Ovechkin: "This Is War. You Have To Fight."
by tuvanhillbilly on Apr 20, 2009 2:30 PM EDT
in Translations
44 comments
[Intrepid Russian reporter Slava Malamud with Sport-Express caught up with Alexander Ovechkin and Simeon (pronounced Sem-YON btw) Varlamov after the heartbreaking loss in game two.]
Varlamov: "Theodore told me that I could do this"
The debut of Washington goaltender Simeon Varlamov in the Stanley Cup playoffs turned out unsuccessful. His team lost at home to the Rangers 0:1 and are now 0-2 in the series. After the game, the 20 year old Russian talked with Sport Express correspondent Slava Malamud.
When did you know that you were going to play?
"I can't say." (smiling)
What did you think of your first NHL playoff game?
"First, the game was extremely critical, and we absolutely had to win it. We're now 0-2 in the series and it will be very difficult for us to play them on their home ice. But we are ready."
There was a delay at the start of the game. Did that bother you?
"Yeah, it was a little irritating. There was a little problem with the net. It wasn't set in place properly and because of that it was loose."
Were you really nervous?
"I was before the game, of course. That's normal for a goaltender. But I was a lot more nervous than this before my first NHL game in Montreal."
Were you happy with your game and with the defense? Do you think you should be in net in the future?
"It's no secret that I want to play. Since I was a kid I've dreamed about playing in the NHL. I think that we played well in defense and offense. We just couldn't score. And Lundqvist played really well."
What can you say about the goal you allowed?
"The player played it really well shooting at the net. I didn't have a chance to catch the puck, since he put it right in the top corner."
Did Theodore talk with you before the game?
"Yeah, after warm-ups he came over to me and said that he played his first game when he was 20, in Montreal. He encouraged me, saying it was no big deal, that I could do this."
Did you hear how the fans greeted you?
"Yeah, that was unbelievable! I didn't expect them to give me that kind of greeting!"
***
Ovechkin: "This is war. You have to fight"
Following Washington's 0:1 loss to the Rangers in the second game of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin (who made six shots on goal during the game) answered a few questions from Sport-Express correspondent Slava Malamud.
"Once again we had a lot of opportunities, but Lundqvist played extremely well, especially in the third period"- said Ovechkin after the game. "But we still have a chance to pull this out. It's going to be difficult to do in New York, but the only thing we need to do is score goals, and that's it."
Is your team in shock? Astounded?
"No. Last year we were down 1-3 in the series and we were able to take it to overtime in the seventh game. We just haven't been able to score, and that's all there is to it. I don't know, maybe we just need to be more resourceful on the attack. After the game the coach reminded us about Carolina in 2006. So we're not going to give up, and we'll hold our heads high. This is war. You have to fight."
Do you think you were playing too much of a physical game, especially in the second period, when you attacked the net much less frequently?
"This is the playoffs. We had a lot of chances to score. Semin gave me a pass and I hit the bar. Backstrom didn't score. Kozlov shot at an empty net and missed. We have to capitalize on those opportunities."
After the first game a lot of people blamed the goaltender. What can you point the finger at this time?
"Well why do you have to blame any one person? We ourselves are the reason for our defeat. We didn't score, and that's it in a nutshell."
How would you rate yourself?
"I'm doing everything but putting the puck in the net."
Doesn't it seem like the Rangers have figured you out?
"Watch and see what happens in the next game."
What can you see about Varlamov's game?
"He played well, he didn't make any errors. What can you say? He looked good. The only bad thing is that we lost."
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I’m sitting here at my desk, watching the minutes tick by every so sloooowly. I think i’m going to vomit I’m so freakin’ nervous.
The keyboard is mightier.
by breed16 on Apr 20, 2009 2:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I know the feeling and concur.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I also know the feeling and also concur. I’ve been thinking of ways to break the negative mojo, I’ve already banned two shirts from my house and have switched a few things in the living room to change the karma.
by DonnieKnutts on Apr 20, 2009 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
How’s this for karma – my lunch receipt today was #87.
