Winter Olympics are all about hockey RT — Sophie. Co. Winter Olympics are in full swing in Russia’s Sochi, with millions following the drama on the tracks and ice rinks; the star turn, as it’s been for years, is the hockey – with best players from across the planet meeting to find who deserves the gold. To talk about the hockey games, Sophie is joined today by the very special guest – the Soviet legend of the game, one of the greatest hockey players in history: Igor Larionov is on Sophie. Co. Sophie Shevardnadze: Igor Larionov, legendary hockey player, it’s really great to have you on our program today. So which team you will be supporting? Igor Larionov: Well, I got my Russian passport and obviously I’m rooting for team Russia in any discipline in Olympics, including hockey. SS: Is it always that way, even when you were playing in America, were you always rooting for the Russian team? IL: I belong to the Russian Soviet hockey system and obviously I played in three different Olympics in 1. Russia, especially… these two weeks in Sochi – it’s very important to the Russian athletes and hockey players and everybody else to do their best and bring a little piece of glory to the Russian people. SS: Alright, but this is your heart talking - what about head and your hockey intuition? IL: You know what, that’s a good question. But at the same time when you are watching, like a high- end hockey, it’s the best hockey you can imagine, to see in these 1. Olympics, because it’s best against the best. And I can answer your question – it’s obviously a little bit more than just like I’m rooting for somebody – I’m just trying to see any new tendencies of the hockey game, how the game is evolving and developing. Leaving will not be a valid option anymore and players will not be penalized when as fast as we can to fix our game and improve it according to the way you play. Killers are now awarded sacrifice points if a survivor leaves the game. Playing the Game, Chapter 1 Playing the Game, Chapter 36. post comment. Notes: We are into part 2 of this story; it's already long and getting longer, but now is an EXCELLENT time to join and come along for the ride. Yes, local co-op and online multiplayer is playable on PS Now as long as the game you are playing supports it. To transfer your game saved data from PS Now to PS+ Online Storage: 1. Start a PS Now game stream from any PS Now compatible device.. So to me it’s nice to see maybe some remarkable skill from players which they can show when in the game, on the line, the game Russia- US, when it’s a nail- biting game, like 2- 2 and overtime, and the shootout – it was like classic hockey game. SS: How fair is it to lose in the shootout – some thinking it’s probably like a lottery, it doesn’t really define which team is better if you win in the shootout… IL: I’m not a big fan of a shootout system, which was implemented a few years ago, but that’s the rules, international rules, and NHL rules during the season; but, in the play- offs, usually they add overtime in North America. In Europe or international scene this is kind of different. Some people believe that you can only lose every half- hour, but you can lose again once you stop thinking about it. You are now playing the game. You just lost .
So because of that I don’t think it’s fair because you want to go out and win the game in five- on- five or four against four in overtime, but not in shootout. But it brings some excitement to the game and fans were cheering and there was actually very nice atmosphere in the building. SS: If you look at the America’s team, and they are like super young, they have no Olympic experience – is that even a factor? Is that better? IL: No, they have some experience, they have a few guys coming back from the Vancouver games and their team is very strong. I know really well the GM of team USA, Brian Burke and Fred Shero, by my NHL days and even now my agency work, so these people, they know the game well; and, obviously, the coach – Stanley Cup champion coach Dan Bylsma, he knows the game well too, so it’s a young team, but it’s well- assembled and there is really good chemistry between these young players and they can go far in these Olympics. SS: Most of these players are now playing in the NHL. Is this more important to play there and make money then actually prepare for the Olympics and forge a team chemistry together? Because it takes time… IL: No, no, no. It’s been since 1. NHL took a break in the season when they’ve sent all the NHL guys to play in Japan in the Nagano Olympics and today…. I mean, the hockey is the main event – I don’t care what anybody says about figure skating and all in that respect, and other sports, but hockey – because you got so many superstars coming to play and they play against each other, so it’s not every time you can see top teams from around the world playing. It’s like a World Cup of soccer. But this is NHL players coming and playing especially at Olympics, and for the players to come and play and to be proud for their country, so I think it’s kind of historic event for the players because of that. It’s once in 4 years, and you have a chance to represent your country and you have a chance to go for the gold, or you can lose, for example, and you’ve got to wait next four years and there’s