Kovalev complains in Russian media

[mjlegend 155]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Alexei-Kovalev-torches-Ottawa-sportswriters-ex-?urn=nhl-wp10303&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Psychotics are less delusional than how Kovalev remembers his NHL career.

Q. You have a reputation that Kovalev may be excellent in one game, and the next game you cannot see him.

KOVALEV: "One journalist wrote it when I was still playing in New York, and then it all started. There are such reporters, who don't watch hockey, don't understand it — but they will still say that Kovalev doesn't give his all. That he plays whenever he wants. They are short on their own opinion."'

He berates the Ottawa media, for apparently channeling all their anger towards him and bringing beer through the airport.

Just once, I'd to hear a mercurial superstar who shat away talent through multiple disputes with coaches and management say: "Yeah, I bounced around quite a bit because I had a bad attitude and I didn't listen to anyone's advice. There were years there, where I literally did not break a sweat. But that's over now and I want to contribute in a positive way to a team with great ambition."

He almost says that here:

I am approached on the street in Montreal, New York and told one thing: 'Don't take the bad to your head. We always support and love you. You're the best.'

But probably not Pittsburgh:

http://letsgopens.com/scripts/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=54761&p=1810502&hilit=kovalev#p1810502

"Getting Malkin back and he's already signed, the need for a soft floating Euro with effort issues is going to be filled."

.

.

.

"I noticed him when he was turning the puck over. That and anytime he tried to play a puck along the wall."

[wmubronco420 25]

I don't understand this post

[GSBrooks13 204]

I am not a reporter, but I do watch hockey and have a very good understanding of it. Obviously no player is going to go out and score a goal every game and be the 1st star every game, but it's obvious when they just aren't trying to, especially when you know they have the skill to make an impact every game. If Kovalev really wanted to prove anyone wrong he could have spent a season playing his ass off and be done with it.. not run off to Russia and pretend like you didnt actually float for games at a time and were just unfairly critisized.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

From TSN:

...

who sought new employment in the Kontinental Hockey League last week.

...

Why is it taking so long for the other shoe to drop? He'll lead the KHL in "Burnt Bridges".

[Guest Shoreline]

Dang, I didn't realize people throughout the league and continent were this bitter about Kovalev...

Funny stuff.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Shoreline

[Guest Crymson]

Dang, I didn't realize people throughout the league and continent were this bitter about Kovalev...

Funny stuff.

He's an ass of the same type as Zherdev. He gets paid top-dollar to play a professional sport, but doesn't give it his all and frequently complains for no good reason. It doesn't chime well with those of us who actually need to work hard to make a living.

[eva unit zero 271]

I think Kovalev doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves. In Pittsburgh he was the team's best player as often as not, but instead was vilified for the occasional bad games he had. Meanwhile, Jaromir Jagr, whose history of work ethic and defensive responsibility is no better than Kovalev's, received nothing but praise.

[Konnan511 1,736]

He's an ass of the same type as Zherdev. He gets paid top-dollar to play a professional sport, but doesn't give it his all and frequently complains for no good reason. It doesn't chime well with those of us who actually need to work hard to make a living.

Then don't pay him top dollar. You know what you're getting, that doesn't make him an ass, it makes the GM an idiot.

[dragonballgtz 273]

Kovalev is pretty much a stereotypical Russian hockey player, tons of talent zero heart.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

Kovalev is pretty much a stereotypical Russian hockey player, tons of talent zero heart.

That's because these guys are rich, spoiled athletes.

In the days of the Red Army hockey teams, those players lived in apartments and got paid as much money as you and I. They also trained 12 months a year. Those guys didn't have this lazy, white collar attitude that the Russian hockey players have nowadays when they come over to the US. That's guaranteed millions for you and a chance to live in America.

So your statement wasn't entirely fair. Kovalev is the stereotypical, "modern day" Russian hockey player.

Edited August 9, 2011 by GMRwings1983

[Guest Crymson]

In the days of the Red Army hockey teams, those players lived in apartments and got paid as much money as you and I.

Technically they didn't get paid.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

Technically they didn't get paid.

Well, playing hockey was part of their duty as members of the Soviet Army team. That was their service to the nation. So, just like being in the military.

They certainly had fame in their country, but not the rewards and riches that athletes have now. These guys weren't exactly set for life upon retirement from hockey.

Edited August 9, 2011 by GMRwings1983

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

He might become the first player to go onto the injured list with "Adulation Suffocation", if/when he signs on in the KHL; unless his new team contacts his previous employers.

[P. Marlowe 748]

Conclusion: athletes should never complain, especially if they are foreign.

[RedArmy 4]

That's because these guys are rich, spoiled athletes.

In the days of the Red Army hockey teams, those players lived in apartments and got paid as much money as you and I. They also trained 12 months a year. Those guys didn't have this lazy, white collar attitude that the Russian hockey players have nowadays when they come over to the US. That's guaranteed millions for you and a chance to live in America.

So your statement wasn't entirely fair. Kovalev is the stereotypical, "modern day" Russian hockey player.

interesting so that means Datsyuk, Ovechkin, Malkin, Gonchar, Bryzgalov all fall into that "modern day" criteria? WHo are you DOn Cherry? What about Mogilny, Fedorov, Zubov, Bure who technically played at the same time when Kovalev won a cup with the Rangers?

this is such BS... Do Red Wings fans question Pavel Datsyuk's heart? If a north american player is streaky you call him steaky, but if a Russian player is like that you call him lazy and say he has no heart ... this is dumb

[Kira 451]

Kovalev is pretty much a stereotypical Russian hockey player, tons of talent zero heart.

I'd be real careful how you throw that accusation around, especially here. I think there are a few people who would take great exception to those words.