I felt marginally better when I got back and saw the Brashear “news,” but still… 87… blech.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
1. what shirts were banned?
2. i just wiki’d “Snoopy”. long day.
by ns on Apr 20, 2009 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Dang…again JP DMG is quick on the draw…I was about to praise sincity for his way with words….
by Yoshietree on Apr 20, 2009 3:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I thought about editing it, but it’s just not the same. I apologize for the coarse language, but it is what it is
by sincitycapsfan on Apr 20, 2009 3:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, what it is, err, was, was way much.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry, Sin – I bailed on the quote. Long day. Definitely far less offensive in context (though I’d still suggest that, in the future, you make use of [expletive] or -- or f*#$ or somethin’, dig?).
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Are we not allowed to curse? I definitely used “mind-f&*!” in another thread here.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oh, you can curse, just don’t be too gratuitous about it. Or do. I don’t fucking care.
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well make up your fucking mind, JP!
by David M. Getz on Apr 20, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Holy shitfuck everyone! Time to get on ’dem bitches and ride ’em the fuck home!
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Fuck, the way this fucking thread is going, I might have to unhide SinCity’s fucking comment, eh?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Okay, I’m stopping. I’m really disappointed in myself.
by DrinkingPartner on Apr 20, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Can we get an edited version of his comment?
by Ovechwin on Apr 20, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Some things of note...
I have been to the two home playoff games so far and I wanted to add some things I have noticed.
1. I disagree these games have been close. On the score sheet and in some stats that come playoff time don’t matter, they have certainly dominated (ie. faceoffs and shots, but the shots they took especially in game 2 were awful). However, they have been getting killed in the heart department. It’s funny…this season, I could always tell when they were going to lose (in the 35 some games I went to) and it is a combination of things that spells doom. They do not play as a unit and act as if they don’t trust each other and don’t know where they should be on the ice. They play scared. They do not play with energy and make lazy plays and take stupid lazy penalties. But most of all, they are not able to maintain concentration, especially true down the stretch. They have these long mental lapses where they cannot maintain the intensity necessary to win and this was even more evident in the playoffs. The Caps have looked, for 2 games, like the Rangers have already beaten them.
2. Ovechkin…so he’s the MVP but he still hasn’t figured out how to play in the playoffs. His frustration, rather than focusing him is making him give up. Notice how he’ll drive to the net, get a shot blocked, then coast rather than crashing the net or backchecking. Don Cherry, while the Bruins coach in the 70s told his guys to drive the net and STOP. This is how you get rebounds and score playoff type goals, not by coasting around behind the net. Alex’s backchecking deficiencies have also been magnified by the playoffs. I have always criticized his backchecking. And don’t pull out the 2 YouTube videos of his amazing backchecks…instead, see how many times he gets beat and more importantly, see how often he is below the defensive zone faceoff dots when the puck is in the defensive zone. Defensively he is a liability and he makes others have to work harder to clear the zone. In his defense, the national media are saying that he is no leader as a result of the Caps’ playoff performances, but it is not his fault. He has not figured out how you have to play in the playoffs yet.
3. Green…Is it just me or does it look like there is something wrong with Greenie? Is he hiding a shoulder injury or something? Saturday’s game, he looked terrible. He had no zip on his shot, pass and could not even dump the puck in deep. He made lazy plays and he was not moving his feet. He took some questionable lines on his defensive play and took himself out of the play 2 or 3 times with big hits that excited the crowd but led to odd man rushes by the Rangers. He looks shell shocked or injured or something.
4. Fedorov…He’s been here before, why is he playing undisciplined hockey? If anyone knows what it takes to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the Caps it is him. But instead he’s taking penalties nearly as stupid as Backes’s last night. He does not seem to be a calming influence but part of the problem.
