Capitals Insider, Nov. 28, 2008:
Here's the Caps' lineup:
Forwards
Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov
Fleischmann-Nylander-Fehr
Laich-Steckel-Bradley
Brashear-Gordon-Bourque
Defense
Lepisto-Morrisonn
Alzner-Jurcina
Helmer-Sloan
Looking to order something on Amazon? By Slava Malamud, Sport-Express, Nov. 28, 2008:
On the eve of Thanksgiving Day Alex Ovechkin was blessed with the three goals, one construction helmet and the rendezvous with the razor. He scored the goals by himself, the red construction helmet (the team's prize to the player who worked the hardest) was given to him by his teammates and a shave? It was long due. The hero of this day was mostly grateful for returning home after a grueling road trip. The trip that even deprived him of showing his emotions his usual a la Ovechkin way.
Is this the first red construction helmet for you?
Yes, this is the first time.
You've returned to your habitual place, you're the top scorer of the club.
If it wouldn't be Semin's injury, he would still remain in the first place. It is a pity that we lost Alex to injury. He was our leader. He now helps supporting the other guys in the locker room just like Fedorov does it. But I've never left my habitual place, I don't think I showed my best game of the season today, I've just used the scoring chances my teammates created for me.
This is your sixth hat trick. What would you say from this incredible experince, does it give you a motivation for the games following it?
Of course it does. Especially when your goals help your team to win.
Was it difficult to recover from a grueling road trip to the West and three losses in succession?
Yes, I couldn't even sleep yesterday. The whole team thanks God that the road trip is over. And what is even better that the trip like that won't happen again this season. No time zone changes or six hour flights.
We haven't seen too many emotions from you after your hat trick. Are you intentionally not letting your feelings to show?
And why would I do it? The next game will be much more important and more difficult.
Perhaps no other team in the NHL has more injured players than Washington, but you somehow managed to cling to first place in the division.
It tells that we have a great future. We didn't just lose some players, we lost a several very good players. In their place came the guys from our farm club, Alzner, Bourque... But they played well. For them it was a chance to show themselves.
Maybe this is what you needed, to take the main load of responsibility like it was before?
No, I don't need it. It's just happen that the injured players are the most experienced ones, and I realized that I've got to be more serious about finishing my scoring changes.
Looking to order something on Amazon? 
By Corey Masisak, Nov. 27, 2008:
The Caps had an optional skate this morning at K-Plex. Most of the guys were on the ice, but Tom Poti was not. He said he is unsure about playing Friday night against Montreal, but Bruce Boudreau said he expects him to.
If Poti cannot play, then the Caps are short another defenseman. The options are call up another defenseman, play with five d-men, or move a forward to the back end. Without Sergei Fedorov to make that decision easy, one possibility is Brooks Laich. He took a couple of shifts back there against Minnesota because the Caps were down to four defensemen.
Laich was in his normal green practice jersey today, but he did take some slap shots with the defenseman at the end of practice. He said after practice that he just wanted to take some shots at Brent Johnson. Laich said he hasn't played on defense since he was 11 years old.
As for the other injured guys, Sergei Fedorov skated briefly. Boudreau said Fedorov, Alexander Semin and Mike Green are not likely to play until next week, which would rule out Montreal and Columbus. John Erskine could be back as soon as Saturday against Columbus. He said Boyd Gordon is the closest to returning, and didn't rule him out for Friday.
After rattling off all of those injury updates, Boudreau deadpanned, "Other than that, we're fine."
Alex the great -- Ladies and gentlemen, that's why Alexander Ovechkin is the NHL's reigning Hart Trophy winner.
Despite missing 7 of his teammates on Wednesday night, Ovechkin put his injury-depleted team on his back by scoring 3 times and adding an assist in the Washington Capitals' 5-3 win against the Atlanta Thrashers at the Verizon Center.
"It was a great start for us, especially the hat trick and then the winning," said Ovechkin, who may as well start painting his face like William Wallace. "We lost three in a row, and we just had to come back to our building and win the game."
Washington's Chris Clark (stress fracture of forearm), Jeff Schultz (broken finger), Boyd Gordon (back) and John Erskine (undisclosed) were hurt Monday night in a loss to Minnesota. They joined Alexander Semin (back), Mike Green (shoulder), Sergei Federov (ankle), each of whom have been out with injuries.
It didn't matter. The Caps could have also been missing Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson, and Ovechkin would have found a way to get his team 2 points. He was that good on Wednesday.
"When he gets one early, he gets energized," Caps coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When he's on, it sure makes it difficult to stop."
Actually, Coach, it makes it impossible.
Looking to order something on Amazon? WASHINGTON (AP) -Alex Ovechkin had his sixth career hat trick and added an assist to help the Washington Capitals end a three-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night.
Eric Fehr and Viktor Kozlov added goals for Washington.
Bryan Little, Slava Kozlov and Nathan Oystrick scored goals for Atlanta.
Looking to order something on Amazon? Alexander Semin shocked people will his recent comments about Sidney Crosby. According to him, Crosby is only a good player among others and he doesn’t understand why people give him more attention than any other famous players.
Want to know what I think? I think that Semin suffers from a lack of attention and that he is a little jealous of Sidney. [snoop: BOOYAH! So do I!!] It makes me laugh to think of Sidney’s talent won’t last or anything. I already talked about it. I practice with him every morning and to me, he is the best player in the world. I can compare him with any other player against whom I played: No one is that impressive.
