Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

A full week after his first appearance on Russian radio this summer, Alex Ovechkin made his second appearance on the radio station Mayak, Saturday.  Ovi spoke with Regina Sevostyanova and their conversation covered a variety of topics including Russia’s failure at the Vancouver Olympics, how the Russian National Team should respond in Sochi, and the dreaded smoking scandal.

Below the fold, we translated the Sports.ru article which did a transcription of the interview.

Alex Ovechkin: “I don’t think our World Championship team was better than the one in the Olympics. But even if one version of the team was better than another, it doesn’t mean the first will win. Coincidence, they scored, we didn’t. Everyone wants to win. No, the result of the Olympics and World Championships aren’t haunting my dreams. I try to forget such moments.”

“I reacted positively to the contract extensions of [Russian coaches] Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin. If we’re looking towards Sochi, we need to do some preparation and we need to think about what we should do and how. What we need to take from the [gold medal-winning] Canadians is this: After the Torino Olympics ended, they began scouting the players they would face in Vancouver. And it worked. We must look to the best. The match with the Canadians, of course, is the most fundamental. It’s like dessert after a good dinner.” [Ed Note: Russian sayings are the best..]

“The National Team has a backbone, which is created by the coaches. Those guys are the leaders, the players team always need. Sometimes coaches choose players who are less talented, but can create a hard-working atmosphere. We need them, too. Every player on the team, including the coaches, completely trust and understand each other.”

“In regards to the story about smoking during the World Championships, I can say that everybody has their own life and does what they feel they should do. In America, for example, you can drink and smoke — you just have to provide the result. We didn’t get the job done in Germany, we were only second. But if you saw how hard we fought, you can’t say we lost due to that story. It’s ravings. People who publish this kind of stuff, don’t care for the Russian Team. They are traitors in my opinion.”

TJ of Alex Ovetjkin also found some more interesting Ovechkin quotes from the same show. In his translation Ovi talks about if he has a Facebook, which famous people he’d like to meet, and if he would ever run for public office. Check it out.

According to a story that was published last Thursday on LifeSports.ru, three Czech players were dismissed from the Czech Republic National Under-18 Team during the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The reason? Prospects Tomas Kvapil, Jaroslav Pavelka and Mateja Beran were caught smoking and drinking in their hotel room after their team’s 3-2 victory over rival Russia. The prospects, “while in the heat of a fun moment” also smashed the room they were staying at in the team hotel.

In an interview after their dismissal, one of the players blamed the influence of a certain DC area sex symbol:

“I don’t understand why we were sent home. On the web, I saw Alex Semin and other Russian stars smoking during the World Championships in Germany. And nothing came of it.”

Really?  This again?

Jaroslav Holik (a famous Czech coach and father of Stanley Cup Champion Bobby Holik) as well as teammates of the “drinking trio” did not support the decision. “If each of the guys smoked a cigarette and drank one bottle of beer,” Holik said, “It’s not enough reason enough to send them home. They’re still 18!”

The legal drinking and smoking age in Czech Republic is in fact 18, but two of the players, Kvapil and Pavelka, are 17 according to eliteprospects.com. That was more than enough for Bench Boss Jiri Scholz to cut ties, stating that “such actions undermine the whole system.”

If you consider the prospects’ offense with a Soviet attitude, what they’ve done is reprehensible.  In the USSR,  sportsmen are expected to live in such a way to be at their bests.  It’s different in the west; if you maximize your talent and play at your best all the time, no one cares how you live. This may explain the difference of opinion here.

And since you asked, we still don’t see what the big deal is.  Alex Semin, a professional athlete at the highest level, is eminently responsible for his own well-being.  A little bit of vice is fine, and it’s not like he can’t pass his fitness test.  Children at a lower level of the sport and breaking the law don’t enjoy those same allowances.

What this story does prove, however, is that NHL players are influential across the world. For good reasons or silly ones, they are under the microscope.  Alex Semin is a role model, and he’ll continue to get stuck with stories like this for a long time to come.  Let’s just promise ourselves to lie down until it goes away.

Alex Semin smoking: THE DRAMA!!

Oh, the off-season.  While the Stanley Cup contenders whittle each other away, we Caps fans are left to look at the Russian media in confusion.  Today’s scrum over Alexander Semin smoking might set the standard for our hockey coverage  between now and September.  So, yay.

Using Fedor Fedin’s masterful translation skills and cultural insider status, we trace this thread to its beginning.  It all started when Ovie and Semin were in Russia before the World Championships.  They were dining at a restaurant when the intrepid and not-at-all-unscrupulous Russian press snapped some photos of Semin smoking a cigarette.  That’s when the insanity began.

CAVEAT: This isn’t exactly Dmitry Chesnokov-caliber journalism.  Let’s have a grain of salt and throw back this tequila shot of “news.”

LifeNews.ru:

It’s known that Ovechkin and Semin are party guys and love to hang out during leave in Russia. But it’s also known that Russian head coach Bykov is very strict about discipline.  But if the “sweet pair” from the NHL generates results in Germany, no one will blame them for the behavior violation.

Players came to the base in time– thanks to Ovechkin’s fast car. Despite the night’s adventures, Ovie and Sam [Ed. note - Somehow, "Sam" is Semin's nickname in Russia] looked vigorous and fit, showing they’re ready to revenge after Vancouver’s shaming in Canada.

But when the Russian twosome arrived in Cologne, the partying did not stop.

LifeSports.ru:

After the game against Kazakhstan, [the Russian] team went downtown to a restaurant in Cologne to celebrate Semin’s long-awaited goal. The players’ spirits were high, and some of them even allowed themselves a smoke.

Russian team left hotel in small groups to not attract attention.

[...]

Ovi didn’t smoke, but Sam took a  couple of puffs. Vitaly Atyshov and Ilya Nikulin had a smoke break as well.

And after today’s game, Russian coach Vyacheslav Bykov responded to journalists asking about Marlboro-gate:

Sports.ru:

“Those are clones. Not our guys.  They’re clones. I don’t watch it all… I don’t watch videos, I don’t read the Web. I trust our guys. They know how to prepare to the game.”

Here’s video of his press-conference.  It’s totally in Russian:

Fedor tells us that this is a big deal in Russia.  It’s not a typical thing for an athlete to smoke, and that justifies pounds of ink and megapixels of pixels.

Sitting aloof in our comfy chairs, we find this hilaaaaaarious.  Mostly because we don’t care.  Smoking is terrible for your health (don’t do it, kids!), but Sasha Minor is in awesome shape.  Mischief in moderation isn’t going to ruin his health, especially since he’s skating only 10 minutes a game.  And when even the hard-ass Slava Bykov cracks a joke, we know everything’s cool.

But seriously, clones?