KHL, NHL, Russian Prospects and Team Russia

Team Russia head coach Vyacheslav Bykov had an interview with Sport-Express in which he discussed many things about the Olympics and the Russian national team.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation of the most important parts:

- I think that among the top teams only Finland has little pressure. The Americans will try hard to show that they aren't inferior to Canada and thus they'll do all the possible to disappoint their neighbors. Pressure on the Canadians is heavy, since they play at home and they got to the last two WC finals. It's heavy also on Sweden, because they the reigning Olympic champions. Czech Repubblic will have to deal with pressure too, they didn't manage to repeat their Nagano triumph and people still haven't forget it. People will demand a lot from us too. In this sense probably Team Finland can play more quitely. But everything depends not on the pressure itself, but on how you can deal with it.

-Would you call the silver medal a failure?
Absolutely. Anyone who goes to the Olympics want to get the Gold.

Russia's opponents in the preliminary round at the Olympic Games in Vancouver will be the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Latvia.

Games schedule:
Tuesday, 16 February. Russia - Latvia.
Thursday, 18 February. Slovakia - Russia.
Sunday, 21 February. Russia - Czech Republic.

Blue-chip prospect Vladimir Tarasenko talked about team Russia's chances for the upcoming World Junior Championships, clarified whether he'll use or not a visor and also about the team's captaincy.

The original interview appeared on Russian site "Molodost Sibiri" and RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation:

Russian forward Sergei Ostapchuk, who left Lokomotiv of the KHL to play for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL earlier this season, is denied by the IIHF from playing at the WJC which will take place in Saskatoon, says the official Russian Hockey Federation site.

The site refers to the Russian team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev who says that the IIHF doesn't allow Ostapchuk to play due to unknown reasons.

Ostapchuk was allowed to play at the previous WJC for Russia but he didn't make the team.

After notching his first KHL goal on Friday during a 4-0 home win against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk and scoring the game-winner against SKA in St. Petersburg two days later, Dynamo's player and Habs' prospect Alexander Avtsin has been named KHL rookie of the week.

Let's remember that he also had an assist in the game against Neftekhimik. In the two games played he finished +3 and had around 7 minutes of average ice time.

The other awarded players were goalkeeper Vitaly Eremeev (Dynamo Moscow), blueliner Vitaly Atyushov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk) and forward Mikelis Redlihs (Dinamo Riga).

Swiss goalie Martin Gerber, who was hospitalized yesterday with a neck injury, underwent advanced examination Monday morning. Fortunately it didn't confirm the preliminary diagnosis "compression fracture of the fourth cervical vertebra". According to the new information Gerber has spinal contusion and recovering will take weeks, not months.

"When Gerber was delivered to the Podolsk hospital he underwent examination that didn't show any fractures. Monday morning computed tomography confirmed there was no fracture but rather a spinal contusion," said Atlant's doctor Andrei Bagdasaryan to Sovetskiy Sport.

"According to the doctors, Gerber's recovering will take weeks and not months. Thus there is no need in searching for a new goalie. However, this is not 100% clear," said KHL Atlant's GM Andrei Verevko to Sovetskiy Sport.

According to the official Atlant website Gerber will be back in 2-3 weeks. It means he will be able to play for Switzerland at the Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Finally there is a video of the episode.

Swiss goalie Martin Gerber, who past summer left the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL to play for Atlant Mytischi of the KHL, was hospitalized after suffering a serious neck injury in a game against Vityaz Chekhov on December 13.

According to Russian site lifesports.ru during the second period a Vityaz forward ran into Gerber. As a result Gerber ended up lying on the ice. After being tested by the team's doctors Gerber was put on a wheel stretcher and taken off the ice. He was sent to a Podolsk municipal hospital where he was diagnosed with a compression fracture of the third cervical vertebra.

