Former Ovechkin's fitness trainer talks
Pavel Lysenkov talked to former Ovechkin's fitness trainer Dmitri Kapitonov. Here's an excerpt...
Everyone knows that in the summer hockey players work out to build a foundation for their entire season. In those years when Ovechkin broke the records and collected personal awards he worked in the offseason with former marathoner Dmitri Kapitonov. Maybe it's a bold statement, but Kapitonov is one of those people who made Alexander the Great.
In this pre-season Ovechkin was working with Dmitry's brother Alexander who is also a strength and conditioning coach. And the training was somewhere between July 20th to August 20th. Ovi used to train till September and then leave to America.
"I think Sasha did not have enough time to prepare," says Dmitry Kapitonov. "My brother worked with him for about a month and then Ovechkin trained by himself. We used to start training on July 15. We'd train from the ground up, get into it..."
Lysenkov: I've seen before Ovechkin almost cried during your workouts.
Kapitonov: Something like that.
Did the training change with your brother?
It has become more interesting. There was an interval work on the ice, in mixed mode. I don't see that Ovechkin has any problems with the fitness. I watched the games and Sasha looked in a top shape. I was particularly pleased with his goal against Ottawa, when he skated around half of their players and scored.
There was a discussion this summer that Ovechkin appeared fat.
Fat? It's all fraud as the rumors of doping. This is ridiculous. First, he didn't fail a single test. Second, what doping gives? Extra strength and aggression. Ovechkin doesn't need it. When he is hitting everybody is flying.
As a marathoner you set Ovechkin's endurance. How good is it now?
My brother said it was not bad. Sasha left to America in a good shape.
Why then his playing time was cut?
Washington changed the system. When Ovechkin is on the power play he stays on the ice about 30 seconds and gets replaced. And before that he'd spent on the ice all 2 minutes. A double penalty, he'd play 4 minutes. That's why his total ice time is low.
I believe that the Capitals should go back to their attacking style. Washington used to lead the league, win the regular season. Now they are not in the playoffs. Let Ovechkin, Backstrom and Semin play together more.
If Ovechkin will get 23-25 minutes again instead of 16, his stats will be back, and Washington would win more games.
Two things, first Ovechkin said that he started training this pre-season two weeks earlier than usual. This is not what Kapitonov said. Second, no one questions Kapitonov as a fitness trainer, but he seems to know less about hockey, "attacking style"? Who wins playoff or major tournaments with attacking style?
And still, what happened between the two? Why he is no longer available to Ovi? Yes, he is now with SKA in St. Petersburg, but so is his brother Alexander. This is what Pavel should've ask Dmitri.
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8 comments:
Very interesting TJ. Thanks for translating. You ask good questions at the end.
But... I thought Ovi normally didnt start training until Aug 1, in which case Jul 20 would certainly be early.
Enough talk, explanations, excuses, etc... Ov needs to get things done period. He's a star or a fraud, right now it's about 50-50. His slump is nearly 2 years old.
@Steph,
No, Ovi usually started in the middle of July. Other players start much earlier. As he ages I think he needs to start earlier and maintain a certain level of fitness even during vacation time. Too difficult to get back into shape when you take time off.
As for the former trainer, isn't it that Ovi still wants to train in Moscow and not spend so much time in another city. The old trainer stays in St. Petersburg but his brother was willing to work with Ovi in Moscow. Over the summer we thought he was willing to go to the trainer then we learner that he was doing all his training at the usual place.
@hater Jeremy,
Ovi's personal accomplishments in the NHL prove he isn't a fraud. He already built a strong legacy. People forget how much he did in such a short time his first years in the league. His personal record already stands the test of time.
What's most interesting for me is Dmitry suggests Ovie didn't have enough time to prepare for this season. Doing the math, he worked with Ovie for about 2 months--from mid July up until Ovie left for the US in mid September--prior to Ovie's record setting seasons.
In contrast, Dmitry's brother worked with Ovie for only 1 month--from about July 20 to August 20--after which Ovie worked out by himself. Is it possible the extra structured time with Dmitry worked better for Ovie? As Ovie ages he just might need more intense structured workouts to maintain his fitness. It's possible Ovie going off training on his own after only 1 month working out with a trainer this past summer could have undone some of the benefits he gained.
And...haters still gonna hate. What else is new?
I think the mistake could have been that Ovi trained alone for one month. Athletes don't get the same results if they don't have someone pushing them to the limit.
But the problem is that Ovi looks in good shape so that leaves us again with the question of what the hell is wrong with him? Could this be just a tactical thing? BB was fired to get results, but instead we got an inexperience coach that hasn't being able to put things together after 8 games. And it is not only Ovi, but the whole team that is having problems so...?
I don't know what to think anymore.
Dear Jeremy:
I want to punch your face so hard that I could send your head flying all the way to hell!
But I can't, so I'm hitting the sand bag instead. I should thank you for give me the motivation to do my workout, but I still want you to rot in the whole you came from, hater!
Haters gonna hate!
http://i53.tinypic.com/25s8wo1.jpg
(Gif of Ovi dancing hahaha!)
Ovie had a sub par season last year too. His goal scoring problems aren't anything new. Last year we blamed the effects of the smoke around Moscow, not training with his regular trainer, etc. It's frustrating to see him continue to struggle.
I visit very few other blogs and fan sites. One I do read is The Peerless Prognosticator, who recently did an excellent analysis of Ovie's consistency--or rather, lack of it. To make a long story short, Peerless broke down Ovie's 500 games into 50 10-game segments to chart his offensive production. Peerless found what he called "The 38th Parallel" which is the line between Ovie's awesome production in the first 38 segments (380 games) and the more recent 12 segments (120 games).
What is "The 38th Parallel" for Ovie? Game 378 for him was the one just before the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Peerless says, with graphical evidence for support: "And there is the line of demarcation between the Alex Ovechkin we knew and the one we know. The 38th ten-game segment straddles the Vancouver Olympic break. Since then, his goals and his shots on goal have fallen off the proverbial cliff..."
I agree with this final summary:
"...There is no shortage of pundits who will, and have opined that the Vancouver experience had its effects on Ovechkin. We are not among them. We will not play pop psychologist and engage in speculation as to what effects that experience might or might not have on a player’s intangibles. But that point serves as a rather bright line between two stages of Ovechkin’s career as a goal scorer. The data stand on their own merits. Whatever player he was before those Games, he has not been that player since."
http://peerlessprognosticator.blogspot.com/2011/12/on-matter-of-alex-ovechkins-consistency_15.html
@BobbyG,
Interesting information from the Prognosticator site, thank you. I've felt the turning point was Vancouver/Campbell hit fallout. They were so close together and seemed to suck the spirit out of him.
Seems like Ovi still needs to learn how to get over emotional hurdles. It's taking him forever to get confidence back after everything went wrong that year.
Still he is looking better in Dec. thanks to Boudreau and Hunter for telling him to start hitting and shooting more.
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