Thursday, July 29, 2010

Kovář's battle for ice time begins today

České Budějovice will play a total of sixteen preseason games before the Czech Extraliga starts. Jakub Kovář isn't complaining about the amount of games. It only means more chances for him to show what he can do.

"There are a lot of games, but it's good. There will definitely be enough time for us as a team to try everything we need."

Kovář is expected to start the first game today in Písek.

"I should play the first half of the game. So I'll have a chance to give the coaches a reason to play me first."

Kovář enjoys the fact that the first preseason game is in Písek where he has many friends and former teammates.

"It's quite interesting", he admits. "Games are always more enjoyable after a long training period, but this means even more. I feel like home in the town where I grew up and started playing hockey. I can show them what I can do."

At the same time, Kovář keeps his expectations low.

"But after eight days on the ice, it probably won't be much of anything. I got new goalie gear and it will take more than just sitting down in them to get accustomed to them."

Even then, games are games and training is training.

"Every game is better than training and it's good to catch the rhythm before the season starts."

This year Kovář is expected to have a bigger role on the team, splitting time with NHL veteran Roman Turek. There have been whispers about an evenly shared work load through the season.

"Last season I talked a lot about our position in interviews. Who's the starter, who's the backup, who's playing now. Coaches will decide who will play the first game on September 17th. Us goalies will decide what kind of a rotation we will have. It will depend on just us as we play. I don't think we'll have any problems with who's going to play."

Monday, July 26, 2010

Remembering Dmitri Tertyshny

Last week was the anniversary of the tragic passing of the young Flyers defenseman Dmitri Tertyshny. His cousin Alexei shares his memories eleven years after.

"Only good things come to mind", Alexei Tertyshny says. "I don't even remember anything bad."

"Dima became a father in America, a kid he didn't even have time to see. When his wife comes to visit and I look at the kid, he looks exactly like Dima - all his facial expressions, even his hair is the same. It's a small comfort, but he left something of himself behind."

Alexei says he was good friends with his cousin.

"Yeah. We went to school together. He went to school later, not with his class mates, but with us. We spent most of the time together, had sleepovers... we were inseparable."

Alexei thinks the tragic accident was fate.

"Of course it's hard to recall everything and try not to think about it. It was a harmless situation on a yacht. It was the offseason, they were on vacation. What else could it be called but fate?"

"It was definitely a shock to me. I was at a training camp in Finland and his brother Sergei was in Magnitogorsk. Cell phones were not so common back then. Some of the guys I was with had one and I called home and I was told about it. I didn't believe it at first. It would be a shock to anyone to lose a loved one."

Alexei says the Flyers organization offered help to Dmitri's family.

"They supported his parents and his wife and gave them logistical help."

"His wife and son live in America and thank God everything is fine with them."

Dmitri's son also plays hockey.

"Yeah, he plays and as they say, he's good at it. This year he went to a junior team in Philadelphia."

Alexei believes his cousin would've become a good player in the NHL.

"He would because he had managed to spend the season on a very strong Flyers team where Russians weren't really accepted."

"His brother Sergei played in North America and I knew he was good, but I didn't expect Dima to follow. It was a pleasant surprise. He spent the entire season up in the NHL, played almost every game including the playoffs and everyone had only good things to say about him. Impressive, I must say."

"Dima managed to write his name in the history of hockey. He is the only one of the brothers who could play in the NHL all season."

Friday, July 23, 2010

Quiz with Zherdev

Nikolai Zherdev is said to be an enigma that no one really knows. Now we know something as he answers a bunch of non-hockey related random quick questions.

If you're not a hockey player you're a...
"Soccer player"

Three wishes?
"To be healthy, to have success in sports and personal life"

Favorite color?
"White, cyan and blue"

Clothes?
"Jeans and tee shirt"

Perfume?
"Eau de Cologne"

Watches?
"Not wearing watches much"

Movies?
"Drama"

Actress?
"Pamela Anderson"

Actor?
"Arnold Schwarzenegger"

Music?
"Any. Whatever comes from the radio"

Instrument?
"Balalaika"

What do you not accept in people?
"Insolence"

What do you think of extreme sports?
"I'm positive about them. I don't do them, but I have nothing against them"

Do you have an idol?
"There's no one I've tried to be like"

Businesswoman or housewife?
"She can be in some business"

What kind of women do you respect?
"Independent"

What could you never forgive?
"Treason"

Are you a vulnerable person?
"Sometimes"

Which kind of injury is tougher, physical or mental?
"Mental"

Greatest athlete?
"Valeri Kharlamov"

Holiday?
"Birthday"

Is hockey a work, game or life to you?
"Work first"

