Olie Kolzig Chimes In On Semin/Crosby
by J.P. on Dec 1, 2008 5:53 PM EST
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This week's Sports Illustrated contains a piece by Michael Farber on Alex Semin (gotta love how timely dead tree media is, don't you?).
The article is printed in its entirety after the jump and includes some good stuff from Brooks Laich and Matt Bradley (natch), but for some unknown reason is chock full of quotes from Olie Kolzig on his former teammate, including the aged netminder's assertion that Semin's infamous quote regarding Sidney Crosby "shows Semin's not all about hockey, not a student of the game."
Uh huh.
Read on for more from Olie and others...
[Reprinted from Sports Illustrated]
Quieter and less prolific than teammate Alexander Ovechkin, the Capitals' enigmatic Alexander Semin was the NHL's most overlooked talent—until he suddenly opened his mouth By Michael Farber
There is a fabulous Russian winger named Alexander who plays for the Washington Capitals. He stickhandles in a broom closet, skates like his hair is on fire and unleashes a shot heavier than Thanksgiving dinner. "I think he's by far the most talented player in the league," Capitals defenseman Mike Green says. "By far." The winger was leading the NHL in goals and points before straining a back muscle last month. And though the injury lingered longer than Washington first anticipated (eight games through Sunday) he remained tied for third with 13 goals. His nine multipoint matches (more than all but four players) included a five-point game on Nov. 12 in which he stripped the Carolina Hurricanes for parts and abandoned them on the side of the interstate. "It's almost like God touched him on the shoulder and said, 'You are wonderfully gifted,' " Capitals center Brooks Laich says. This hockey force of nature puts pucks through defensemen's feet and retrieves them on the other side, not beating the blueliners so much as tormenting them. "I remember a game in Ottawa last year when he toe-dragged five guys in a row," says right wing Matt Bradley, another teammate. "I wouldn't do that against 10-year-olds, and he's doing it against one of the good teams in the league."
Alexander Ovechkin? No, but Ovechkin is really good, too.
The Washington teammates are not discussing AO but OA, the Other Alex. He is Alexander Semin. He shares a nationality, a language, a first name, a room on the road and, often, the Capitals' first line with the celebrated Ovechkin. Otherwise, well, sometimes it seems as if they barely share the same planet. There is a gap between Ovie and Sasha (their nicknames) that is more profound than their hallmarks: Ovechkin's power and Semin's guile. Ovechkin, the showman on left wing, is so exuberant that he makes Joan Rivers look like a wallflower. Semin, the stealth bomber on right wing, is content to operate in the shadows.
Although he has never approached 65‑goal-scorer Ovechkin in gregariousness or accomplishment—Semin's best season, 2006–07, produced the quietest 38 goals in memory—the inability to express himself in English is part of the reason he slouches toward stardom. "The enigma," says former Washington and current Lightning goalie Olaf Kolzig. "Ovie went out of his way to learn the language. It was kind of a trademark. It added to his personality. Semin, no." Semin has substantially padded his vocabulary from his rookie year, when the only two words he seemed to know were Mountain Dew, a postpractice beverage of choice. While no longer quite lost in translation, he still needs a linguistic GPS. "You talk to him, and he understands more," Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau says. "At least he laughs at the right time now." Like his smoking-hot shot, Semin's high-pitched cackle is first-team all-NHL.
But unless Semin is feeling comfortable, he is reluctant to give voice to that mirth. As he fidgeted through a recent interview in a hotel lobby with an interpreter at hand, he looked as if he would prefer shaving with a cheese grater. He almost always understood the questions but hesitated before responding, conferring with the interpreter, going back and forth, framing responses until they were perfect—and perfectly opaque. Early in the interview he said, through the interpreter, "I don't want to say the wrong thing."
Earlier this season Semin might—or might not—have done just that. In Russian.
On a lighthearted afternoon in Anaheim not long ago, the Alexes and Green huddled in the visitors' dressing room, speaking the common language of young, wealthy hockey players: bling. Semin showed off a gold necklace with a blocky number 28 dangling. As weighty as Semin's tricked-out jewelry may be, something heavier has hung around him since late October. Chatting with a D.C.-based correspondent for Sovetsky Sport in a question-and-answer session that would run on yahoosports.com, Semin revealed that Miracle on Ice was the last hockey movie he'd watched and that Washingtonians are swell people. He also gave this response to a question that touched on Penguins star Sidney Crosby: "What's so special about [Crosby]? I don't see anything special there. Yes, he does skate well, has a good head, a good pass [sic]. . . . I think that if you take any player, even if he is 'dead wood,' and start promoting him, you'll get a star. Especially if he scores 100 points."
