Ilya Samsonov is back in the KHL after signing a two-year contract with HC Sochi last week.
With Samsonov returning to the league for the first time in seven years, he’s been making the rounds with Russian media outlets. During his recent chat with Match TV’s Pavel Lysenkov, Samsonov proposed an interesting future idea involving a reunion with his good friend Evgeny Kuznetsov to create some entertaining off-ice content.
“It would be great if Evgeny Kuznetsov and I created our own YouTube show, where we would both host it,” Samsonov said, as translated via Google Translate. “It would be a blast! Ovechkin and Orlov would be the first guests. And we’d make Orlov the co-host.”
For a proposed debut episode of his hypothetical partnership with Kuznetsov, Samsonov wants to reunite the Russian quartet that was together with the Capitals for three seasons (2019-2022) before the Caps ultimately did not bring Samsonov back for the 2022-23 season.
The four countrymen were close off the ice, but Samsonov gravitated more toward Kuznetsov. After he departed the Capitals and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Samsonov still chatted with Kuznetsov almost every day.
“I don’t have best friends before him that I play against,” Kuznetsov said in 2022.
Samsonov also already knows the first topic he wants to bring up on this potential show, questioning Ovechkin about his beer consumption. Ovechkin has been very open about his thoughts regarding beer, considering drinking it not only a fun, celebratory practice but also a practical and strategic tool.
“I’d ask Ovechkin, ‘Uncle Sasha, how do you manage to drink so much beer in one sitting?'” Samsonov said. “And I wouldn’t say he drinks a lot. Well, maybe a couple of cans. For someone weighing 110 kg, that’s normal. But I’d still ask Ovechkin that question.”
Whenever the Capitals head out on a road trip, Ovechkin always has a six-pack of Czech Pilsner beer waiting for him at his seat on the team plane, according to former Capital Nicolas Aube-Kubel. All of Ovechkin’s most recent milestone goal celebrations have also included beer baths, including after scoring his 894th, record-breaking 895th, and 900th career goals.
While Samsonov and co. still have plenty of hockey left to play in their careers, we’re fully on board with any of the netminder’s future YouTube pursuits (and if he needs a platform, we know a blog!).