I know the story got out here and there in the media, but here it’s not as big as you may think. After all, we’re in Pittsburgh, not in Montréal! We haven’t even talked about it in the locker room. Even Sidney didn’t react, I swear. I’m not surprised: Sidney is better than that, and he doesn’t have time to lose into those kinds of things.
In another team, it may be a reason to motivate the team, but I don’t think it’d be the case with us the next time we face the Capitals. With the duals between Crosby and Ovechkin, and the way Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin fought last time, we don’t need more motivation.
I don’t know what Semin wanted with those comments. I’m not talking about his hockey skills, because he’s very good, but if he really meant what he said, we don’t see things the same way.
Looking to order something on Amazon? By John Shipley, blogs.twincities.com, Nov. 24, 2008:
Maybe Alex Ovechkin is just the undercard in tonight’s rare Wild vs. Capitals game at Xcel Energy Center. Sure, he’s probably the best player in the NHL, but did you see Donald Brashear take on Jody Shelley on Saturday?
The two traded wicked blows in the Sharks’ 7-2 victory at HP Pavilion, with Brashear eventually sending Shelley away bloody. It’s on YouTube, check it out.
Ovechkin himself sounded ready for a rare bout between true NHL heavyweights.
“(Boogaard) is big and strong, so there’s probably going to be a big matchup between those two guys,” the reigning Hart Trophy winner said.
Asked to rank the NHL's scariest fighters, Ovechkin said, “In the league, (Georges) Laraque, Boogaard, Brash — but I think Brash is the best.”
Though he has played a lot this season, Boogaard hasn’t been challenged much. The Panthers’ Wade Belak did pretty well against him Oct. 16 in Florida, but Darcy Hordichuk didn’t last long earlier this month in Vancouver.
Certainly he hasn’t had a fight like the one between Brashear and Shelley. The two traded wicked rights straight to the face and stayed nearly still on their skates.
“I’ve seen lots of fights in the NHL, but last game against San Jose, (Brashear) just destroyed (Shelley),” Ovechkin said. “He had, like, two open hits to his face; I was like, ‘Dang, if I ever have this, I can just go down and stop playing hockey.’
“But he kept on his skates; he’s a courageous guy. He probably had a broken nose.”
Looking to order something on Amazon? Sharks 7, Ovechkin 2... This is how Sharks announcers ended their report. What a weird game! Looked like every Sharks' shot went in to the net. Can't blame D, can't blame Johnnie, just one of those games. The timing was off for Caps, a result of traveling those time zones.
Alex had 1 assist on Fleishmann's goal and was -2. His total time was 24:33, 3 shots on goal and 1 hit.
Looking to order something on Amazon? DAVID POLLAK ON THE SAN JOSE SHARKS:
There was a little byplay this morning between each team’s top Russian player. The Sharks practiced first at HP Pavilion and while Evgeni Nabokov was taking part in drills, Alexander Ovechkin and a few of his teammates came out to watch through the entryway used by the opposition. Unlike the others, Ovechkin wasn’t wearing a shirt and there was some apparent light banter between him and Nabokov. The two were teammates on Russia’s 2006 Olympic team and have crossed paths elsewhere.
Nabokov couldn’t resist a little dig when asked about Ovechkin showing up without his shirt on.
“Tell him to get a bigger chain,” Nabokov said, seemingly unimpressed with Ovechkin’s choice of gold jewelry. “If we beat them tonight, tell him I’ll buy him a new chain.”
Ovechkin’s response when told of the offer:
“Tell him to buy for himself.”
********While the Caps were going through the standard practice exercises, tough guy Donald Brashear tested out the flexibility of the boards and plexiglass by running into them repeatedly. I’ve never noticed anybody doing that before, but it does make sense if you’re a guy who plans to drill or be drilled during a game in a somewhat unfamiliar building.
********Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau is 13 years older than Sharks Coach Todd McLellan, but the two were road roommates together for two seasons with the Springfield Indians back in the late 1980s. And to this day, McLellan considers him a past mentor.
Boudreau, who was the NHL’s coach of the year last season, seemed impressed with what McLellan has accomplished with the Sharks, but just to a point.
“I’ve got to believe they’re good,” Boudreau said, “but I can’t believe they’re the ‘82 Oilers yet.” Boudreau said.
Looking to order something on Amazon? By David Pollak, MediaNews Staff, Nov. 21, 2008:
SAN JOSE — Scoring machine Alexander Ovechkin has 171 goals for the Washington Capitals, but none more amazing than the one he scored while flat on his back, sliding across the ice and staring off into the opposite direction.
Sharks backup goalie Brian Boucher, unfortunately, remembers it too well. He was in the Phoenix Coyotes nets at the time.
"What are you going to do?" Boucher said good-naturedly Friday. "It was a one-in-a-million play."
Boucher and Ovechkin will challenge each other tonight for the first time since that Jan. 16, 2006, encounter. The Capitals are at HP Pavilion to face the red-hot Sharks, and San Jose coach Todd McLellan has decided he wants injured goalie Evgeni Nabokov to go through a few more practices before experiencing game conditions.
"Nabby's ready to play physically," McLellan said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we're erring on the cautious side, but that's the decision we made."
That means Boucher will be getting his seventh consecutive start since Nabokov was hurt making the final save in a Nov. 6 shootout victory over St. Louis. Boucher is 4-1-1 filling in since then.