"The injury is very serious, Martin can forget about hockey for the next 6 months," said one of the hospital's doctors, Igor Suvorov. "Thank God the spinal cord was not hurt and there is no threat to his life. Gerber will soon be sent to a special clinics in Podolsk to undergo computed tomography to ensure the spinal cord is not hurt."

Martin Gerber is expected to stay at the hospital for at least 2 months.

Update:
Russian newspaper Sovetskiy Sport talked with Atlant GM, Andrei Verevko:

"Gerber underwent computed tomography. The preliminary diagnosis is a compression fracture of the fourth cervical vertebra. Monday morning Gerber will have an advanced medical examination."

Update (Monday):
Martin Gerber's injury not so serious. He is expected to be back in 2-3 weeks. Video finally available

The December 11th game won't be remembered only for Vyacheslav Fetisov's comeback, but also because Maxim Sushinskiy of the SKA St. Petersburg scored his 300th goal in the Russian championship, opening the score in the second period of the match.

Sushinskiy is the eleventh player to reach that mark. The Russian championships' top scorer remains Boris Mikhailov with 428 markers, followed by Vyacheslav Starshinov (408) and pioneer Alexei Guryshev (379 - in only 300 matches). In the next couple of season Sushinskiy might reach and surpass Sergei Makarov at 322 and Soviet National Team's all-times top scorer Alexander Maltsev, at 329.

Dynamo Moscow forward Alexander Avtsin, drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, scored his first KHL goal. On December 11, 2009, Avtsin scored his team's fourth goal in a game against Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Dynamo won 4:0.

"I think it was my best game in Dynamo jersey. I scored a goal, our line got some points too. We will work even harder. Now I feel great not only because I scored but also because the whole team played great," said Avtsin to a Russian site Championat.ru after the game.

Below is the video of Avtsin's first KHL goal.

Vyacheslav Fetisov's sensational comeback didn’t save CSKA from a home defeat against SKA St. Petersburg in a game that saw Maxim Sushinsky score his 300th goal. RussianHockeyFans offers you a translation of what Fetisov said after the game to the Russian TV channel “Sport”.

“I feel really good. It was a bit sentimental, starting with the hymn and going on. I’m a happy man today. I’d like to thank all the fans that attended the game, all the persons and the guys that I played with today. This was an unforgettable game for me. Thank you all!

The game was good, the guys showed a good character in the third period, we came a little short… I wish I could drop about 15 years, to be of more help to the team. The feeling of being in the dressing room with the guys, sharing the same bench - you can't reproduce it in regular life outside of hockey. I am thankful for having had this chance.
The most important thing we did today was draw attention of people to hockey. What we did today was positive for the image of Russian hockey and Russia itself. There are good people, there is interest for the game, and all this can only grow in the years to come.

I think that one game is enough. There are good players and a good coach and CSKA will be again the CSKA we all know”.

After Dynamo's goalie Alexander Zalivin suffered from a heavy arm injury during a training session at the WJC preparation camp in Novogorsk, Russian National Junior Team head coach Vladimir Plyuschev decided to replace him with Pens' prospect, 19 years old Alexander Pechursky. He will join the team on Friday.

The young goalie played with U-20 National team two tournaments this season, the first one, in Finland, as starting goalie, where he allowed eight goals in three games. He also played one KHL match with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Yes, it's not a joke. CSKA Moscow is having problems as a lot of it's players are injured. Yesterday, after the game against Atlant CSKA's head coach Sergei Nemchinov said that he had offered CSKA president Vyacheslav Fetisov to help the team. They gave Fetisov one day to think it over and apparently he agreed.

This is what the team's press attache Natalia Masyakina had to say to RIA Novosti (in Russian):

Fetisov agreed to play for CSKA. Now we are working on the documents and if there are no problems he will be able to play on Friday against SKA. Nothing can be said about the length of his contract at this moment.

News is also confirmed on the official KHL site (in Russian).

CSKA has provided all required documents and Fetisov is able to play in the KHL. Fetisov has signed a one-year contract and is able to play on December 11 against SKA St. Petersburg.