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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 13, 2008

Alex Ovechkin

DAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the National Hockey League's Public Relations Department. I'd like to welcome you to today's call. Our guest is Washington Capitals' forward Alexander Ovechkin. Thanks to Alex for taking the time to join us today. And thanks to Nate Ewell, with the Cap's Public Relations Department, for setting up the call.
With a goal and two assists in last night's 5-1 win in Carolina, Alex raised his season totals to 4 goals and 9 assists, for 13 points in 13 games played.
Washington leads the Southeast Division with 20 points on a record of 9 wins 4 losses and 2 overtime losses. Last season's MVP and leading scorer, Alex leads all forwards in ice time in the NHL this season averaging 23 minutes a game. His plus minus rating of plus 12 sits second only to teammate Alexander Semin who leads the NHL with a plus 17. Tomorrow the Caps host New Jersey in the first of a home-and-home set before heading to the West Coast where they will meet Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose, the first time Alex will have played in California since his rookie season of 2005/2006.
Thanks again to Alex for taking the time to join us and answer your questions.

Q. I wonder if you can talk about your line with Backstrom and Semin, and whether you're having as much fun as you've ever had in the NHL?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: We have so much fun up there. And we just control the game. I think we pass to each other and we create some moments. We play all the time in the attack zone.
If something happened with some guy like me or Semin or Backstrom, like someone don't feel great, different guys like, just both guys take the game and control the game. So it's very cool.

Q. What are your thoughts on Alex Semin, who has kind of had a break-through this year in terms of his production?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: What I can say about his game like he's right now he's great right now. And I wish he'd go push for it all the time. And we've played only 15, I don't know how many games, but just the beginning. And I hope he's going to play the same way all year.

Q. I was just wondering if you think you can win the East or is the team too young? I know it's a formidable task, but do you think you guys could do it?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Well, we want to win everything. And our goal is not just to be playing, but we want to be top team in the league.

Q. Who do you think is your toughest - who is going to be the toughest to pass, Montreal, Pittsburgh, the Rangers?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: It's just the beginning of the year. We have a goal and we want to go there, and we don't care about a team like Montreal or Pittsburgh. They have a great team, great young guys, great talent, but we think about ourselves and we think about our game.

Q. I'm just wondering, over the last few years since the lockout we've seen guys like you and Sidney and Patrick Kane have excellent rookie seasons and some of the rookies this year have had a tougher time. I was wondering what is the toughest part for a rookie to adjust to the NHL?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I think change in game, change in mentality. Like you go to the team and you know this is the NHL and probably all the young guys dream to play in NHL, and it's hard to realize that you're in the NHL. It's no more little kids, no more take the puck and beat the goalie and get past him in the net.
It's hard work here, and nobody gives you easy ways. You have to fight. You have to live for this, you know.

Q. What do you remember about your trip to the West Coast as a rookie, and are you looking forward to that trip?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Of course I'm looking forward to this trip. It's a great city, Los Angeles, go to San Jose. And we didn't play a lot against this team. But it's going to be pretty cool time for our team.

Q. Talk a little bit about the Southeast Division. Since your rookie year, do you feel as though the division has improved? Has it become more of a force in the league?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Well, of course. Like you can see our team, first of all, like having moving forward all the time, we didn't stop. We are just going up. And the organization is moving forward and growing up. And so I think right now doing well. But two years ago there was a limit in our division and there wasn't the playoffs.
So I think it's all about the organization and the coaches and trainers and owners.

Q. With the addition of Sergei Fedorov last year, you almost had the opportunity now to play with him for a year. How has Sergei helped your game on or off the ice?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: You know, first of all, he's Russian and we can speak the same language. And we can speak about everything, about hockey and about life. And he's won everything. He won the Olympic gold, Stanley Cup. And he's one of the greatest Russian players in history. And to play with him on the same team, same line, big honor me.

Q. I was wondering how you're feeling now. Your season got off to a bit of a slow start and then you had to go back to Russia for family reasons. Was that all part of the start of the season and now how do you feel now kind of coming out of it?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I feel great. I feel great. I feel free right now, and I'm right now enjoying my time again and I don't think about nothing, I just think about the game and I think about the team, and I think about what I have to do better.

Q. Was that weighing on your mind early in the season, was that a part of it?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Yes, it was a hard time for me. Always thinking what's going on over there. But right now it's done and I know it's fine. I know he's probably better. But it's life. And I tell myself you can do nothing, just pray for him. But you can do nothing right now.

