Ovechkin after loss: "We Tried, and Did Everything We Could"
by tuvanhillbilly on Feb 25, 2010 1:20 AM EST
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Thanks to Dmitry Chesnokov for alerting us via his twitters (you are following him, right?) to this piece on the Sovetsky Sport website on the press conference that Alex Ovechkin gave to the Russian press following the crushing defeat by Canada today.
***
After the game Alexander Ovechkin answered some questions from reporters, and among them was Sovetsky Sport correspondent Pavel Lysenkov
What happened, Alexander?
"We lost the game."
Why did the Canadians turn out to be more powerful?
"Right now I'm not able to answer that question."
Was everything okay as far as mood goes on Team Russia?
"Well what do you think the mood was like on the team?"
But we never seemed to get our game together. Was it nerves?
"There can't be any nerves in a situation like this. We're all adults here, and experienced players. You can't use that as an explanation for our defeat."
What happened to your hand in the third period?
"The puck hit a nerve and pinched it. I couldn't feel my finger so I immediately went to the bench."
The Canadians shut down a lot of our top players, including you. How did that happen?
"They didn't shut us down. We just didn't play our game. At the beginning of the match we got knocked out of our groove when Canada scored a quick goal in the very first attack. It was difficult for us to come up with anything when another team was totally dominating. We took a time-out just to catch our breaths. But we would make one goal and they would make two. It's difficult to play like that."
What did you talk about during the time out?
"Nothing really. We had to calm down. We weren't showing our game. I don't know what was the reason for that. We had to be better in defense, as well as the attack. But we couldn't make anything special happen. And if we made something happen, we needed to score. In games like this in the Olympics, every crucial moment is worth its weight in gold. But the Canadians took advantage of their chances, and we didn't."
"Nabokov and Bryzgalov aren't to be blamed for being scored on. We ourselves-the players on the ice- allowed the Canadians to overwhelm our net."
You don't think that Nabokov was pulled late? His game wasn't there.
"What do you mean, wasn't there? Are you saying that everyone else's game was there?"
Does the final score of 3:7 accurately reflect the parity of the two teams?
"On this day, at this moment, they scored seven, and we scored three. That's it in a nutshell. As far as skill and level of play, I think it doesn't make sense to compare us to the Canadians. It's just that somehow we reconfigured ourselves and got burned out. But maybe it wasn't all like that...it's stupid to try and find a reason right now. We just lost. That's all."
Could you say that the Vancouver Olympics have become the biggest disappointment in your career?
"It's a disappointment for everybody. We wanted to play as the best, but things turned out like they usually do, like a proverb."
What can you say to our fans?
"I know that now a lot of dirt is going to be thrown at us by the press and by people who don't understand anything about hockey. But for those who believe in us and love us, I want to say that we tried and we did everything we could. There weren't any redundant players here. Nobody can say that we had a bad team. We had a great team, and everyone fought. It just turned out that way."
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good to him for not throwing his goaltenders under the bus
by DonnieKnutts on Feb 25, 2010 1:46 AM EST reply actions 2 recs
But he should have thrown his coach under the bus.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
Blame Bad coaching
The Russian coach deserves to drawn and quartered in Red Square for being an abject failure. He was clearly unprepared and unskilled in dealing with his players. He made some of the poorest and most bizarre decisions I’ve ever seen in a professional coach.
I feel for him. I really do. This must really, really suck. But … at least none of them are hurt and they get a few days’ rest. Plus they’ll have their teammates to commiserate with, so I expect that they’ll be pretty hungry and ready to go come the stretch run.
No Alex, no ratings. Know Alex, know ratings.
The whole team played poorly, not just the goaltenders but I put most of the blame of the Russian coaches. They just seemed clueless and were totally unprepared for this tournament.
Also, I’ve watched a couple of replays of Semin’s hit on Boyle and can’t find anything wrong with it. I guess I need to see it in slow motion. Regardless, Boyle’s hit on Semin was dirty and spineless. The guy won’t even fight Ovie but has not problem slew footing Semin. That’s one that the Caps need to keep in mind for the next time the play the Sharks.