For someone who insists "it doesn't matter if I get the limelight or not," Semin might as well have been barking through a bullhorn when he expressed his thoughts about the NHL's most renowned, and perhaps best, player. Now, through an interpreter, Semin stresses he was merely voicing a preference for certain styles—in the interview he lauded Chicago's flashy winger Patrick Kane—not players. Splitting hairs? Maybe. In any case Semin says he was not being dismissive and indicates that he would be the last person to criticize Crosby. (Which, indeed, he was.)
Semin had tugged on Superman's cape, but his comments also advertised that he hasn't figured out that winning in the NHL is less about aesthetics than about Crosby's mix of prowess, passion and commitment. Says Kolzig, "It shows Semin's not all about hockey, not a student of the game."
"I had two thoughts when I heard [about Semin's comments]," Boudreau says. "Number 1: Well, he's finally talking. And number 2: That's his opinion, but it's certainly not the opinion of the rest of the Washington Capitals, the staff, the players and the rest of the league." However inadvertent, the gauntlet has been tossed down, but expect the Penguins and the Capitals to swerve around it when they meet on Jan. 14 in Pittsburgh. Washington center Sergei Fedorov says some of the Capitals' Russians have had "backdoor communication" with some of the Penguins' Russians and "reestablished professional trust. Everything's cool."
"The Crosby stuff? I like what Sash said," Laich says. "There's a huge rivalry between us and Pittsburgh, and he wants to put himself on the map. Everybody talks about Ovechkin-Crosby-[Pittsburgh's Evgeni] Malkin. Well, Alex Semin can be mentioned with those guys. It's a good challenge he put out there, and we're going to back him. Sash is beginning to feel passionate about this hockey team."
Following three middling-to-good years, Semin's spark emerged late last season after a high-ankle sprain healed and after G.M. George McPhee got Fedorov from Columbus at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. McPhee was looking at the 38‑year-old simply as a veteran with some tread left on his tires. "I didn't really think about Sergei's leadership," McPhee says of Fedorov, who has scored more NHL goals than any other Russian. "I didn't anticipate his impact on Semin." With Fedorov as a mentor and often a linemate for the final 18 games, Semin scored seven goals. He had eight points in Washington's seven-game first-round playoff loss to Philadelphia, and a few weeks later he turned in a superb world championship, scoring twice and adding an assist in Russia's gold medal win over Canada.
"He's been practicing harder, going out for optionals. The difference this season is noticeable," Boudreau says. "Sasha's a guy who can stop you from coaching. You just watch. He's stickhandling, stickhandling . . . oh, wow, look at that. He's got moves that turn you into a fan."
Semin's signature is the curl-and-drag, in which he cradles the puck near the tip of his blade, then drags it toward his body, either going around an off-balance defenseman or using him as a screen. Most players can't shoot as forcefully or accurately with the puck close to them, but he can because of the power in his wrists and hands. The 6' 2", 205-pound Semin has broad palms and long fingers; Laich calls them "gorilla hands." Unlike a conventional slap shot or wrister, Semin's shot is "loaded" with a hitch of the wrists, and he almost slingshots the puck, like a jai alai player unleashing the pelota. The shaft on his Bauer stick is an extra rigid 112 flex—Ovechkin plays with a whippy 80 flex—but Semin's stevedore strength creates the torque that has produced what Kolzig says is the best shot he has seen in his 17 NHL seasons.
"When you see a kid who has more talent than the reigning MVP, you want to see more," Kolzig says of the 13th player taken in the 2002 draft. "He's teasing you. The frustrating thing is he hasn't gotten everything out of his talent. He doesn't have the intangibles Ovie has. With Ovie there's accountability. He's had a bad groin and played through it. Ovie realizes what he has to live up to. So far [Semin] just puts up points."
Of course, he is putting up plenty of them. But other aspects are almost as impressive: his +17 rating (first in the NHL), a reversal of his pitiful –18 last year, and his responsible play on the penalty kill now that Boudreau trusts him in that role. While benefits accrue from skating on Alex the First's line—"Playing with Ovechkin makes him that much better," Carolina right wing Scott Walker says—Semin, who has also played on Fedorov's line, has scored nine of his goals this season without Ovechkin on the ice. And just after his Crosby comments appeared online and set NHL tongues wagging, Semin rolled off 11 points in five games.
