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Radulov says he ‘became a hockey player’ under Trotz

Nashville Predators v Phoenix Coyotes - Game One

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 27: Alexander Radulov #47 of the Nashville Predators reacts in Game One of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Jobing.com Arena on April 27, 2012 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Predators 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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One of the things people are anxious to see in the upcoming season is how things will go in Washington between Alex Ovechkin and Barry Trotz.

Trotz has said things might get uncomfortable under his watch as he brings a new culture and more accountability to the table. Could that be trouble for Ovechkin? Not if you asked former Nashville Predator, and his Team Russia teammate, Alexander Radulov.

Pavel Lysenkov of Sovetsky Sport shared a quote from Radulov (via Dmitry Chesnokov) about what he’d tell Ovechkin if he asked about Trotz. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s all good news.

“Bad coaches don’t work at the same club for 15 years.” Radulov told Lysenkov today. “When I came to Nashville Trotz helped me a lot. I learned a lot. I became a hockey player. The coach trusted me, called me up from the minors. I have only the best memories of Trotz. This is a new challenge for him [in Washington]. Life changed, he had to go. But he has a lot of ideas that he will be able to realize in Washington.”

In case you’ve forgotten, things didn’t exactly end well in Nashville for Radulov after the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He and Andrei Kostitsyn were benched by Trotz for violating curfew while in Arizona and it caused a major distraction for the Preds as they were bounced from the Western Conference Semifinals in five games by the Coyotes.

It’d be easy for Radulov to hold it against Trotz for things going badly. Instead, he’s talking him up in a big way. Perhaps things will go just fine in Washington.

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