Is hockey more physical or mental?
"Both"

Most stylish and fashionable hockey player?
"Albert Leshchev"

Country?
"Ukraine"

City?
"Kiev"

Which country would you like to visit?
"France"

What would you take with you to space or a desert island?
"A woman"

Favorite season?
"Summer"

Time of day?
"Depends on the day of the week"

What did you buy with your first salary?
"I dreamed about a car. When I came to CSKA I bought it"

Best gift?
"A rubber woman I got for Birthday"

Do you consider yourself a star?
"Probably not"

What quality of your character helps you in your work?
"Diligence"

Who would you like to better in your career?
"Myself"

What would you not want to talk about?
"I hate to talk about politics"

Favorite subject in school?
"Music"

Drink?
"Green tea and Czech beer"

Food?
"Pasta"

What languages do you speak?
"Russian, Ukrainian and a little English"

Are you a hippy or a geek?
"Probably the first"

Do you believe in God?
"Yes"

Dream?
"Win the Stanley Cup and Olympic gold"

What is happiness?
"Family and children"

Source: SD

Bobrovsky ready to conquer America

Sergei Bobrovsky says he didn't consult other NHL players before deciding to sign with the Flyers. Talking with his agent and parents was enough.

He doesn't know when or where the Flyers noticed him.

"They came to talk to me during last season. I had a long thought about it."

Bobrovsky isn't bothered by the fact that he wasn't a drafted junior star like Semyon Varlamov, another young goalie that Bobrovsky is often compared to.

"The junior level is a past level", Bobrovsky explains. "You can shine at that level and then fade. Everyone has their own life. Semyon has simply shown that nothing is impossible. I'm not comparing myself to him."

Bobrovsky isn't afraid of the competition in goal.

"What should I say? Why would I go if I was scared? I repeat: nothing is impossible. I'm going to work and do my best. It's no use to guess how it pans out."

Bobrovsky says he doesn't mind playing in the minor leagues and that he has to adjust to the differences of the North American game.

"It's very rare for European goalies to avoid the AHL. It's a part of your climb to the top. You get used to the rinks and the game. They shoot more and pass less than in Europe. And I have to get used to that. If a goalie makes one mistake there, it's a goal."

"I've signed a two-way contract for three years. So if they send me to the AHL or whatever other league, I'm ready."

Bobrovsky also notes that three years is not a deadline to him.

"I don't set deadlines. The goal is to play in the NHL. I'm going to hunt for my dream."

Bobrovsky says he's not speaking much English yet.

"I'm dealing with it, but I don't feel pressure to communicate. Well, at least now they signed Nikolai Zherdev. So I have someone I can talk with. There's also Oskars Bartulis. On the other hand, when you're with foreigners, you adjust faster to the environment and the language."

Bobrovsky says his first impressions of the Flyers are very good.

"Great organization. It's very comfortable for the players, you just go and play. There's a great atmosphere in the locker room, people are friendly."

Bobrovsky doesn't know where he's going to live yet.

"It depends on which team I'll play on. I'll have a rented apartment first in any case. It wouldn't make sense to buy something now."

Bobrovsky had a financially better offer from SKA that eventually ended up signing Evgeni Nabokov. Money is not important to Bobrovsky.

"You could say that. NHL is the league where the best players are. It's been my childhood dream up to this day to play there. So money wasn't the deciding factor."

Bobrovsky gets philosophical when he talks about goaltending.

"Goaltender is a separate character in the game. There are many skaters, but just one goalie. We definitely need inner peace and psychological balance for the game. Nothing must disturb and distract us."

Sometimes it's not easy when there's heavy traffic in the crease.

"Certainly. But it's human nature to get used to everything. Therefore, over time, all those hits lose their importance. I, for example, concentrate exclusively on the game and the goals. I don't pay attention to the rest."

"I'm very calm in life in general. It's very hard to ruffle me."

Bobrovsky also graduated recently from a Pedagogical Academy. Hockey players aren't known for their high education, but Bobrovsky doesn't see anything special about it.

"It seems natural that after school a man goes for higher education..."

Bobrovsky denies the education being a backup plan for himself.

"I've played for a long time and set the bar high for myself. Education is just education."

Becoming a coach could be an option later.

"Why not... But I also have other ideas. And that's all after my career is over, not now."

But let's come back from the future. Bobrovsky says he's been enjoying his vacation.

"I went to the Maldives and the Emirates after the season, a total of 25 days. Once I came back to Novokuznetsk I started going to the rink again and did some athletic training, then went to the Flyers prospect camp."

"Now I'm waiting for Metallurg to come out of vacation. I rather train with the guys."