The Other Alex, in other words, has put up after he should have shut up.
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Call me, please
“I didn’t really think about Sergei’s leadership,” McPhee says of Fedorov, who has scored more NHL goals than any other Russian. “I didn’t anticipate his impact on Semin.”
Uh, wasn’t that the FIRST thing some of us thought of? Why isn’t TOR paying us $6M/year?!
by TylerG on Dec 1, 2008 6:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Interesting article
Thanks for posting. Laich’s comments about Semin are great. Given Olie’s statements, I guess we now know who led the comments against Semin in the team meeting that lead to the Ovie’s ipod incident last season after the game where Semin threw the puck with his hand. Semin seems to have matured so much since Feds came to the team.
by NovaCath on Dec 1, 2008 7:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
That’s a really interesting article. At least Semin’s getting some credit for the ridiculous run he had to start the season.
And I think we’ve learned over the past 6 months not to put much stock in what Kolzig has to say.
by RickyRage on Dec 1, 2008 7:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Semin
The kids sick, If he keeps showing the drive he had before he got injured. I have no issues with what comes out of his mouth. As long as he torments opposition goalies with his wrist shot…hes cool in my book :)
by Strikeman on Dec 1, 2008 8:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
not saying this is the case, but....
i can understand why Caps management would not want to rush anyone back at the moment…remember, we are in the Southeast division. the Caps are still one of the better teams with a third of their starting lineup injured and have the ability to secure a playoff spot as is.
this affords us some cushion with injured players, who can be eased back into the lineup at a more conservative/safer pace. the missing cogs will be needed at 100% come playoff time.
by ns on Dec 1, 2008 8:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Could be very interesting.....
January 1st at Verizon Center.
Semin vs. Kolzig?
by Dezlboy on Dec 1, 2008 9:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I love Alexander Semin, definitely getting a Semin hersey soon.
by Ovechkin on Dec 1, 2008 10:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
What Alex said in that interview remains one of the most interesting comments by a hockey player, in print, in a long, long time.
And I’d rather watch Patrick Kane too.
by theredskate on Dec 1, 2008 11:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
It’s amazing how little the “Kane is great” angle on this story has been reported.
Oh, nevermind – Kane’s American. It’s no longer amazing.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 6:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Still holding that grudge Olie.
Kolzig sounds bitter. Obviously, he can say whatever he wants but he just sounds like he can’t put the past behind him. Why the hell did they ask him anyway?
by kvarnson on Dec 1, 2008 11:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Wish they'd give the whole quote, just for context.
It’s so easy to take the whole thing out of context when you break out the juicy parts of it.
Like how Patrick Kane’s play is a more interesting player to watch. Or how typically the North American game is more dump and chase than finessing your way into the offensive zone.
But the media has to focus on the hot button quote. It sells more.
by NS2NOVA on Dec 1, 2008 11:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
dude, that's awesome...
i LOVE photoshop!
by CAPS NEWS NETWORK on Dec 2, 2008 1:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 6:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, this is definitely terrific. Nice work.
by RickyRage on Dec 2, 2008 7:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
very nice. Olie should stop burning bridges…
by ns on Dec 2, 2008 8:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+2
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 6:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Kolzig is Saying the Truth
Aside from the fact that Olie is using the opportunity to take some personal shots at Semin (it’s obvious he doesn’t like him), much of what he’s saying isn’t very different from what we’ve all said in the past. And that is that Semin is enourmously talented, but ( until this year) hasn’t really worked hard enough to make himself a more complete player; that he can be selfish and put his own play ahead of the team and that he needs to mature as a person and a player. Of course, the irony is that Olie could have been talking about his own career; a very talented but immature athlete who for years never lived up to expectations because he selfishly allowed his temper to get the better of him. A goalie who would implode during a game after a bad goal and kill his team’s chances of winning. Then again, Semin at 24 appears to have figured it out while Olie was almost 28 before he finally got it. If Olie had referenced himself while criticizing Semin, his comments would sound less like a bitter player nearing the end of his career and more like a sage veteran offering advice to a young star.
by b.orr4 on Dec 2, 2008 9:41 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I agree – it’s not really the substance so much as the tone (and source) that’s bothersome here.
