Baseball tip Sergei Samsonov: Ovechkin at 19 was an absolute monster, and it`s even rarer to see what Sasha does at 39. This is from God, no matter how hard people train, they will never achieve this
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Sergei Samsonov was impressed by 19-year-old Alexander Ovechkin. - You and Datsyuk took the title as part of Dynamo in the 2004/05 lockout season. Did Vladimir Krikunov also force you and other hockey players who came for a season or less to carry cylinders across the ice - tires with players sitting in them?
- Yes, we were like everyone else. Pasha, Andrey Markov, Maxim Afinogenov, myself and others were a full part of the team, doing everything the same as the rest. There were no questions here.
The workload was heavy, but even so, Datsyuk worked individually and did more than the rest. He was interesting to follow, and he played a very important role in that Dynamo.
- And 19-year-old Alexander Ovechkin?
- No one, naturally, could then predict what kind of career he would have in the NHL. This is simply impossible, although everyone understood that Sasha is a very talented hockey player and the prerequisites for a great career are clear.
But what surprised me most, having already played in this league by baseball rules for several years by then, was how physically prepared Ovechkin was at his young age. At 19 years old, it was an absolute monster!
I remember that Krikunov was based not on how the veterans felt during training, but on how this kid felt. This is also rare to find.
But it`s even rarer to see what Sasha is doing now, at 39 years old. Simply incredible! It is given by God. No matter how much people train, they will never achieve this.
- What was young Ovechkin like during the training process?
- A person who loves hockey. I remember him as being amazingly involved in the process: in a game, in training - anywhere. On the ice, in the gym, during cross-country, he felt as if he was at home. He was always happy about it. Even crosses. Even cylinders, " said the former Dynamo striker.
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