in today’s edition of our continuing Saturday series Not A Word About Hockey we’re going to sit down with Krylia Sovetov Moscow goaltender Denis Popov. As it goes, he shared a lot of interesting about himself, his hobbies, personality traits and much more.

Spare time

- During the season it’s our team doctor who decides on my diet. In the off-season, it’s either my mom or my girlfriend. I do my best to be versatile in that regard. I like Japanese and Russian cuisines. My most favorite meal is French turkey pasta.
- I have a pet. It’s a Maine Coon cat. His name is Kuzya.
- I spend my days off either watching movies with my girlfriend or with my friends – I can play videogames with them every now and then.
- I dream of visiting Italy and also Japan. I also wouldn’t mind going back to Spain and visit Port Aventura again. It’s one of the best amusement parks. I would like to taste local cuisine in Japan. Italy entices me with its architecture, history and nature.
- I seldom get to go out with my friends. I have a tight schedule so I can’t afford going out with them often. Sometimes if the weather is nice we can stroll down Moscow. I don’t have any specific places I like to visit. Most important is who I meet with.
- I don’t have favorite movies or TV series but I do have preferred genres. It’s comedies and horror movies. If a movie is in one of these genres, I’m going to watch it.
- My music preference is either rap or hip-hop. The latest track I have added to my playlist was 6ix9ine by GOOBA.

Personality traits

- I’m a kind and fun guy. Sometimes I have one of those moods when I easily lose my temper. My greatest asset is honesty. I always do my best to avoid lying. As for my biggest shortcoming, it’s anger. Because if I get angry, it’s difficult to calm me down.
- I’m a goaltender and I’m always eager to step onto the ice. I do what I love so I have never been in no mood to get out of bed to go to the game.
- A real man must be honest, just and strong. And I mean strong not just physically but spiritually as well. He has to be of strong spirit. Man is someone who family relies on and who can protect his loved ones.
- From my parents I inherited such qualities as benevolence, caring and ability to love. Sincere love is a very important skill.
- When I meet a new person, first thing I look at is how they act in public. How they talk and what they do when people are around.

Style

- I don’t have a role model when it comes to men’s fashion, I don’t really follow it. I wear whatever makes me feel comfortable.
- Usually I don’t pay attention to clothing brands. It’s not something I’m interested in. Black and white are the most common colors in my wardrobe. I prefer athletic wear in everyday life. I wear classics less often.
- I don’t have a favorite perfume. As long as it smells good, it’s fine.

Relationship

- I have a girlfriend. Her name is Alina and she loves hockey. She studies at Medical School and she’s also one of the cheerleaders of Krylia Sovetov.
- We have an unusual story about how we met. I got to know her through her younger brother. He gave me a piece of paper with her number after a game. I decided to text her and that’s how we started hanging out.
- I believe that a serious relationship is a necessity for athletic career. It gives you great support from your loved one and it makes you want to get better all the time.
- It’s important to me that my girl was faithful to me and sincere towards me. This way there won’t be any frustration.
- If my son is going to want to play hockey, obviously, I will sign him up for a hockey school and share my experience.

Education

- If it weren’t for hockey in my life, I probably would have been in finances. I’m interested in mathematics and economics, I understand it well.
- I study at Moscow Psycho-Social University. The classes line up with my practices so I haven’t had the chance to meet all of my classmates. Right now I know just the head of class.
- I believe that higher education is very important. Often enough your whole future depends on it.

Interesting fact

Usually people say that goaltenders are a special breed of people and they’re not talkative. I’m the exact opposite. I’m a very easy-going person, I love talking and always open with everyone.