BABCOCK: OUR KEY TASK IS TO WIN THE GOLD

The head coach of Detroit and Canadian Olympic team Mike Babcock gave an interview to russian sport press.


"It’s not difficult to combine two jobs this season", said Babcock. "We worked very hard at summer training camp".

"Coaches always keep in contact with each other while Steve Yzerman is here all the time and I can speak to him when it’s necessary".

"I don’t think that our situation is more complicated than other team’s situations, since everyone will have to start right off the bat. I have already talked to most part of players after we announced the final squad. I only need to speak to maybe two goalkeepers so everything goes according to our plan".

"While everybody waits for Russia vs. Canada duel in Vancouver, however we cannot know for sure that it will really take place. My target is to create the team and help it surge in every game".

"Hockey is religion in Canada and the most important thing for this country is to become the best hockey nation in the world. Russia beat us several times and it was big event".

"But for example Canada won five straight youth championships and let America seal the title this time, so now it’s necessary to take it back. The same thing concerns other sports too, as we need to continue best Canadian traditions".

"It’s impossible to win all competitions and it concerns Olympic games too. Sweden won the previous Games and it means that we need to take away the gold from them".

"Detroit Russian star Pavel Datsyuk is not very effective now and I think that it can be explained by the fact that emotional mindset cannot be the same for all games. He had to play too long seasons in recent three years and sometimes it happens that you are not perfectly set for several games. The problem is that we are left to play 30 matches and we need Pavel to play his best hockey in all of them".

"Ilya Bryzgalov is goalkeeper with great potential. I coached him in Anaheim farm-club in his first season in big hockey and he was a real star of AHL that year".

"To my mind he easily play in Phoenics because of his team’s well-disciplined hockey in defence. He always knows what to expect in particular situation. When such club as Phoenics has a chance to win in each match, it has positive impact on his display".

DATSYUK: I TRAIN TRICKS LIKE EVERYBODY

The Russian star of Detroit Pavel Datsyuk spoke to sport press correspondent ahead of the Olympics.


Detroit now is one of the most Olympic cities in NHL. Together with the head coach of the Canadian national team Mike Babcock the Detroit delegation to Vancouver will consist of seven people.

And the Russian interest in Red Wings represents Pavel Datsyuk – winner of Frank Selke Trophy (to the top defensive forward) and Lady Byng Trophy (to the League’s most gentlemanly player).

Though this year he is not doing very well, and for example could not score for seven consecutive matches already. On the other hand his team is also only a shadow of what it used to be.

Though the status of Datsyuk in the team is unquestionable. And there is no question who is the brightest star in Detroit. Pavel is one of few who are able to level up the mood of the team.

And the citizens of Detroit can be grateful. There one can recently learn a new English word – Datsyukian that means “a trick head to head with the goalie that could have been created in the brains and worked out exclusively and personally by Datsyuk only”.

"Nothing happens just for fun," said Pavel. "Everybody keeps trainings some tricks, maneuvers. And this is the same with me. You need time for everything."

"Of course you will not see such things in official games often. For in such matches it is more important to score. Obviously you want to please your supporters but the puck in the net is essential. And the fans will go home happy."

"This season is difficult for me, the team and the city in general. It can be felt everywhere. The economy hit Detroit a lot."

"Many houses are on sale now, the rate of unemployment is almost the highest in America. All this tells on our supporters and we also feel it."

"I cannot score for seven consecutive matches and of course this fact worries me. But this is secondary. The performance of the team is what primary for me. Victory is first, my worries – secondary."

"This year I throw less. Earlier I attacked more and that is why I was more dangerous. Why did it happen? We will find it out."

"I do not see only one reason. I also started this season badly. And now I have to catch up. There have been fifty matches already and I have not gained momentum yet."

"I cannot say how much time I need to get in my best form. But do not be afraid everything will be all right at the Olympics. There are three weeks left and the work is being done."

