Alex Ovechkin keeps churning out promotional clips ahead of the looming charity exhibition that organizers bill under the year's marquee-match banner.
Having earlier rattled off a slate of Russian names in response to prompts geared toward life away from the rink, Ovechkin returned for a second Q&A, this time zeroing in on what players bring between the boards.
In the clip, shared by the exhibition's Instagram account, Ovechkin is challenged to assemble the perfect Russian skater by tapping a half-dozen names, each chosen for a particular on-ice strength.
View this post on Instagram
What he said
Rendered via Google Translate
Pressed on the hardest shot, Ovechkin went with Semin. For top-end skating, he picked Kucherov. Asked who brings the most strength, he answered Artyukhin. On the question of passing, he named Datsyuk. For the finest wrist shot, he opted for Malych, meaning Evgeni Malkin. And when it came to the strongest defender, he gestured toward a man seated nearby, Mikhail Sergachev.
Most of those calls need little explanation. Ovechkin's old linemate Alex Semin wielded among the most lethal releases anywhere across his 11 seasons, Nikita Kucherov's guile gets him into prime scoring territory, Pavel Datsyuk's puck skills bordered on sorcery, Malkin has reached 533 goals over his career, and Sergachev is capable of quarterbacking a defensive group.
What might furrow a few brows is naming Evgeny Artyukhin for strength. A third-round choice of Tampa Bay back in 2001, Artyukhin managed just three NHL seasons total, split among the Lightning, the Atlanta Thrashers, and Anaheim. Born in Moscow and a onetime AHL skater for Hershey, he cut an imposing figure at 6-foot-4 while tipping the scales at 254 pounds.
Penciled in for July 25, the showcase plays out inside SKA Arena, where the KHL's SKA Saint Petersburg is based. The Russian star appeared in each of the two earlier charity affairs, which have pitted NHL standouts against KHL competition.