ZUBOV: NOT PLAYERS MAKE UP STRATEGY AND TACTICS

The best defender of KHL Sergey Zubov who refused to go to Vancouver in the reserves, commented on the performance of the Russian team at the Olympics.


One of the ever strongest defenders of the Russian ice hockey, played 17 seasons in NHL, at first refused to sum up the results of the Olympic tournament.

"What results? There are specially trained people in Russia who will professionally study out everything and make right conclusions," said the 39-year old defender of SKA.

"I am ready only to share my personal views. Views of an ice hockey player who knows something about this game and understands a bit."

"Let us start from the beginning. At the start of the tournament my inner voice told me that everything must have been ok. The team rolled into the tournament quite well – crashed such an uneasy team as Latvia."

"Moreover I liked our display in the next two matches as well despite the fact that we lost to Slovakia. So everything seemed to be running to plan."

"And that is why when my wife woke me up on the Thursday morning and said that Russia lost 3:7 to Canada I would not believe her. I did not watch the game online for, as you understand we have a training process in SKA and being under pressure it is difficult to stay up all night."

"At first I was shocked at the score. Then when I started to watch the replay I was disappointed with the game itself. I was torturing myself for two periods and then impulsively turned the video off, as everything was clear."

"I was amazed that our players were not ready to start the match correctly. Look Canada is a country with great hockey history."

"The trademark of the North Americans is hidden in the first ten minutes of every match. To bewilder, trample and provoke – are the philosophy of the Canadian start. Especially in the competition with Europeans."

"In the Soviet times we knew it quite well that if you withstand these dreadful ten minutes the situation turns over and you get some trumps. And we could win Canadians because of this."

"And now in Vancouver I was amazed that our team seemed not to know about it at all. For me, the player who studied Canadians throughout it was a shock."

"And it does not matter that a dozen of our players perform in NHL clubs for different people are responsible for tactics and strategy."

"It was evident that Slovakia was more ready to fight Canada in the semifinals than we. They did not risk in the first period and conceded only 2 goals. Then in the third period they have almost won back the three pucks."

"Canada outplayed us not only because of their start but of luck as well – they managed to score quick goals. Moreover it caught my eye how wisely Canada closed out our leaders."

"They squelched Ovechkin, Malkin and Volchenkov with power but hardly touched Datsyuk for example. Probably because if make Datsyuk flare up he will ignite the whole lineup."

"And who could know it better than Mike Babcock, the head coach of both the national team and the Detroit team."

"I think that they just studied thoroughly every player of Russia. After the loss in Turin, two consecutive failures in the World Championships’ finals they had nowhere to retreat."

"Had they lost to us again the country would have made mincemeat of them. That is why they did their best at the Games. That match showed that every player had his own record ready with all his strong and weak sides."