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How did I miss this? Not sure of the exact publication date, but sometime in the last week Slava Malamud over at Sport Express caught up with Washington Capitals goaltender coach Arturs Irbe and got his opinion on the goaltending situation in Vancouver.

The forthcoming Olympic Games might become historic for several reasons. It will be the first played on a North-American-sized rink and it is entirely possible that it will be the last one with the participation of players from the NHL. Also, for the first time in many years, it may present us with a finale featuring the strongest combination of players from Team Russian and Team Canada. And there is yet another milestone: it is entirely possible that Russia will come to Vancouver with the strongest goaltending brigade in the tournament.

Protecting the net wasn't a matter of paramount importance when Russian players were wearing CCCP on their chest, nor has it been in the post-Soviet era. The national style was a brilliant display of attacks and combinations, while the last line was paid far less attention. At best the position was entrusted to someone with unique natural talent. Now, however, Russia has four main goaltenders in the NHL and they are all in excellent shape. Can it really be that the last line of our national team will be our advantage over Canada, where we've always thought that great goaltenders grow on trees? And which among them can become the unexpected hero of the Games? Our expert Arturs Irbe answers these questions for Sport-Express.

Do you agree that Russia will have the best goaltender brigade at the Olympic Games?

"I think that's a little bit exaggerated. Although, perhaps, it is closer to the truth than it has ever been before. Especially in light of the fact that in recent years European and Canadian hockey have, in fact, merged. Russia has a very good selection. I'm sure this is a really nice problem for Slava Bykov."

And if this was your problem-whom would you choose as your number one?

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In this weekend's edition of Sport-Express is the following brief interview of Alexander Semin by Slava Malamud, following the Washington Capital's 6:2 thumping of the Florida Panthers. Alex S. did an admirable job stepping up his game, and here's hoping that continues when Alex O. returns. 

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Slava Malamud      Washington

Is Alex Ovechkin as indispensable to Washington as we think? Actually, yes. Of course he's indispensable, and even more than we think. We simply haven't had the opportunity to see the effect of his prolonged absence. But don't underestimate how the Capitals can unite and compensate for an Ovechkin insufficiency for two or three individual games. Especially against Florida.

This was Washington's third game against the Panthers this season, and all of them have been played without Ovechkin. The Capitals were victorious in all the matchups, scoring a total of 17 goals. Not too shabby for an exsanguinous team, am I right? All-in-all, this season Washington has had seven games without its main star, and garnered 11 of an available 14 points in those games. Apparently, it's time to admit that the Capitals aren't such a bad team just by themselves. Especially when Semyon Varlamov is in net.

The young Russian (who, if you recall, started the season in less than spectacular fashion) has won 11 of 15 games, losing two more in shootouts. He has won 24 out of an available 30 points - which is the best record among NHL goaltenders. In this game, Semyon had a very good chance to have his second shutout in eight days, but after the team got up to a 6:0 lead, they slacked off and allowed the visitors to spoil the goalkeeper's statistics. The always good-natured Varlamov was so upset that he didn't stop to talk to the press after the game. Washington seems to have the bad habit at times of stopping playing when they build up an advantage.  Fortunately, even without Ovechkin, Washington's advantage can be prodded more than just a little bit. Especially when Alexander Semin is healthy.

The Siberian, who returned to the team after a seven-game absence, was the main hero, having a hand in four of the team's six goals. At the end of the game he could have had a hat-trick, but a fantastic scoring chance for Alexander was ruined by a broken stick. After the game, Semin shared his thoughts with your Sport-Express reporter on what it is like for him to be a main leader on the team.

You said earlier that you would need two or three games to get back in the swing of things after a long absence.

"Well, it's a good thing it turned out like it did. Everything worked out just right for me today. I could have even scored some more. Why was that? I don't know. Actually, I spent all my off time practicing, I didn't just sit around."

Do you feel like you are one hundred percent?

"It's difficult, of course. For two weeks I lost my rhythm a little bit. But everything feels good, and I didn't forget how to skate."

Are you sorry you didn't make the hat trick at the end?

"Yeah, I had two opportunities there. First, my stick broke, and then I almost broke away from a defender, but somehow he managed to get the puck away from me."

Do your sticks break very often?

"No."

When you're in situations like that, you usually shoot a wrist shot, but you decided to use a slapshot.

"I thought it was a little far. I probably just didn't have the energy to go any farther. That line was worn out."

Have you had to adjust in any way to Ovechkin's absence?

"No, we haven't changed anything. We just went out and played our game. The team performed flawlessly. Of course it's a pity that Ovy wasn't there, but what can you do?"

Do you feel that without him you have to take his place?

"This was my first game after (recovering from) my injury, and that's always tough. The guys really helped me, so I didn't think anything like that."

So maybe it's even easier for you without Ovechkin?

"We don't play specifically for him. I play according to the situation. If the situation calls for a pass, you pass. If it doesn't, you play it yourself. We don't have this attitude that we all work for a particular person."

Semyon Varlamov was a little upset.

"It's a shame, of course. The entire game was going towards a shutout, and then we stopped playing for a little bit."

You guys seem to do this quite a bit.

