Kuznetsov during warm-ups. Photo credit: 74hockey.ru

Coming into Sunday’s game, Traktor Cheylabinsk’s fourth of the season, Caps top prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov had scored in every game he played in. Sunday kept that streak going.

Against the KHL’s defending Gagarin Cup champions Dynamo Moscow, Kuznetsov had his second straight two-point game, scoring a goal and recording an assist in the victory.

In the middle of the second period, Kuzya scored his fourth goal of the season, taking a tremendous pass from Stanislav Chistov and scoring on a breakaway to put his team up by two, 3-1.

Just six minutes later, the Caps 2010 first-round pick perfectly laid out a pass for Dmitry Ryabykin, who blasted a puck that was deflected by Jan Bulis to make it 4-1 Traktor. That ended up being the final score.

Kuznetsov’s goal is at the 3:00 mark, his assist at 4:10.

It also was a special game for Valery Belousov as Traktor’s head coach participated in his career 1175th game (International Hockey League, Russian Superleague, KHL). He broke the record of the great Viktor Tikhonov. Only four coaches have passed the 1000-game mark, and only two of them are active – Belousov and Barys’ Vladimir Krikunov. Belousov has coached Russia’s “Big Eastern Three” teams – Traktor, Avangard Omsk, and Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He also has three championships under his belt – two with Metallurg, one with Avangard.

Notes: Belousov told the media after the game that newly-signed Andrei Kostitsyn (formerly of the Predators and Canadiens) will play on Traktor’s upcoming road trip. However, he didn’t disclose who the former NHLer will play with. It is rumored he will join Jan Bulis and Kuznetsov on the first line.

After Traktor’s 4-3 victory over Barys Tuesday, Head Coach Valery Belousov revealed to the media that Evgeny Kuznetsov played sick. Belousov didn’t specify what type of bug Kuznetsov came down with, but with regulars Deron Quint and Raymond Giroux sitting out due to food poisoning, it was pretty easy to connect the dots.

Nonetheless, the young Caps prospect gutted it out and actually managed to score his fifth goal of the year, his most electrifying — and lucky — tally of the season. Let’s review. First, Kuzya delivers an open-ice body check forcing a turnover. Next, as another Barys player tries to defend him, Kuznetsov goes forehand, backhand, and then throws the biscuit between his legs. As this unfolds, the defender tries to clear the puck and accidentally knocks it past his helpless net minder. Game over. To celebrate, Evgeny leaps face-first into the boards to the crowd’s delight.

Kuzentsov’s third period tally puts him in the KHL’s top five in goals (5) and also gives him the league lead in game-winners (3). That’s pretty good for a 19-year-old who sat out most of the offseason due to shoulder surgery and had his minutes limited in the beginning of the season.

Today, the World Junior Championships are set to begin in Buffalo, New York, and RMNB’s Igor Kleyner has translated a fantastic one-on-one interview between Sport Express’s Yuriy Golyshak and Capitals 2010 First Round Pick Evgeny Kuznetsov. Warning: it’s another long one.

In the article translated below, we learn even more crucial information about Kuz including his nagging shoulder injury, his thoughts on the slash Braden Holtby delivered to him during Caps Development Camp, and his experience being drafted by Washington. On top of that, we also learn about Kuznetsov’s half a year of driving without a license, his love for McDonald’s food, and his embarrassment on never seeing Alex Ovechkin play live. Check out all of that and more below the jump.

Yuriy Golyshak – The 18 year-old forward of the Russian Junior National Team is likely to become one of the main stars of the World Junior Championship, which begins December 26th in Buffalo, having already become a revelation in the KHL.

Valery Belousov has told me, “As far as his talent goes, Kuznetsov is a second Malkin.”

Evgeny Kuznetsov – I read that. It was a great honor. Both for me and my grandmother. She buys all the newspapers that have even a single line about me. She collects them. Until this season the papers weren’t really praising me. And if I really have the abilities like Malkin – I should be playing in the NHL in two years.

YG – Do you want to leave for the NHL right now?