Ovechkin's memorable goal was the final one in a 6-1 Washington victory.
It's a popular stop on YouTube, where one version of the clip has drawn more than a half-million viewings.
And, yes, Boucher acknowledges he's gone back for a closer look.
"At the time, I didn't realize how incredible the goal was," he said. "After seeing the replay, it's unreal."
It shows the Capitals left wing speeding into the zone through the right faceoff circle, then cutting through the slot. Coyote defenseman Paul Mara knocks him off his skates, but as Ovechkin slides through the lower part of the left faceoff circle, he manages to direct the puck through the narrow gap between the near goal post and Boucher's extended stick.
"That was an unbelievable play. And the angle he had to put it in — he had this much room," Boucher said, holding two forefingers about four inches apart. "I couldn't believe how far I had to keep moving and I still didn't get it."
The 53-year-old coach, who celebrates his one-year anniversary with the Capitals Saturday with a visit to San Jose, has coached 80 NHL games. His 48-22-10 record over that stretch would put him on a 110-point pace for a full season. Washington's 11-5-3 mark through 19 games in 2008-09 has the club 12 points ahead of their pace at the same point last season (6-12-1).
"We preach defense, but its pressure defense and when you've got good teams without the puck, you just want them to be responsible and do their job," he said. "When we have the puck, I'm not telling Alex Ovechkin to deke out two guys and make one pass. He has God-given abilities that are far beyond those of a lot of people. I mean (Alexander) Semin and Ovechkin can be as creative as they want as long as they play within the parameters of a team game. Without the puck, we have to play and know what we're doing."
After dropping a seven-game series to the Flyers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, Boudreau's mantra entering the 2008-09 was "Good is not good enough."
Looking to order something on Amazon? It’s pretty late and I’m tired but I just wanted to write a couple notes about the game and my continuing admiration for Ovechkin before I pass out.
Well, a lot of the rough stuff at least. It was a pretty physical game. Ovechkin had two defensemen on him in the offensive zone corner, and Boyd Gordon came to help him out, but on his way, Corey Perry turned and punched him in the face. Totally caught offguard, Gordon fell to the ice and the two were rolling around in a scuffle. Once the linesmen broke it up, Boyd Gordon’s face was covered in blood. But he got stitched up real quick and came back.
A bit later on in the period, Mike Green had the puck and decided to go coast-to-coast, and as he got down to the other end, Chris Pronger just leveled him behind the goal. Ovechkin saw this, tore towards Pronger and was given a charging penalty.
In the second period, Parros and Brashear dropped the gloves. Now this was a great bout between two heavyweights. Parros got in some really solid tags, but Brashear was just completely unaffected by them, got in a couple himself and then it was over. Brash didn’t seem to have any damage at all, but it looked like Parros may have had a cut above the eyebrow and was seen icing his knuckles in the box.
A bit later in the period, Ovechkin was speared in the groin by Steve Montador. UNCOOL. He was in a lot of pain and once he got to the bench, you could see by the profanity that he was not having a good rest.
There was another time (I think near the end of the game) when someone tried something with Backstrom and Ovechkin just went off on the Ducks player. It’s insane how quick he was to get to the defense of his fellow teammates.
Now I will gush, so stop reading now if you don’t want to hear it. It’s yet another one of the many things I admire about the character of this guy. The way he steps up for his teammates and lets the opposition know they can’t get away with messing with the star players is just crazy to see coming from a guy who is a superstar himself. He clearly values his teammates above himself, and that may make fans and Boudreau gasp, but it’s a very noble trait in my opinion.
"A guy like Alex Ovechkin probably rubs off on everybody in the league," Anaheim's Bobby Ryan said. "You're certainly excited to see him play and compete against him. He brings out his best every game and brings out the best in everybody around him."
*Things got a little rough late in the game, and at one point Bobby Ryan, who scored twice for Anaheim, took a few liberties with Backstrom. Ovechkin took exception and the he and Ryan started to go at it. Ryan dropped his glove; Ovechkin never did.
"I told him it's not my job to fight," Ovechkin said with a smile. "My job is score goals. I was just trying to protect Backie."
Looking to order something on Amazon? By Mark Whicker, The Orange County Register, Nov. 19, 2008:
ANAHEIM - The top professional athlete who will visit Orange County in 2008 was practicing at Honda Center on Tuesday with his Washington Capitals.
Afterward, he was hiding around the corner in the locker room, a bag in his hand with a cake inside it, as he waited to ambush birthday boy and team masseur Shawn Reid.
The icing flew all over the training room and Alexander Ovechkin emerged with the smile that is re-launching a sport.
"Pressure? I don't think that word means anything to him," said Sergei Federov, his Capitals teammate and the only other Russian to win the Most Valuable Player award.
"Hockey is supposed to be fun. I watch him and it's made me change a little bit."
Hockey is indeed fun when you score 65 goals, as Ovechkin did last year, most in the NHL since '96.
Ovechkin's total of 163 goals in his three seasons is 17 more than anyone else in the NHL, and he's the first player in 55 years to make the first All-Star team in each of his first three tries.
Ovechkin brings all of that, and a cold and hard shoulder, when the Capitals face the Ducks tonight.
Three years ago Ovechkin came here and took everything but the foghorn. The rookie got his first career hat trick and beat the Ducks, 3-2, in overtime. The highlights were Ovechkin's fly-by past Ruslan Salei on the way to one goal, and his wipeout of tough guy Vitaly Visnevski, who was lining up Ovechkin for a hit of his own.
