A Batman movie.
Pittsburgh Penguins winger Egor Chinakhov maintained his future-facing focus in a wide-ranging interview with the Russian outlet, Sports Express, and journalist Alexey Shevchenko, published this week. Despite pointed questions, Chinakhov again sidestepped issues of his soured relationship with the Columbus Blue Jackets and praised his treatment with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
But he also had to answer why he won’t comeback to the KHL to play in his hometown of Omsk, and what Pittsburgh has that Omsk doesn’t.
“Batman wasn’t filmed in Omsk,” Chinakhov quipped.
Of course, he’s referring to the Christopher Nolan spectacular, Dark Knight Rises, which was released in 2012. The movie was filmed at Acrisure Stadium, in numerous downtown spots, and the epic fight scene was shot on the steps of Mellon Institute in Oakland.
Just as he did this season in Pittsburgh, Chinakhov rebuffed questions regarding his time in Columbus, instead redirecting those questions toward the positives of being with the Penguins.
“It’s just a change of scenery, a fresh start. I feel a new level of trust from the coaching staff and my teammates,” Chinakhov told the outlet.
The Penguins winger would only admit to misunderstandings in Columbus.
“There were some issues with the coaching staff, misunderstandings, and that’s all,” Chinakhov said.
“When they say they trust you, but give you six minutes a game … It’s hard to say anything. Even if you play those six minutes superbly, it doesn’t matter.”
As his role diminished last season, he knew he was being traded, but did not know where. As the NHL holiday roster freeze ended, Columbus departed on a road trip on Dec. 28. They left him behind, saying only that he would be traded the next day, but gave no hints as to where. The location wasn’t known until the following morning when his agent called to say it was the Penguins.
Last season, Chinakhov’s production exploded after the Penguins acquired him. He posted 18 goals with 18 assists in just 43 games. On July 5, the Penguins signed him to a new four-year contract worth $18.75 million.
As usual, there may be a little lost in the English translation of the interview. Chinakhov praised the Penguins’ coaching staff, and indirectly head coach Dan Muse. He said only good things about the Penguins, though he was a little bit intimidated at first by captain Sidney Crosby. He expressed surprise in the interview that Crosby is just “a simple guy” who made sure to approach Chinakhov and welcome him, not the other way around.
Though maybe Chinakhov was a bit honest about their game.
“But when a coach trusts you, talks to you constantly, and gives you advice after games, that’s different. At first, it was also scary playing with teammates; sometimes you couldn’t pass the puck to them or something. But they immediately made it clear: when you go out with Crosby or Malkin, you need to pay a little more attention to defense, because they don’t practice it as well. Overall, I think it’s a change of scenery and a kind of clean slate.”
We’ll just leave that comment about defense alone, but we did chuckle.
Chinakhov did flash an impressive 200-foot game after his arrival. Not only does he possess a wrist shot that is as hard as a slap shot and elite-level speed, but he certainly did not shy away from his defensive responsibilities.
“Back in Columbus. I don’t remember exactly who the coach was then. I think it was Pascal Vincent. He talked to me a lot about this,” said Chinakhov. “The faster you get back on defense, get the puck, the faster you can attack. Those words somehow stuck.”
And like those words, Chinakhov has stuck in Pittsburgh. Goals, Batman movies, and enjoying family life in suburban Cranberry. The full interview from Sports Express can be found here.
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