5. WHERE is the URGENCY???? This is the playoffs!!!! I have watched every game from every quarterfinal and no team is playing as badly as the Capitals. Playoff hockey is physical and the players’ feet are moving from whistle to whistle in every other game. There are not huge periods of mental lapse from any of the other teams in the playoffs. every other team seems to understand the concept of team play and getting the puck deep, and putting the puck on net because this is NOT the regular season!! The Caps are trying to play pretty hockey and it is not flying. GO TO THE NET! There is no traffic in front of Lundqvist! Anyone could have pitched a shutout against those weak shots from the perimeter with no obstruction and no one picking up rebounds. If a goalie is hot, run him. Get him off his game. Crash the net and get your nose dirty! No one is doing this for the Caps at all. In game 1 as the clock was winding down, the Caps turned back at the offensive blue line down a goal because Green couldn’t carry the puck over the line. That’s not how it works this time of year. I watched the Caps get outworked several times this year, something that happened with little frequency last year. Everything is magnified in the playoffs and props to Tortorella for getting his team ready to play.
They can go into MSG and take 2. They have the talent to do it, now they just need to find the focus.
by waterzooi on Apr 20, 2009 3:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I think it was some point in the 1st period on Saturday when green hit the ice relatively hard. It took him a hot second to get up. If I were a betting man I’d say its his shoulder that’s hurting him.
(yeah its a safe bet)
by vt caps fan on Apr 20, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
5. WHERE is the URGENCY????
Seconded. This is the key. The rest falls into place when they get their asses into playoff gear.
The keyboard is mightier.
by breed16 on Apr 20, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Information and analysis overload today!
uhh...uhh...uhh...
by hotdog88gt on Apr 20, 2009 3:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
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by ns on Apr 20, 2009 3:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Don’t forget the retina burn!
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 20, 2009 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Drop the puck already!
I have as many wins in a Capitals uniform as Michael Belhumeur does.
by marky narc on Apr 20, 2009 3:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Updated
You might fool the in the league office, but you don’t fool Red Jesus. This bush league psyche-out stuff. Laughable, man – ha ha! I would have you in the Saturday. I you in the Monday instead. Wooo! You got a date Monday, baby!
by sincitycapsfan on Apr 20, 2009 4:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
You might fool the “expletives” in the league office, but you don’t fool Red Jesus. This bush league psyche-out stuff. Laughable, man – ha ha! I would have “screwed” you in the “nether-regions” Saturday. I ’screw" you in the “nether-regions” Monday instead. Wooo! You got a date Monday, baby!
by sincitycapsfan on Apr 20, 2009 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did anyone else read that Varlamov interview and think that BB may have told him that he was playing a day or two before Theo knew?
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 20, 2009 4:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Gee, what would make you think that. (smiling)
"I tried to capture the spirit of the thing"
by tuvanhillbilly on Apr 20, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m a master of reading between the lines.
by Fehr and Balanced on Apr 20, 2009 4:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I actually saw a comment on the Caps board that Theo himself knew on Friday that he wasn’t starting Game 2, but I chalked it up to BS (given where I read it).
by Vickster on Apr 20, 2009 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
My neighbor (big Rangers fan, but has come to appreciate the Caps through my influence) just made a good point- he said one of the big differences between the way the Caps and the Rangers are playing right now is that the Rangers are playing the best hockey they can play, whereas the Caps can do much better. He still thinks the series is going to be 4-2 Caps. Here’s hoping the Caps bring it tonight…I too am so nervous I feel like throwing up.
by sonia on Apr 20, 2009 4:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My nerves were calm for Game 1, they got worse for Game 2, and now they’re pretty frazzled before Game 3. Faith.
uhh...uhh...uhh...
by hotdog88gt on Apr 20, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was feeling okay until this thread. Now I feel sick.
by Lisita on Apr 20, 2009 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Well apparently everyone did a very good job keeping their mouth’s shut about Varly starting if they did know prior
by Ovechwin on Apr 20, 2009 5:30 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Varly must not be on Twitter. :)
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by J.P. on Apr 20, 2009 5:56 PM EDT 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)
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