"At times we stood around and were in awe of him," Coach Randy Carlyle said that night.
The line of witnesses now spans two continents. On Saturday night Ovechkin got 12 shots on goal against New Jersey and tied the score with a second left in regulation.
"But before that he was so excited when Nicklas Backstrom scored, he nearly took him out," Coach Bruce Boudreau said Tuesday. "And then when he scored the last one he did the same thing. It's just fun to watch him. At no time am I surprised by something he does."
Ovechkin's mad, post-goal rushes into the glass — Lambeau Leaps, with a ricochet — have become his trademark. "Just something I like to do," he said with a shrug. "I love hockey."
But through eight games, hockey wasn't loving him back. Ovechkin had only two goals, both in the same game, and three assists. Then he flew to Moscow to visit his sick grandfather, Nikolay. He was there for a week and missed two games. When he came back for his first practice, Boudreau told the Washington Post it was "like having your big brother come back."
"Things have been better since then," Ovechkin said Tuesday. "I wanted to make sure I saw him. It's one of those things that happens in life."
Cleansed, Ovechkin has five goals and eight assists since then. Even with the absence, he ranks third in the league in shots, and he has seven goals, 18 points, and a plus-17, which ties teammate Alexander Semin for the league lead.
"I enjoy a lot of things about him," Fedorov said. "He's got great speed, he's got a crazy, crazy shot. He kills penalties, he's on the power play. And he likes to play physical. There haven't been any players who score that way and yet are so physical. At least not from Russia."
"Brendan Shanahan and Cam Neely were two guys who were top scorers and big hitters, too," Boudreau said. "But neither one of them ever scored 65 goals."
The legend has it that Ovechkin grabbed a hockey stick in a Moscow store when he was 2 years old and wouldn't let go. His mother, Tatiana, led the Soviet women's basketball team to two gold medals and is regarded as the best guard in the nation's history. She negotiated the 13-year, $124 million contract that pays her son $9 million a year through 2014 and $10 million a year through 2021, although scientists warn there won't be any ice left by then.
At 23 he has already been in three Junior Worlds, five Worlds and an Olympics, and earlier this year he took Russia to a World Championship gold medal.
Ovechkin bears all burdens, including the sport's ambassadorship. The Capitals sold out seven of their past 11 games last year as they drove for the playoffs, and had their best crowds in five seasons. This year they've lured 17,000-plus for every home game but one.
"I like to help the league as much as I can," Ovechkin said. "It's good. Anything I can do for the game."
But where does he get the energy?
At last the mischief returned to his face.
"From Russia," he said.
Looking to order something on Amazon? And Alex Ovechkin, back for another sideline appearance, still in Redskins leather helmet and Sean Taylor jersey (although Jason Campbell has apparently autographed the jersey since Ovechkin’s last visit).
Ovechkin’s pants, however, were neither Redskins themed nor Capitals themed. Instead, they were Dolce & Gabbana themed. One of the more remarkable things about being around professional athletes is the sheer variety of high-level couture sweatpants that are available.
Looking to order something on Amazon?
Heidi Androl catches up with Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov as they prepare to face the Kings on Russian Heritage night!
Heidi Androl catches up with Alexander Frolov to talk about Russian Heritage night on November 20th. (H/t to Japer's Rink)
LA Times, Nov. 18, 2008:
Caps come to town: The Capitals are in town this week, playing the Ducks on Wednesday and the Kings on Thursday. It is L.A.'s chance to see Alexander Ovechkin in person, despite his sluggish start to the season. This is a guy who finished last season with 112 points. Take a look at this video.Looking to order something on Amazon?
Why not through this blog to support it?
Tonight is the team’s annual rookie dinner. Although the Caps are officially without any rookies on the team at the moment, the criteria for rookie dinner is a bit different than the criteria for qualification for the Calder Trophy. The two members of the Caps who will be pulling out their wallets at the end of the night are right wing Eric Fehr and defenseman Tyler Sloan.
Fehr has played parts of three seasons in the league, but for one reason or another he hasn’t been with the team at the time of the rookie dinner during those three seasons. Sloan made his NHL debut on the team’s last lengthy trip, one that started in his hometown of Calgary on Oct. 21. So Fehr and Sloan will be treating their teammates to a lavish repast this evening. Many appetizers, steaks and pricey bottles of fine wine will be consumed, and a good time will be had by all.
It has been nearly three years since we’ve been out this way. Jan. 13, 2006 to be exact. The Caps downed the Ducks in a 3-2 overtime affair that night, a game that was noteworthy for Alex Ovechkin’s first career hat trick. The next night in Phoenix, Ovechkin, Shaone Morrisonn, Nolan Yonkman and Brooks Laich picked up the tab for that season’s rookie dinner. And two days after that, of course, Ovechkin scored “The Goal.”
Looking to order something on Amazon? It was a game last season when Ovechkin scored his 35th goal against NJ Devils. Scott Clemmenson was playing against Ovechkin for the first time in his career. Here's an excerpt from his post-game interview on February 25, 2007:
Scott Clemmensen: He used defenseman Paul Martin as a screen and fired a wrist shot. The puck hit me right in the head and went in. (Shows the his goalie mask) It bent the wiring here in the the cage and went in.
Q.: Pretty good wrist shot, eh?
