21-ое июля 2008

Архивохранилища категории: Россия

Россия пришла, завоеванная Россия, и Россия very well была покрына

командой OFB
Среда 20-ое май 2008

Поздравления not only к команде России для своего представления на мирах но для превосходного охвата турниров мимо Спорт Sovetsky, Газета ¢s „ ¬â ‚ Russiaââ самая большая.

Русское федерирование хоккея было thrilled с ¢ „ ¬â ‚ SovetskySportââохват s команды на мирах, so much так НОП они были единственными средствами печати позволенными в одевая комнате после выигрыша золотой медали воскресенья. Ими были также единственные средства печати приглашенные для того чтобы лететь назад с командой на их хартии back to Moscow. Согласно нашему хорошему другу Dmitry Chesnokov, множеству рассказов от того полет чемпионов' forever останет unpublished.

Incidentally, эти русские игроки хоккея - они будут довольно photogenic пуком, не они?

Золото Alexes Biting - фотоий Pavel Lysenkov
Сохранили внутри Александр Ovechkin, Александр Semin, Dmitry Chesnokov, IIHF, Утро чашк--joe, Россия, Спорт Sovetsky, Столицы вашингтона, Чемпионаты мира| Permalink| Комментарии (18)

Взгляд чемпиона мира

командой OFB
Вторник 19-ое мая 2008
Фотоий Pavel Lysenkov

Сводка игры IIHF:

Ovechkin с чашкой«Если этой игрой не будет доказательство достаточно к каждому в Канаде калибра игры по возможности в чемпионате мира, то ничего или всегда будет. Я сыграно на breathtaking скорости с драмой сердц-толчения, это уверенно выстроило бы в ряд в верхние 10 из верхней части 100 IIHF если список был выпущен следующая неделя вместо вчера.», то

Штольн фотоего турниров TSN

Rhapsody `русские,' Roy MacGregor, Глобус и почта Toronto

`Отсутствие Канады! Золото России податливости сброса давления,' Национальный столб

`Не может принести его,' Кевин Задавливать, Солнце Edmonton

Чемпионы! Россия сегодня (видеоий)

Сохранили внутри Александр Ovechkin, IIHF, Россия, Чемпионаты мира| Permalink| Comments (2)

Golden Day for Russia

By The OFB Team
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Team Russia Celebrates (Photo: DAVID BOILY/Getty Images)

With a single shot, Ilya Kovalchuk silenced the home crowd and brought an end to the Russian national team’s 15-year championship drought. Russia took the gold over Canada today in a wild 5-4 OT victory.

The Washington Capitals’ Russian contingent were by far the most dominant scorers on the team, totaling 37 points in just 9 games:

  • Ovechkin: 6G, 6A, +11
  • Semin: 6G, 7A, +11
  • Fedorov: 5G, 7A, +10

Alexander Semin practically lived on the ice, leading the team with 164:52 played in the tournament (followed by Fedorov’s 157:34). Ovechkin, playing in his fifth World Championship, finished tied for second-most goals in the tournament, as did Alex Semin — eclipsed only by Dany Heatley’s record-setting 12-goal performance.

Congratulations to Alex, Alex, and Sergei on a hard-fought victory, and to both teams for wrapping up the World Championships in fine fashion.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Canada, IIHF, Russia, Sergei Fedorov, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (2)

Going for Gold; Finland Shine Bronze

By The OFB Team
Sunday, May 18, 2008

Five Washington Capitals will be sporting World Championship Medals at the end of the day. At 1 p.m. today, Russia and the Capitals line of Ovechkin, Fedorov, and Semin face defenseman Mike Green and company from Canada. Both teams are undefeated in the tournament with eight wins. At least with the first loss comes silver.

Sami Lepisto already has his medal as Finland beat Nicklas Backstrom and Sweden for the Bronze medal in yesterday’s game.

You can watch the Gold Medal game on WCSN.com.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Canada, IIHF, Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Russia, Sami Lepisto, Sergei Fedorov, Sweden, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (0)

2008 IIHF World Championship Bracket - Semifinal Update

By The OFB Team
Thursday, May 15, 2008

Alexander Semin and Russia flies into the semifinals - Photo by Matthew Manor/IIHF-HHOF Images
Filed in Canada, IIHF, Russia, Sweden, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (12)

“We have kept the way we played the game in Washington”

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Pavel Lysenkov has been a busy man with interviews in Quebec City and therefore Dmitry Chesnokov has been a busy man with translations in Washington. Again, we thank both gentlemen for passing the following along.

