Kukla's Korner Hockey
All Alexei Kovalev
by Paul on 08/08/11 at 02:48 PM ET
Comments (2)
from Dmitry Chesnokov of PuckDaddy,
Kovalev arrived in Russia today and joined his new team in the suburbs of Moscow. During his interview, Kovalev candidly discussed the hockey media, saying Ottawa journalists “don’t watch hockey at all. When they fly with the team and go through the [metal detector] at an airport, their bags are filled with beer.”
I asked Sergei Gonchar(notes) what game model Ottawa had. The defenseman could only throw his hands up.
“In two seasons I still couldn’t understand the ideas of our coach Cory Clouston. It seemed that he scoffed at some players.”
What do you mean?
“You have to treat players kindly. If you leave someone on the bench you should explain why it happened. This is coach’s job. But when a player is benched and doesn’t understand what is happening, he becomes lost.”
You were then traded to the Penguins, where Malkin and Crosby didn’t play due to injuries. Why didn’t it work out there?
“Everything was fine. I had played for Pittsburgh before. The atmosphere doesn’t change there. But my style didn’t fit with the game coach Dan Byslma was implementing. There is nothing else to explain it with.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Non-NHL Hockey, European Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: alexei+kovalev
Comments
This is such a classically cliched interview that it’s silly. Kovalev checked off all the excuses Russian players tend to use in the Russian press when asking why things didn’t work with NHL team X or whatever—“the coach doesn’t understand me/communicate with me/give me enough ice time”, “the media doesn’t understand me/is too hard on me,” “at least Russian team Y gave me security,” “but wait, I’ll show ‘em and come back to the NHL and dominate.” Kovalev’s leaning on cliches and becoming one by doing so.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 08/09/11 at 07:28 AM ET
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So, he can’t cut it here now, but he thinks that in four years he’s going to be good enough to play in the NHL again at the tender age of 41?
Posted by Hootinani on 08/08/11 at 04:21 PM ET