"I have not played for the national team for quite a long time already, since the Turin-2006. But the country is the same and everything is ok. You, journalists always try divide us into players, coaches."

"What is wrong if I do not know Bykov well? We are one country, and we will do our common work."

BRYZGALOV: OLYMPICS – NOT MY MOTIVATION

The first choice goalie of Phoenix Ilya Bryzgalov gave an interview to russian sport press after the match against Detroit Red Wings where the forward of the hosts Pavel Datsyuk broke his scoreless series of seven consecutive matches.


One could guess what way the interview with the Russian goalie will take at once in the dressing rooms. The famous for his specific manner of talking to journalists Pavel Datsyuk who was next door at that moment could have come in with a notebook and write down the minutes.

Even among goalkeepers Ilya is number one in terms of originality and this season he is hardly inferior to anybody as a goalie.

"Oh, no! Again Olympics," reacted Bryzgalov on the first question. "At the moment it has nothing to do with me. I will think about it in three weeks."

"And actually it is not difficult to cut myself from the Vancouver-2010. I will start thinking about it on 14 or even 15 February."

"And now I have no time for this. Match after match, journey after journey, hither and yon, home affairs."

"It is, journalists, who keep thinking about the Olympics because you must write about it, fan tensions, pressurize us, saying that everybody expects only gold from us…one must not put the cart before the horse."

"And the matter is not in us who won the last two World Championships", laughs the goalie.

"As for my last year’s performance in the national team it was a bit difficult to get used to it after the NHL Championship."

"There arena is bigger but that did not really bother me. Most of all I was distressed by the coloring in the goal area. It is not like in NHL – cut but semi-circle."

"And I got used to be guided by the coloring and at first I was flying out of the goalmouth. That embarrassed me a bit. But in a couple of days I adapted to it. But in general everything is ok."

"I do not see Olympic Games as motivation for great performance in the club. Here my motivation is to bring Phoenix to the play-offs for the first time in seven years. This is the only thing moving me to play well this season."

"It has nothing to do with the Olympics, with the desire to appeal the coaches of the national team. Coyotes are my team and I try to worry about it."

"I do not stuff my head with things like who will be the first choice goaltender. By the way I can do nothing about it. We have two coaches who will make this decision."

"Moreover one goalie can start the tournament and a different one finish it. After all, the tournament is short and we do not have the right for a mistake."

"That is your opinion that I cannot bear sitting on the bench. And I will not try to bring you over or disappoint you."

FASEL: ICE WAR HAS BEGUN

IIHF president Rene Fasel commented on the results of the negotiations with the president of the Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretyak and KHL president Alexandr Medvedev on the Olympic issues.


"I must comfort you, we have already discussed the question with the “list of 23” for the Olympics and substitutions," said Fasel packing his things. "And we discussed it not only with Tretyak but with your head coach Vyacheslav Bykov as well."

"Actually nothing changed drastically in comparison with the previous Olympics. We have an agreement with NHL and the union of the players of this League."

"According to this agreement the roster for the Olympics is to be announced about two months before the start of the tournament. This was the requirement of the union: its players should know in advance whether they are going to the Games or not."

"NHL will terminate the championship for two weeks, best players will go to Vancouver and others for a holiday. And we cannot forget about the interests of these others. And that is why the League insisted on the clause that there should be no unforeseen replacements of NHL players in the lists of 23."

"In other words any national team can make changes in its squad replacing any player not representing NHL. But NHL players are really a different matter. If for example Bykov decides to replace an NHL player he can do it only on the ground of an injury or other special circumstances that prevent a player from performing at the Olympics."

"The clause with special circumstances is not written down in the official documents in detail. But if we want to apply it to a player all the sides – NHL, the players’ union, IIHF and the national team staff – must share the same position on this player."

"Some personal reasons can become an obstacle but if a player has a headache or the coach stopped liking him it is not a reason for replacement."