But that “student of the game” crap is still a joke.
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by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 9:51 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that quote cracked me up. I don’t know about you but when someone says hockey player, I always think post-graduate degree.
by b.orr4 on Dec 2, 2008 10:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agree with that
What’s funny is that Semin’s interview showed that he IS a student of the game, but he doesn’t worship at the North American altar.
Much of what Olie said about him was true, but it’s not clear to me that it still is. It appears that Semin is beginning to realize how to get the most out of his enormous talent – we all saw that awakening happen last year, especially in the playoffs. It is true that he doesn’t have Ovie’s intangibles, but what other player does?
by grapejoos on Dec 2, 2008 6:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ugh. Semin gives probably one of the best interviews ever – just real answers and not stupid canned responses to the same old stupid questions and now he’ll probably never speak again because poor poor Sidney Crosby was not proclaimed the bestest ever. Teammates and coaches bending over backwards with the stupid “bad translation” and what not. Now supposedly they’re talking to Pittsburgh players to soothe the ruffled feathers. Canadian press picks their little snippet half quotes and whines for months, Olie weighs in from Tampa with assinine no student of the game crap. My god – dude shared his opinion. The rest of these peeps need a life.
by Ames on Dec 2, 2008 10:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Irony
I think there’s great irony in a guy playing like Kolzig is playing running his mouth about Semin running his mouth about Crosby. In case you haven’t been paying attention, here are a few quick Olie stats:
Number of games Olie Kolzig has started in the past ten days: two.
Number of games Olie Kolzig has finished in the past ten days: zero.
Number of games Olie Kolzig had a GAA under 4.00 or a SV% above .900 in November: zero.
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by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 12:15 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Well, it’s good thing he’s got that doctorate degree from the School of Hockey to fall back on.
by b.orr4 on Dec 2, 2008 3:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Dec 2, 2008 3:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Sad, Isn't it?
I wanted to cut Olie a break when he left. The end of a pro athlete’s career seems to take one of two trajectories. Some seem to know when to quit, and others just keep hanging on hoping for one more moment of glory. I liked Olie in Washington a lot, and was disappointed in the way he left. I am getting over it… Thanks, Olie for making it easier on all of us.
by Boodgiesdad on Dec 2, 2008 12:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
No kidding
The thing is, there’s no reason why there has to be bad blood here. Olie has to know, on some level, that the Caps replaced him (with WILD SUCCESS) because he was not very good last year. He has clearly lost whatever edge or step it is that separates starting-caliber NHL goalies from the rest. Nobody would blame him for that – he’s old, and it happens to every player. I would think that a guy like him wouldn’t want a roster spot, much less a starting job, based solely on reputation and long-ago past performance, yet he’s holding this grudge.
I don’t blame him for signing with Tampa – a guy in his position should steal one last paycheck if a team is dumb enough to offer it. He could have retired as a Cap for life if he wanted to, and clearly he didn’t. How is that the Caps’ fault, or a reason to hold a grudge? I wonder how much respect he was getting from the skaters in the locker room toward the end. That’s the only potential slight I can think of that would justify his whining/criticism in any way.
It’s sad. He’s arguably the greatest player in franchise history (certainly since I have followed the team), certainly the greatest goalie, but he just can’t see his own hockey mortality. Doctorate from School of Hockey indeed.
by grapejoos on Dec 2, 2008 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It is disappointing
As an “over the hill ex-jock”, I can really see the desire to keep playing. Though I am now on the dark side of 50, if I were granted one chance to go back and play outside linebacker again, I’d want to take it. Trouble is, I wouldn’t be right or smart to do so.
Olie carved himself a place in DC sports legend. We hockey fans may be fewer, but we are fiercely loyal to our heroes, (Dale Hunter posters still hang proudly in my daughter’s room). He could have left his mark on this town forever. Instead, he has left us with a lingering aftertaste of sour grapes. I know from my business that, no matter how good your are for the first 80% of the project, it is how you finish it that people remember.
The doctors bedside manner could use some polishing…
by Boodgiesdad on Dec 3, 2008 8:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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Southeast Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Washington
|
16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 22 |
|
Tampa Bay
|
14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
|
Atlanta
|
12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
|
Florida
|
14 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 11 |
|
Carolina
|
15 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 7 |
(updated 11.7.2009 at 9:10 AM EST)
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