Sergei Fedorov scored the game winner against Switzerland (5:3). After the game he met with Pavel Lysenkov at Hotel Concorde, right after dinner.

To be honest, the plans were to do a long interview with questions about the distant Soviet past [the last time Sergei played at the Worlds was when the Soviet Union still existed]. To debut for Team Russia at World Championships at 38 is a unique fact in itself. Just for that fact one can write odes to Sergei. But Fedorov did not want to talk about it:

“Oh, no, I will only talk about the game against Switzerland. If I start kicking up the past, my brain will start working backwards. And I need to look forward and not lose my concentration. Playoffs are close.�

Sergey sat behind a table, placed a glass full of blackberries [fruits] in front of him, and started talking, putting a blackberry in his mouth after every question.

“I was very surprised that in the first two periods the Swiss stood in front of their blue line and didn’t even attempt to go forward. I have never seen anything like that,� – Fedorov shrugged his shoulders. “And in the third period they changed and started to attack very constructively.�

Maxim Sushinsky said that you told everyone is the locker room during the second intermission the following: “This is it, the Swiss are getting ready for the quarterfinals. “

“The phrase was as follows: “This is a fake. The Swiss are not the way we see them.��

Did you try to warn your teammates against underestimating the Swiss?

“Actually, yes. I was worried that the opponent was planning some kind of a trick. I thought: “Guys, let’s work them up a little bit. Let’s play physical hockey.� But it turned out to be the opposite.�

You words didn’t make it through to your partners?

“That’s not the point. Guys started working on exiting the zone, passing through the neutral zone, entering the offensive zone, and not playing hockey. Actually, in games like this you can afford to improvise. The Swiss gave us full control of the game… They tried to catch us on counter attacks. What if it can be done? In the first two periods it couldn’t be done. We took the puck deep and didn’t give it away.�

Did it cross your mind that the Swiss coach Ralph Krueger told his team before the start of the third period: “Alright, stop fooling around. Let’s play like it’s the quarterfinal.�

“Exactly! They started playing hard. And our thoughts roamed around… I think Team Switzerland will look much better in the quarterfinal than in the third period today. They will kick it up a notch.�

Team Russia had a unique opportunity to “pick� its opponent for the quarterfinals. Was it tempting to take that chance?

“Let’s call things what they are. We are hockey players. We are preparing for a game. And we want to win. That is all. How can one physiologically prepare to play for a loss or a draw?�

But Team Sweden at the Olympics [in Turin] played out their strategy. And they won the gold.

“I don’t know about Turin. I wasn’t there. I can only say that I was giving it 100% while getting ready for the game against Switzerland. I wanted to play the game at a normal speed. It didn’t matter who we’d play in the playoffs. But it turned out to be the Swiss again. To be honest, it looked as if it was Team Switzerland trying to pick the opponent. They intentionally gave you control of the game in the first two periods.�

And what choice did they have?

“Either to play hard, or to save energy. Team Switzerland chose the second. They wanted to play [Team Russia] in the quarterfinals.â€? Continue reading ›

Filed in IIHF, Russia, Sergei Fedorov, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (1)

“I don’t understand sometimes what’s going on at this World Championship”

By The OFB Team
Monday, May 12, 2008

As always, many thanks to our friend Dmitry Chesnokov for translating and passing on the following.

As a result of a poll conducted by “Sport� [Russia’s public sports channel] and Sovetsky Sport [Russia’s largest newspaper], Washington Capitals and Russian national team forward Alexander Ovechkin was named Athlete of the Month in April. Alex received 51.4% of the vote, overtaking Evgeni Malkin who received 48.6%. This interview Alexander Ovechkin gave to Pavel Lysenkov and Vitaly Slavin of Sovetsky Sport in Hotel Concorde two hours after the end of the Russia-Sweden game [3:2], where Alex the Great scored the game winner.Alexander Ovechkin - photo by Pavel Lysenkov / Sovetsky Sport

I WOULD START BEATING THE SWEDE TOO

Honestly, we did not expect Ovechkin to give a candid interview. Right after the game Ovechkin entered the mixed-zone [you all know that access to players in the NHL is way better than the IIHF regulations], but he looked so tired that he only gave interviews to TV crews. When Ovechkin saw dozens of print media reporters, he sighed and went back to the locker room. Such incidents are very rare for Ovechkin, who always finds time to talk to the media.

