Russian Players In NHL

Jan262010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Semin: “Why pay attention when someone provokes you?”

Alexander Semin: "Why pay attention when someone provokes you?" (Photo © capitals.nhl.com) NHL star Alexander Semin gave an interview to Russian newspaper Sovsport.ru which was translated on the popular Washington Capitals' blog Japers' Rink. In this interview he talked about the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver, about 2008 WC final match and about his composed personality. Special guest of the interview: Ovechkin's dad. RussianHockeyFans.com collected the most interesting parts of the interview. The Olympics are approaching. Are you nervous? Semin: "There's no need to get butterflies. That might even hamper you a little bit. You just need to go out on the ice and play, like any other game. If you remember Quebec, well yeah, the finale is the finale. There was seething passion and excit...

Jan252010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

NHL » Flyers sign Denis Bodrov

Russian Players In NHL

Flyers sign Denis Bodrov (Photo © khl.ru) The Philadelphia Flyers signed Denis Bodrov to an AHL deal. The Russian defenseman was a second round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and was released by KHL's Atlant Mytischi in November due to bad performances. "He hasn't played in about a month," GM Holmgren said to philly.com. "I don't really know the process over there in Russia, but it worked out where he was free to do what he wanted. He's been here the last few days." Bodrov, 23, started his pro career with Lada Togliatti. He was drafted by the Flyers after his good performances at 2006 WJC, where he won the silver medal with Team Russia. He was then traded to Atlant Mytischi after he was rumored to have a bad influence on the team's youngest players. In the Moscow Region team he didn't ma...

Jan202010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Pechurski: “I played pretty well”

Russian Players In NHL

Alexander Pechurski: "I played pretty well" (Photo © AP Photo) Russian goalie Alexander Pechurski played his first game on Saturday and he was named 3rd star of the match thanks to his 12 saves in 35 minutes. In an interview with Russian website allhockey.ru he talked about his eventful weekend and his NHL experience. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation. Alexander, I don't even know if I should congratulate you for your NHL debut or encourage you for your team's defeat... Pechurski: "Yeah, I have a lot of emotions. My first NHL match came as surprise. Marc-Andre Fleury got an injury and they asked me to arrive here (Pechursky played the night before in Tri-City, around 600 kms from Vancouver - ASR). My team mates supported me a lot and thus I wasn't baffled (smiles). I think I p...

Jan172010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Pechurski debuts in the NHL, makes 12 saves

Russian Players In NHL

Alexander Pechurski debuts in the NHL, makes 12 saves (Photo © Reuters Pictures) Russian goalie Alexander Pechurski of the Pittsburgh Penguins played his first NHL match against the Vancouver Canucks at General Motors Place on January 16th. The young goalie played a WHL regular season clash on friday night and then he has been signed by the Pens to a one-game amateur try out after their starting goalie Marc-Andre Fleury suffered from a broken finger and was forced out of the game. Pechursky had to play in Fleury's pads as the ones he wears in Tri-City don't meet NHL regulations. But even if he didn't use his own equipment, had to travel a lot and played in back-to-back games he showed that he is a NHL-bound player as he stopped 12 shots and has been named the match's third star even if the...

Jan132010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Ovechkin drops the gloves, Bradley fights instead

Russian Players In NHL

Ovechkin drops the gloves, Bradley fights instead (Photo © AP Photo) Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin was really close to battle in another NHL fight, but Matt Bradley stole him the scene and fought instead of him during the third period of the Tuesday's match between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The first brawl was started by Stewe Downie after a clean hit by Ovechkin, but it was quickly stopped by the refs, who gave the two players a minor penalty. When they got out of the penalty box Ovechkin was ready to go as he dropped the gloves and the helmet too, but when he and Downie were approaching each other, Matt Bradley intervened and started fighting Downie himself, not allowing his captain to fight. "I didn't see him actually," said Ovechkin after the match to ...

