Ovechkin meets with the President of Russian Hockey Federation

The President of Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretiak just came back to Russia from his visit to North America that lasted more than a week. Here are some excerpts from his interview to Sport-Express.ru:

Which Russian NHLers did you have a chance to talk to?
I met with Ovechkin, Gonchar and Kulemin. Ovechkin and I agreed to organize a joint charity auction in Montreal in February, 2012 . Sasha and me in the eyes of Canadians are the most popular Russian hockey players, and by some expectations there will more than a thousand guests.

What will be sold at the auction?
There will be interesting exhibits from my personal and Ovechkin's collections and the money will go to hospitals and orphanages of Ulyanovsk city. I do believe that our stars should remember about their own country and at every opportunity help the needy compatriots. While you are making millions, don't miss the chance to make someone's life brighter. Sasha agrees with me on that.

Is Ovechkin aware that his current career slump could affect his value in the eyes of the new coaching staff of team Russia?
Sasha says that he really started a new season not as good as he wanted. But as soon as I came to Washington his team won [He is talking about 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes - tj]. But Ovechkin is finding time to follow the national team. He has already managed to meet and talk with Bilyaletdinov about their future cooperation. They will have even more thorough discussion this winter. I recalled to Ovechkin that team Russia's coach sees him as one of the pivotal players and is willing to listen to his views on major issues of the national team. Ovechkin is happy that he has such support.

Here's Ovi talking about Tretiak and the national team after the game with Canes:


Q: Do you follow national teams, junior and main team?
Ovechkin: Yes, yesterday I met with Tretiak and I know that team Russia won, congratulations!

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