Maksim SamartsevThe head coach of the Forge gave a worthy rebuff to the attacker. Hockey players often become victims of attacks and robberies. In the KHL, unlike the NHL, not everyone has the opportunity to find out the salaries of players – our league tries to hide such information and does not publish it in the public domain. However, thanks to insiders, rumors and constant discussions, the fabulous fees of hockey players by the standards of ordinary citizens often become known to the public. Each person has a different reaction to them: some are openly jealous, others take a neutral position, others use this information for self-motivation and understanding that there is something to strive for, and the fourth do not find anything better than trying to take away someone else’s wealth. And although recently cases of robbery attacks on hockey players are quite rare, they still happen – what is the story of Toronto forward Mitch Marner, who, after the departure of the Maple Leafs from the playoffs, was threatened with a gun right in the parking lot of a shopping center and stolen car.nhl.comHowever, hockey players are not always the victims of a planned and carefully thought-out attack. Like all people, they can be in the wrong place at the wrong time and run into a common criminal. On the night of November 21, 2011, the head coach of Metallurg Novokuznetsk Arkady Andreev got into such a situation. Together with the team, the coach returned from the trip at 2 am. Having gone straight from the airport home to a rented apartment on Metallurgov Avenue, which was located in the very center of Novokuznetsk, he was attacked by an unknown bandit. When Andreev opened the front door to the entrance and went inside, the intruder, who had decent dimensions, ran into him and began to strike the coach’s face and body. It seemed that Arkady had no chance in this fight: the element of surprise was supposed to play into the hands of the hooligan. In addition, during the long flight, Andreev was tired and did not get enough sleep, and therefore he might not have had the strength to fight. But the specialist was able not only to repulse the bandit who attacked him, but also forced him to run away. The attacker hit Arkady Fedorovich in the face, and then, seeing that he remained on his feet, he wanted to hit him again, but received a decent response from our coach, ”the press service of Metallurg Novokuznetsk commented on the incident. When Andreev saw that his opponent decided to leave the crime scene, he rushed after him in the hope of catching up and detaining the failed bandit. However, it is clear that the perpetrator knew the area much better than the victim, who moved to Novokuznetsk and began working with the local team only a few months ago. Therefore, after 2-3 minutes of intense pursuit, the attacker managed to hide in the dark courtyards of Novokuznetsk. Andreev did everything possible to still find his offender, but he seemed to have fallen through the ground. In the end, feeling tired after a long flight and stress, the coach went home.Yuri Kuzmin, photo.khl.ruThe very next morning, the news about the failed attack on the Novokuznetsk team’s head coach spread all over the city. Then it turned out that a suspicious group of young people who could indulge in illegal substances often spend time near the house of Arkady Fedorovich. Despite the active assistance to the investigation of all local residents and the victim himself, the police did not manage to find the malicious violator of peace and order. Since then, Andreev has been known throughout Novokuznetsk as a brave man who is able to stand up for himself in any situation.