This has been a summer of change for Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin.
He discussed those alterations with The Washington Post. Let’s begin with his thoughts on Alexander Semin’s departure:
“It was a fun time to play with him,” Ovechkin said. “But how I said before: It’s a business. It’s hockey … Right now, it’s time to move on. We’re not going to cry. We’re not going to be sad.”
Ovechkin didn’t outright say that he’s glad Dale Hunter is gone, but he didn’t hide the fact that he’s pleased that Adam Oates is Washington’s new head coach.
“I think it’s good for us right now, because I think we are more [an] offensive team than [a]defensive team,” Oveckin said. “For me, I don’t want to say [anything] bad, but Dale [is a] great person, great coach, but maybe different people are pretty excited to have him.”
One more abstract change for Ovechkin is playing the role of spectator.
He said watching his girlfriend Maria Kirilenko in the Olympics helps him understand why his family would get nervous watching him perform.
“I say, ‘Why are you nervous? It’s simple,’” Ovechkin said. “Right now, I [am] just watching her play, and I get nervous, because you think, ‘Jesus Christ. Come on. Do something better.’”
Hopefully Ovechkin won’t start yelling “Shooooot!” though.