{"id":8472,"date":"2025-07-20T13:11:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T13:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/8472\/"},"modified":"2025-07-20T13:11:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T13:11:09","slug":"red-wings-russian-five-member-fired-in-khl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/8472\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings Russian Five member fired in KHL"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you think NHL teams are keeping coaches on a short lease, then consider what just happened to former Detroit Red Wings forward Vyacheslav Kozlov<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Part of the club\u2019s iconic Russian Five during Detroit\u2019s Stanley Cup win in 1996-97, Kozlov was hired in June as the coach of Sochi of the KHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always dreamed of being a head coach,\u201d Kozlov said at the time of his appointment.<\/p>\n

HC Sochi will be Vyacheslav Kozlov’s head coaching debut in the KHL. pic.twitter.com\/XefvtXwwHe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 KHL (@khl_eng) June 3, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

On Saturday, Kozlov was fired, without even having the opportunity to coach the club for a single game.<\/p>\n

The team also dismissed assistant coach Alexander Savchenkov.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have made a balanced decision and we are heading into the new season with new tasks and ambitious goals,\u201d Sochi General Director Igor Grigorenko said in a statement on the team\u2019s website<\/a>. \u201cThe priority of the club and the new head coach, whose name we will announce soon, is the development of hockey and the younger generation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am confident that with the support of numerous fans, we are able to return Sochi to the Gagarin Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sochi finished last overall in the KHL\u2019s 11-team Western Conference last season.<\/p>\n

Less after a month since the appointment, @HCSOCHI<\/a> fired coach Vyacheslav Kozlov and assistant Alexander Savchenkov
“We have made a balanced decision and are heading into the new season with new tasks and ambitious goals” said GM Igor Grigorenko@hcsochiru<\/a> #\u0425\u041a\u0421\u043e\u0447\u0438<\/a> #HCSochi<\/a> #KHL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/E0aqoSyc4d<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Eurohockey com (@eurohockey) July 19, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Like Kozlov, Grigorenko was a Red Wings draft pick. He was selected 62nd overall in the 2001 NHL entry draft. Grigorenko played five games for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins<\/a> in 2007-08.<\/p>\n

The onetime Red Wings prospect was named earlier this month to replace Sergei Voropaev as Sochi General Director. Voropaev had worked at the club for nine years.<\/p>\n

Red Wings Alumni Well Represented In KHL Coaching Ranks<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no shortage of Red Wings ties to the KHL coaching fraternity. Igor Larionov<\/a>, another member of the famed Russian Five, was named coach of SKA St. Petersburg during the offseason. Another Russian Five player, Sergei Fedorov<\/a>, coached CSKA Moscow to a pair of Gagarin Cup titles.<\/p>\n

There is currently speculation that another former Red Wings player and longtime NHL head coach is ready to take over bench duties with a KHL club. According to published reports in Russia, Gerard Gallant is to be named the coach of Kunlun Red Star.<\/p>\n

Kozlov was an assistant coach in the KHL last season. He was working under another former NHL player, Alexei Kudashev, with Dynamo Moscow.<\/p>\n

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