Lobbies: Green, Carlson, Orlov
Blame Bykov
The Russians came out with a horrendous game plan, then didn’t modify it whatsoever when it became clear that it wasn’t going to work. To compound his error, Bykov didn’t pull Nabokov when it was clear that the guy had nothing. I thought he ought to have pulled him after the third goal. . . but certainly after the fourth. Nabby was even looking toward the bench like he was waiting to get yanked. 4-1 after one period is surmountable. 6-1. . . not so much.
I hate to even remotely agree with Milbury’s xenophobic rant, but there’s an element of truth to his “euro” comment (if you ignore like 90% of what he said that implied that Europeans are soft). The Russians were simply unwilling to play a North American dump and chase style and stuck to their traditional style. . . and they got spanked. They tried to carry the puck through neutral ice and over the blue line over and over again. Every time, the Canadians were waiting for them – they didn’t even need to back off the blueline whatsoever, because they knew the Russians wouldn’t dump the puck in. Pronger might be glacially slow, but even he can sit at the blueline and stand people up. The result was the same every time: turnover → odd-man rush → scoring chance/goal.
Bykov had two game tapes (Can-USA and Can-Sui) to watch to figure out how to play the Canadians. It’s his fault that he couldn’t get his players to adapt.
There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.
by D'ohboy on Feb 25, 2010 2:43 AM EST reply actions 6 recs
I have to agree, as much as it hurts me to say it. Bykov seemed lost on the bench. I saw Nabokov staring at the bench after the 4th and 5th. Even if a lot weren’t his fault, you gotta change him there, especially when you got Bryzgalov who can turn in a shutout any night. One thing I couldn’t believe is how easily Canada was circling the puck. It was painful to watch. They were sitting in Russia’s zone it seemed for minutes at a time. I think on this occasion, even if 70% of the Russians are NHLers, the NHL rink helped Canada a lot, they were able to hold off the Russian style more easily.
I can not even remotely agree with Milbury saying that the Russians brought their Euro trash game with them. I believe he was referring to Volchenkov and Semin’s hit when he said that and not the Russian’s game plan. Comparing the Germans to fire hydrants the night before was just as offensive. The guy has no class and should not be providing hockey commentary on National TV or anywhere else for that matter.
Lobbies: Green, Carlson, Orlov
Maybe I’m giving Milbury too much credit here, but the Russians did play a Euro-style game. They refused to dump the puck into the offensive zone (or out of their defensive zone). The continually circled back into the the neutral zone to “regroup” which simply allowed Canada to “regroup” at their defensive blueline. There was tons of swooping, looping and dipsy-doodling, and not much actual scoring.
That sort of style might work on an Olympic-sized rink where there is more room to operate, but it looked badly out of place last night. To my eyes, the Russians never looked right during the whole tournament. They never took advantage of their overwhelming offensive firepower, nor found any way to cover for their relative lack of defensive talent.
I don’t agree with the jingoistic aspects of his comment and if you read on here regularly enough, you’ll know that I loathe Milbury with a passion (he’s Don Cherry without any actual knowledge of hockey). Still, that doesn’t change the fact that there is a nugget of truth surrounded by his xenophobic bullshit.
To make my point more succinctly, the defining positive moment of these games for the Russians was the hit Ovie laid on Jagr and the subsequent goal. The Russians needed more of that kind of play, and less of Semin or Datsyuk trying unsuccessfully to stickhandle solo through 5 Canadians.
There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.
by D'ohboy on Feb 25, 2010 9:00 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
To make my point more succinctly, the defining positive moment of these games for the Russians was the hit Ovie laid on Jagr and the subsequent goal. The Russians needed more of that kind of play, and less of Semin or Datsyuk trying unsuccessfully to stickhandle solo through 5 Canadians.
Which is why I was concerned by, and pointed out, that Tretiak said AO plays a “NHL style” not a “Russian style.” Everyone has had to adapt to “NHL style.” The Swedes still have a distinct style of their own, but they can play “NHL style.” Likewise with the Fins. Even the Czechs and Slovaks, two teams notorious for finesse play and historically similar to “Russian style” have adapted to play “NHL style” hockey in this tournament. I’m not sure what Tretiak meant by “NHL style” because it surely isn’t just dump and chase, but whatever he was talking about, Russia should re-evaluate and maybe incorporate “NHL style” into their Kung Fu. You know, considering that’s where all their best players play…
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
I wonder how long that would take. Russians don’t seem like the most adaptable people especially when they view something as “not Russian.”
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
I could care less if they change. They can keep doing what they do and then in a couple more Olympiads we’ll consider 6th place just as Russian as cute passing and weak defense.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Rob Parker on Feb 25, 2010 6:35 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I wouldn’t have pulled Nabokov after the first three since none of them were his fault and he made some huge saves to keep it close early on. But he absolutely has to stop that 4th goal, and there is no way Bykov should have kept him in to start the second, if for no other reason than to shake up the team (funny how they showed a spurt of life after Bryz came in – too bad it was already 6-1).
It was blatantly obvious in every facet of the game this tournament that Bykov had no plan for the Russian team to execute. There was no PP strategy, there was no breakout strategy, there was no transition strategy, and there was no shootout strategy. The whole tournament the team played like a bunch of talented individuals doing their own thing, and while this may have gotten them through the round robin you see the results against a team with equal talent and a strategy. They had no breakout, so they kept trying for home run passes that would get picked off. They had no strategy on the PP, so they never got consistent pressure or scoring chances. They had no offensive strategy so the forwards did their own thing and (as you pointed out) kept getting stood up and turning it over at the blueline. They looked completely unprepared for how to handle Canada’s skill and size defensively. All of these problems were apparent in the round robin and even more clear early in tonight’s game, and not once did it seem like Bykov was trying to get his team to adjust and do something different. If you look at the times when Russia looked good in this tournament it was almost always the result of tremendous individual efforts and not the pay of executing any sort of game plan.
It’s too bad that AO lost and Canada has regained it’s favorite status for the gold medal. But I’m not at all broken up seeing the Russian hockey management get thoroughly embarrassed in this tournament.
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Feb 25, 2010 3:13 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
It’s too bad that AO lost and Canada has regained it’s favorite status for the gold medal. But I’m not at all broken up seeing the Russian hockey management get thoroughly embarrassed in this tournament.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
To add to the Bykov bashing, he refused to get Ovi’s line away from the Richards line and Weber pairing, played Ovi down low on the PP for some reason, and yeah, stayed with Nabby way too long.
But didn’t we know they were in trouble with this guy by the way he handled the shootout vs. Slovakia?
Japers' Rink: Hockey blogging from the most powerful city in the world
But didn’t we know they were in trouble with this guyby the way he handled the shootout vs. Slovakia?the minute he was named coach.
Fixed that for you.
I need a snappy signature...
Try two world championships in the past two years.
There is always a problem when you get a whole bunch of stars for 3 days and try to mold them into a team.
by The Road Warrior on Feb 25, 2010 8:21 AM EST up reply actions
The trick I would think is to implement as much of a “system” or “systems” as you can without implementing so much that the players get lost.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 25, 2010 9:11 AM EST up reply actions
What were the rosters on those championship teams and how do they compare to this Olympic team?
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
You can find them by googling IIHF World Championship . Briefly, it occurs during NHL playoffs, so a number of the best players will be otherwise occupied. For example, in 2009 the Caps went further in the play-offs so Ovi & Semin did not play, but Kovy did (Malkin & Gonchar didn’t either). Russia won gold. Kovy was MVP.
In 2008, Caps were an early exit, so Ovi & Semin played, as well as Kovy (again, no Malkin or Gonchar). Semin had the most points of any Russian. In the final against Canada, Semin scored 2, Kovy scored 2, and Semin assisted Kovy’s GW goal in OT for the gold. Final score was 5-4.
