Washington Capitals News

The former Washington Capitals forward Chris Bourque, who moved this summer to Atlant Mytischi of the KHL, gave an interview to SportsDaily.ru.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

The story of your signing with Atlant was pretty long. Were you hesitating?
Bourque: "I just wanted to see how it'd turn out with the Capitals. When the situation wasn't clear I had to told Atlant that they'd have to wait."

But then finally the Capitals offered you a contract. Why did you decide to move to Russia?
Bourque: "Things were going the way that I'd not get a spot with the Capitals. I have won everything in the AHL - like the Calder Cup and the playoffs MVP. Besides I was soon to reach the age limit, which would mean I'd have to part ways with the AHL. And since I wasn't completely sure that I'd make the first team, I decided to move to Russia. I got sick of constantly waiting for my chance and then being used to plug holes in the roster."

Quite surprising that the son of Ray Bourque had to ride the pine in the NHL
Bourque: "Nobody in the NHL cares who your parents are. If the coach doesn't like you, you won't get ice time even if you are the President of the USA. And I think they called me to Atlant not because of my father."

As for you father, what was his reaction?
Bourque: "It was good. He wished me good luck and professional growth. He didn't wish me to return soon - I have a two-year contract, and I'm going to spend these two years here. Then, who knows, maybe the KHL experience will help me to attract attention of the NHL. In Russia there is a great school, traditions, strong teams. And it seems to me that I can take a lot from the Russian style."

Why you didn't become a defenceman like your father?
Bourque: "That's due to my frame. In today's NHL defencemen are really strong, and I wasn't big enough. Maybe that's the reason why I didn't get a spot in the NHL. In Russia I'll try to find out what can be improved in my game while not having a big frame."

What can you say about your new partners?
Bourque: "They are really skilled players with great skating and puck control. We are passing a lot here. The team welcomed me really well. I hope to get used to the game style in Atlant as soon as possible and start producing more. By the way, even though I didn't play in the NHL's Atlanta, these consonance gives me comfort. And also they say that the Russian language is something unique."

Do you speak Russian?
Bourque: "Just a few words. Have to master the hockey language first to understand partners better."

Do you have any problems with everyday stuff?
Bourque: "No, not at all. And after these continuous bus trips in the AHL I have just nothing to complain about."

Can you compare KHL and AHL?
Bourque: "Can't go in details yet as I don't have much KHL experience. But in my opinion you can't compare them at all. The KHL is a separate league, the best in Europe. And in the AHL there are farm teams with the purpose of giving experience to youngsters and practice to those not making it in the NHL. The KHL is, of course, a step forward for me."

How ready do you feel for the season?
Bourque: "As for now, I haven't shown even the half of what I'm capable of."

You were already trusted with a shootout in the game against SKA...
Bourque: "Well, shootouts are what I practiced a lot. They are all the same in the NHL, KHL, AHL - come to the ice and shoot. You have just the goalie in front of you, though his level depends on what league you are playing in."

Atlant didn't start the season pretty well. And now you lost to SKA, even though in the shootouts. Are you upset?
Bourque: "I'm actually more upset that Nabokov didn't play against us. I wanted to face him. And going one-on-one in the shootout against such an ace is a special occasion. As for the defeat, I'm sure we will get our points later, I see that we doing better every day. Our coach said that we were doing everything right and that we are progressing from game to game."

Chris Bourque in 6 games this season: 1G, 0A, -2, ATOI 7:31.

Alexander Semin talked with Slava Malamud of Sport-Express about being a playoff choker and his contract with the Capitals.

Here is a quick translation.

Semin: "I can't get into the Caps bosses' heads. I don't know what they are thinking. Even if they trade me, so what? I'd finish the season somewhere else, then become a free agent. But I have been here for five years and I like it. It's comfortable here."

Some say that you are a playoff choker. What do you think?

Semin: "They can say whatever they want. I think that a player must be a player everywhere - in the regular season and in the playoffs. You know, it happens when you have no luck and it just doesn't click. And what, should I think what others are talking about at the moment? You have to play the same way in every game. Why would you change something in you? I don't understand how you can play one way in the regular season and another way in the playoffs."

With the 26th overall pick, the Washington Capitals picked wing Evgeny Kuznetsov. He's the third player to get picked in the first round after Alexander Burmistrov and Vladimir Tarasenko.

Kuznetsov, 18, has recently signed a new 2 years deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL, but most likely the Caps are willing to wait a bit so that he can develop at home.