EK – Of course. But physically I am not ready yet to play in America. Washington is not a team where an eighteen year old can easily get a roster spot. To flounder on the fourth line – that is not my hockey.

YG – Malkin had to run away from Magnitogorsk to achieve his dream.

EK – I am definitely not running from Traktor. Here, we have good people. I was told: “If you decide to leave – come over and talk. You don’t need to run. If a make that decision, I will go and talk.

YG – If I ask you who the best junior player in Russia is, whose name comes to mind?

EK – Probably everyone would think of themselves… let’s skip this question?

YG – Let’s do that. In Chelyabinsk there was a buzz about you skating by yourself at night.

EK – That was some time ago. I quit night time skating. We have 13 games per month. I am never even at home anymore. But those practice sessions help me now. I even skated with a parachute last year.

YG – Andrei Nazarov is a creative coach. [Ed note: Nazarov coached Kuznetsov in 2009-10 with Traktor. He now is the Head Coach of Vityaz.]

EK – It wasn’t Nazarov, I came up with that myself. There is an open air skating rink in downtown Chelyabinsk, so my buddy and I tried it there. He found the parachute somewhere. You have no idea how hard it is – especially the first steps. You just keep shuffling your feet without even moving. You get used to it later.

YG – Did you keep the parachute?

EK – Of course. Maybe we’ll try it again. But that was not the toughest test I’ve ever had.

YG – What was it then?

EK – In America during the Scouting Combine testing, they put you on a bike and made you pedal until complete exhaustion. I was so exhausted, that I couldn’t get out of bed for two hours afterwards. I just felt sick.

YG – Wow…

EK – I wouldn’t say I lost consciousness – I was still breathing fine. But I had unbearable pain in my legs. That’s how they test you for the NHL. Turned out I am capable of something…

YG – Ukrainian Soccer Federation President Hryhoriy Surkis once told me, “I can still do a hundred pushups”.