Jan122010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Alexander Semin: “In a year I’ll be a free agent, have more opportunities”

Russian Players In NHL

Alexander Semin: "In a year I'll be a free agent, have more opportunities" (Photo © Bill Wippert/Getty Images) Right on Christmas time the Washington Capitals extended Alexander Semin's contract for one more year, with sources from TSN claiming that it was worth around six million dollars. Semin's contract will now run out in June 2011. This was the main topic of an interview that Alexander gave to Slava Malamud of Sport Express. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation. Semin: "For now I'm satisfied with the conditions of my contract. My agent and I considered other variants but we decided that 1 year is an optimal variant." Why? Semin: "Just because. I'm going to play in Washington for this last year and then think things over. I will have more opportunities as I will be a free age...

Jan62010 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Nikolai Kulemin progressing in Toronto Maple Leafs

Russian Players In NHL

Nikolai Kulemin progressing in Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo © Reuters) Russian NHL forward Nikolai Kulemin of the Toronto Maple Leafs is improving and even if his point production is not very high, he finds other ways to contribute to the team's success. "Kulemin has been one of our better forwards," said Leaf coach Ron Wilson to Toronto Star. "He doesn't get many points, but he forechecks well. He did a great job on the penalty kill, and he made a great play on the winning goal." In a Tuesday game against the Florida Panthers Kulemin assisted to Alexei Ponikarovsky on the game winning goal doing most of the grunt work. "Obviously, he had a full head of steam," Ponikarovsky told Toronto Star. "I knew he was going to get there first, so I just went to the net and hollered at him. "[Kulemin] i...

Jan62010 by Gary Laws2 Comments

Captain Ovechkin: “It’s a big honor for me but I’m going to play the same”

Russian Players In NHL

Captain Ovechkin: "It's a big honor for me but I'm going to play the same" (Photo © Greg Fiume/Getty Images) Russian NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin was named Washington Capitals' captain on Tuesday. The position was vacant after the former captain Chris Clark has been traded with defenseman Milan Jurcina for Columbus Blue Jackets' Jason Chimera. "If I need to say something, I will say something," Ovechkin told the Washington Post. "But I will show what I can do on the ice. It's a big honor for me. I'm going to do my best, but I don't want to concentrate on having a 'C' on my heart. I'm just going to play the same." The Capitals won the match 4-2, but Ovechkin has been left out of the score sheet. Alexander Semin scored two goals, including the game winning one. "I had talked to a lot of ...

Jan42010 by Gary Laws1 Comment

NHL » Ilya Kovalchuk scores 600th NHL point

Russian Players In NHL

Ilya Kovalchuk scores 600th NHL point (Photo © Lou Capozzola/SI) It took 579 games to Ilya Kovalchuk to score his 600th point in the National Hockey League. In his 579th effort, during the second period of a match between Atlanta Thrashers and Buffalo Sabres, he scored the first goal of the game with a top-shelf wrist shot from the slot. In this season Kovalchuk scored 25 goals and 47 points in 32 matches, numbers that make him the fourth top goal scorer and the eighth top point scorer in the league. He's also the fifth forward with the most average time on ice with more than 22 minutes a night. He logs in average only eighteen seconds less than the mos used forward, slovak Marian Gaborik of the New York Rangers.

Dec232009 by Gary LawsNo Comments

Andrei Markov and Maxim Afinogenov like to joke

Russian Players In NHL

Andrei Markov and Maxim Afinogenov like to joke (Photo © allhockey.ru) Habs' Andrei Markov and Thrashers' Maxim Afinogenov liked joke when they played for Dynamo Moscow of the KHL in the 2004/05 season, according to their former partner Yakov Rylov. Rylov gave an interview to Russian site sports.ru where he recollected some stories with Markov and Afinogenov. RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of some parts of the interview. "Once Max Afinogenov made a bad pass and [Dynamo's head coach] Krikunov exclaimed: "What are you, blind?". The following day the team gathered in a room for the game analysis. Max took a seat in the first row and put on strong glasses. You know, the ones that enlarge your eyes considerably. Krikunov came in and started laughing. At one moment there were ru...