Pavel Zubov out as head coach of KHL's Lada Togliatti after 11 defeats in 12 games
In short
Pavel Zubov has left his post as head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League club Lada Togliatti, with Igor Gorbenko to serve as acting head coach, according to the KHL press service as cited by Kommersant. Kommersant reported that Lada lost 11 of 12 regular-season matches and sits second-to-last in the Western Conference with five points. It said the departure is the first coaching dismissal of the current KHL season.
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Pavel Zubov has left his post as head coach of the Kontinental Hockey League club Lada Togliatti. Kommersant reported the change with reference to the league's press service, while Interfax said the club announced it on its website; TASS and RIA Novosti also reported the departure. Kommersant said Igor Gorbenko will serve as acting head coach in the interim. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Kommersant reported that Lada has lost 11 of its 12 regular-season matches and holds five points, occupying second-to-last place in the Western Conference standings. It said Zubov's departure is the first coaching dismissal of the current KHL season. [ 3 ]
Zubov is 53 and took over Lada in June, Kommersant reported. He had previously led the team in the 2024/25 season as acting head coach, and earlier worked in the KHL as an assistant at Sibir Novosibirsk, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Ak Bars Kazan. Kommersant noted that coaching changes in the league can take place in two stages, in which the club ends cooperation with the current coach and appoints an acting replacement, and cited the January 2023 case of Sochi, which ended cooperation with head coach Sergei Svetlov after a defeat to Kunlun Red Star, following the longest losing run in KHL history, and appointed Dmitry Kokorev as acting head coach. [ 3 ]
The reports framed the change slightly differently: Kommersant's headline said the club dismissed the head coach, while Interfax said the club and coach parted ways and TASS and RIA Novosti said he left the post. The documents did not state the terms of the separation or who initiated it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The change is the first coaching dismissal of the current KHL season, according to Kommersant, and leaves an acting coach in charge of a team at the bottom end of the Western Conference standings. For the league, it marks the first mid-season correction of the campaign; for Lada, the size of the task facing the interim appointment is set by a run of 11 defeats in 12 games.
Key facts
- Pavel Zubov left his post as head coach of the KHL club Lada Togliatti [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Igor Gorbenko will serve as acting head coach in the interim, according to the KHL press service [ 3 ]
- Lada lost 11 of its 12 regular-season matches and holds five points, second-to-last in the Western Conference [ 3 ]
- The departure is the first coaching dismissal of the current KHL season [ 3 ]
- Zubov, 53, took over Lada in June and had previously led the team as acting head coach in the 2024/25 season [ 3 ]
- Zubov earlier worked in the KHL as an assistant at Sibir Novosibirsk, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and Ak Bars Kazan [ 3 ]
- Kommersant said the club announced the change through the KHL press service; Interfax said it was reported on the club's website [ 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The terms on which Zubov left, and whether the club or the coach initiated the separation None of the documents state the terms of the separation, its duration or who took the decision; Kommersant's headline describes a dismissal while Interfax says the club and coach parted ways.
- The length of Gorbenko's interim appointment and any permanent replacement Kommersant alone reports Gorbenko as acting head coach and does not say how long he will stay in the role or when a permanent appointment will be made.
- How Lada's management and Zubov himself responded to the change No statement from club officials, the coach or players appears in the documents.
- Igor Gorbenko is to act as head coach for now Reported by a single source so far
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Pavel Zubov has left his post as head coach of Lada Togliatti [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti reports the same departure [ 2 ]
- Kommersant reports the dismissal, citing the KHL press service, with Igor Gorbenko named acting head coach and Lada on 11 defeats in 12 matches [ 3 ]
- Interfax reports, citing the club's website, that Lada has parted ways with Zubov [ 4 ]