EK – I am not sure how many I can do. Pushups aren’t easy for me because of my shoulder injury. I do better with abdominal exercises; I can do two hundred situps. During the Combine testing, I had to do pushups, and I was definitely not the worst. Although in my mind I was concentrating on the main one: the bike. With a 70 kg barbell, I did seven reps. I could keep going, they said enough.

~~~

YG – Do you have a lot of memories from the draft?

EK – Yes. The treatment of the players is simply terrific. But during the interviews, [GM's] started asking me questions that made my eyes pop: “You are Russian – so, do you like vodka? Girls? Late night parties?” I told them I don’t like vodka.

YG – And?

EK – They started persuading me that I do like all that stuff. I was close to losing my cool. I told them: “I am done talking about it.” But there was fun stuff as well. During [Caps Development Camp], we went to visit the White House. It was quite interesting. Not at all like the Kremlin.

YG – Have you been there as well?

EK – Yes. Actually, I was surprised there by a lot of things. Washington’s goalie Braden Holtby, who is on their first team now, slashed me when I scored. But that’s all right, all goalies are crazy, they have their own lives.

YG – Are all goalies really crazy?

EK – Some are normal, but a very few amount of them. Then, they took us for a photo session, I misunderstood something, made a funny face – and as a result, my picture was picked as the funniest. Now it’s on the wall at home.

YG – Next to what?

EK – Jaromir Jagr. I played in Omsk when he came over. Sadly, we never got to talk.

YG – You have some relatives in America, don’t you?

EK – My godfather. He is my father’s best friend since childhood. He was already in the US when I was born. He is like family. Now he is coming to the WJC in Buffalo. I will see him again.

YG – Is he rich?

EK – He is well-off. He lives in Manhattan, just a stone’s throw away from Brooklyn. When I came to New York, it was raining hard. But I went into the ocean for a swim. People were looking at me like I was crazy. But then, one after another, some people followed me into the water. It was so cool!

YG – Have you met Alex Ovechkin yet?

EK – When Washington picked me, Ovechkin called the Team GM. He passed the phone to me. Sasha congratulated me. I feel embarrassed to admit this, but I have never seen him play live.

YG – Did you get to keep the Washington jersey after the photosession?

EK – Of course, the jersey is at my parents place framed and up on their wall. I only wore it once.

YG – Which team did you dream to play for as a kid?

EK – The New York Rangers.

YG – Who is the best player in the world today?

EK – Pavel Datsyuk. His stickhandling and passing is out of this world. The distance between me and him as players – it’s like walking to China.

YG – Do you think that your stickhandling tricks make some of the veteran players mad in the KHL?

EK – Yes, I have been noticing that more and more lately! It started last year. The older the player is, the harder he takes being tricked. Some call me names, some threaten. Some just say, “You are young. Calm down.” During the warm-ups when we were playing in Chekhov, Vityaz’s tough guys started posturing in front of our bench, saying what they are going to do to us.

YG – Were you scared?

EK – No. It looked to me like they were mostly just talking. What would be the point for Gratton, Sugden, or Verot to fight me?

YG – Who is the best defenseman in the KHL right now?

EK – Sergei Zubov. He is not playing right now, but last year he was just relaxing on the ice. He did whatever he wanted to. He played like a genius.

YG – Who is the dirtiest player?

EK – Definitely someone from Vityaz. Both with their stickwork and fighting. The hardest hit I have ever received was in Canada when playing for our junior team. I had just gotten the puck, and didn’t see anybody near me. I had just started to move, and then I got hit. I didn’t even understand what happened. It took me about five seconds to realize that my nose was smashed and I had lost a tooth. I didn’t even feel the pain at first.

YG – Who is the best passer in the KHL?

EK – Sergei Zinoviev.

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YG – You are only eighteen, and have already had a shoulder surgery. What happened?

EK – It’s a mystery for me. I probably wasn’t paying attention as a kid. By the way, the doctors do not like how the surgery turned out. Either it was not completed, or they just made it worse. So, my shoulder is not doing very well.

YG – When did you have the surgery?

EK – May 19th of last year in Moscow. I’ll have to do it again. They know how to fix it in Austria or Germany. I just don’t know when I’ll do it. For now it is not bothering me too much, so I will finish the season as is.

YG – Your current coach, Valery Belousov, told a story about how he was keeping an eye on Alexi Cherepanov when he coached him, and even took away his car at one point. Are you being monitored the same way?

EK – So far he hasn’t taken away the car. And he hasn’t locked me in at the practice facility.

YG – Did you know Cherepanov?

EK – We were friends. We even lived together at a boarding school in Omsk, but I was with my parents then. We were gathering in our room in the evenings, and my mom made pelmeni. We were the only ones with a stove in our room. Lyoshka [Cherepanov] and his buddies were a bit older, and they made fun of me. I just liked listening to their conversations.

YG – Was Cherepanov really a tremendous talent?

EK – His line was always doing incredible things on the ice. But no one was saying that he was a genius. More on the modest side: “a decent kid, and a good prospect”.

YG – By the way, you have a wonderful car: a white porsche.

EK – That is true. There is only one like that in Chelyabinsk. I only had a certain amount of money, and I asked my friends to help. A few days later, I was shown the car. I liked it a lot.

YG – Did they have to bring it from somewhere?

EK – No, it’s used. At first I wanted to get a coupe, and then I realized that my first car should be a bigger one. After all, it’s my first winter behind a wheel. Next year, I am getting a BMW M3. I think I’ll still be in Chelyabinsk.

YG – Is it going to be hard to get rid of a car like that?

EK – Not really. What will be hard for me is leaving Chelyabinsk.

YG – How long were you driving without a license?

EK – About half a year. Never got stopped.

YG – In one of your interviews you mentioned that your dream car is Bentley Continental GT…

EK – I will be able to afford in it Washington. I don’t make enough for a car like that here. It costs about 11 million rubles. When I saw one in the streets of New York, I fell in love with it right away. Once in a while I look at a picture, and I want it even more than before. It’s a little coupe. There is one like that in Chelyabinsk.

YG – Who is the owner – a hockey player?

EK – An oligarch [Ed note: someone who works in the government].

YG – Have you ever driven it?

EK – No, but I got to sit in one.

