Zubov says Russian national team spits in his face
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page
Former Stars defenseman Sergei Zubov was offended when Russian Hockey included him on a list of substitute players for next month’s Olympics in Vancouver.. Here’s the statement he made to Sport Express in which he said he considered the invitation to a be a substitute a “spit in my face.”
“The administrator of the national team has just called me and said that I am included into the list of substitutions for the Olympics,” started Zubov his speech. “I actually did not know what to say. The situation surprised me a lot.
“And before this I was amazed and even offended by the words of the president of the Russian Hockey Federation Vladislav Tretyak and the head coach of the national team Vyacheslav Bykov uttered in an interview: that to get to the national squad one must gnaw the ice and they would not take you for your previous merits.
“All these statements have extremely disappointed me. This is humiliation of me as a personality and a sportsman. I do not owe anything to anyone and I have honestly earned my name in ice hockey.
“I am not 25 years old and have proved my high level with seventeen seasons in NHL. I am not going to prove anything anymore.
“If there is a place for me in the reserves only I regard it as a spit in my face. I wanted to play for the national team very much but unfortunately I will not.
“I want to apologize to our supporters. I think they will understand me. And I wish good luck to our guys in Vancouver.”
The rest of the story and reaction to his comments can be found here. It’s in English.
Come back to Texas Zubie! We need you so, so badly.