Bob Hartley: I wanted to go to Omsk. My only regret is that we haven’t played a single game there

Good job, Bob! Thank you for the four great seasons, for two finals, for gold medals and the Gagarin Cup. We love you and look forward to see you at the opening of the new Arena in Omsk!

Avangard head coach Bob Hartley held a press conference and stated the following:

- When I signed the second contract with Alexander Krylov and Maxim Sushinsky, it was already in my mind that those would be my final two years. Hockey has given me everything, I met my wife thanks to it. Now distance plays a key role, I am far away from my family. I'm glad you asked this question, because there is a lot of information in the press saying that I don't want to go to Omsk. This is false. When I agreed to move to Russia, I made a commitment to move to Omsk and work with the team in Omsk. But everyone knows what the situation was, no one could predict this. My hometown Hawkesbury is an industrial city in Ontario, Canada. I'm used to snow, cold, factories. I have huge respect for people who work at the factories. If there is one regret over these four years, it's that we haven’t played a single game in Omsk. Yes, we brought the Cup, we brought silver medals, but this is not quite the same. When I was in Omsk for the first couple of weeks, I was walking around the city, and I liked it a lot. I walked along the Irtysh River, I saw people fishing there. I understood that it would be a wonderful time to spend in this city. Therefore, saying that I am not coming back because of moving to Omsk is absolutely wrong. Now it's time for me to be with my family. I have two wonderful granddaughters. One is turning four this week, the other one is two years old. I have never unpacked presents with them, never spent Christmas with them, never been to a birthday party. I miss this. I'm not saying that I'm retiring, hockey is in my blood. If the game in Magnitogorsk was my last one, I will take it. If there will be some options, I will consider them, but now I want to take a break, to be with my family. I thank Alexander Krylov and Alexander Dyukov. When I met them, I realized the mindset of entire Gazprom Neft company, I understood this psychology - no mediocrity, constant focus on success. I thank everyone I was working with for the work they have done, from my coaching staff to marketing department. Thank you for these four years.