Here’s a rundown of the top hockey events for July 23, 2024.
Ovechkin said whether he will return to Russia after finishing his NHL career
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has said whether he will return to Russia after finishing his career in the National Hockey League.
“After I finish my career, will there be nothing to keep me in America? Well, it’s not that they keep me, it’s that here, in Russia, all my friends, all my relatives and Nastina’s relatives are also relatives here. Right now I feel more comfortable being in Russia than there. Now, if, let’s say, our season ends, we want to fly home immediately, because we miss our home, our family, our friends,” Ovechkin said in an interview on Amiran Sardarov’s YouTube channel.
Ovechkin asked if he can influence Washington’s transfer policy
Russian forward and captain of the Washington Capitals, Alexander Ovechkin, has asked whether he can influence the transfer policy of the capital club.
— I heard a rumor that since there are more Russians in Washington, you basically decide who can stay there and who can leave. – No, there is no such thing.
-Can’t you influence this? – Of course not. Of course, most of the time we all communicate together in Russian, but if we go on a trip, we always go together to a restaurant or somewhere else. We can easily go with other guys from other countries, eat quietly, laugh,” Ovechkin said in an interview on Amiran Sardarov’s YouTube channel.
Alexander Ovechkin assessed the likelihood of becoming Russia’s Sports Minister
Russian forward and Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin has discussed the possibility of becoming Russia’s sports minister after his playing career ends.
— Can Alexander Ovechkin become Russia’s Sports Minister? – Not right now.
— Is such a perspective possible? – Well, you have to learn how to be a Minister of Sports.
– Would you be interested? For example, Fedor Emelianenko wanted to do what he had been doing all his life and not just sit in the office. – Well, it’s true, we have to share our experience with the children, tell them, show them… At the moment I can’t tell you if I’m ready and if I want to be the Minister of Sports. It’s hard, you can imagine, you won’t see your family again, you’ll be constantly travelling, I don’t know. We’ll see, we’ll wait and see,” Ovechkin said in an interview on Amiran Sardarov’s YouTube channel.
Ovechkin spoke about his attitude towards politics in the United States.
Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin has expressed his opinion on politics in the United States.
“You know, I am not a supporter of these political debates and conversations, yes, there… Well, but the point remains… To impose your opinion on someone, well, why?… All my friends are Republicans. … Is this better for business?.. Most likely yes. Well, actually all my friends, the people I talk to, are all Republicans. I don’t know any Democrats,” Ovechkin said in an interview on Amiran Sardarov’s YouTube channel.
Shumi Babaev told how many KHL clubs are competing for Evgeniy Kuznetsov
Forward Evgeniy Kuznetsov’s agent Shumi Babaev said two KHL clubs are vying for the former Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes forward.
“I hope he will fly to Russia at the end of the week and we will gradually begin to resolve all these issues. As for the clubs that are requesting him, I have a list of two,” TASS quotes Babaev as saying.
Recall that the Championship previously reported that Russian forward Kuznetsov would move to SKA and sign a four-year contract with the St. Petersburg club after closing contractual agreements with Carolina.
Dynamo Moscow announced the signing of a contract with goalkeeper Hunter Miska
Goalkeeper Hunter Miska has joined Dynamo Moscow, the press service of the club reports. The 29-year-old Miska spent the last two seasons at the German club Straubing Tigers. During this time, the goalkeeper played 60 matches, in which he saved 90.1% of shots, conceding an average of 2.69 goals per game.
The goaltender has experience playing in the NHL for the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche. Additionally, the Minnesota native has 113 appearances in the AHL. At the international level, Miska became a silver medalist at the World Junior Championship as part of the United States national team.
In the last KHL season, Dynamo Moscow won the Continental Cup by winning the regular season. In the first round of the playoffs, the blue-and-whites beat Dinamo Minsk in six games. In the second round of the Gagarin Cup, Dynamo lost to Traktor.
The Athletic named five Russians who could enter the NHL Hall of Fame right now
Journalists from the North American publication The Athletic have compiled a list of hockey players who could be included in the NHL Hall of Fame at this time.
This list includes five Russian hockey players: Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals), Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh Penguins), Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevsky (both Tampa Bay Lightning) and Sergei Bobrovsky (Florida Panthers).
In addition to the players mentioned above, the list includes Sidney Crosby, Erik Karlsson (both Pittsburgh Penguins), Patrick Kane (Detroit Red Wings), Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty (both Los Angeles Kings), Steven Stamkos (Nashville Predators), Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Marc-Andre Fleury (Minnesota Wild), Jonathan Quick (New York Rangers”).