"We called the 23-men list preliminary because coaches cannot make up the squad at once. To illustrate my point let us look at Switzerland. In any case both NHL players – Hiller and Streit will be in the Vancouver."

"But at the same time eight reserve players will be able to stay in Vancouver till 15 February. A coach must have some space for maneuver. God forbid if Streit for example get injured in the last match before the Olympics. And in this case he must be replaced."

"It is also possible to substitute an NHL player for an injured player. But in this situation the sub can say no, he has the right to decide whether he wants to go to the Olympics when originally he was not capped."

"I do not understand why people made a problem of this matter. Everything was written in the documents before. To my mind this is a part of pre-tournament psychological competition."

"One side tries to put coaches and players of the other side under pressure. Canadians complain about Russians and Russians in their turn complain about Canadians. The ice war has already begun and this is a part of the pre-tournament warm-up."

HITCHCOCK: WORLD CUPS – NO MATCH TO OLYMPICS

The head coach of Columbus, former head coach of the Canadian national team, who is to go to Vancouver as head coach assistant, Ken Hitchcock gave an interview to russian sport press.


"Thank heaven I live in America," said Hitchcock. "Here one cannot feel fully what is going on in Canada at the moment. Journalists would not let me alone around the clock. But I know how the matters stand there."

"Again, you, European journalists start talking about Canada being forced to prove again its power and dominance after recent losses."

"That is a new world, a new tournament. These are Olympics – and Olympics are quite a different matter."

"In Europe you pay too much attention to World Championships. But World Cups are only for those players who can go there. One cannot judge which country has the strongest national team according to these tournaments. All teams lack somebody."

"But if Canada is beaten at the Olympics than somebody will be able to boast about it."

"The Swedes are champions now. They won last Olympics and they are the best in the world now. Everything that happened between Turin and Vancouver is only tournaments among best of the rest."

"Olympics cannot be compared to any other competitions. Best against best – is a different level. And the tension is completely different – take World Cup and multiply by three."

"It was very hard when Russia beat us in Quebec. We were outplaying them 4:2 and one cannot possibly lose such an advantage in the final."

"But the best players of the Russian side showed their best. The entire team were charging from the energy of Ovechkin and Kovalchuk that day."

IIHF CONFIRMS RUSSIA’S RIGHT TO CHANGE 23-MEN LIST

Yesterday the IIHF president Rene Fasel met with representatives of KHL and Russian Hockey Federation in Moscow.


Organizational issues, connected with the Vancouver Olympic games, were the main themes to discuss at the meeting. In particular Russian side got explanations about procedure of substitutions in the “23-men list” which was unveiled at the end of December.

"We have been explained about Olympic reserve players", said general manager of the team Vladislav Tretyak. "Russian team has right to take eight reserve players to Vancouver".

"The Russian Hockey federation will send list of these players to the IOC. We will be able to make changes in the squad in case of injuries of players from the preliminary 23-men list until 15 February".

"All other national teams can use this right, but not only Russia".

KRIKUNOV: I WAS NOT SURPRISED WITH ZUBOV’S REFUSAL

Former head coach of Russian hockey team Vladimir Krikunov commented on Sergey Zubov’s refusal to go to the Olympic games as reserve player.


"First of all I want to say that I am not surprised at all, as I knew that these statements would appear, because Russians cannot live without them", said Krikunov.

"I perfectly know psychology of our players, who were the first to move to NHL. It’s very difficult to talk to them because they are half-Russians and half-Americans and in many situations they think only about themselves".

"To my mind Sergey Zubov deserved an invitation to Vancouver games by his performance this season, and it’s possible to understand his ambitions, expressed in his announcement in russian sport press".

"Bykov commented his refusal very calmly, but there is no sense in giving advice to the coaches. Anyway we can find something positive in this unpleasant thing. Maybe it’s good that people showed their real character before the Olympics".