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Vasily Podkolzin hilariously opens up about Oilers and McDavid in foreign interview
Photo credit: Perry Nelson - Imagn Images
NHL players always give fantastic and honest interviews in their native language, and now Oilers forward Vasily Podkolzin has given fans a gem with a new wide ranging interview.
Podkolzin was acquired from the rival Canucks this offseason, and the young Russian power forward has fit perfectly on Draisaitl's wing. He's become a fan favourite, and will be even more so after this interview.
Vasily Podkolzin discusses McDavid's career, playing with Draisaitl, living in Edmonton
Podkolzin was interviewed by Vse ProSport, discussing the move from Vancouver to Edmonton at length, and on the hockey side, everything's been a seamless fit.
Speaking about sharing the locker room with two generational stars, Podkolzin revealed that McDavid seems mostly quiet in the room, while Draisaitl can get more emotional and discusses changes with players.
He doesn't lose his temper at all, he's very calm. Dreiseitl is more emotional. Connor is either so sure that he is in such order, or he just learned to deal with emotions. He can get angry on the ice, knock with a stick, but he will come out on the next shift and score
Leon can talk, he can ask: "Why did you do that? How did you see the situation?" But he won't say anything so harsh. But if he tells me: "Wake up". I perceive everything normally. He doesn't scream, he doesn't get mad, he can just cheer up.
- Vasily Podkolzin
Leon can talk, he can ask: "Why did you do that? How did you see the situation?" But he won't say anything so harsh. But if he tells me: "Wake up". I perceive everything normally. He doesn't scream, he doesn't get mad, he can just cheer up.
- Vasily Podkolzin
Another highlight of the interview was Podkolzin's reaction to Zach Hyman joining the Edmonton Oilers. Podkolzin greatly respects Hyman as a player and person, and was shocked to see Toronto let him go.
I always liked him, even when he first moved to Edmonton. I remember writing on Twitter: "How does Toronto want to win the cup if they traded Hyman?" I would like to be like him
He's still a very good person, when I didn't score for a long time, talked to me, said that when he was put to Matthews, he didn't succeed either. Zach achieves everything through work.
He's still a very good person, when I didn't score for a long time, talked to me, said that when he was put to Matthews, he didn't succeed either. Zach achieves everything through work.
The young Russian forward also revealed how acutely aware the Oilers are of their tendency to start the season poorly, almost joking about how matter-of-fact they dealt with it.
I thought, "Is it after they played in the final?" And then I started looking at others, and everyone around was so calm. They told me: "Yes, we always start like that, last year it was even worse." We have a good coaching staff, the coaches are calm and self-confident.
Finally, Podkolzin offered up a fantastic prediction for the rest of McDavid's career: an incredible 2000 points, and 16 more years as an Oiler.
It's fantastic to hear an Oilers player speak so candidly about the team, especially as an outsider player just getting his bearings with the team.
Podkolzin's only got 5 goals and 16 points this season, but his total dedication to helping the Oilers win is winning over the fans and the organization. He's been a great fit on the team, and fans will only love him more after this interview.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 12 | 564 ANSWERS Vasily Podkolzin hilariously opens up about Oilers and McDavid in foreign interview Are you a fan of Podkolzin on the Oilers this season? | ||
| Yes, pleasant surprise | 535 | 94.9 % |
| No, need more scoring | 29 | 5.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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