These days, there’s an interview with Ilya Kovalchuk that’s causing a lot of talk.
The point that caught the most attention was when the Russian, in an interview in his native language, mentioned that playing in Montreal was very positive for his career.
Even if his stay was short-lived, it visibly marked him.
But even if he liked playing here and the pressure of a Canadian market doesn’t seem to have scared him, he is still aware that Montreal is a different beast.
And he wasn’t shy about talking about it.
In his eyes, the media are so present during training and matches that if they start talking about a young person who is not riding well, they have the power to influence the course of things and encourage CH to send him back down, therefore to Laval.
You can listen to the excerpt (with English subtitles) here.
Ilya Kovalchuk says that missing games in training can color the vision of journalists on site and we understand that he thinks that the power of the media means that it puts pressure on the club.
Kovalchuk also says that young people read everything that is said and that they quickly leave the locker room when the journalists arrive after a match. It was obviously like that in his time, at least.
Anyone who knows that playing in Montreal is great (if all goes well) is right about the fact that hockey is big here.
But even if some journalists have influence, we must still remember that Martin St-Louis has already said that he does not listen to criticism from people to whom he would not turn for advice. He can’t be the only hockey man, present or past, to think this way. Right?
In burst
– It’s Cole Caufield’s party.
– To be monitored.
– The Jake Evans file has not stopped making people talk.
Canada