~~~

YG – Are there any other material dreams in your life?

EK – I want to buy an apartment for my parents. That’s my main goal right now. I even feel sorry now to have bought the car so early. I should have saved more, and bought a place to live for my parents. Right now they live on 30 square meters, and their apartment is owned by their employer. The team promised to at least help with privatization.

YG – Do you also live there?

EK – I live with my girlfriend in an apartment I have been renting for the last month and a half.

YG – Do you have to deal with a lot of female admirers?

EK – Not really. I don’t have a big crowd of them chasing me. Sometimes they write me emails on Vkontakte. [Ed note: Vkontakte is a Russian social networking service. It's very similar to Facebook.]

YG – Dmitri Sychev has almost ten thousand friends on Odnoklassniki.

EK – I have a thousand. And about as many asking to be friends.

YG – Popularity is a great force.

EK – After the game against Spartak where I scored two goals, I walked into a restaurant and people got up and started applauding. I was so embarrassed, and turned red all over. In fact, I tend to stop at McDonalds now more often. No one recognizes me there. We have a big city. No one pays attention to anyone out on the street. I don’t like nightclubs. I prefer movies.

YG – Those two goals against Spartak – are they the most memorable?

EK – The most memorable goal for me was the one I had against Lada. It was my first in the KHL. I could not fall asleep after the game.

YG – Do you have trouble sleeping after games now?

EK – Now I sleep great!

YG – What can you do on the ice particularly well?

EK – Nothing really. I haven’t achieved anything yet. A young player has to keep improvisation to a minimum. Behind you there is always a veteran who will quickly put pressure on you, and will do as the coach says. Although, Belousov does not hold me back.

YG – And what is something you struggle with?

EK – I lose my cool very easily. I hate dirty play. If someone pushes me hard, I can just stop playing. Something like that happened to me in Canada while with our junior team. It took awhile for me to get used to it.

YG – You could have been at Avangard. What happened?

EK – It was quite simple. The coach said he doesn’t like transferred players. My parents and I packed our bags and went home the next morning.

YG – Who is that coach?

EK – Mikhail Anatolievich Komarov. Actually, he is a very good guy, and we are friends now. It wasn’t like that before. Maybe it was my fault.

YG – Your joke about transferring to SKA caused quite a storm on the internet.

EK – It wasn’t my joke! My friends started it with a link to some newspaper, and the headline there was “Kuznetsov traded to St. Peterburg for Kostya Panov.” He is also from Chelyabinsk. It was total nonsense. No way Chelyabinsk is going to let me go to another Russian club.

YG – Is there interest from other teams?

EK – Nobody has contacted either me or my agent for the last three years.

YG – Have you ever talked to Vyacheslav Bykov?

EK – Not yet. I would love to though. My dream is to play for the national team. For now, I only get about ten minutes of ice time per game, but I want to get up to twenty. I probably haven’t reached that level yet.

YG – Maybe you are being protected.

EK – What for?

With Fedor Fedin concentrating full-time on Prospect Watch, RMNB needed a new translator. After a few months of searching, RMNB is finally happy to introduce Igor Kleyner. Igor is a native of St Petersburg, Russia, who transplanted himself to the Washington D.C. area around the same time Peter Bondra came to town in the early nineties. He currently works at Nasa and designs electronics for their spacecraft. Yes, another member of the team that can now beat Peter at Words with Friends.

In Igor’s first translation, he has chosen to share with us a long, revealing interview with Caps 2010 First Round Pick Evgeny Kuznetsov, which was first published by Sports.ru this past Monday and authored by another Igor, Igor Zhukov. The story is entitled “A Hero of our Time,” which apparently is a reference to a novel all Russian Middle Schoolers are forced to read. (These are the details we love knowing.) Anyways, check out Igor’s first translation below!

Traktor-centric, the Sports.ru blog dedicated to the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk, recently spoke with the top forward of the team, Evgeny Kuznetsov, whose nine goals this season make him the team’s second leading goal scorer. Fantastic North American defenseman Deron Quint, leads the Black-and-Whites with 13.

