Czar Still a Badass, Reuters Confirms

From the Guardian. The Guardian!

It's good to know that someone is keeping punk alive.

The first Russian to be taken number one in the NHL draft when the Thrashers made him the top pick in 2001, Kovalchuk has grown to become one of the league's most dangerous marksmen, scoring 254 goals in six seasons.

But the world championships did not start out as well as he hoped.

Team mate Alexander Ovechkin grabbed the spotlight with a team-best six goals while Kovalchuk's petulance earned him two game misconducts and a suspension. He had to sit in the stands for Friday's semi-final win over Finland.

However, Kovalchuk redeemed himself on Sunday, tying the game at 4-4 late in the third period and then blasting the winner at 2:42 into overtime.

"We just told each other to play all the way to the end and whatever happens, happens," said Kovalchuk.

"Two goals (down), it is always tough to come back but then we talked to each other in the locker room and we said, 'Hey we've got nothing to lose.'"


You have to love that note of badass fatalism. I wouldn't be surprised if Kovy burns cigarettes out on his hand for fun. Impales a Latvian center with his stick in one game, guillotines a Belorussian defenseman for looking at him funny in another. Sits out a semi-final, biding his time. Takes the suspensions and game misconduct penalties because he KNOWS fate would make him the hero in the Gold Medal game. From some other newspaper:

"God was on our side a little more than them," Kovalchuk said. "In overtime, they take that penalty—that's the new rules. I don't know if it's good or it's bad but it worked for us."

Confidence.

I also loved this:

Afterward, Alex Ovechkin skated around kissing his new gold medal over and over while Kovalchuk grabbed a television camera and screamed into it.


Kovalchuk to Semin (overheard by ice-side Blueland Chronicle reporter): "Today is good day for Mother Russia, Other Alex, but today even better day for Ilya Kovalchuk. I make Mother Russia gold again and eat Canadian children. Tomorrow I think I call Dany Heatley and hold phone up to flushing toilet. Better yet I have Nicole call Rooms to Go and install silver toilet in house; I name him Dany."