Alexei Kovalev

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By TheConfluence on | From kuklaskorner.com

Kovalev arrived in Russia today and joined his new team in the suburbs of Moscow. During his interview, Kovalev candidly discussed the hockey media, saying Ottawa journalists “don’t watch hockey at all. When they fly with the team and go through the [metal detector] at an airport, their bags are filled with beer.”

I asked Sergei Gonchar(notes) what game model Ottawa had. The defenseman could only throw his hands up.

“In two seasons I still couldn’t understand the ideas of our coach Cory Clouston. It seemed that he scoffed at some players.”

What do you mean?

“You have to treat players kindly. If you leave someone on the bench you should explain why it happened. This is coach’s job. But when a player is benched and doesn’t understand what is happening, he becomes lost.”

You were then traded to the Penguins, where Malkin and Crosby didn’t play due to injuries. Why didn’t it work out there?

“Everything was fine. I had played for Pittsburgh before. The atmosphere doesn’t change there. But my style didn’t fit with the game coach Dan Byslma was implementing. There is nothing else to explain it with.”