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Alexander Semin responds to comments about how much he cares

Alexander Semin

Washington Capitals’ Alexander Semin, of Russia, reacts after scoring a goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Nov. 28, 2010, in Washington. (AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Few players as talented as Washington Capitals sniper Alexander Semin receive as much flack as he does, although his prodigious skills are part of the “problem.” On one hand, there’s an impulse to feel sympathy for Semin simply because the criticism he receives can get downright excessive. That being said, it’s a bit tougher to feel bad for him once you realize that he’ll earn a $6.7 million salary in 2011-12.

In a way, Semin is almost the Carrot Top of hockey. Both carved out successful and lucrative careers with an unusual bag of tricks (Semin’s all-world shot; Carrot Top’s props), but taste makers cannot stand the way they go about their business. Carrot Top is the antithesis of the “comic’s comic” and Semin seems to draw similar ire among his peers.

Earlier this summer, former teammate Matt Bradley made headlines for expressing a belief that many sportswriters and hockey fans share: Semin just “doesn’t care.” It’s one thing to hear some random message board pundit lambaste the winger for his perceived lack of effort, but it was startling for a teammate of six years to reiterate those critiques.

With training camp kicking in, Semin will face the first round of awkward questions about that tirade. Puck Daddy’s Dmitri Chesnokov caught up with the oft-criticized forward, who mostly avoided the subject.

Q. Could you give us your comments about the words of your former teammate Matt Bradley who said that Semin plays for Washington and ‘just doesn’t care?’

SEMIN: “I don’t pay absolutely any attention to his words. I don’t even understand what Bradley meant. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You should say what you want.”

Did Bradley ever accuse you to your face?

“No. There is no point to discuss it now. He said what he said. That’s all.”


While he admitted that it’s “unpleasant” to hear his name come up in trade gossip, Semin more or less shrugged his shoulders at the rumor mill. Without hearing the inflection of his voice, there’s almost a sense of weariness from Semin’s answers, which actually is pretty reasonable considering the fact that he’s a frequent scapegoat.

Do these rumors affect you psychologically?

“Of course it is unpleasant to hear about it. But what can you do? The sport is full of rumors of who gets traded, who gets bought and who gets sold.”


Only Semin knows for sure, but it seems absurd to assume that he doesn’t care. Perhaps the more appropriate discussion is whether or not he cares “enough” to please the hockey world. Hockey teams are often successful because they have a mix of different players, with some playing more of a finesse game and others providing a more inspiring injection of hustle. Not every player needs to wear his heart on his sleeve for a team to turn out victories.

This season could end up being the last phase of an experiment to see if Semin could be part of a championship formula in Washington since his one-year deal expires next July. Even if they part ways, my guess is that plenty of NHL teams would be glad to add his supposedly indifferent game to their rosters.