"Then I'll be going to the Flyers training camp and conquer America", he finishes with a laugh.

Quotes from today's Sports Daily

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Offseason talk with Timonen

The Kime 4 Kids fundraising event that Kimmo Timonen organized for a children's hospital in Kuopio was a success. The whole profit of the event was 36100 euros (46700 USD).

"I'm very happy", Timonen says. "The event brought a lot more money to an important cause than I dared to hope."

Timonen says helping sick children is close to his heart also because of personal reasons. His niece is one example.

"When I've closely followed how hard the life is for the parents, I want things to become easier for them."

Among the Finnish players who took part in helping the event become successful were also Valtteri Filppula, Tuukka Rask, Teemu Selänne, Saku Koivu and Tuomo Ruutu.

Among the auctioned items, one prize was a VIP trip to a Flyers game next season. Safe to say, none of the players wanted to win that prize.

After the successful event, Timonen says it's time to start moving the focus towards next season again. He's already practicing, but won't return to Philadelphia until late August.

"I practice in the morning and do other stuff the rest of the day. The older you get, the better you have to train in the summer, too. Otherwise the young guys leave you behind fast."

Timonen says it's really important to get some time off from hockey at his summer cabin by the lake in Kuopio.

"You're tied to hockey for ten months in a year. To get out of that environment is very important mentally. Here you get to rest mentally and physically."

Now Timonen has gotten over last season.

"It took a couple weeks to get over it. Losing in the finals was the biggest disappointment in my career afterall. I couldn't even sleep well at first."

Timonen says he doesn't have many tries left to win and hints that he will retire after his current contract is up.

"I still haven't won the Stanley Cup. I have three years left in my contract and it's very likely that that's my limit. I'm having less years, but I still have chances [to win]."

When the long career is over, don't expect to see Timonen keep working in hockey.

"I'm more interested in other things than being involved in hockey for the next twenty years. Now I have a few years to think what I'm really going to do when I grow up. I have some ideas, but time will tell."

Friday, July 16, 2010

Kime 4 Kids

Kimmo Timonen says he saw a TV document in January about children battling against cancer and thought he had to do more to help. He had been helping a local hospital in his hometown Kuopio financially for many years, but it was time to do even more. This summer he organizes a fundraising event called Kime 4 Kids in Siilinjärvi, Finland. There will be a hockey related auction and Timonen challenges some other hockey players in a golf tournament this Saturday.

Guests include Finnish NHL players such as Valtteri Filppula and Tuukka Rask. Also ex-Flyers Ossi Väänänen and Kimmo's brother Jussi Timonen will be present. Kimmo will also get one of his current teammates on board as Scott Hartnell also agreed to join the event. Hartnell arrived in Siilinjärvi yesterday.

"We've been good friends with Scott since our days in Nashville", Timonen tells. "He's psyched."

Timonen also plans on giving Hartnell a quick look at the Kalpa organization where they both act as part owners. Ex-teammate Sami Kapanen is the GM and main owner of the SM-Liiga team.

"We'll at least drive by the office and tell Scott that here's where your money has gone", Timonen laughs.

Timonen isn't willing to reveal yet what sort of items will be auctioned at the event, but hints that hockey fans should pay attention.

"There's going to be stuff there that many people don't have. Precious stuff."

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Thoresen keeps door open for Russia

Patrick Thoresen says he's not going to sign a two-way contract in the NHL anymore.

"I'm not going to sign an NHL contract at all costs. Of course I want to play in the best league in the world, but I'm not going to sign a bad contract this time. If you do it and play a couple bad games, you're quickly in the AHL. I'm not going back to that."

Thoresen says playing in Russia is his backup plan.

"As I've said, me and my agent are working to get to the NHL, but I won't write off Russia either."

"I had a fantastic year in Russia. But my team Salavat understood that I wanted to return to the NHL and I'm grateful for that. I know that if I don't sign in the NHL this year, I have some Russian alternatives."

"I've gotten myself a name in the hockey community now and there will never be a problem to get a job in Europe."

But the NHL remains Thoresen's goal.

"Yeah. I know I can go there and produce a lot of points in addition to being a role player. So now we'll just see."

Bodrov back in the mess

Denis Bodrov was expected to re-sign with the Flyers, but changed his mind and signed with the Moscow Spartak instead. Now he will enter the mess he left behind this past winter. The KHL gave him a 10 game suspension and a fine for over 5.6 million rubles at the time he signed with the Flyers. The reason for the punishment was the secret double contract Bodrov had signed with Lada Togliatti in 2008. The additional contract that paid Bodrov millions of rubles under the table was deemed illegal by the league.

