Asterix
4-26-07, 1:40 PM
Kovalev not interested in return to Montreal unless his role changes: Russian interview
April 25, 2007
Alex Kovalev apparently has told Canadiens GM Bob Gainey that he's not interested in returning to Montreal should he be used as he was in the latter half of the past season. That's the gist of an interview with Kovalev, published last Friday in Soviet Sport, and translated into French by Radio-Canada Sports on their website.
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For the consumption of our non-French-speaking readers, we'll translate the Radio-Canada post here. Refer as well to the March firestorm touched off by an interview Kovalev gave to a different Russian journalist that made huge waves in Montreal when translated and published by La Presse.
(Type Kovalev into the search function in the upper-right of this page to read more about the first controversial interview.)
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Once again, Alex Kovalev is settling accounts in a Russian daily.
In an interview (published) last Friday in Soviet Sport and translated by Radio-Canada Sports, Kovalev has again cast in doubt his future in Montreal. At the centre of it now is how he's used.
"At the end of the season, I had a discussion with GM Bob Gainey," Kovalev explained to Pavel Alexandrovich Lysenkov, the author of Kovalev's official biography. "I told (Gainey) that I didn't want to be back on the team if I'm treated the same way as I was (this past) season."
Kovalev evidently was referring to his days in the doghouse, when he was relegated to the Canadiens' fourth line. That's where he finished the season, flanking centre Maxim Lapierre along with Guillaume Latendresse.
Reached at the end of Wednesday afternoon (by Radio-Canada Sports), Kovalev's agent, Scott Greenspun, had no comment, except to say that his client is on vacation in the Cayman Islands.
Kovalev said in the interview that the problem as he sees it is not one created by the media, but one within the team itself.
"Journalists can accuse me of anything they want, I'm not going to give that any importance," Kovalev said. "But when your team doesn't support you, when it gives you a secondary role that won't let me play, and all without explanation... that's hard (to digest)."
Money is far from his priority, says Kovalev (who will earn $9 million U.S. over the final two seasons of his Canadiens contract). "What's most important is to have fun," he said, "and for now, that's not the case in Montreal."
The Soviet Sport article centred on Kovalev's non-participation in the upcoming world championship, to take place in Moscow. Kovalev was captain of the Russian team at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
He is said to have not been pleased with the team selection of national-team boss Sergei Fedorov, who explained to Kovalev that he was building a young team for the event.
http://www.habsinsideout.com/2007/04/kovalev_making_controversial_h/
After the whole fiasco with the interview that he had apparently given just before the playoffs, where management and players stuck with him, he now pulls that kind of stunt? I've never been a Kovalev fan but he's now reached new lows. What's said between him and his GM should remain between them. Someone with class would understand that.
Good riddance! :thumb:
April 25, 2007
Alex Kovalev apparently has told Canadiens GM Bob Gainey that he's not interested in returning to Montreal should he be used as he was in the latter half of the past season. That's the gist of an interview with Kovalev, published last Friday in Soviet Sport, and translated into French by Radio-Canada Sports on their website.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the consumption of our non-French-speaking readers, we'll translate the Radio-Canada post here. Refer as well to the March firestorm touched off by an interview Kovalev gave to a different Russian journalist that made huge waves in Montreal when translated and published by La Presse.
(Type Kovalev into the search function in the upper-right of this page to read more about the first controversial interview.)
-----
Once again, Alex Kovalev is settling accounts in a Russian daily.
In an interview (published) last Friday in Soviet Sport and translated by Radio-Canada Sports, Kovalev has again cast in doubt his future in Montreal. At the centre of it now is how he's used.
"At the end of the season, I had a discussion with GM Bob Gainey," Kovalev explained to Pavel Alexandrovich Lysenkov, the author of Kovalev's official biography. "I told (Gainey) that I didn't want to be back on the team if I'm treated the same way as I was (this past) season."
Kovalev evidently was referring to his days in the doghouse, when he was relegated to the Canadiens' fourth line. That's where he finished the season, flanking centre Maxim Lapierre along with Guillaume Latendresse.
Reached at the end of Wednesday afternoon (by Radio-Canada Sports), Kovalev's agent, Scott Greenspun, had no comment, except to say that his client is on vacation in the Cayman Islands.
Kovalev said in the interview that the problem as he sees it is not one created by the media, but one within the team itself.
"Journalists can accuse me of anything they want, I'm not going to give that any importance," Kovalev said. "But when your team doesn't support you, when it gives you a secondary role that won't let me play, and all without explanation... that's hard (to digest)."
Money is far from his priority, says Kovalev (who will earn $9 million U.S. over the final two seasons of his Canadiens contract). "What's most important is to have fun," he said, "and for now, that's not the case in Montreal."
The Soviet Sport article centred on Kovalev's non-participation in the upcoming world championship, to take place in Moscow. Kovalev was captain of the Russian team at the 2006 Turin Olympics.
He is said to have not been pleased with the team selection of national-team boss Sergei Fedorov, who explained to Kovalev that he was building a young team for the event.
http://www.habsinsideout.com/2007/04/kovalev_making_controversial_h/
After the whole fiasco with the interview that he had apparently given just before the playoffs, where management and players stuck with him, he now pulls that kind of stunt? I've never been a Kovalev fan but he's now reached new lows. What's said between him and his GM should remain between them. Someone with class would understand that.
Good riddance! :thumb: