Vladimir Fedorenko

Photo credit: Vladimir Fedorenko

We get questions about Evgeny Kuznetsov on a pretty much daily basis. (Quick: Don’t expect him in DC until after 2014 Sochi Olympics.) The frequency of the questions was a bit bewildering considering how much we’ve covered the guy, but a tweet from RMNB reader and known sportsyapper @dylanwheatley83 tipped me off to something.

I checked out Kuznetsov’s wiki page, where I found this passage:

He has publically stated that he will never dawnd a Washington Capitals jersey as long as Alex Ovechkin is there. His reasons are based that Ovechkin’s work ethic may rub off on him as a bad influence.

Uhh. What?

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When the Washington Capitals used their 1st round draft pick to select Russian forward Evgeny Kuznetsov, his puck skills and potential as a future NHL star were already recognized by the hockey world. His off-ice talents were not nearly as well known. Since he became a Capitals prospect, RMNB has been bringing our readers attention to Zhenya’s dabbling in areas as diverse as real estate and pop singing. And now we present to you Evgeny Kuznetsov, the sitcom star.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov faces pressure on and off the ice. (Photo credit: Vitaly Gubin / HC Traktor)

Caps prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov continues his KHL playoff run. After a tough 4-3 series win over Barys Astana in the first round of the playoffs, Traktor dethroned Eastern Conference champions Avangard Omsk in five games.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov, an active Instagrammer, made a media splash with this recent photo.

Kuznetsov has been the subject of some harsh criticism of late. The second half of the season hasn’t been kind to Kuznetsov as his team has struggled to score goals. During the playoffs, Kuzya had scored just three points in nine playoff match-ups (he scored nine points in twelve postseason games last year).

The young star has been critical of himself, saying that he doesn’t deserve to wear the jersey of the national team. TV analysts Sergey Gimaev and Boris Mayorov went a step further, criticizing Traktor Chelyabinsk for hanging Kuznetsov’s sweater from the rafters of Traktor Arena.

The Instagram image uploaded by Kuznetsov (and later deleted) contains a note that said: “Dear specialists, please shut your mouth about my jersey that’s hanging from the rafters of our arena…”. Allhockey.ru picked up the story, publishing the picture. Kuznetsov screengrabbed that post adding a caption that said “Leave me alone, bastards!”.

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Photo credit: Vitaly Gubin / HC Traktor

Two days after a meteorite struck his hometown of Chelyabinsk, the normally-talkative Evgeny Kuznetsov was quiet. The Washington Capitals prospect and 20-year-old forward made no statement on Twitter. On Sunday, Kuznetsov let us know he was okay with a big breakaway goal in Traktor Chelyabinsk’s final game of the regular season, a 4-1 win over their biggest KHL rival, Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Video below the jump.

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Explosions in Chelyabinsk; Meteor Suspected (UPDATED)

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LATE UPDATE: No immediate confirmed reports of casualties. See the AP for more information.

We’re getting all kinds of information about explosions in Chelyabinsk, the city in the Ural region of Russia that hosts Evgeny Kuznetsov’s KHL team. Information is sparse right now, and we do not want to speculate.

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Evgeny Kuznetsov

Photo credit: khl.ru

A month ago, Caps prospect and forever waffler Evgeny Kuznetsov revealed some big news to Slovak journalist Tomas Kmec. Kuznetsov, for the first time, committed to a date for playing in the NHL.

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Kuznetsov at the KHL All-Star Game (Photo credit: sport-express.ru)

At the KHL All-Star Game in Cheylabinsk last week, Tomas Kmec of allhockey.ru spoke to Washington Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov. In the interview Kuznetsov, who is under contract with Traktor Cheylabinsk through 2013-14, revealed for the first time that he plans to play in Washington after his contract ends.

“I promised to play for Washington after the Olympics,” Kuznetsov said, as translated by RMNB’s Fedor Fedin. “I want to play in [DC], but I’m playing for Traktor right now. I have a contract and I will continue to fight with sweat and blood playing for such a great club.”

When asked why he chose to stay in Russia during the summer, either because of the Olympics or money, Kuznetsov gave a very short answer. “I knew there was going to be an NHL lockout,” Kuzya replied. “That’s it.”

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Evgeny Kuznetsov

There will be no NHL All-Star festivities this year, another casualty of the lockout. That means no Ovi wearing a hat with a Canadian flag, no Ovi swimming on the ice, and no players just trying not to get injured. Across the pond in the KHL, however, things are going on as planned. Actually, better than planned with the addition of some Russian NHL stars like Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk.

For Evgeny Kuznetsov, the game is also somewhat of a dream come true — it’s being held in his native Cheylabinsk. And on Saturday, the 20-year-old Washington Capitals prospect played a big role in the KHL Skills Competition.

Video is below the jump.

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This is a Garage League and Other Lockout Lessons

Ted Leonsis

I guess it’s appropriate to start by saying that we’re all unimaginably happy about the return of hockey. That said, we’ve learned a lot over the four-month lockout, and this seems like the appropriate time to take stock.

Lesson 1: Mario Lemieux was right

The NHL is a garage league. I’m not talking about riff-raff players spoiling up the staid finesse hockey of a bygone era; I’m talking about business competence. Since my adolescence, the NHL has lost part or all of three seasons. Fans who have been following hockey for a decade have seen 20% of that time obscured or obliterated by lockouts.

Imagine running a business where you do work 80% of the time. The rest of the time you’re struggling to master a skill most functionally social humans learn in kindergarten: sharing. Your business plan is flawed.

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