Scott Clemmensen: Oh gee, I bet... I have been hit in the mask a lot, but never like this. When it hits the wiring, the wiring bents and takes the velocity out of it. I couldn't believe it went in after that.
Scott Clemmensen was joking, but the Devils' goalie would like to send Capitals sniper Alex Ovechkin a bill for a new mask.
It was Ovechkin who dented Clemmensen's mask with a shot on Feb. 25, 2007, in Washington. He scored the tying goal in that game, which Clemmensen and the Devils eventually won.
Saturday night, Ovechkin did it again.
"In the first period, Ovechkin's wrist shot dented my mask," Clemmensen said. "Again. He's costing this team money. We'll send him a bill. His wrist shot is as hard as some guys' slap shots."
Looking to order something on Amazon? Yes we can. :-)
TSN.CA:
1. ALEXANDER OVECHKIN, WAS +17
1. ALEXANDER SEMIN, WAS +17
3. NICKLAS BACKSTROM, WAS +11
3. MIKE GREEN, WAS +11
Backstrom is 5th in the NHL in assists.
A week ago Ovechkin was 141st in the NHL in points, he is now sharing the 8th place with 5 other hockey players. He is also 7th in goals scored sharing it with 19 other hockey players.
In the offensive leaders page on TSN counting top 5 in each category the Washington Capitals have more representation than any other team by Ovechkin, Semin, Green and Backstrom.
NEW YORK -- Washington Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin and Nashville Predators goaltender Dan Ellis have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending Sunday, Nov. 16.
SECOND STAR -- ALEX OVECHKIN, LW, WASHINGTON CAPITALS Ovechkin highlights
Ovechkin ended a nine-game goal drought, the longest of his NHL career, by tallying in each of Washington's four games last week; he ranked second to Backstrom among NHL scorers with 10 points (five goals, five assists) and posted a League-best +11 rating. Ovechkin recorded a goal, an assist and a +2 rating in a 4-2 victory over Tampa Bay Nov. 10, notched a goal, two assists and a +4 rating in a 5-1 victory at Carolina Nov. 12 and was 1-1--2 and +2 in a 3-1 win over New Jersey Nov. 14. The reigning NHL MVP and scoring champion concluded the week with his fourth consecutive multiple-point game by recording two goals, an assist and a +3 rating -- including the game-tying tally at 19:59 of the third period -- in a 6-5 shootout loss at New Jersey Nov. 15.
Looking to order something on Amazon? Capitals Insider, Nov. 15, 2008:
The Capitals saw their five-game winning streak come to an end,
but thanks to a last-second goal by Alex Ovechkin they were able to earn a point in their seventh-straight game. Washington only has one regulation loss in eight games this November and has claimed points in nine of its past 10 games.
"We had no business getting a point there but you take them and you look for positives," Coach Bruce Boudreau said. "OK, like the character of never quitting, because there were an awful lot of chances to quit and die because we made a ton of mistakes out there."
Looking to order something on Amazon? Found a week old interview with Eric Duhachek who is a sports writer with the Globe and Mail newspaper by Slava Malamud (Sport-Express, Nov. 11, 2008). It's kind of weird that the interview was taken in English, then translated by 'poor' Slava into Russian, and now I have to translate it back into English again.
Reminds me of a true story that I've heard:
'In Soviet Russia' the IBM mainframes where reverse engineered to produce them in Russia. The IBM documentation was translated into Russian and then the Indians bought Russian mainframes. They could've buy directly from IBM, but Russian mainframes were incredibly cheap, maybe it was even in exchange for tea or something. So Indians came to Russia to learn how to operate the mainframes, but English documentation was gone and Russians had to bring the translators to the classes who would translate IBM documentation from Russian into English for Indians... What a nightmare!
Anyway, Slava did a good job and it was worth to reverse translate it... Enjoy!
How often it happens in the NHL when one player says something negative about another one in the press?
It is extremely rare! I even don't remember when last time something like this has happened. The fact is that Crosby's status in the NHL is the same as of Wayne Gretzky's, and nobody ever said something bad about Gretzky. Yes, it was the same with Mario Lemieux... The journalists criticized Mario because he didn't always play with full dedication, but he was never criticized by other players...
I remember a few occasions. For example, Avery recently called Brodeur a fatso. And Claude Lemieux was called not very flattering when he was around. It seems that it's all about Crosby's status.
That's true. Besides Crosby is a annoyingly well mannered kid! It's one thing to criticize the guys who always play on the brink of a nervous breakdown. For example, recently Igor Larionov and Glenn Anderson have been inducted in the Hall of Fame. A lot of guys didn't like Anderson because of the way how he was waving his stick. It's ok to criticize these players, but the players like Gretzky, they are bulletproof. And Crosby is of the same kind, the clean positive face of the league. And by the way, Ovechkin is of the same kind too. Nobody, as you know, criticizes Ovechkin.
How much of the Crosby's status is justified?
It is fully justified. Semin said that Patrick Kane's better. I often watch both and I can confidently tell you there's no comparison. Crosby is much better than Kane. Perhaps Kane just impressed Semin in a couple of games against him. But Crosby, as we know, rarely shines vs. Washington.
Why, in your view, this criticism of one player by another is so rare in North America?
The North American sports culture has changed a lot in recent years. The NHL coaches their players that they should not tell the press anything interesting. Everybody goes through something called a " media training" where they are taught how to communicate with the press. They are taught to never irritate the other team. This kind of thing is called a stuff for a bulletin board in America. The coaches often put the negative comments about their team on the bulletin board in the locker room to motivate the players. You have to maintain the motivation during 82 games long season and there's nothing better than the words of some player from Washington that you are a nitwit. Here how they are taught that the criticism of other players won't get you anywhere and that you can lose instead.