What saved us at Sovetsky Sport was that a day before Alex promised to give us an interview. And he always keeps his word.

Are you getting ready to go out for dinner? Let us wait for you at the hotel.

“No, let me wait for you,� – Ovechkin replied. “How much time do you need? Twenty minutes? Let’s sit down right here then, on this couch, and talk.

Congratulations on becoming Athlete of the Month!

“Thank you, fans. But I would give it to Evgeni Malkin. He is still in the playoffs carrying Pittsburgh on his back. In my spare time I watch the Stanley Cup playoffs, and I am happy about the way Malkin is playing. What a goal he scored against Philadelphia! He was hit, but still made it and slapped one behind Biron… I stand by my prediction that the Penguins will win the Cup this year.�

And what will you say about the game against Sweden?

“That the Swedes played very dirty in the first period and did not give us a chance to play our game. They started hitting us right away. As a result, we lost Morozov due to injury, and then Kovalchuk for fighting. Kovy was absolutely right when he stood up for his captain. If I were him, I would also show my fists to the Swede.

I was very surprised that Ilya got a game penalty. Why? Kovalchuk didn’t even drop his gloves. If he did drop his gloves, only bits and pieces would be left of the Swede… I also think that Sweden intentionally went for this exchange – sacrificed this Murray (sp?) to injure our captain and rid us of our best scorer.�

Did you miss Morozov on the ice?

“We were left with only 6 wingers instead of 8. All the other guys had to work more. But Nabokov played very well and saved us.�

Was it hard for you?

“For me personally, no. I played every other shift. Same way I play in Washington.�

Do you think Murray did it on purpose?

“I am absolutely sure. The puck was nowhere near. Morozov was turning trying to get back into his own zone, but was hit.�

After that you started playing very physical…

“I started playing very physical. And I didn’t care whether I get a game misconduct penalty or 2+10. I was very angry that the Swedes cowardly rid us of two players.�

But if you had got a game misconduct, our team would have been without our third leader!

“I didn’t think about it at the time. My mind was fixed on hitting someone and splashing them across the boards.â€? Continue reading ›

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, IIHF, Incompetent Referees, Russia, Sweden, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (9)

Q & A with AO

By The OFB Team
Tuesday, May 6, 2008

[OFB Admin Note: Thanks to Dmitry Chesnokov for translating the following Q&A that Pavel Lysenkov conducted with Alexander Ovechkin.]

Sovetsky Sport continues the tradition of “on the road� Q&A sessions with players at major hockey tournaments. Sunday night, right after the game against the Czech Republic, NHL’s highest scorer and simply a great guy Alex Ovechkin answered questions left for him by our readers at our website www.sovsport.ru.

Alexander Ovechkin - photo by Pavel LysenkovThe meeting was scheduled to take place at the Concord Hotel in Quebec where the Russian National team is housed. Pavel Lysenkov and Vitaly Slavin of SovSport brought a few magazines with them with Ovechkin on the covers.

“Wow!� - Ovechkin said. “What am I doing on the cover?�

Strange person, no? Mr. Shy. As if it wasn’t him, but we were lighting fire during the regular season in the NHL, filmed commercials, and became idols for women.

Do you remember who you gave these interviews to?

“No. I am trying to figure it out using the photos. Let’s see..� – Ovechkin is flipping pages. “Oh, this one was taken during the first season with the Capitals. I even have the front tooth in place. Alright, I will read it in my spare time.�

Well then let’s get to fans’ questions. User Hedgehog is asking: this was the first year you played in the NHL playoffs. Are these really such special incomparable to anything else games?

“Actually, yes. During the Stanley Cup playoffs every game is treated as if it’s the final battle. How can I explain it? Do you remember the Olympics in 2006 in Turin when we had a great game against Team Canada in the quarterfinals [2:0 - Ovechkin scored the game winner]? So with Washington I played seven such games against Philadelphia! When we needed either to win, or to die.�

Is it true that an NHL player is only paid during the regular season?

“Yes, we do not get paid for the playoffs. Not even bonuses.”