Our conversation occurred just before Zhenya’s departure for Russia’s WJC camp and it touched on a variety of subjects: Traktor’s recent string of bad luck, what it’s like to be coached by Valery Belousov, Evgeny’s post-game showmanship, and the upcoming U-20 World Junior Championships tournament in the United States.

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Igor Zhukov – The club’s business is left behind. The World Championship is now ahead of you. Nevertheless, is it possible to analyze Traktor’s trajectory in the standings so far this season?

Evgeny Kuznetsov – We are definitely not where we should be. It seems like we aren’t playing badly at all, but we are constantly coming up just a little bit short. Bad luck.

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IZ – Are you happy with your game and scoring? It appears you aren’t doing bad at all. Not every 18 year old manages to score 9 goals in the KHL.

EK – I don’t want to separate myself from the team. If I am doing well – but there is no result for the team – who needs that? I am working the same way I always have. I just happened to score a few more goals than last year, and am having a bit better luck. This is, after all, already my second season playing among adults.

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IZ – What is your best goal this season?

EK – Probably the first one. The one I scored in Magnitka. You remember the first one for a long time. And, we beat Metallurg at their arena for the first time in 16 years. So, that would be the one.

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IZ – You know, everybody says that your game is becoming more and more mature, and that you have progressed a lot this year. Do you feel that way?

EK – Yes, of course, I feel this. Most importantly, I’ve gained confidence. Also, Belousov trusts me. It’s very important. When you score the team benefits and you feel good and you become more confident. You feel much better.

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IZ – Traktor is forced to play catch-up against the competition. Obviously, this is more difficult than to maintain an advantage.

EK – Honestly, I don’t really think about that. No particular psychology here. At least, not for me. We have a goal – to win every game, get the points.

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IZ – For the first time in Traktor’s recent history, a new head coach was appointed during the season: Valery Belousov. How difficult are such changes for the players, since you need to adapt to the new coach’s methods and demands?

EK – It is not a problem for me at all. You simply have to accept the change and work in the new system. This is my first experience working with Belousov, and I am very happy to have him as a coach.

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IZ – How interesting is it to work with Belousov?

EK – Very interesting! Our training sessions are always changing, except for the game day skate-around. The coach explains everything in very simple and detailed terms. The most important thing is to understand what is asked of you and execute. If everybody follows the coach’s instructions, the team will be winning.

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IZ – Belousov is known for his powerful psychology. Have you had any individual conversations with him?

EK – Not just myself, he talks one-on-one with many guys. He speaks very calmly and confidently. It’s always a pleasure to talk to such a person.

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IZ – During the first couple of weeks Valery Konstantinovich [Ed note: Belousov] tested his team a lot – high player turnover, lots of experimenting with line combinations. But then the lines settled. You are now always playing on the line with Andrei Popov and Anton Glinkin. Do you feel more comfortable playing with the same partners, or is it not that important?

EK – Of course, when you play with the same partners – you get used to each other, understand each other better. But the lineup is determined by the head coach. He knows who fits better with whom.

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IZ – Are the “young guns” the best Traktor line?

EK – ::laughs:: That is not for me to decide. We try our best in every game, every moment to show our talents to the max.

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IZ – How do you explain the jump in your goal scoring lately? Did it have anything to do with the upcoming World Junior Championship?

EK – From the very beginning of the season, I really wanted to make the WJC team, so I tried to prepare myself to peak in time for the New Year. But I have to admit, in some cases it was just sheer luck – a few pucks just found their way into the goal by accident.

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IZ – So far you are not doing very well in the shootouts…

EK – I never score in shootouts! In practice I always score, never a problem. But in a game situation… I don’t know, maybe I am jinxed, just like Jagr. He doesn’t even participate in shootouts, because he never scores in them.

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IZ – You are one of a few Traktor players who put on a show after the game. Why do you do that?

EK – The fans come to the game, and I want them to go home happy. By the way, I am not the only one who does it. We have done it with Petr Vampola a couple of times. It’s not an unusual practice in many European countries, especially the Czech Republic and Sweden. It’s no big deal. I don’t think there is anything wrong with it.

