A bombshell from Varlamov's agent
Semyon Varlamov's agent Vyacheslav Makhrensky Varlamov commented about Varlamov's choice of KHL and also said that Varlamov received improper medical treatment from Washington Capitals medical staff.
Pavel Lysenkov, SovSport.ru, June 30, 2011:
What is Semyon looking for?
He has a contract offer from the Washington and from Russia. As of today Varlamov has chosen KHL.
Where is Semyon now?
He flew to US on Wednesday.
You mean, he agreed to the NHL's contract offer?
No, Semyon wants to work with a [fitness] coach from Hershey who normally trains him in the offseason. This specialist also works for the NFL. He is supposed to improve Varlamov fitness off-ice and in the gym. And when Semyon will return, I think it will be in the mid-July, he will start on-ice training with the goalie coach Jussi Parkkila, who has been training him for the last 4 years.
There was a stereotype that Varlamov is injury prone. But his father said it was because he received improper medical treatment from Washington Capitals medical staff.
He is in a good shape! When Semyon returned to Russia after the season, we conducted a thorough medical examination. We did not find any scars in those places where there previously were groin injuries. In fact the treatment by Capitals medical staff is problematic. The doctors in Russia are better. The Washington Capitals doctor would say, "He is alright, he can play.", but Semyon felt that he still had a sore knee. So he goes out and play and again gets injured. And the injury was not even too serious, but he couldn't continue to play.
Where there a cases when Washington kept healthy Varlamov on the bench?
It is understandable why it was done. Capitals were preparing for a new contract talks. But they didn't expect that Semyon could choose to go to Russia. The Washington's management thought that they were in control of the situation. But it turned out that they were not.
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8 comments:
Wow. I was hoping there wouldn't be Varly-gate this offseason. I guess I was wrong. :(
Varly can be an adorable person at times and I like him as a player, but his constant insults and barbs really keep me from liking him as a person. Kind of low for his dad to blame the doctors. If there was no irreparable damage to him then there is no foul by the doctors. Unless they botch a surgery it's more than likely the patient's fault for training too aggressively or not speaking up about their physical status once the rehab timeline is complete. Everyone doesn't heal at the same pace.
I work in the medical field; primarily in physical therapy. In most cases where people want to blame the doctor for re-injury it is because they didn't communicate well enough and didn't follow the rehabilitation program. The patient has to convey all sides to their injury or concerns so the doctor can evaluate them better. If Varly didn't think he was ready to play then he should have spoken up to everyone that made decisions. It's his body and his responsibility. There's only so much doctors can do with touch, test, and surgery. It's up to the patient to fill in those gaps, especially when it comes to pain or limited mobility.
I've noticed with athletes that once they're injured they want to bounce back as soon as possible. They'll push themselves too hard too soon and lie about their current condition and how much they've been training just to get back in the game faster. When they get injured again they blame the doctor for their own choices. That is why so many of them get injured repeatedly in the same places. They don't allow adequate time to heal properly because they're scared about the status of their position or they're impatient and selfish.
If a doctor says you should be fine by now and you know you're not, you don't have to accept it so get a second opinion. When the same body part gets injured it takes longer to become whole again. It's up to the patient to follow the rehab program exactly and refrain from doing something they don't feel they're ready to do. I really feel like that was Varlamov's problem. No one put a gun to his head and told him he had to play. I have a hard time believing the coaching staff would put him in unless he said he was fine and ready.
@Anonymous
I think it's unfair to attribute to Varly his agent's and his dad's statements. His own statements to Slava Malamud recently were much more reasonable. His agent sounds like he is a bit wacko, Varly might not agree with everything he says. Who honestly believes Russia has better medical treatment than the U.S.? Now, Varly might not like something about how he was treated or trained by Caps medical staff. I kind of wonder about them after what happened with Nicky and his thumb and him breaking it again in the playoffs and reinjuring it during the regular season and needing a cast. He should have be out sooner than he was and worn a cast or whatever to properly heal and then he would of been fine for the playoffs.