no guarantee you would be playing again for team Russia, for team USA or team Canada. In the NHL you sign a long- term contract, six, seven, eight years – so you are secured. You can go for Stanley Cup every season: you lost this year so you can take a break for 4 months, and go back in September and have your goal set to go again for the Stanley Cup, so it’s kind of different scale. SS: So you’re saying in a way, Olympics are even more important than Stanley Cup. IL: Well, it’s for the country, and obviously, to have in your resume – let’s put it that way – to play for your country and to bring the gold, because “Olympic champion†– it’s going to be with you for the rest of your life. Stanley Cup champion also, but it’s only played in North America, and Olympics is a global event. SS: I want to talk to you a little bit about the stars, because Russia was so eager to have all their NHL players play in this Olympics. Is it important? Do you think it’s more important to have star players come together than actually a trained team? IL: When you play against the best teams from Canada, from US and from Sweden, from Czech Republic, Slovakia, Switzerland – most of the guys these play hockey in the best league in the world, National Hockey League in North America, and for the Russian players… you have to be aware and you have to be candid and honest and to see whom you are playing against and to me there is no doubt in my mind, National Hockey League is very- very tough League and to play in that League players are getting stronger and better because of the competition and you’ve got to prove yourself every single night when you step on ice and for many years. If you want to stay longer, you play for 1. Alex Ovechkin or Malkin, or Kovalchuk, or Patrick Kane, Sidney Crosby and on and on. SS: I was just also thinking – when you’re such a star in your NHL team, you probably have some sort of an ego, and then you have all different NHL stars put in a team together – does that get in the way, the personalities of each other? IL: That’s the big issue for every team, because, I can tell you why, when the GM putting team together, let’s say, like, team Canada – Steve Yzerman, he got five other assistant GMs, the people who work for the NHL clubs as a general managers, so they go through the list of 8. NHL teams and when you are picking 2. Canada, to play for the US, to play for Russia – every player got the ego, because you play for Capitals, Washington Capitals, or play for Chickago Hawks – you are top player there and you spend maybe 2. Canada or team Russia, so you got like 2. When you become the champions, who cares how minutes you played, how many goals you scored, but at the time you sacrifice your ego and do your best for your country, for the club and nice to have a smile and to be Olympic champion – and that’s what it’s all about. SS: Would you say that Russia’s team has a great team spirit as of now? IL: I didn’t see the first game of the tournament against Slovenia, but in any game you play in this kind of event and it’s not easy because of that – you start getting used to a new environment, obviously, and the friends, and you play at home, and a lot of – I’m sure – distractions because of that, families and the friends, and nowadays it’s twitter and instagram and a lot of different stuff… When I played, we had nothing. Today it’s a different environment, and for the Russian players, when you come to play at home – you have to realize that, there’s a lot of little things you’ve been thinking about, or they’ve bothered you, so you got to put them aside and just go and be honest to yourself and be honest with the people, who are in your country, watching you, and are actually expecting you to win. SS: You were one of the five legendary hockey player stars in the USSR – you were like superheroes back then. Did your personalities get in a way of each other? IL: We’re talking about the Soviet days, eighties, and we didn’t play for North American teams, we didn’t play for big money. I grew up in a system in which the teamwork was actually the main thing. Even today it’s the same thing, but nowadays, when the players are playing, they are young so they go in for the personal benefits, which is, you know, if you score money- goals, you making many passes and you’re going to get some bonuses, you’re going to get your contract. So, basically it’s playing for yourself, but a little bit for the team too. That’s what is the difference between today’s generation and our generation. We grew up in the soviet system, we didn’t care who scores, we did care about how the team did, and we played for each other, so that’s what is the biggest difference. Of course, we had skill, we had great amount of individual creative skills, let’s put it that way, and the imagination and the improvisation and hockey- sense, in terms of playing the game, nobody could play like our five- man unit. Today the game has changed, and it’s a little bit different…. SS: Has the money changed the game? IL: Money changed the game too, but the money always was in North America and NHL, so for the Russian players when we played for the Soviet Union, we were making like 3. SS: Which was actually good money back in the Soviet Union.
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