Q. I wanted to ask you about your CCM vector sticks. How many do you go through during a season?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Go through a lot. And like last year was good, but this year they're broken again. But I don't know what's going to happen. But they are just broken and I don't know what I have to do.

Q. Follow-up question. During a key penalty kill or a power play during the playoffs, would you ever consider switching over to a wooded stick?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: A wood stick?

Q. Yes.
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: No. It's not the same as - it's right now 2010 is probably going to be. 50 years ago, old sticks and lots of stuff.

Q. What do you think about Nicklas Backstrom so far this season?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: He's had a slow start like me. I don't know reason why. Right now he just wake up and he makes great passes, makes some points, and I think he'll wake up again.

Q. What does it mean to have Mike Nylander back on the team after missing him last season?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Mike's an experienced guy. Working hard all the time. And he's a special player. And you have to open for him all the time.

Q. While you were gone in Russia you missed quite a bit of controversy after your linemate talked about Sidney Crosby. I wonder if when you came back to Washington if you were a little surprised and what you think of all that, when Semin made those comments about Crosby through the translator?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I think it's just the translator and about media guys, about you. And you always want to say something to fire up somebody. But I think such you can say this, like he's a good player and like he can say that. And I talked to him about it. And he said it was just a bad translation.
And if something is going to happen, you just want to show something to the people to read the newspaper, go to the Internet, talking about it and something like that, blah, blah. I think it's all about it. I think everybody knows who Sidney Crosby is and how he can play hockey and how he's good.

Q. But I guess regardless of whether he meant to say it or not, it added another kind of layer of the rivalry between the two teams. The games between Washington and Pittsburgh are fun to watch. And I guess it should be much the same on January 14th when you guys play again.
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Yeah, it's always fun to play against a great team. And especially against a great player. And it's always a big challenge for you. It's always a big step. And it's always, you can see how good a team you are and how personally you are good.

Q. You mentioned 2010 and soon it will be 2010. What are your thoughts for playing Russia in the Olympic games?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I would. And I think everybody wants to play in the Olympics, first of all. I want to play over there. I think everybody wants to represent their country in Olympic games, doesn't matter where. Whether it's a championship, wherever you are, you still represent your country from, where you're from.
I think it's always good when you have a chance to play for a country and always good when you just go somewhere and see the people, see your old linemates, old friends, and you can talk to them and have fun over there.

Q. Who do you think the favorite for the gold is?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: For Russia?

Q. No, which team do you think is favored? Do you think Russia is?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: In the Olympics, you never know. In the world championships you can say like probably five teams, fight for the gold medal. You've got China and Japanese, something like that. But in Canada, you know, I don't know who is going to take.

Q. I was just wondering, goaltending is such an important position in the NHL. How confident are you with the consistency you can get between the two goalies you have in Jose Theodore and Brent Johnson, considering both have had two strong plays recently, including Theodore, who had to come in in relief for Johnson last night. How confident are you in your ability to get consistency in the net from those two guys?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: Last night Johnny have injury and played, I think, four games. And Johnny get injured. And Theodore go to the net. And he makes a big save. And we feel like we have two pretty good goalies and they can save us. And we feel pretty good about our line.

Q. This is a follow-up. For a team like you guys that's known for your offense and for being able to put a lot of pucks in the net, must make you guys feel better through the season knowing your defensive end, you have a bit more of a list there between them?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I think our key is offensive and we just want to use offense.

Q. Just to go back a few questions. You mentioned the slow start from Backstrom, and you also mentioned yourself as well. Is there a reason for that? How do you see yourself getting out of that?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: How can I see it? Just push myself to work hard. I still, like as you saw in that game, I still have lots of shots. I still have hits. I still have a moment to score goals. But we just didn't score goals. And this is the reason why I think we have a slow start. And I think we don't have slow start, we have a nice start, but we didn't score.
But now it's changed. And Backstrom scored, made points. I scored. Semin had a tremendous game. And I think we just tore it up, and we just scored goals.
It happens sometimes. You have some periods in the season like you can score, you can make some points. You just start thinking about what do I have to do better, what do I have to do something special, maybe, you just concentrate about your personal game. But it's just a couple games.

Q. Do you think after last year's phenomenal season that more teams are just focusing on you after the 60 plus goal season?
ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: I don't know. Maybe. But I told you I still have a great chance to score goals and it's more important. If you don't have a chance to score goals, like you just say, I don't want to play hockey no more.
DAVID KEON: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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