So why would you “die?�

“Everyone want to win the Stanley Cup. Believe me, these are not just empty words.â€? Continue reading ›

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Dmitry Chesnokov, IIHF, Russia, Sovetsky Sport, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (6)

Washington Capitals’ Top Prospects, Spring 2008

By pucksandbooks
Monday, May 5, 2008

Continuing an OFB tradition, we present our rankings of the Capitals’ prospects at the conclusion of the hockey season. Many of the names below you’ll have a chance to see at Kettler Capitals Iceplex this July, for Development Camp (July 7-12). What’s the lead storyline among the futures holdings? Gotta be the arrival of one of the best young hockey players in Western Canada, Karl Alzner — one of the best young players in Canada or anywhere else, for that matter. If he has a strong training camp come September he’ll bypass the American League this fall and begin his NHL career fresh from an awards-rich CHL career.

Another gleaning: that a Q-league scoring champ and MVP can’t crack the top 10 of an organization’s prospect rankings. That tells us that Ross Mahoney and his stable of scouts the globe over are getting it done.

Name Draft Class ‘07-’08 Club The skinny
Karl Alzner, D ‘07, 1st Rd. Calgary (WHL) WHL Player of the Year, Defenseman of the Year, CHL MVP Finalist. Any questions?
Simeon Varlamov, G ‘06, 1st Rd. Lokomotiv (RSL) Excellent RSL regular season stats, then, in the postseason, sublime: 16 games, 1.56 GA, five shutouts. Welcome to North American professional hockey, Simeon.
Sami Lepisto, D ‘04, 3rd Rd. Hershey Bears So much for struggle in a rookie pro season in North America: 45 pts. in 55 Bears’ games, and a +29. A Tier I candidate for promotion to the parent club in the fall.
Andrew Gordon, RW ‘04, 7th Rd. South Carolina (ECHL); Hershey Fought through early-season demotion, matured into reliable two-way, impact forward. Two hat tricks in his American League rookie season. Bright, bright future.
Chris Bourque, LW ‘04, 2nd Rd. Hershey Bears Bears’ MVP; became a top performer in the American League the final month of the season; ready to stake his claim to a lasting promotion.
Josef Boumedienne, D acquired from Ottawa, Dec. 2002 Hershey Bears Injury-marred ‘07-’08 campaign, but still posted 7 & 35 in 52 games, and a +18; less a prospect and more a quality depth signee; draft day trade bait?
Kyle Wilson, C Signed as a free agent, July 2007 Hershey Bears Only Bear to play in every regular season game; nearly a point-per-game performer through two American League seasons.
Jay Beagle, C Signed with Washington in March 2008 Hershey Bears Diamond in the rough? Big-bodied, mobile, and fancies the contact game; one goal shy of 20 in his freshman AHL campaign.
Francois Bouchard, RW ‘06, 2nd Rd. Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) Strong but unspectacular ‘07-’08 campaign; much improved skater; needs AHL seasoning.
Joe Finley, D ‘05, 1st Rd. North Dakota (WCHA) Enjoyed third straight season of statistical improvement — and ‘07-’08’s numbers included a conspicuous spike in offensive production; a team-leading +24; still magnificently mean and nasty.
Josh Godfrey, D ‘07, 2nd Rd. Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) 17 & 34 , +31, in 60 Greyhound games; Western Conference All Star; Team Canada WJC selection; time for pro hockey.
Michal Neuvirth, G ‘06, 2nd Rd. Windsor, Oshawa (OHL) More prime-time performing: 7-2 for the Generals with a 2.48 GA, .932 SP this postseason; led Plymouth to the Memorial Cup last spring; time for pro hockey — South Carolina or Hershey?
Mathieu Perreault, C ‘06, 6th Rd. Acadie Bathurst 2007 Q MVP, 2008 Q scoring champ; nothing left to dominate in major juniors; time for pro hockey.
Oskar Osala, LW ‘06, 4th Rd. Espoo Blues (Fin) Returning to Europe to advance his development, Osala put up impressive numbers in Finland’s top pro league: 18 & 17 and a + 12 in 53 games; will be interesting to see what’s in store for him in ‘08-’09.
Daren Machesney, G ‘05, 5th Rd. Hershey Bears Exceeding expectations — everyone’s — was the story of “Cheese’s” season. He got in 38 games with Hershey and went 22-10 with a 2.55 goals-against. He’s on track to be an elite goaltender in the American League; question is, with what Washington has arriving this summer in goal, is there room in the organization for Cheese?
Andrew Joudrey, C ‘03, 8th Rd. Hershey Bears Solid first full pro season, often centering another prized Caps’ NCAA prospect, Andrew Gordon; strong on his skates, superb hockey sense, makes smart plays.
Stephen Werner ‘03, 3rd Rd. South Carolina, Hershey Remains a longshot to see anything but a cup of coffee in the bigs. But his game matured in ‘07-’08. Skated a +4 for the Bears in just 8 games. Does have a pro stride.
Travis Morin, C ‘04, 9th Rd. South Carolina Big, big numbers for the Stingray pivot: 34 & 50 in 68 games, including 14 power play markers; still has issues with skating and strength at the pro level.
Patrick McNeill, D ‘05, 4th Rd. South Carolina, Hershey Split time between Carolina and Hershey this season; he’s undersized but not physically overmatched in the A; should enjoy a full year with the Bears in ‘08-’09.
Oscar Hedman, D ‘04, 5th Rd. Modo (Swe.) A top-4 pairing blueliner who by the age of 22 had completed five seasons in the Swedish Elite League. Though I’ve seen only glimpses of him in WJC play, I wasn’t going to pass on the opportunity to have two Oscars in my table. Should Osala and he connect on a scoring play in a game with the Caps, it’d be the first Oskar-from-Oscar feat in NHL history. I really want that.
Filed in American Hockey League, Andrew Gordon, Chris Bourque, Daren Machesney, Francois Bouchard, Hershey Bears, Jay Beagle, Joe Finley, Josh Godfrey, Karl Alzner, Mathieu Perreault, Michal Neuvirth, Prospects, Russia, Sami Lepisto, Simeon Varlamov, Travis Morin, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (17)

