Fedor provides for us another illuminating interview translation, this time between Slava Malamud of Sports-Express.ru and Alex Ovechkin. In today’s piece, Alex thanks the fans for waking the team up during the Penguins game, explains the value of a fight, and discusses his prospects for Vancouver.

Q: What was the reason of Capitals’ slow start [at Sunday’s game]?

Alex Ovechkin: Weather meddled in it for sure. We’re used to seeing fans wind us up during warm-ups. But some fans were late to the start of the game due to snowfall. It was unusually silent. Perhaps it unsettled us. But when the fans stepped up for the third period, we just couldn’t stop.

Q: In the first period, when you were boarded, Knuble fought for you.

A: It’s one of the moments; when you see your teammates ready to fight for you if something happens. It was a turning point for us.  Everyone started to fight.  Mike received 17 penalty minutes. That was what we needed. I so like hard games.

Q: Your productivity before the Olympics is perfect.

A: I’m going to be the optimal fit for Vancouver. What am I to do? I must do it.

I, for one, choose to interpret that last answer as a declaration of infallibility.  When taken in combination with AO’s hubristic interview with Lindsay Czarniak, The Great Eight seems to promise to return from Vancouver with stratospheric goal production, a gold medal, and the head of (Canadian superstar) Bill Shatner.  Others, however, might consider this a radical interpretation of the text.

Agree to disagree.