As was reported earlier this season, the KHLPA leader, ex-NHLer Andrei Kovalenko is working hard to help Bodrov.

"The league has sent us a copy of their decision about the punishment on Denis. We will study the document and think how we can help the player to continue his career. I will meet with the representatives of the leadership of the league. There was a decision to disqualify Bodrov, but he was not officially informed about it. Therefore, even the player himself didn't know about the punishment and signed a new contract."

Bodrov himself refuses to comment on the situation.

The Spartak GM Andrei Yakovenko also claims they were not aware of the punishment.

"We signed Denis Bodrov. There is no mention about suspension or fines. No one has told us."

Bodrov's agent Viktor Artemkin says there are no official documents about the punishment.

"I don't underestimate the professional people of the league, but nonetheless, we have no documents about the suspension."

"The league should have informed the players union, me and Denis on their decision already in January. Then we would have filed an appeal immediately. However, we never got any documents."

League official Dmitry Kurbatov says Bodrov's contract has not been registered yet.

"No team has submitted a contract with Denis Bodrov to registration. As soon as that happens, we will register the contract. And the penalties, the suspension and the fine, will become valid. The team that signs Bodrov should understand this clearly: Bodrov will sit on the bench for the first ten games."

Kurbatov says it's too late to file an appeal now.

"He had that opportunity. But all the deadlines for this are long gone and the decision holds."

Kurbatov refused to comment anything about a possible miscommunication or misinformation between the league, the agent and the players union.

Quotes from today's Sovietsky Sport

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Thoresen to Anaheim?

The Flyers have given Patrick Thoresen's agent the permission to talk to other teams.

"But it doesn't help much. The Flyers still control my future", Thoresen says.

The Flyers still own Thoresen's rights, so it's up to them what's going to happen with the Norwegian winger.

Thoresen's agent, Patrick Carnbäck, is certain that his client will end up in the NHL.

"He was the best player in Russia", Carnbäck claims. "He had a very good year there. He's going to the NHL. It's clear."

One team specifically is after Thoresen.

"The Anaheim Ducks. They've been calling for a while and they're still interested. If things don't work out with the Flyers, there are opportunities there."

There's no time frame on things working out for Thoresen.

"Of course we want a clarification from the Flyers, but NHL teams build their rosters til September. So if some team is interested enough, it's not urgent."

Carnbäck expects Thoresen to get something between a half a million and a million in an NHL contract.

"A million is realistic. But as long as the market is quiet it's hard to have any idea on how much any contracts may be on. We can end up with anything between a half a million and a million."

Thoresen wouldn't mind joining the Ducks.

"They're one of the teams that have been interested and they're also a team that's good enough to win. They won three years ago and can win again."

"But as I said, I can't do anything but wait in this situation. It's up to the Flyers. I would've liked to see this thing get worked out three weeks ago, but this is how it is. I can be an NHL player tomorrow or in two weeks."

Saturday, July 10, 2010

No news for Thoresen

Patrick Thoresen remains unsigned.

"I haven't signed any contract", Thoresen confirms.

But he's confident that he will sign in the NHL next season.

"I'm 99% sure."

The name of the team is still up in the air. Thoresen hasn't heard anything from the Flyers.

"I'm waiting to hear back from Philadelphia. I really enjoyed playing for the Flyers, but I'm open to all teams."

"It's the NHL that I want. It's the best league in the world and I feel that I have unfinished business over there."

Playing in North America would also be a better choice for Thoresen's family than playing in Russia.

"I didn't see my family that much when I played in Russia, but they will be able to come with me to North America."

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Meszároš the goal scorer

Andrej Meszároš says he played through injuries last season and has gone through some conditioning in the offseason.

"I had injuries throughout the season. I rehabilitated five weeks with physiotherapists after the season. I've done more training than previous years now. I also did some simulator training. I hope it helped me train everything I need."

"Putting the skates on after seven weeks was the best feeling."

Now Meszároš is done with his extra conditioning and can focus on more comfortable ways to train. Slovakian hockey players organized a soccer game and not only was Meszároš able to join the game, he stole the spotlight. He scored four of his team's five goals, but it wasn't enough as his team lost in the penalty shootout.

"I played soccer for fifteen years. I was a forward", Meszároš explains, smiling. "I remember a game where I scored eight goals."

"So I played forward again. I play enough defense during the season."

Interestingly Meszároš wasn't the only one switching positions for the game as for example Rangers winger Marián Gáborík played in goal, making several huge stops.

