Russia defeated the Czech Republic in a shootout of the bronze-medal game on Sunday. The contest pitted five Washington Capitals players against each other.
After the game, Czech Republic forward Jakub Vrana did a Czech-language interview with sport.cz in the Mixed Zone.
Alex Ovechkin walked by and gave him a face wash.
Vrana did not appear to appreciate the gesture and was not in a joking mood. The Caps forward missed on his only shootout attempt during the game and faced fierce criticism in the media after the group stage ended.
Ovechkin’s facewash happened as Vrana was stating that he didn’t think Russia was the better team on the day. The Czechs put 50 shots on goal but could not win in regulation.
Here’s Jakub’s full interview as translated by Alexandra Petáková.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but the Czech team has nothing to be ashamed of, it was a phenomenal battle with Russia today. Do you agree?”
Jakub Vrana: “Definitely. It’s hard, it’s- I don’t think they deserved to win. Not even close. Pretty much in the second, when it was 2-2, and the whole third period we pushed them and luck just wasn’t on our side. I think we did the right things, we went to the crease, we had pressure from both our forwards and D-men, we shot on goal… We had a lot of 2-on-1 plays in OT, that’s a sha- it’s a shame, those kinds of situations [Ovi face-washes Vrana]… decide games and I just don’t think that a shootout is a fair way to win.”
How stressful was the shootout?
Jakub Vrana: “Shootout. Stressful. It’s not that stressful, we are players, we have to be as calm as possible in these situations and try to score, but a shootout doesn’t determine which team was better.”
And the solution you chose during our turn?
Jakub Vrana: “Solution? I looked at the goalie, of course, he’s big, there’s not much space, and I tried to surprise him, [shoot] quickly under the catching glove. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and now it’s history, gotta look forward, there’s nothing to do about it. It’s a shame.”
Headline photo: sport.cz
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