black and white clothes but I like white better. I usually opt for athletic wear and I don’t wear classics. I just don’t have many reasons for that and it’s not very comfortable for everyday life.
- Paco Rabanne ‘1 million’ is my favorite perfume.
- I can’t grow a beard yet but if it’s going to change, I would love to have one. I like the style.

Relationship

- Everybody has their own definition of beauty. I like smart, timid and well-mannered girls. And, obviously, an ideal girlfriend must be able to make home a comfortable place and create the kind of atmosphere you would want to be in.
- Right now I don’t have a girlfriend but I don’t think that a real serious relationship can be an obstacle in anything. On the contrary, it’s a special kind of support in any situation.
- I will try to take my son to hockey practices and see if he likes it. If he doesn’t, I’m not going to force it on him. If it works out – great, if not – it’s not a big deal. There are plenty of other things that might suit him better. Although, I would sign up my daughter for gymnastics but only if she would like it.
- I don’t think girls have any kind of special reaction when I tell them I’m a hockey player. They treat me as everybody else. Almetyevsk is a hockey town, it doesn’t really strike anybody as a big surprise.

Career and studies

- In Mezelinsk you can either play hockey or soccer. But I’m not into soccer, so if it weren’t for hockey, I would just carry on with my studies and get a higher education after graduating from high school. Most likely, I would be somewhere in the oil industry.
- I’m majoring in coaching but my college is in my hometown so I almost never come to classes. It’s not that I’m happy about it but I had a choice to make – either sports or full-time studies. It’s great that I have an opportunity to study by a special schedule to get my diploma. I know almost none of my classmates – only those I’ve known since we were kids.
- Higher education is very important if you want to have a decent job and be good at it. Even the greatest athlete won’t be that good of a coach if he wouldn’t know how to do his job right.

Not a lot of people know that when I was a kid, I worked as shepherd for sometime. I helped my grandparents in the village to take care of a cow herd. It doesn’t seem like much, but I rarely tell this to people.