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Highlights of the Z interview
By Bethany | March 4, 2008
So, the Dispatch did an interview with Z…these are the parts I liked well the ones that made me smile!! Last season Z was a totally different player, but like Howson I decided to give him a chance a fresh start I suppose, and well he’s turned it all around. And, well, while I’m still looking for my new favorite player on the Jackets he’s making the push to be the number 1 Jacket in my heart. Sorry Skye that it took me so long to see what I was missing out on. If you want to read the highlights you know what to do…
- Are you happy in Columbus?
“Yea, I’m used to it now. It’s small town, very cozy. I feel comfortable.”
- What makes you most happy?
“When I play well, when I get everything done the way I want, I usually feel pretty happy, pretty good about things.
- What do you do in your free time?
“I go out to eat sometimes. I have things to do. I play (video) games. Watch TV. Hang out with my friends.
You have a group of friends away from hockey?
“Yeah, lots of them. Some are Russian, some are from U.S. Good friends”
- Do you dream about playing in a system like Washington or Ottawa, a wide-open freedom system, instead of a defense-first system like Hitchcock’s?
“No.”
Is he telling the truth?
(laughs) “No. I don’t have dreams like this.”
Here are the parts of the article I like, be sure to read them both if you’re a Jackets fan.
- None of it is coincidence. His makeover is the result of an enigmatic athlete embracing change, a rookie general manager extending a proposition and an old-school coach granting latitude to a player his teammates once labeled a “diva.”"I was not able to feel my game on the ice (last season),” Zherdev said. “The coach didn’t have enough trust in me. This year, I feel like the coach trusts me, like he wants to put me on the ice. That’s made it a lot better.”
- “We were on (a hotel) elevator and I felt someone behind me reaching into my bag and I turned around and it was Z,” teammate Rick Nash said. “He has come a long way, and I think it’s a sign he’s becoming happier in his environment.”
- But early in the season, aboard the team plane headed out west, Zherdev made a move that left some teammates slack-jawed. The 23-year-old Ukrainian asked if he could sit in on a game of cards.
“I couldn’t believe it at first,” winger Jason Chimera said. “It’s the kind of stuff Nik never did in the past. He wasn’t a very good poker player, but by making the effort he was showing he wanted to be one of the boys.”
Topics: Nikolai Zherdev |
April 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am
Sorry Skye that it took me so long to see what I was missing out on.
It happens.
For me, right now, personally, I can’t decide who I’m more proud of: Nikky, or Jose Theodore. I don’t think I can choose, haha. I don’t know how Nikky didn’t get most improved player for the Jackets. The way he played this season was just absolutely phenomonal. New career high in points and everything. At least I can rest easy this offseason knowing that unless Howson is comletely insane, Nikky is safe with the team.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
LOL, Jose is amazing!! I was so proud of him. Also, I do agree that he should have got most improved!! Also, The Dispatch put in an article or one of their blogs they said he might be trade bait, but I am pretty sure they are full of shit, because why would we trade one of two guys who can actually score goals?! Doesn’t make sense.