Will Nail Yakupov don a Russian jersey again after these comments? (Photo credit: Ted Rhodes, Calgary Herald)

On Saturday, the Russian media outlets Sports.ru, Kulichki Hockey, and SportLook posted some blockbuster quotes from the NHL’s top draft-prospect Nail Yakupov at the NHL Combine in Toronto. Yakupov downplayed his Russian image and refused to be compared to Nikolai Zherdev (a notorious NHL bust who was drafted 4th in 2003). There hasn’t been a lot of talk about this in North America yet, but I would still like to clarify some points now.

Here’s what Nail said, per James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail:

You know, every player has his [own] way. I’m Muslim, I’m not Russian. If you [ask] what happens with the Russian factor, it’s [Zherdev’s] life and I have my life. I’ve got to work. It doesn’t matter what team is going to [take me] in the draft… My new team is my first favourite team in the NHL. I’m going to play and do everything for this.

(Emphasis ours.)

Some Russian hockey fans think this quote is treasonous, leaving bombastic comments on stories: “Don’t take him to the National Team!”; “He betrayed his homeland!”; “This person does not exist for me anymore!”, etc. You get the idea.

But this probably wasn’t what Nail actually wanted to say. Let me explain. There are two words in Russian language that can be translated as Russian: one is ethnic, and the other is nationalistic. Because the concept of Russian identity is a pretty controversial topic over here, I’ll lay out the details for you.

One word for Russian is Russky (Русский), which means a person who is ethnically Russian (i.e. the East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and its neighboring countries). Another is Rossiyanin (Россиянин), which means “a citizen of Russia” and is sort of a modern replacement for the term “Soviet people”. That word is often criticized by nationalists for not being “patriotic” enough.

Here is the nationalist newspaper Russian Observer:

Our people will not accept any other name [except Russkie]. And the consequence of imposing the “Rossiyanin-ship” will be only the full rejection of the great Russian word Rossiaynin [a long-time synonym for Russky] and its full disappearance from Russian language.

Basically, you can be Russian or Ukranian or Belarusian, and so on, but if you have a Russian passport, you’re Rossiyanin.

Russia, just like the US, is a multi-national country. Nail Yakupov isn’t Russian ethnically; he is a Tatar, born and raised in Tatarstan, the region of Russia where the majority of the population are Turkic and of the Muslim faith. He has a Tatar name. Nationalists will say that Tatars are Russians. Most Tatars might disagree on that point.

Off the top of my head I can remember two other hockey players in North America with Tatar names: Nikolai Khabibulin and Stan Galiev, but neither was born in Tatarstan. National team coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov — who just recently led Russia to a World Championship — is Tatar.

So what exactly does Yakupov mean about being Muslim and not Russian? He might simply mean that he doesn’t smoke, drink, or participate in the loud parties that some Russian players are known for. Maybe he means that he doesn’t accept the national identity of Russians used by some nationalists.

Either way, it would be wise to consider the vagaries of language and complexities of Russian culture before jumping to conclusions.

Sunday per Championat.ru, Washington Capitals Superstar Alex Ovechkin and recently-signed New Jersey Devil Ilya Kovalchuk held a charity hockey game at Sokolniki Arena in downtown Moscow. The reason? To raise money for the children affected by the terrible wildfires in Russia this summer. The high-scoring match ended in a 13-13 tie and raised 13,870,000 ruble or $451,900 American Dollars for the children’s fund.

Both teams were filled with past and present Russian Hockey Legends including on Team Kovlachuk: Evgeni Malkin, 2-time Stanley Cup Champion Vyacheslav Fetisov, and Dominik Hasek. Meanwhile Team Ovechkin featured Nikolai Zherdev and Vladimir Myshkin. Also, many Russian political figures participated in the game who were spread across both rosters.

Several famous Russian celebrities also showed up to support the game. The most notable of such was Leonid Yakubovich, host of the Russian Version of the “Wheel of Fortune.” Leonid is generally considered the most well-known television personality in the country. You can actually see him posing in a photo (center) with Alex’s Dad, Mikhail Ovechkin (right), below.

Three 15 minute periods were played in the charity game and both “Kapitans” fared well: Ovechkin managed to score two goals while Ilya Kovalchuk had a hat trick. At the end of the third period, Team Ovechkin “won” 9-7. However, since it is customary that charity games in Russia always end in a tie, the teams agreed to have a fourth period. The game-tying goal was eventually scored by Evgeni Malkin.

Naturally, the final score of the game was secondary to the reason for the event in the first place. Over 15,000 people have died in Russia this summer from the heat-wave and its subsequent wildfires and smog. And we here at RMNB couldn’t be more proud of Ovi for putting his celebrity to good use and bringing so many influential people together. The money raised will ultimately make a huge difference in the lives of others who have suffered through an unimaginable tragedy.

Additional Photos

Video

If you’d like to read up more about the match and see some post-game quotes from the players, check out Alex Ovetjkin’s brilliant recap.