Many of the Russian players seem to be the same as on the Olympic team. I don’t know why they did not perform as they did in the IIHF. Perhaps the Canadian competition was just that much better in the Olympics? I have not looked closely enough to compare Canadian rosters.
Let me just point out that JAMAL MAYERS was on one of the Canadian teams the Russians beat. Sure, it still counts as a World Championship but it wasn’t anything resembling a “best on best” tournament.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
There is always a problem when you get a whole bunch of stars for 3 days and try to mold them into a team.
Isn’t that a problem for all the teams? Why did Russia crumble the worst?
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
Two different systems colliding on one team?
(Yes, I know about the avatar hounding - just pretend mine is invisible.)
Not buying it. The NHL players play a variety of systems. It’s the coaches job to implement one system and get them on the same page.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
From what seems to be the shortest way to put it, the Caps’ offense is creative and there’s no real set game plan. Maybe they were trying to implement it but if the players aren’t on the same page, it’s a disaster.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 26, 2010 10:24 AM EST up reply actions
Well, the Caps’ offensive is creative, but there is definitely a set game plan and a lot of that includes playing with the puck deep and aggressively back checking. I didn’t see that from RUS. Saying Bykov was trying to get RUS to play like BB has the Caps playing is giving Bykov way too much credit.
If systems were such a big deal, then why are Langenbrunner and Parise, guys who toil away under a lame trap during the regular season, among the best US players with this fast paced heavy forecheck game? Clearly they didn’t have a big time adjusting to a new system.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
Good comment… you’re right.
Blogging on hockey at Globe on Hockey
by James Mirtle on Feb 25, 2010 4:41 PM EST up reply actions
Blame Baykov?Maybe you can,but it is an easy way out. The team was just not prepared for this game.It was too early for them to meet.Russia needed couple games more to adjust their game or maybe to find it at all! Russia could make it to the finals and we would see the game that we all hoped for…The only thing that you can blame bykov for, is that the team was pure offense .nothing else…There are always problems with such star filled teams. Everybody wants the puck and show their fancy game,nobody wants to backcheck. Maybe this is a problem with russian hockey.Too few two-way forwards. less star filled team would have played better.Bykov should take some other players. But dont ask me who…
I wonder whose job it is to make sure the Russians were prepared….
Of all our iniquities ignorance may be the worst
by Killer_Carlson on Feb 25, 2010 7:45 PM EST up reply actions
If US and Russia meet in the Semifinals and Canada is already in the Gold medal game, who are you rooting for?
by Fehr and Balanced on Feb 17, 2010 11:52 AM PST
Russia. Because the difference between Silver and Bronze for the USA means less to me than having a reasonable chance that somebody upsets Canada. And the USA ain’t got no chance against Canada. Russia or Sweden — now one of them could actually win a gold medal game against Canada.by Gould Old Days on Feb 17, 2010 1:21 PM PST
Ooops…
Atta dinnin stick a who!
Gooooooo Slovakia!!!!!
"I guarantee that we'll beat the Canadians." Ryan Kesler, 8/7/09
by Bald Pollack on Feb 25, 2010 7:35 AM EST up reply actions
Bykov
Needs to not coach in international hockey again.
Ever.
That loss was ALL on him.
As for Milbury, substitute something like “white trash” or “redneck” for what he said, and think again if you think it’s something that should be said on international television during the Olympics.
I’m writing to NBC to complain about it.
I need a snappy signature...
Still inappropriate. Urban dictionary has about 33 definitions for the term, and none of them are complimentary.
nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com, nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com
I sent my commentary in.
I need a snappy signature...
Hopefully you’re cc:ing dick.ebersol@nbcuni.com to boot.
