“The referee just dumped us.” Ovechkin on the defeat in the 2010 World Championship final

Washington Capitals forward and three-time world hockey champion Alexander Ovechkin said that the referee “ditched” the Russian team in the 2010 World Championship final.

In the final match of the 2010 World Cup, which was hosted by Germany, the Russian team lost to the Czech Republic with a score of 1:2. Before that, Ovechkin became world champion in 2008 in Quebec, and then in 2012 and 2014.

— Before Quebec, you played in four world championships. Was there a chance to win gold earlier?

— The Russian team has always come to the World Championships with a strong lineup. But a lot depends on nuances, for example, luck. In Riga (2006) there was a good chance, but we missed it because of our own mistakes. In Germany (2010) we lost to the Czechs in the final, but then the referee simply gave us up.

— And in Moscow?

— At both world championships that took place in Moscow, the pressure on the national team was very serious. Although the roster and the team in both cases were excellent, something was missing, — said three-time world champion, Washington captain Alexander Ovechkin, — the FHR press service quotes Ovechkin as saying.

Ovechkin is 38 years old. As part of the Russian national team, he took part in 13 world championships, three Olympics (2006, 2010, 2014) and two World Cups (2004, 2016). The Russian missed the 2018 and 2022 games due to a ban by the National Hockey League (NHL), which did not allow its hockey players to compete in the tournament.