Ovechkin will land in Slovakia Saturday
Ovi gave a short interview to Russian TV station "Rossiya-2".
Here's what actually happened.
Ovi texted to his best friend Russian defenseman Ilya Nikulin and joked if they had a berth for him to sleep (this is where Ovi is smiling in video). After that Ilya called him, they talked and Ovi asked Tretiak and Bykov to call him via Ilya, because Ovi didn't know what to do, should he go on vacation or fly to World Cup in Slovakia.
Ovechkin:
I haven't followed the national team because I was concentrating on playoffs.
[Russians already lost to Germans and could be eliminated soon too].
Hopefully my mood will change when I join the [national] team as well as the national team's mood too. We are going, I'm flying to help the team. We have a good team, the backbone of the team is the same. That's all [I can say].
Tarik El-Bashir and Dan Steinberg on Ovechkin's exit interview answers:
Via CSN Washington, when asked about playing for Russia in the IIHF World Championships, Ovechkin said he will indeed play.
"Yea, I talked to President Tretiak, he asked me if I'm going and I said yes," he said.
"I don't want to go there but I will. I want to play in the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup but the situation is the situation. I'm going to play for my country and try to win gold."
via Sport-Express.ru:
Under the personal supervision of Tretiak the issue with visa and insurance for Ovechkin were solved. CEO of RHF Valery Fesyuk had a phone conversation at 7:30 PM Bratislava time with Ovechkin's agent who reported that Ovechkin flight would land in Vienna, located just 50 kilometers from the Slovak capital, early Saturday morning. The bosses of the Russian hockey Federation immediately ordered via the organizing committee of the World Cup the best car to meet the famous forward.
...hmmm... Who would be Ovechkin's agent? Sergey Kocharov?
Also Russian coaches talked to Semin and told him that the decision about him would be done after the results of Red Wings -Sharks playoff series. If Red Wings will be eliminated, Datsyuk will be the number 1 candidate, if not, Semin will fly to Bratislava as well.
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TJ, I saw on twitter that Chesnokov quoted Bykov saying:
RUS Coach Bykov to SovSport: "We won't invite Semin under any circumstances. His play in the last Washington game was very weak."
Doesn't sound like Semin will be invited. Does Ovie care that his BFF is treated that way?
What a low blow for Semin.
Should Ovi play in the World Champs? It would probably be smarter from a health standpoint if he didn't but we'll know he'll do it anyhow.
I would assume that if Bykov is still in charge of the Russian team for the Sochi Olympics, that Semin will not be chosen. Ouch!
I'm having doubts that Bykov will still be coach by the time Sochi comes along. And if he is, I fear for Russia based on coaching alone. Many players have said- after Vancouver- that he wasn't a strong coach, focused on wrong things. Now he's calling out players.
Also, I don't think Ovi has probably heard that, but he could talk to administration and/or the coach himself, but probably after the games.
On a physical standpoint, I wouldn't advise Ovechkin to go, but from a mental one, I think he needs a chance to end on a higher note. It's just the way he is. He'll still have time to heal up and get ready.
@AB,
Yes, Bykov said that. I am not Semin's fan, but I think it was politically incorrect. Semin was the one who scored 2 goals in the final vs. Canada in Quebec.
Быков подчеркнул, что он не пригласит Семина в команду, потому что форвард слабо сыграл в последних матчах.
@BobbyG,
Thanks for reporting, it was not working in IE. It is fixed now. Please email me if it still doesn't work.
With Ovechkin they actually have a chance to win something now, but I'd rather see them fired. Otherwise Russians will have a very little chance to win anything in Sochi-2014.
If there is an interview with Ovi or something with him in our Slovak newspapers, I can translate it for you if you want :) Or scan pictures of him
That would be great, Andrea!
@TJ: It's working again for me, thanks for fixing the problem. I'm totally lost if I can't read or post here.
I agree with the comments about Bykov, he's a terrible coach with no sense of tactics/strategy OR tact/diplomacy. Dissing Semin was so cruel and not justified. IMO Bykov ruined Team Russia in Vancouver in 2010, and if he's still behind the bench in Sochi in 2014, Team Canada or some other powerhouse national team will absolutely send him to school and clean Russia's clock.
@Andrea: I am so looking forward to any Ovie stories and photos from Slovakia to share here!
As for Ovie going to the World Championships, I initially had reservations about the wisdom of his decision if he still has some sort of lingering injury. However, after hearing his exit interview comments, it sounds like he needs to do this because he just isn't ready to stop playing hockey yet. IMO he needs to play to clear his mind and not have the Caps latest playoff exit be his last hockey playing experience for this season.
If that is truly the case, then I say to him Ovie, go to play for your country to get it out of your system. Then take some time to relax and reflect on what went right and what went wrong this year. And after that, get really serious abut training, earlier and much harder than you did last season. And please also come back to DC a little earlier than the must report deadline.
I think it´s really great from Ovi that he wants to go to Championship. I remember he always came when he had an opportunity. He´s not like our NHL players, they went only to Olympics or this year in Championship. That´s the thing I really appreciate on Ovi or other Russian players. They don´t have problem to go to any Championships.
I have questioned many things about Bykov's coaching of the Russians over the last 2 years, not just his current list of invitees. I had already felt he was overdue to get fired but he's got such a great relationship with the Russian President.
I really love Ovi. But I have a soft place for Semin as well, maybe since I have a kid like him (who inherited the tendencies from moi.)
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