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IZ – Do you always improvise, or prepare something in advance?

EK – Nothing in advance. It’s always improvisation. After the final horn, we quickly agree on our act, and then we go ahead and implement it. For example, the last time Petr and I performed a canoe racing number ::smiles::.

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IZ – Your contract with Traktor is good for another year and a half. Of course, everybody in Chelyabinsk would like for you to play here, but obviously, sooner or later you will leave to pursue your dream and play in the NHL. How do you envision your last game for Traktor?

EK – ::laughs:: Well, I think it’s too early to talk about it.

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IZ – Earlier this year, Zenit St. Petersburg was honoring their player who was leaving, Radek Sirl. So, he spent a half of the game among the hardcore fans, on the platform from which the chants are lead. [Ed note: Imagine Ted building a special platform at VC for Goat.] Can you imagine a similar role for yourself – surrounded by your fans?

EK – When it is time for me to play that last game for Traktor, I will know in advance. If the fans want me in the stands among them – I will be there. But I would rather spend that game on the ice, wearing Traktor colors, and winning the game.

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IZ – With the World Junior Championships coming up, how is your mood?

EK – Positive, of course. The main thing is to quickly become a team, for all of the new guys, including myself. The faster we do that, the better luck we’ll have. There is only one goal: to be first.

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IZ – Will you feel more comfortable if Traktor teammate Anton Burdasov also goes to WJC?

EK – Of course, it’s always nice when you are not the only one from Chelyabinsk on the national team. We are good friends too.

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IZ – Valery Bragin referred to your first round group at WJC as “the group of death”. What do you think about your opponents?

EK – It’s just a first round group. You just need to go out there and play, and not think too much, no matter if it’s Canada against you, Sweden, or somebody else. It’s just like playing for Traktor: it doesn’t matter if you are playing against Magnitogorsk, Kazan, or Novokuznetsk. You have to go out there fully-focused, and prove that you are the best. At my age, every game is worth its weight in gold. And for me personally, since I was drafted by the Capitals, every game I play I need to prove that I want to go there and am ready to play for them.

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IZ - In the US, there will be representatives from the Capitals watching you. Will that be a motivating factor, or create an additional psychological burden of responsibility?

EK – I don’t ever pay attention to anybody. Even if my parents, my girlfriend, or my friends are in the stands. During the game, I don’t focus on anything except for the ice rink and I am fully into the game. When it’s over, I can acknowledge those who came to support me.

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IZ – Are you familiar with coach Bragin?

EK – Not until I was picked for the team. I talked to him on the phone once.

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IZ – What does he see your role on the team being?

EK – Valery Nikolaevich [Bragin] wants to play me in the middle. I like playing center. I play on the wing for the club though. Just because you need experience to play as a center.

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IZ – Who are going to be your linemates?

EK – I don’t know. Everybody who makes the team is a good player.

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IZ – Russia is opening the tournament against Canada. I can’t think of a better opening game. Will the atmosphere surrounding this affect your concentration?

EK – I think it is good that we are facing Canadians right away, and then the Swedes. We’ll be in it right away, we’ll have to prove our worth in the very first couple of games.

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IZ – The team looked very good in the Subway Series. Don’t you think it improves the outlook?

EK – Of course. We all feel more confident in ourselves. A lot of us now have experience prevailing over Canadians. Let them be slightly shaky in anticipation of our meeting. Because they can not learn to play our style of hockey, while we can learn to play theirs. We can accept and understand their hockey and play with them. And succeed. [Ed note: Wow, trash talk.]

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IZ – This is your fourth World Championship. You played in two U18 tournaments and one U20. So far, you have only managed to collect a silver medal for the U18 team in 2009. Are you determined to win the gold this time?

EK – Of course we would like to be in first place. There is no alternative – you’re either number one, or you have lost the tournament. But I don’t want to talk about that right now. All three tournaments I went to, we always talked about winning, and we never did. We need to learn to be calm. Less talk, and more action.