NHL star Alexander Ovechkin expects to play Canada in the Olympic ice hockey quarterfinals, and says the Russian team will have to play as one to win.
"We need to be a single fist," the Washington Capitals captain told RIA Novosti. "Like all the guys say: 'fight, fight and fight again!'"
Asked whether he thought there was any chance Germany could upset Canada and advance to play Russia in the quarterfinals, Ovechkin said: "Of course, I would like to believe that, but I think there is no chance."
He said he would not watch the game, as he knew all the Canadian players from the NHL.
"Why watch them? I see them every day," the 24-year-old said.
He admitted, however, that he did watch Canada's loss to the United States, "because it was a really interesting game."
Ovechkin dismissed any question of disappointment at facing Canada at the quarterfinal stage, rather than with a gold medal at stake, saying there were no easy games left in the competition.
"The harder it is to get something, the sweeter it tastes," he said.
Russia canceled its training session scheduled for noon on Monday at the last moment, but the vice-captain backed the decision, saying the team had "a lot of injuries, and simply needed a rest from hockey, from the ice."
He refused to discuss the health of center Sergei Zinoviev, who was unable to finish the final group stage match with the Czechs due to a leg injury.
Ovechkin devoted a lot of time on Monday to media interviews - firstly with U.S. television crews - after criticism that Russia's players, and particularly the two-time reigning NHL MVP, were keeping to themselves after games.
He explained his distance by his desire to focus on the gold and eliminate other distractions.
The Russian coaching staff may have a similar idea, as the team's practice on Tuesday is timed to coincide with the start of the Canada-Germany match, at 4.30 p.m. local time. Twenty-four hours later - at 3.30 a.m. Moscow time on Thursday - Ovechkin and Russia themselves expect to be facing off against the Olympic hosts.
VANCOUVER, February 23 (RIA Novosti)