Evgeny Kuznetsov had a very good rookie season with Traktor, with nine points in 35 games. He also scored once in the playoffs. He skated at both U20 and U18 WJC.

During an interview with portal Sport Novokuznetsk, Washington Capitals' prospect Dmitry Orlov stated that he still doesn't know where he will spend the 2010-11 season.

Dmitry Orlov: "I still don't know if I'll go to the NHL this summer. I still have two more years of contract with Metallurg Novokuznetsk. I don't really know, we'll see what will happen."

The blue liner, who did skate in last year's rookie camp with the Capitals, has just been in the roster of the MHL runners-up. The Kuznetsk Bears lost the Russian Junior League finals 3-1 to the Steel Foxes from Magnitogorsk. Playoffs' top scorer was 2010 eligible Maxim Kitsyn with 20 points in 17 games, while Dmitry Orlov was third in the standings with 19 points (9+10).

The Washington Capitals of the NHL signed Russian winger Dmitry Kugryshev to an entry level rookie contract. He has been drafted by the Capitals during the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, with the 58th overall pick.

Kugryshev, who turned 20 in January, has spent the latest two seasons with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, scoring respectively 74 and 81 points. The Moscow, Russia, native won a gold medal with Team Russia U18 back in 2007, with a silver and bronze medal at the WJC stage. He has been included in this year's WJC long roster, but he has been cut during the preparation camp.

Kugryshev also skated with the Capitals in the training camp on September and during other rookie camps.

NHL star Alexander Semin gave an interview to Russian newspaper Sovsport.ru which was translated on the popular Washington Capitals' blog Japers' Rink. In this interview he talked about the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver, about 2008 WC final match and about his composed personality. Special guest of the interview: Ovechkin's dad.

RussianHockeyFans.com collected the most interesting parts of the interview.

Russian superstar Alexander Ovechkin was really close to battle in another NHL fight, but Matt Bradley stole him the scene and fought instead of him during the third period of the Tuesday's match between the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The first brawl was started by Stewe Downie after a clean hit by Ovechkin, but it was quickly stopped by the refs, who gave the two players a minor penalty. When they got out of the penalty box Ovechkin was ready to go as he dropped the gloves and the helmet too, but when he and Downie were approaching each other, Matt Bradley intervened and started fighting Downie himself, not allowing his captain to fight.

"I didn't see him actually," said Ovechkin after the match to the Washington Post. "So I dropped my helmet, dropped my gloves, ready to fight, and Brads jumped in the fight for me. He do a great job."

"We had a guy like that going after our best player, obviously we can't let that happen," Bradley stated to the Washington Post. "I'll bet they would do the exact same thing if someone was squaring off with Stamkos. I mean, you don't let guys like that go after your best players, and he's our best player. And no matter who it is, we're not gonna allow someone like Downie to go after him."

Below is the video of the fight.

Right on Christmas time the Washington Capitals extended Alexander Semin's contract for one more year, with sources from TSN claiming that it was worth around six million dollars. Semin's contract will now run out in June 2011. This was the main topic of an interview that Alexander gave to Slava Malamud of Sport Express.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

Russian NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin was named Washington Capitals' captain on Tuesday. The position was vacant after the former captain Chris Clark has been traded with defenseman Milan Jurcina for Columbus Blue Jackets' Jason Chimera.

"If I need to say something, I will say something," Ovechkin told the Washington Post. "But I will show what I can do on the ice. It's a big honor for me. I'm going to do my best, but I don't want to concentrate on having a 'C' on my heart. I'm just going to play the same."

The Capitals won the match 4-2, but Ovechkin has been left out of the score sheet. Alexander Semin scored two goals, including the game winning one.

"I had talked to a lot of [players] the last couple of days and they said Alex is the only choice," said Bodreau to the Washington Post. "He's our leader, he's our guy. What shows he was ready was when I talked to him two or three days ago, he said he would accept the responsibility but 'only if my teammates want it.' He was already thinking about the team instead of himself, which is what captains do."

Ovechkin is the fourteenth captain in the Capitals' history and the sixth Russian player who to have the same honor. He succeeds Pavel Bure (Florida Panthers), Alexander Mogilny (Buffalo Sabres), Alexei Yashin (Ottawa Senators and New York Islanders), Alexei Zhamnov (Chicago Blackhawks) and Ilya Kovalchuk (Atlanta Thrashers).

Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Bodreau, as reported by Tarik El-Bashir in his Capitals Insider, feels that Semyon Varlamov is quickly improving in the recover from the groin injury he suffered on December 7th.

