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Ovechkin, Semin, Varlamov accept Team Russia WC invites

Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin

Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin (8) of Russia celebrates his goal with teammate and compatriot Alexander Semin (28) his goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

AP

When Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin pictured representing Russia during international play in 2010, my guess is that they weren’t expecting to do so in Vancouver and Germany. That is the sad case for the idle Washington Capitals duo, who will be joined by fellow teammate Semyon Varlamov on the Russian World Championships roster. TSN has the story.

According to the Washington Post, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Semyon Varlamov are expected to represent Russia at the upcoming World Hockey Championship in Germany. The tournament gets under way on May 7 with Russia’s first game on May 9 against Slovakia.

Brooks Laich will be playing for Canada and Michael Nylander will be suiting up for his native Sweden.

The report indicates that Mike Green (Canada), Nicklas Backstrom (Sweden) and Tomas Fleischmann (Czech Republic) are believed to have declined invitations to play for their respective countries.

Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve heard anything about Michael Nylander. Is his name Swedish for “Alex Mogilny”? I wonder if there’s a Players Stashed in the Minors Because of Bloated Contracts support group somewhere ...