When I was a kid, I played sports a lot. My mom and dad were divorced, but I hung out in the neighborhood a lot, and it was all about sports. I would be out all day on the sand lot or on the hockey rink. My dad would take me to baseball games, but he worked so hard, and he would always fall asleep.
I love hockey. Hockey is my go-to sport. It's my jam.
I started playing hockey late and it was unclear until the very last moment if I was talented or not. But it turned out well.
When you play hockey, you don't have any fear. As soon as you step on the ice everything goes away and you're focusing on the puck and focusing on the play.
My parents, they don't say to me you have to play hockey. They just see me and how I love what's going on on the ice, how I love this atmosphere.
The season is long. When I'm off, I try to distract myself from hockey.
I'm proud to be Russian. We have probably the best country in the world. Everything is the best: hockey players, cars, girls.
I just enjoy playing hockey obviously.
It is a huge honor for me to be an ambassador for the entire Washington Capitals organization and the National Hockey League for this special trip to China.
I think it is very important to spend time to help make people all over the world see how great a game hockey is.