How do you think the war of the words between Semin and Crosby will end?
The whole story will quietly die. Crosby is very cautious guy. In addition, they only play four times in a season. Yes, during their next meeting the journalists will salivate on it. Most likely neither player will have any more comments and all this in no way will transfer to the ice. I would be shocked if Crosby or some other Pittsburgh player would go after Semin for a revenge.
Don't you think that Crosby is overpromoted primadonna?
Of course not. I know his family, his father always goes to a brewery to drink beer with the reporters. It's a very simple, working Canadian family. There are quite a few primadonnas among American players, who came in the NHL through the prestigious colleges or expensive private schools. Crosby grew up in a very simple environment. He is similar to Gretzky in that too, both are quiet to themselves and very intelligently react to such situations. It is unlikely that it pleasures him when someone is swearing, but I don't think that this can really make an impact.
Could Crosby say the same to the press about Semin?
Absolutely not. In fact, early in his career Gretzky spoke very sharply of the New Jersey Devils (Gretzky called the New Jersey Devils a 'Mickey Mouse' organization after a 13-4 shellacking the Oilers put on the Devils in 1983). It created such a terrible buzz in the press that since then Gretzky has never said anything critical about anyone. By the way I've just interviewed him about the new members of the Hall of Fame, Larionov and Anderson. Wayne praised both and did it with great pleasure. But as soon as I asked him to comment on another Russian who came along with Larionov, Vladimir Krutov, Gretzky didn't want to say anything. The fact is that Krutov came here in nightmarish shape, gaining a lot of extra weight, and played awful. But Gretzky would rather say nothing than tell something bad about another fellow hockey player.
Looking to order something on Amazon? A flawless performance by Theodore, totally flawless... If we could have him perform like that 90% of the time... :-( 
Meanwhile Ovie is definitely heating up, playing fancy, toe dragging, all these are good signs that Ovie is getting in shape. He got 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, highest in the team, 22:03 of total ice time. And look, average shift was under a minute, 00:57, perfect! 5 shots on goal, only one hit registered. And he could've smoked Colin White, but he decided not too, let him be alive... :-)
NJ was a better team, they had more chances, but Theodore was awesome. If NJ will win tomorrow, I won't be surprised.
Semin? Hopefully nothing serious, I didn't even notice when he was injured.
Post game interview with Bruce Boudreau:
Bruce Boudreau: It was a real hard fought game and out goaltender made some great saves to preserve the game.
Q.: What happened to Alex Semin?
BB: I don't know...(smiling) He'll be fine tomorrow.
Q.: Did you hear about Barry Melrose?
BB.: Yeah. Barry is good friend of mine, he is really good coach, I am shocked...
More on Nylander rumors:
TSN.CA:
- The Arlington Heights Daily Herald Times notes that the Blackhawks have been rumoured to be talking to the Capitals about a deal for C Michael Nylander, though Hawks GM Dale Tallon will only allow that he is talking to teams about acquiring a top-six forward.
Maybe this means nothing, but it is interesting to see that Capitals center Michael Nylander is a healthy scratch for Friday's game against New Jersey, according to the Washington Post.
Nylander's name has been linked in trade rumors with the Hawks dating back to training camp, and they have grown louder this week.
Nylander has just 1 assist in the last seven games and has played soft. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau told reporters Friday morning that Nylander was being rested, which seems strange considering center Sergei Fedorov also is out of the lineup with an ankle injury.
Nylander is signed through 2011 and has a no-trade clause, although he might be willing to waive it in order to return to Chicago. Nylander loved playing and living here and kept his house long after leaving the Hawks.
I'm not sure Nylander is the kind of center Dale is looking for, particularly because of his age. I'm sure Tallon would love to add someone younger, although Nylander has the kind of skill the GM is seeking to play with Marty Havlat.
Looking to order something on Amazon? Sutter's son, Brandon, returned to the Hurricanes' lineup Wednesday night for the first time since he suffered a concussion against the Islanders on Oct. 25. Sutter said he spoke to Brandon after the game - a 5-1 loss to the Capitals -- and that he was feeling fine.
I asked Sutter if Brandon gave him a scouting report on the Capitals.
"All he said was, 'Ovechkin,Semin and Backstrom-- Wow!"
Those three players are skating on the same line now and Alexander Semin had two goals and three assists Wednesday night.
November 14 vs. New Jersey Devils at Verizon Center Time: 7:00 pm
New Jersey Devils (7-6-2) Washington Capitals (9-4-2)
Possible Line Combos and Defensive Pairings
New Jersey Forwards
9-Parise, 19-Zajac, 15-Langenbrunner
26-Elias, 8-Zubrus, 14-Gionta
20-Pandolfo, 11-Madden, 23-Clarkson
17-Rupp, 22-Vrana
New Jersey Defensemen
7-Martin, 24-Salvador
5-White, 27-Mottau
28-Salmela, 29-Oduya
2-Brookbank
Goaltenders
1-Weekes, 35-Clemmensen
Washington Forwards
8-Ovechkin, 19-Backstrom, 28-Semin
14-Fleischmann, 92-Nylander, 25-Kozlov
21-Laich, 39-Steckel, 17-Clark
87-Brashear, 15-Gordon, 10-Bradley
Washington Defensemen
55-Schultz, 52-Green
3-Poti, 89-Sloan
4-Erskine, 23-Jurcina
Goaltenders
1-Johnson, 60-Theodore
Both of Washington’s other notable injured players – center Sergei Fedorov and defenseman Shaone Morrisonn – are nearly ready to return to action.