Bodreau: "Semyon Varlamov is inching toward returning to the lineup. He's getting betterm the week after Christmas, he's going to be playing one of those games. I don't know which one it will be, but it will be one of them."

Semyon Varlamov is a strong candidate for the third goalkeeper spot at the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver. This season he has posted so far a .927 save percentage with a GAA of 2.21.

Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals took part in a photo shoot for Men's Journal.

The photo shoot took place last September in New York.

The photo will appear in the December-January issue of Men's Journal.

Below is a video of the shoot:

Not wearing his Capitals jersey Ovechkin nevertheless looks nice in a suit. But then again, is there anything Ovechkin doesn't look good in?

Alexander Ovechkin gave an interview to Anna Nasekina of Sovetskiy Sport in Montreal where his Capitals faced the Canadiens. Ovechkin talked about being a caveman, not caring about what others think of him, the Olympics, girls, and a lot of other funny stuff.

RussianHockeyFans.com offers you a translation.

Alexander Ovechkin talked to media about his knee injury after skating for 4 minutes in today's practice before leaving the ice.

It's not a bad injury. I thought it was going to be worse, but thank God I can walk, I can skate. Of course, it's a little bit sore, but it's not that serious.

I can do nothing about it. It's just a moment of the game. I turned and realize I don't have time to stop.

Why do I have to listen to somebody who say, 'Hey, you have to change your game, and somebody going to kill you'. Well, nobody going to kill me. I just play my game and I just enjoy my time and I enjoy my life. It's me, and it is what it is.

The Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau says that it is hard to tell Ovechkin to change the way he plays, reports Corey Masisak of The Washington Times in his twitter.

He's pretty reckless. It is hard telling a guy who scores 60 goals a year to change the way he plays. At the same time, you don't want to see him getting hurt. Maybe he needs to pick his spots a little better.

I just don't want him to put himself in harm's way. I don't think anything being said will change the way he plays. I don't think there is a malicious bone of him trying to hurt anybody. He just plays hard and he plays to win every shift. It is a really fine line between taking that away from him and I don't see how you can take it away without talking to him.

Alexander Ovechkin, who got injured in Monday's game after going knee-on-knee with Tim Gleason, skated on ice for about four minutes during today's practice, reports Corey Masisak of The Washington Times in his twitter.

Alex Ovechkin is on the ice right now, but not in full equipment -- just gloves, stick and skates.

Well, Alex Ovechkin's time on the ice this morning last about four minutes. He did bend his knee a few times, but not much.

Alexander Ovechkin was helped off the ice after his own hit on Tim Gleason.

Erik El-Bashir of the Washington Post is reporting that Ovechkin was walking after the game.

I caught up to Alex Ovechkin before he boarded the team bus following tonight's 3-2 win in Raleigh, but the star winger would only say "no comment" when I inquired about his knee and the first period hit that resulted in his ejection.

I did, however, get to observe him walking. He had a slight limp, but he did not appear to be wearing a brace and was not using crutches.

Here is the video of the hit:

According to Capitals Insider Tarik El-Bashir Alexander Ovechkin won't be disciplined for his hit on Buffalo's Patrik Kaleta after which he got ejected from Wednesday's game.

Alex Ovechkin won't be suspended or receive an additional fine by the NHL for his hit on Buffalo's Patrick Kaleta on Wednesday night, I'm told.

Ovechkin, as you know by now, was assessed a five minute major for boarding and game misconduct for a controversial check that sent Kaleta headfirst into the boards and drew blood. All game misconducts are reviewed by the league and incur an automatic fine of $200.

Although Ovechkin didn't receive any supplementary discipline for the hit, that doesn't mean he's totally in the clear, either. He now must go 41 games (that's from Saturday's game in Montreal through the March 8 contest against Dallas) without incurring another boarding major and game misconduct, or the two-time MVP will be hit with an automatic one-game suspension.

After the Caps' 2-0 victory over the Sabres, Ovechkin said he won't let the ejection - the second of his four plus seasons in the NHL - affect the aggressive manner in which he plays the game.

"I can't do nothing about it," he said. "I just play my game. I'm not going to change. It's me."

Dmitri Orlov is a 18 years old defenseman who has been drafted by the Washington Capitals in the latest NHL Entry Draft, with the 55th overall pick. In this translated interview with Metallurg's press attache Sergei Druzhinin, he talked about his feelings about being a first team player, about his ability to play both forward and defense and about the Russian Junior National Team.