"I guarantee that we'll beat the Canadians." Ryan Kesler, 8/7/09
by Bald Pollack on Feb 25, 2010 8:01 AM EST up reply actions
Of course Milbury’s comment was innapropriate: my point was that “eurotrash” is equivalent to “ugly American.” Neither should be used in mainstream sports broadcast.
by RPI93 on Feb 25, 2010 9:44 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Meh, let him keep coaching. If it means the US beats the Russians, what do I care?
There's a fine line between arrogance and ignorance and only I manage to erase that line.
Are we really upset over “Eurotrash?”
Can’t we be mad at Milbury for actual hockey-related stupidity, instead of for using a minor, silly perjorative?
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Feb 25, 2010 9:14 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
More to the point, shouldn’t we be mad about said hockey-related stupidity?
"I guarantee that we'll beat the Canadians." Ryan Kesler, 8/7/09
by Bald Pollack on Feb 25, 2010 9:28 AM EST up reply actions
Honestly? When I sent my e-mail last night in the heat of the moment, it wasn’t specifically about “eurotrash”. I was more incensed that he thought it was OK for Boyle to try to end Semin’s career.
"The Caps fan doesn't say, 'is the glass half full' or 'is the glass half empty'. He wonders when the glass is going to spill."
I can get behind this
Atta dinnin stick a who!
by Gould Old Days on Feb 25, 2010 5:13 PM EST up reply actions
Can’t we be mad at Milbury for actual hockey-related stupidity,
Like condoning a suspend-able slew foot. Imagine if Ovi had retaliated that way….
Because now I can justify browsing and commenting during the work day with the argument that I am promoting my business.
by Sombrero Guy on Feb 25, 2010 9:45 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Rec’d.
Game-Over Green? Canada-Over Carlson!
by Scott in Shaw on Feb 25, 2010 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
No argument with anybody’s comments here but I am really glad to see Ovechkin didn’t say anything stupid and he didn’t throw anybody under a bus. He basaically said the Canadians beat us in all facets of this game and we couldn’t figure out why and readjust during the game.
In the end I think this will be one of those defining moments for Russian National Team Hockey and for their standard bearer. I like that he isn’t making excuses nor is he apologizing, he is just saying we need to figure this all out. I think they will, too. In the meantime I expect he Semin and Backstrom will all return from their Olympic experience very motivated for the rest of this season and the playoffs…
by markbona-capsfan99 on Feb 25, 2010 10:15 AM EST reply actions
I don’t get the “couldn’t figure out why” part. It was pretty clear – the Russians’ strategy was totally incompatible with beating the Canadians. And that strategy was composed around none of the Russian forwards making the slightest attempt to backcheck, OV included. Pretty simple, the Canucks outworked you, and even after they did it the first few times, you didn’t try to adapt.
Bummer.
Read the comment above
I think saying that the strategy didn’t work would be implicating the coaches.
Ovechkin = Green Backs
by red army line on Feb 25, 2010 11:20 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, but the “strategy” also included the forwards not wasting their precious time or energy giving a f*ck about the backcheck. Anyone watching the game could figure that out, it’s not like there was some secret power the Canadians invoked that was beyond the comprehension of the innocent, hard-working Russian team.
I don’t expect OV to come out and say that of course, just my frusturated response. That game sucked.
USA USA USA
Glad to have ya back Ovi, Varly, Sasha, Backstrom, Flash, time to get back to work!
~~~ R0cK D@ R3D ~~~
by Chaz-Capapalooza on Feb 25, 2010 1:32 PM EST reply actions
Ovie
I’m a Caps fan, but one has to admit that Ovechkin is Crosby’s bitch right now. Ovie has to turn that around. Quick.
by Durbano on Feb 25, 2010 4:28 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Go Flyers.
Killer_Carlson and Steckel Me Elmo are like brothers to me. And when I say brothers I don't mean like actual brothers. I mean it like how black people use it, which is more meaningful, I think.
by Rob Parker on Feb 25, 2010 6:37 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Team. Game.
Now drink with me deeply of the bourbon, scotch, and rye until such time as we are fighting drunk.
by Steckel Me Elmo on Feb 26, 2010 5:08 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
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Washington
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