“I think he’s pretty close,” says Boudreau when queried as to Morrisonn’s status. “We’ll see [Friday] or the next day. [It will be a] game-time decision type thing.”
Boudreau also believes that Fedorov is almost healthy enough to play again.
“He said he was feeling better,” says Boudreau. “We kept him off the ice today; he’ll probably be on the ice [Friday]. When we were in Carolina they skated pretty hard. That’s why he’s getting an extra day’s rest [Thursday].”
NYLANDER TO HAWKS?
Rumors abound that the Blackhawks are closing in on a deal with the Capitals to acquire ex-Bruin forward Michael Nylander, 36, who also played here for a couple of seasons. With so many young players in the Blackhawks lineup, Nylander's veteran presence would help. Nylander missed half of last season because of injury, but has been healthy from the start this season, collecting two goals and 9 points . . .
Looking to order something on Amazon? Pierre LeBrun, ESPN, Nov. 13, 2008:
Ovechkin joined us on an NHL media conference call.
Ovechkin was less thrilled with our resident ESPN.com blogger about 10 minutes later when we asked him about the Semin/Crosby controversy.
"I think it's just the translator and it's about media guys -- about you," Ovechkin said. " ... but I think Sasha [Semin] can say that [Crosby] is a good player. I talked to him about it and he said it was just a bad translation.
"Everybody knows who Sidney Crosby is and how he can play hockey and how he's good."
(Note to Ovechkin: Blaming the media is an old, tired game.)
Can talk about your line with (Nicklas) Backstrom and (Alexander) Semin and whether you're having as much fun as you've ever had in the NHL?
We have so much fun out there. And we just control the game. I think we pass to each other and we create some moments. We play all the time in the attack zone. If something happened with me or Semin or Backstrom, like someone doesn't feel great, different guys take the game and control the game. So it's very cool.
What are your thoughts on Alex Semin, who has had a breakthrough this year in terms of his production?
What I can say about his game, he's great right now. And I wish he'd go push for it all the time. And we've played only 15, I don't know how many games, but just the beginning. And I hope he's going to play the same way all year.
I was just wondering if you think you can win the East or is the team too young? I know it's a formidable task, but do you think you guys could do it?
Well, we want to win everything. And our goal is not just to be playing, but we want to be the top team in the League.
Who do you think is going to be the toughest to pass, Montreal, Pittsburgh, the Rangers?
It's just the beginning of the year. We have a goal and we want to go there, and we don't care about a team like Montreal or Pittsburgh. They have a great team, great young guys, great talent, but we think about ourselves and we think about our game.
I'm just wondering, over the last few years since the lockout we've seen guys like you and Sidney (Crosby) and Patrick Kane have excellent rookie seasons and some of the rookies this year have had a tougher time. I was wondering what is the toughest part for a rookie to adjust to the NHL?
I think the change in game, change in mentality. You go to the team and you know this is the NHL and probably all the young guys dream to play in NHL, and it's hard to realize that you're in the NHL. It's no more little kids, no more take the puck, beat five guys and the goalie and put it in the net.
It's hard work here, and nobody gives you easy ways. You have to fight. You have to live for this, you know.
What do you remember about your trip to the West Coast as a rookie, and are you looking forward to that trip?
Yes, I'm looking forward to this trip. It's a great city, Los Angeles, and San Jose. We don'tt play a lot against these teams. But it's going to be pretty cool time for our team.
Talk a little bit about the Southeast Division. Since your rookie year, do you feel as though the division has improved? Has it become more of a force in the League?
Well, of course. Like you can see our team, first of all, is moving forward all the time. We are just going up. And so I think right now we are doing well.
With the addition of Sergei Fedorov last year, you've had the opportunity now to play with him for a year. How has Sergei helped your game on or off the ice?
You know, first of all he's Russian and we can speak the same language. And we can speak about everything, about hockey and about life. And he's won everything. He won the Olympic gold, World Championships, Stanley Cup. And he's one of the greatest Russian players in history. And to play with him on the same team, same line, it's a big honor me.
I was wondering how you're feeling now. Your season got off to a bit of a slow start and then you had to go back to Russia for family reasons. Was that all part of the start of the season and now how do you feel now kind of coming out of it?
I feel great. I feel free right now, and I'm right now enjoying my time again. I just think about the game and I think about the team, and I think about what I have to do better.
Was that weighing on your mind early in the season, was that a part of it?
Yes, it was a hard time for me. Always thinking what's going on over there. But right now it's done and I know it's fine. I know he's probably better. But it's life. And I tell myself you can do nothing, just pray for him. But you can do nothing right now.
I wanted to ask you about your CCM Vector sticks. How many do you go through during a season?
I go through a lot. And like last year was good, but this year they're breaking again. But I don't know what's going to happen. But they are just broken and I don't know what I have to do.
Follow-up question. During a key penalty kill or a power play during the playoffs, would you ever consider switching over to a wooden stick?
A wood stick?
Yes.
No. It's not the same as - it's not the 60s, the 70s, it's right now 2010. Not 50 years ago, old sticks and stuff.