Where to Watch the Worlds

By Gustafsson
Friday, May 2, 2008

The 2007 edition of the World Championship Tournament found half of OFB watching the games live and in person. What about the other half? We, too, watched live — just not in person.

Like last year, we don’t believe that this year’s tournament will be on television, though we are hoping for a few games to be on the NHL Network. There is a way to watch ALL of the games… the World Championship Sports Network.

The games are live and WITHOUT COMMERCIAL INTERRUPTION (at least they were in 2007). Last year there was some analysis between periods, and the arena camera remained on live. We even got to experience the Russian version of the Kiss Cam. Though an internet feed is usually inferior to a television broadcast — especially in HD — the WCSN.com video stream was quite good, especially considering it originated half a world away.

A monthly pass is only $4.95 and includes live and “on demand” event coverage, plus access to thousands of hours of archived sporting events. During Team USA’s off days, if you are wondering how Ovechkin or Backstrom played in last year’s tournament, it is all archived here.

Here are the preliminary games for the United States and Russia.

  United States   Russia  
Friday, May 2nd vs. Latvia 7:00 pm vs. Italy 6:45 pm
Sunday, May 4th vs. Slovenia 7:00 pm vs. Czech Republic 12:45 pm
Tuesday, May 6th vs. Canada 3:15 pm vs. Denmark 12:45 pm

You can find the full 2008 Schedule here.

Filed in IIHF, Internet, NHL Network, OFB in Russia, Russia, TV, USA Hockey, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (6)

Worlds Go Retro

By Gustafsson
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

This year’s IIHF World Championship Tournament is going old school, if only for one game. Fifteen of the sixteen participating teams will play one preliminary round game with retro sweaters. The sweater each country will wear was selected from what they considered to be a significant year for their national team programs. Belarus is the only country not participating as they did not have a national team until its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

CANADA: Commemorating the inaugural Canada Cup, the sons of the Great White North will be sporting the split-leaf jersey from 1976. The retro sweater game is May 6th against the United States.

RUSSIA: This one could not have been an easy decision with the all the success the Russians have enjoyed. Fedorov, Ovechkin, and Semin will be rocking the red in the retro threads from 1956 commomorating Russia’s first Olympic gold. The sweater will be “modern retro” with Rossiya replacing CCCP. Since the 1956 Olympics were held in Italy, the retro sweater game will be on May 2nd versus Italy.

UNITED STATES: Naturally, the US is going back to the miracle on ice. Though it’s the first one in 1960 that occurred in Squaw Valley, California. The US game is on May 2nd with Latvia.

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Canada, IIHF, Miracle on Ice, Russia, Sergei Fedorov, Sweaters, USA Hockey, Washington Capitals, World Championships| Permalink| Comments (10)