The oft injured Gáborík admitted it was a risk to play the game and stated that he was thankful that everyone played carefully.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Leino recovering

Ville Leino is back home in Savonlinna, holding his own hockey school for children and recovering from the hip surgery that was done during the draft weekend.

"We've been cleaning up the hip a bit and fixed it", Leino explains. "When the whole recovery process is done, I should be in a pretty good shape. The hip should be good in time."

"The injury came in time. The hip got worse after I had played a certain amount of time. Now it was time to do something about it."

"I'll start some rough conditioning after two weeks, working it about four hours a day. Of course I try to enjoy the summer in Philadelphia, too. It's hot there; it's been about +40C there this week. It's a good week to come to Finland and relax at +27C."

The skinny Leino jokes he's not able to show off even after a successful season.

"Even if I've been working out now, I still can't go walk around shirtless on the streets here."

"But the spring is a warm memory. Of course it would've been great to win. They don't give silver medals there for second place. It does bother when it's so close, but still so far away. The Cup is the only thing I'm trying to get there."

"There was good and bad in the season. It started pretty well, but then I went down in the hole. It was a tough season, but it got better again in the end."

"Now I have a good feeling to start next season when I could show that I could play. I think the front office has faith in me and I have confidence in myself, too."

The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi also returned to Finland recently and went on to praise the atmosphere at the games in Philadelphia.

"I think the crowd in Philadelphia was probably even louder than in our place", Niemi recalls. "The fans there gathered around to grill outside the arena already in the morning. It was totally amazing."

Niemi thinks the Flyers just ran out of gas in the finals.

"They are a good team, but they probably ran out of gas. They played the same players a lot."

Niemi says he hasn't talked to Leino or Kimmo Timonen in the summer.

"I didn't really talk to them after the finals. I just told them they played good games. There wasn't much more to it, really."

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Flyers offered Kovalchuk $7 M

Various sources in Russia talked about the Flyers being in on Ilya Kovalchuk this past weekend and today Igor Larin and Slava Malamud at Sport Express not only confirmed this, but also revealed some details.

As it looks right now, Kovalchuk will decide between the offers by SKA St.Petersburg of the KHL and the New Jersey Devils.

The offer by SKA became the most preferred option to Kovalchuk after the past weekend when the NHL teams came up with their own proposals. The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings were prepared to pay Kovalchuk about seven million dollars a year, the New Jersey Devils eight million dollars. If we talk about the money after taxes, the NHL offers would guarantee Kovalchuk about half the money SKA is offering. The actual numbers of the offer by the New York Islanders - reported 100 million dollars over 10 years - were more modest than reported and caused them falling out of the race.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Meszároš on the right side

A couple days after, Andrej Meszároš says he's getting over the shock of being traded.

"It certainly was a shock. But that's life in hockey. One day you're there and the next day you're here. I'm already looking forward."

Meszároš admits he wasn't happy with his game in Tampa.

"I'm not going to lie, they were not my best two seasons. I can't say anything bad about the organization and hockey in Florida, I had two beautiful years there. But personally, I wasn't that good and neither was the team, not being able to make the playoffs even once. But now I will focus on the Flyers."

Meszároš is willing to work his way up in the Flyers lineup.

"Naturally I'd like to play on the first pairing, but they have four great defensemen. I'll have to try to get as good of a spot as possible."

Meszároš says he's not familiar with his new team mates on a personal level.

"I played with Matt Carle for a while in Tampa, but then he got traded to the Flyers. Last season Lukáš Krajíček was in Philadelphia, but he's yet to sign a new contract."

The Flyers as a hockey team is more familiar to Meszároš.

"They play an aggressive style of hockey, everyone knows that. They fight until the last seconds and they skate hard. I like their style of play, it's impressive."

Meszároš doesn't have good memories about having to play against the Flyers.

"Not very good. We always had tough games against them, so I'm just glad I can be on their side now. Really, I never played well against the Flyers."

Next season Meszároš will be on the Flyers side and if it was up to him, the season could start tomorrow.

"Really, I can't wait for the start of the season."

Friday, July 2, 2010

New beginning for Meszároš

Andrej Meszároš says he was shocked to be traded.

"I was surprised when I was told that there was a chance that I would get traded. Everything happened in minutes. The Lightning general manager called me and said I was traded. I was in shock."

The shock also meant a new beginning and a new chance.

"The Flyers are a great team again, they played in the finals last season. It's a new beginning for me, which I look forward to and hope I do better than I did in Tampa."

Meszároš says the press conference alone gave him a good feeling about the future.

"I enjoyed myself talking with the media, I felt welcome. The Flyers general manager was there, too. They asked me about my expectations and if I watched the finals."

"I'm familiar with the team and I know what the expectations are for us."