What do you think about Nicklas Backstrom so far this season?
He had a slow start like me. I don't know the reason why. Right now he just wake up and he makes great passes, makes some points, and I think he'll wake up again.
What does it mean to have Michael Nylander back on the team after missing him last season?
Mike's an experienced guy. Working hard all the time. And he's a special player. And you have to get open for him.
While you were gone in Russia you missed quite a bit of controversy after your linemate talked about Sidney Crosby. I wonder if when you came back to Washington if you were a little surprised and what you think of all that, when Semin made those comments about Crosby through the translator?
I think it's just the translator and about media guys, about you. And you always want to say something to fire up somebody. I talked to him about it. And he said it was just a bad translation. And if nothing is happening, you just want to show something to the people to read the newspaper, go to the Internet, talking about it and something like that. I think everybody knows who Sidney Crosby is and how he can play hockey and how he's good.
But I guess regardless of whether he meant to say it or not, it added another kind of layer of the rivalry between the two teams. The games between Washington and Pittsburgh are fun to watch. And I guess it should be much the same on January 14 when you guys play again.
Yeah, it's always fun to play against a great team. And especially against a great player. And it's always a big challenge for you. It's always a big step. And it's always, you can see how good a team you are and how personally you are good.
You mentioned 2010 and soon it will be 2010. What are your thoughts for playing Russia in the Olympic Games?
I think everybody wants to play in the Olympics, first of all. I want to play over there. I think everybody wants to represent their country in the Olympics, doesn't matter where. Whether it's a championship, wherever you are, you still represent your country, where you're from.
I think it's always good when you have a chance to play for a country and always good when you just go somewhere and see the people, see your old linemates, old friends, and you can talk to them and have fun over there.
Which team do you think is favored? Do you think Russia is?
In the Olympics, you never know. In the world championships you can say like probably five teams, fight for the gold medal. But in Canada, I don't know.
I was just wondering, goaltending is such an important position in the NHL. How confident are you with the consistency you can get between the two goalies you have in Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson, considering both have had two strong games recently, including Theodore, who relieved Johnson last night. How confident are you in your ability to get consistency in the net from those two guys?
Johnny (Brent Johnson) played, I think, four games and got injured. Theodore goes into the net he makes big saves. And we feel like we have two pretty good goalies and they can save us.
Just to go back a few questions. You mentioned the slow start from Backstrom, and you also mentioned yourself as well. Is there a reason for that? How do you see yourself getting out of that?
How can I see it? Just push myself to work hard. I still, like you saw in that game, I still have lots of shots. I still have hits. I still have a moment to score goals. But we just didn't score goals. And this is the reason why I think we have a slow start. And I think we don't have slow start, we have a nice start, but we didn't score.
But now it's changed. And Backstrom scored, made points. I scored. Semin had a tremendous game. And I think we just tore it up, and we just scored goals.
It happens sometimes. You have some periods in the season like you can score, you can make some points. You just start thinking about what do I have to do better, what do I have to do something special, maybe, you just concentrate about your personal game. But it's just a couple games.
Do you think after last year's phenomenal season that more teams are just focusing on you after the 60-plus goal season?
I don't know. Maybe. But I told you I still have a great chance to score goals and it's more important.
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AP photo
Wild Siberian goes wild again, this time in a good sense... :-)
Corey Masisak, TWT, Nov. 13, 2008:
Semin's three first-period points vaulted him past Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin into the NHL scoring lead, and a goal in the second pushed him ahead of Buffalo's Thomas Vanek for tops in the league in goals.
"I hope he is going to play the same way," Ovechkin said. "If he can play the same, he is going to be the best player in the league, I think."
*The top line was close to unstoppable tonight. When Alex Ovechkin has three points and is the least productive guy on his line, it is probablt going to be a good night.
*Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Mike Green and Jeff Schultz were on the ice for all four even-strength goals, while Brooks Laich was on for the PPG instead of Schultz. The result is a 5-1 win where five guys are a +4 and 13 guys are even. That's pretty unique.
*Semin's numbers against the Hurricanes are impressive: 17 goals and 28 points in 21 games. He now leads the NHL in goals (13), points (27), and plus-minus (+17). Hard to not peg him as the MVP at this point.
*The Caps are in first place in the Southeast, and have won four straight games against Carolina. Considering how last season ended, how the Caps stole one six days ago and then just drubbed them tonight, the Hurricanes have not had a good few months against the Caps.
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~Caps GM George McPhee
~Gordie Howe
“He’s amazing. There aren’t enough words in English or Russian to describe him.”
~Chris Drury
"He's like the shark in Jaws, circling in the water waiting for blood. They should play that music from the movie – da-duh, da-duh, da-duh - when he's out on a shift. He doesn't just go after loose pucks, he hunts them down."
~John Davidson, President of Hockey Operations for the St. Louis Blues.
Keep the faith, TJ, and keep up the good work.
Thank you, Alex Ovetjkin, for killing this ridiculous storyline with this post.
~Mike Prada, Sr. Editor, SB Nation
Blog o Alexovi, psaný anglicky, je vážně kvalitní a aktuální
Just wanted to thank you for posting my book on your blog, which I consulted a fair bit while researching and writing the book. In particular, the comprehensive list of links on alexovetjkin.blogspot.com is the best library on Ovechkin material available anywhere.
Regards,
Geoffrey Lansdell
Donate to The One Fund - Boston 2013
