Gonchar: What can you say? It's Ovechkin!

Team Russia got 7 points and the first place in their group, Czechs has 6. Russia will play the winner of Swiss and Belarus pair in the quarterfinals. Whew.


Russia's Alexander Ovechkin (8) picks up doll someone threw on the ice after a men's preliminary round ice hockey game against the Czech Republic at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia via northjersey.com.

It's not a doll, it's cheburashka, team Russia's talisman.


Even Che has some kind of relationship to it. :-) Also cheburashka has a friend named Geno.

Sergei Pryakhin, SovSport.ru:

Russian defenseman Sergei Gonchar when he was asked how the first Russian line looked like, "Not bad, not bad... But seriously, that Ovechkin's hit on Jagr was the key to the game. It was beautiful, clean hit and then we scored the third goal. What can you say? It's Ovechkin!"

Source: www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/372201

Damian Cox: "A hit Heard 'Round the Olympics":

VANCOUVER—It wasn't like Jaromir Jagr had his head down. He didn't. And still he couldn't avoid being crushed by the Alex Ovechkin Express.

With Russia leading the Czech Republic 2-1 early in the third period today, Jagr, who had been superb in his country’s first two games, gathered the puck on the right boards by his team's bench and began to weave his way through the neutral zone. As he moved to cross the large green, blue and red inukshuk that adorns centre ice, he shifted to his right and then was caught full on by a gorgeous Ovechkin bodycheck.

Ovechkin's left shoulder caught the 38-year-old Jagr squarely in the chest/neck area, driving the veteran star backwards onto the ice. The Russians quickly headed down the ice with Evgeny Malkin finishing off the play with his second goal of the game to make it 3-1 Russia.

Held without a goal by Slovakia and for two periods by the Czechs, it was the kind of play that demonstrated how Ovechkin can be a game-changer even without putting the puck in the net.

Jagr wasn't hurt, and popped back to his feet, but the result of the play was a goal and a change in momentum that made the Czechs temporarily sag.

Milan Michalek did cut the Russian lead to 3-2 with just over five minutes to play, but the Czechs couldn't complete the comeback. Final score Russia 4, Czechs 2.

The Russians are now 2-1, set to get a bye through to the quarterfinals. Ovechkin's hit on Jagr may prove to be a medal-changing moment.

COLT1911 from the Russian site VOTT:

I watched it in a bar in the Czech Republic. All Czechs in the bar were paralyzed in that episode [after Ovechkin hit Jagr]. But in general it was a little uncomfortable with six of us and the full bar of Czech fans ) Ovechkin's cool!

via Sport-Express

Pavel Lysenkov, SovSport:

Jagr was the last in the mixed-zone, gave a lot of interviews and was smiling a lot. He didn't look like a man who was a victim of a slaughter body check by Ovechkin, which seemed to guarantee a concussion of the first degree to any person.

What the Czechs did not have to defeat Russia? The character? The good luck?
We made some mistakes that cost us a victory. But it's not a tragedy for us. The main thing is that we remain at the Olympics. Yes, now we will have a more difficult life. But we must continue to play as a team. We have lost nothing yet.

What will you say to Ovechkin now? You can do this via the "Soviet sport".
I will not tell him anything. And the hit? I just did not see the moment of impact. Yes, Ovechkin attacked me when I had the puck and the referee did not give a penalty. But I do not think that his body check was legal. Just look at my helmet.

[Pavel Lysenkov: I looked at it and on the right the visor was attached properly, with the screw. And on the left it was torn from the flesh, as if Jaromir was involved in a fight.]

But I blame myself, I lowered my head in that episode. That was my mistake.

Do you have a concussion?
I wish I would. It could've helped me to quickly forget this moment and Ovechkin's hit.

How do you feel?
Awful. I could not play for a while.

Do you consider this hit a decisive moment of the match?
Without doubt.

Source: www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/372217


OhNoSecond experience for Jagr, delivered by OhVechkin:


Marge made a frame-by-frame on Ovi's hit, thanks!

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