22.01 Semin Added to Russian Olympic Hockey Squad

MOSCOW, January 22 (R-Sport) – Forward Alexander Semin has been picked as a replacement for the injured Sergei Soin in Russia’s Olympic ice hockey squad.

The Carolina Hurricanes forward had initially been left out after head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov declared that his form did not merit selection when Russia’s 25-man roster was revealed earlier this month. 

But the right wing was named quickly to replace Soin when the Dynamo Moscow forward was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury.

“With Alexander Semin, we had a preliminary agreement that he could be called into the team,” Bilyaletdinov said on the Russian Hockey Federation website. “We’ve already been in contact with him, negotiated, and Alexander will represent the Russian national team at the Olympic Games.”

Only last week, Bilyaletdinov explained his decision to leave Semin out, saying: “We watched a lot of games. I saw him several times. We came to the opinion that for now he doesn’t make it onto the roster. He didn’t play as we expected.”

Semin, 29, could now revive his partnership with his former Washington Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin if Bilyaletdinov opts to put them on the same line.

Semin, who has 473 career points in 549 NHL games and 21 in 36 this season, is a more offensive player than the grinder Soin, who federation president and legendary goaltender Vladislav Tretiak said Tuesday was chosen for “neutralizing the opponent’s leaders.”

Bilyaletdinov described Soin’s absence as “a loss” for Russia, adding: “We’d been counting on him a lot. He was called up to do particular jobs.”

The Olympic hockey tournament will be held in the 12,000-seat Bolshoi Ice Dome from February 12 to 23. Russia plays its first game against Slovenia on February 13 in a pool that also includes the US and Slovakia.