[dragonballgtz 273]

I'd be real careful how you throw that accusation around, especially here. I think there are a few people who would take great exception to those words.

I don't need to be careful with anything I stated. Stereotypes exist for a reason and there is damn good evidence why Russian players have gotten that reputation. Datsyuk is not a stereotypical Russian player but Kovalev is. Their national team speaks volumes on this subject alone.

[eva unit zero 271]

interesting so that means Datsyuk, Ovechkin, Malkin, Gonchar, Bryzgalov all fall into that "modern day" criteria? WHo are you DOn Cherry? What about Mogilny, Fedorov, Zubov, Bure who technically played at the same time when Kovalev won a cup with the Rangers?

this is such BS... Do Red Wings fans question Pavel Datsyuk's heart? If a north american player is streaky you call him steaky, but if a Russian player is like that you call him lazy and say he has no heart ... this is dumb

Bryzgalov and Bure???

Bure was far more likely to have a lazy shift or night than Kovalev, and Bryzgalov fits the stereotype more closely than any high-profile Russian in the past twenty years.

[GMRwings1983 8,803]

interesting so that means Datsyuk, Ovechkin, Malkin, Gonchar, Bryzgalov all fall into that "modern day" criteria? WHo are you DOn Cherry? What about Mogilny, Fedorov, Zubov, Bure who technically played at the same time when Kovalev won a cup with the Rangers?

this is such BS... Do Red Wings fans question Pavel Datsyuk's heart? If a north american player is streaky you call him steaky, but if a Russian player is like that you call him lazy and say he has no heart ... this is dumb

I don't make the stereotypes, but they are out there. People do consider Kovalev to be a stereotypical Russian hockey player, and it's a shame.

There's too many players who have given a bad name to players like Datsyuk and Ovechkin, who play hard on every shift. From everything I've heard about the older generation Russian players, no one would ever question their commitment to every game. Of course, they never had a chance to be spoiled or lazy.

And I've called plenty of North American players lazy before. This doesn't just apply to foreign players. You could say there's more lazy North American players now then there used to be, for many of the same reasons.

However, when a foreigner does it, even more people will complain about it or point it out. That's the way it goes in life. Kovalev being lazy will be treated worse by the hockey media than a North American player being lazy, because there's a lot of Don Cherry's out there. He's just more vocal than anyone else.

Edited August 9, 2011 by GMRwings1983

[Z Winged Dangler 2,082]

everyone that goes to the KHL talks s*** on their way out the door. call it the "Good Riddance League". Kovalev is a lazy arrogant sack of s***.

[eva unit zero 271]

everyone that goes to the KHL talks s*** on their way out the door. call it the "Good Riddance League". Kovalev is a lazy arrogant sack of s***.

Jiri Hudler?

Sergei Fedorov?

Slava Kozlov?

I don't remember any of those three talking s*** on their way to the KHL.

A lot of others who went there quietly made the move also. Maybe a few high profile stars said something, either of their own accord or after being incited into it, but it's a small sample.

[Kira 451]

I don't need to be careful with anything I stated. Stereotypes exist for a reason and there is damn good evidence why Russian players have gotten that reputation. Datsyuk is not a stereotypical Russian player but Kovalev is. Their national team speaks volumes on this subject alone.

Point taken. I almost got my head handed to me for saying it.

[stevie for president 42]

interesting so that means Datsyuk, Ovechkin, Malkin, Gonchar, Bryzgalov all fall into that "modern day" criteria? WHo are you DOn Cherry? What about Mogilny, Fedorov, Zubov, Bure who technically played at the same time when Kovalev won a cup with the Rangers?

this is such BS... Do Red Wings fans question Pavel Datsyuk's heart? If a north american player is streaky you call him steaky, but if a Russian player is like that you call him lazy and say he has no heart ... this is dumb

Outside of ovy and dats, I'd say all those players you mentioned fit the bill almost perfectly. Especially Malkin and fedorov. I'm not saying all Russians take some games off, I'm just saying you chose some bad examples.

[Bramsy 16]

Just once, I'd to hear a mercurial superstar who shat away talent through multiple disputes with coaches and management say: "Yeah, I bounced around quite a bit because I had a bad attitude and I didn't listen to anyone's advice. There were years there, where I literally did not break a sweat. But that's over now and I want to contribute in a positive way to a team with great ambition."

this is what i HATE about todays athlete.

1) a players success is personal

2) coaches are the first to get fired

3) players can't get blackballed

4) it's ALL about the $

5) there's no men anymore, just investments

6) player fines men squat

7.

8..

9...

sports in todays day and age is awful!

i was a college lacrosse player and earned what i got from "nerding" out in my sport. there wasnt a day i didnt goof around with my friends playing. i gave back 99% of the time with kids. teaching, tips, coaching, hell i even gave away most of my stuff. why don't i see that anymore, and if i do, its a photo op. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

/rant

Edited August 10, 2011 by Bramsy

[eva unit zero 271]

Outside of ovy and dats, I'd say all those players you mentioned fit the bill almost perfectly. Especially Malkin and fedorov. I'm not saying all Russians take some games off, I'm just saying you chose some bad examples.

Fedorov was not the stereotypical Russian player, as you put it. He certainly had that reputation after his holdout in the late 90s, but that was more due to fan bitterness and the fact that he wasn't living up to the ridiculous money that the first year of that contract paid him with the playoff bonuses. Fans were expecting him to score 150 points and win the Selke all in 20 games, and he was "merely" one of the league's top forwards. He scored at a higher per-game pace than his 96-97 mark every year following that holdout until he left Detroit. He was a hard working all-around player who was accurate in his assessment that he didn't get nearly the credit for his on-ice performance that he deserved.

Anyway, you say Ovy and Dats break the stereotype, but Fedorov fits the bill. Let's hear that argument.