I agree with AB. The manager sounds off and we can not tell if he is saying the true or if that's how Varly really feels about this situation. Second, it's true that Varly should have communicated better with the medical staff, but I doubt he could have done that since he is not an English speaker. Perhaps the manager is trying to say that the Russian staff has better communication. Finally, just look how both Green and Nicky got injured again all the time so I won't say he is completely wrong about the medical staff not being good.
Or it could be that these players lie about their condition because they are afraid to loose their position I mean just look to what happened to Varly, he got replaced.
@AB
You're right about his agent. However, the guy has done a lot to stir up negative press for Varlamov and yet he continues to employ him....? If it was me I'd find someone else. And I agree about Russian doctors vs US doctors. I actually had something in my comment about that as well but I took it out because I didn't want to offend anyone. All I can do is smirk and shake my head at that statement. I'm not saying US doctors are the best in the world. I probably wouldn't even put us in the top 3 but Russia is definitely not even close to Top 10. I'm never shocked by what they say about other countries. Just disappointed that they're so negatively vocal about points of view beyond their own yard.
I understand why you would draw a link to Backstrom and his finger issue but there's one thing missing. Nicky's finger was fractured, it wasn't broken and he refused to get it treated because it was just the tip of his thumb. Honestly there's not a whole lot you can do if its just fractured except wear a splint on it or cast on your whole hand/forarm for a few weeks. A finger fracture is little painful but it's really not that bad. I've had 5 fractures and 3 breaks that were never treated. So I understand why he didn't want to miss time but it was his decision. The second time he ended up hurting the ligament. He might have had the finger reset but I know he only wore a hard cast for a little over 2 weeks and practiced with a splint. Two weeks is hardly enough time to heal an injury like that. Hurt fingers and torn knees are two different levels of immobility. The doctors probably didn't think it was a big deal but neither did Nicky. That's pretty much how it works. Doctors give their opinion on how to treat it and the player communicates how the injury is affecting them and how they want to handle it. Whether or not they're ready to play is ultimately up to them unless its a head injury. I don't really agree with that. Especially in sports because there are too many risks to be reinjured. I think sometimes trainers & doctors need to intervene and say "Look you can't play until you're 100%" but it doesn't happen. Not in the big leagues anyway. And players need to speak up when something is going wrong instead of letting their egos drive them. Varly should have said he wasn't ready and Backstrom should have let his finger heal properly the first time. The running theme is both of them said they were okay and able to play. Obviously they were lying...
Varlamov between knee injuries (March 2011):
"Physically Im 100% ready. In other cases, I wouldn't play. I already was feeling good while playing against Ottawa."
Boudreau on Backstrom injury (Feb 2011):
"He's been dealing with it internally," Boudreau said. "He's just a tough kid. He doesn't say anything, he doesn't ask for pity, he doesn't ask for time off. He doesn't ask for anything. He just goes out and plays."
Backstrom (Feb 2011):
"Yes there is a little fracture. It's too bad that it happened but I don't think it feels that bad. I don't know I think I'm day-to-day and right now, I feel ok, but we have to wait and see how it feels in the next couple of days."
(May 2011) Asked Thursday if (Backstrom) was in pain during the playoffs, he said: “No. No pain.”
(June 2011)
"It had to heal on its own, they couldn’t do anything to speed up the process. It was a fracture at first but then I tore the ligament and everything. But I feel much better now. I have regained feeling in the thumb and I can move it much better now. Of course I was affected by it, and of course you want to be 100%. But that’s hockey, injuries happen. You just have to accept the reality as it is and live with it. It was not like I had broken foot so that I couldn’t skate. But it sucks to get this type of injury, sort of a "semi-injury" with just seven or eight games left before the playoffs."
Russian agents aren't trustworthy.
As for injuries and healing, many athletes hide their injuries or try to get back in the game as soon as possible. It isn't smart, but it is part of the culture.
Let Varley go to Russia - we need a goal tender who is available (healthy) ALL THE TIME, not some of the time. Thats how the Bruins WON! He's too young to have all these issues - it just wasnt meant to be. I find it EXTREMELY difficult that the Caps medical staff are to blame. It's all good - especially for us! Hopefully McPhee will do it right this time and get the right person behind the net.
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