Nail Yakupov on being a Muslim, Don Cherry, the draft combine and playing in Canada

OilersNation’s Andrey Osadchenko recently had an opportunity to talk to top 2012 Draft prospect Nail Yakupov again, and the two covered a lot of ground.  Yakupov went into detail about what his Muslim faith means for his hockey career, what it was like to meet Don Cherry, how he handled the draft combine, and why he hopes to be drafted by and play for a Canadian team.

NY: This is what happened. I was asked about the ‘Russian Factor’. I said it had nothing to do with me because everyone has his own path. Generalization is wrong. Don’t tell me that I’m going to get drunk all the time or smoke or anything. Because it’s not going to happen. And then I said that if you really look into this I’m not a Russian but a Tatar. [AO: In Russian language there are two words for ‘Russian’. One meaning ethnicity, the other – nationality. However, in English ‘Russian’ means both, which understandably created confusion] I didn’t mean to say anything what now people think I did. I love Russia, I played for Team Russia and hopefully I will play for Team Russia again. But I said this word and people zeroed in on it.

[Canadians] just don’t know who Tatars are. I’m telling them: ‘I’m Tatar’. And they go: ‘What’s a Tatar?’ I had to explain it. That’s when I mentioned the Muslim thing. Now everybody in Russia thinks I’m public enemy #1. I didn’t mean to offend anybody. It’s not my fault I was born a Tatar and a Muslim, right? What do I do now – hang myself? Tatarstan is part of Russia. I played for Team Russia and I have a Russian passport. When they asked me about the ‘Russian Factor’ I tried to make a joke out of it. However, I was clear about what I meant, wasn’t I? I meant – generalization is wrong. Everybody has his own path.

NY: No, I don’t do stuff like that. I just believe in God and go to mosque if I have a chance. I just live. Don’t worry, I’m not going to disappear during the season because of my religious beliefs.

NY: 18.

NY: It’s clear that I can’t be drafted by 18 teams. However, a lot of teams just want to get to know you better. They want to know what kind of a person you are. They even discuss it among themselves. You know, we didn’t get much out of him but maybe he really opened up to Minnesota or Chicago? That kind of thing. Some teams were quite honest about it too. They were like: ‘Hey, we know you won’t be available for us. So how about we just talk? What’s up? How’s it going?’

NY: No, nobody tried to get under my skin. Everybody asked me pretty much the same questions. Most of them were about hockey and how do I practice in summer. It was interesting. Sometimes I felt comfortable and sometimes not because people would look at me really seriously and asked questions accordingly. There were some interviews where I just had to say: ‘Look, you guys really made me sweat here. Do you people ever smile?’ I tried to loosen them up a little bit. Because they looked at me as if they were about to tear me apart.

NY: So I was told, yes. I stood next to him on TV. He’s a good guy. We talked and joked around. I didn’t feel that he dislikes me in any way. I’ve also heard he loves top prospects. He wasn’t like: ‘Oh, you Russians are all scum!’ Seriously, Don Cherry is a cool guy. I liked him.

NY: You got that right. After I came to the Combine Tests in Toronto, I had 8 flights. I had to go to New York and back, then to Edmonton and back, and then catch a flight back home. It’s okay. It’s not like I could say ‘no’ to this.

NY: I always look good. It’s not a problem for me. I just need a few hours to rest and I’m good to go. Besides, they didn’t drag me to interviews right from the plane.

NY: (laughs) I smiled before every test. Even before the bicycle. I felt pretty good. I was eager to try all of this. I was always talking and joking around with the guys, it was fun. Of course, it’s difficult. But what can you do? I like to smile. Maybe it’s just something I do. People say I’ve got a wonderful smile. So I smile.

NY: Sure is. It’s a part of hockey. And I love hockey. I know that hockey games are just part of it. There’s also gym, tests and many other things. Interviews with reporters as well. My dad and my family taught me this – no matter how difficult it is, you have to do it with a smile. If you’re in a good mood, it’s easier to get stuff done. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and everything’s going to be ok. Besides, when you’re on that bicycle people cheer for you. And you understand yourself that if you’re going to make it to the NHL, it’s only going to get tougher. This is why in one of my interviews I said that this bicycle was easy for me.

NY: It was great. They got a new rink, it’s very big. Before the game we went to meet the players in the locker-room. We spoke to 4 guys who speak Russian on the Devils, and to Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty from the Kings.

NY: Voynov just said ’Hi’ and walked away and Loktionov was on the ice with his coach at this time. It was interesting to take in the atmosphere of the Stanley Cup Finals. I had goosebumps all over me! Sure, maybe it was a slow-pace game but you have got to love the way they battle on pure character! Everyone battles for the puck. Everyone understands that there’s no luxury to make a mistake, so they play very calmly and don’t try to do anything unusual. I agree, it wasn’t exciting hockey but interesting nevertheless. Besides it went to overtime. Our trip was well-organized too. They met us, took us to lunch, then to the locker-room, then we got on TV, we were interviewed and taking pictures with fans. It was fun. I want to play in the NHL as soon as possible.

NY: I don’t like comparing myself to other people. Especially with those who already made it to the NHL. Because they are already there and I just finished my season in a junior league. Hopefully, I get drafted first overall and then we’ll see. I will work hard and do everything I can to make it to the NHL. It’s easy to say from the stands that you’d this and that differently. But these are men who play there. And we got to see what these men are like. However, I’m not afraid of anything. I think I can play there. You just have to work hard and I’m ready for this.

NY: My goal is to play in the NHL. It’s my #1 priority. It doesn’t matter what team am I on. I just spent 2 years in Canada and I really like this country. I’ve fallen in love with it. I never lived in USA so I can’t say anything about this country. I feel comfortable in Canada. I don’t know who’s going to draft me. I will play for any team.

NY: (smiles) I don’t have a shirt like this. Don’t worry I got other shirts and they are all great.

NY: My family always helps me with advice. My agent also tells me what I should say in different situations. Eventually I learned it. About 3-4 years ago I thought it was easy – you just say whatever is on your mind. Now I realize that it’s very serious. You have to be prepared for an interview. You have to know what to say and when. I can’t really explain it. I just know what I’m supposed to answer in certain situations. My mom, dad, uncle, agents and friends helped me with this. Did I answer your question in the ‘right’ way? (laughs)