"Yeah, because it was 6:0. It turned out that we all slacked off a little bit, even though coach did say ‘Let's play for the goalie!'.  And that's what happened."

More photos » by Neil Davidson - AP

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I may have been gone for a while, dear readers, and it may have been a while since we've seen a long, interesting Russian-language translation, but the wait was worth it. Sovietsky Sport had Anna Nasekina, Russian five-time synchronized swimming world champion, cover the recent Montreal-Capitals game. This article has fantastic interviews with Vladislav Tretiak, Andrei Markov, Sergei Kostitsyn, Semyon Varlamov, and the best interview I think I've ever read with Alex Ovechkin. I needed a cigarette and a few minutes when I was done. Enjoy.

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[This afternoon] Sovietsky Sport correspondent Pavel Lysenkov spoke by telephone with Alex Ovechkin's mother, Tatiana Ovechkina, who was in Moscow.

"That defenseman Gleason should wear glasses when he's out on the ice!" said mama Ovechkin indignantly. "So he can see what's happening on the ice and have time to coordinate his moves. He even came back and played the rest of the game, and here Sasha could have been seriously injured."

"This is how I saw it: The defenseman got the puck, and Sasha went towards him to try and force a turnover. At that moment another Carolina player skated by him and blocked his view..."

"Again, Gleason should get him some rose or dark colored glasses. Or contact lenses. He shouldn't be staring at the ice, looking at the color of his laces or the puck. You can't play like that! A hockey player has to keep his head up! And my son was out the rest of the game..."

Like in the Buffalo game. That was also a crazy situation, and Kaleta didn't even get injured.

"They're all alive and healthy, and Sasha is expelled. Is that fair?"

Was Alexander seriously injured?

"I'm not going to talk about it. Ask him about it."

Is there a risk that he'll miss the Olympics?

"I don't think so. Knock on wood."

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

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Following the extremely satisfying win by the Capitals in MSG, Sport-Express correspondent Vasilij Osipov caught up with Alex Ovechkin and Semyon Varlamov and got their impressions on the game.

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The main game-day event in the NHL was, without a doubt, the return to the ice of the best player in the league for the past two years, Alex Ovechkin. Or, more precisely, the meticulous conspiracy which accompanied this return. During the morning practice skate Alexander the Great estimated his chances at returning as "fifty-fifty". And with his acting abilities, the head coach of the Capitals could play a spy in a television series. Bruce Boudreau declared, with a tragic sigh, that Ovi probably wouldn't be able to play...

Things only started coming in focus during the pre-game warm-ups. Guest number 8 spent a lot of time warming up on the ice, doing a lot of stretches. After that, Ovi started taking shots at the net with defenseman Green passing him the puck. Just watching him, it didn't seem like the Russian had been sidelined for two weeks, so powerful were his trademark shots.

However, the Russian National Team leader did start out playing fairly cautiously. This continued until the midpoint of the first period, when Alexander laid out the powerful New York defender Marc Staal. The famous Madison Square Garden had built a massive wall against the trespasser, but Ovechkin wasn't going to be stopped now. He had undoubtedly gotten dialed into the game. And soon the Muscovite showed that it wasn't for naught that he had worked so hard on his shot during the warm-ups. After a bump pass from Mike Green during a power play, he shot the puck past Henrik Lundqvist's right hand corner with an almost imperceptible blast

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[Sport-Express reporter Slava Malamud caught up with Alex Ovechkin after the nail-biter against Philly and had this interview in today's issue of Sport-Express.. After reading Ovy's comments on the Semin-Ovechkin-Backstrom line perhaps it should now be called the Reese's Cup line?]

Ovechkin came out to meet the press directly from the shower, dressed only in a towel and some bling. Your correspondent is not informing you of his déshabillé simply for the sake of our female readership, but solely for the purpose of reporting some valuable news. Alexander's bling partially consisted of half of a Canadian dollar, attached to a chain around his neck. This is the infamous dollar (aka ‘lucky loonie') which Ovechkin dug out of the ice in Quebec after winning the World Championship finals in 2008. Friend and teammate Ilya Nikulin then took the coin with him in order to split it into two parts, and apparently he recently completed this assignment. Ilya must have been in high spirits when he sawed the coin, or perhaps he did it in the middle of the night, because the ‘loonie' is cut in half in a zigzag. Nonetheless, Ovechkin must be pleased with the results for he has proudly added it to his collection of cervical accessories. It's quite a novel concept, considering it's an Olympic year.

Concerning recent spate of injuries to Olympic hopefuls, Ovechkin had the following to say:

"Ahh hell only knows. The season's just begun and the three best players are injured. God willing, Markunya (Andrei Markov) will have recovered in time for the Olympics. I also wish speedy recoveries for Gonchu and Kovalyu (Sergei Gonchar and Ilya Kovalchuk) of course. In hockey, nobody's safe from anything. Even during an Olympic year you can't play injured and regret it. If you're going to regret it, it's much better to simply say that you've hurt your leg and take a week's rest."

While your friend Semin was ill, did you keep far away from him?

"We didn't see him at all. He stayed at home the entire time."

The swine flu has basically caused a state of emergency in this country. The journalists had to wash their hands before they came into the locker room. Is it upsetting?

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