Translated material
Ovechkin was injured
Chronicle of sporting events
Hockey. NHL. Regular season. "Islanders" -- "Washington" -- 5:3 -- Kvasha "A" (2+0), Yashin "A" (0+1) , "Atlanta" -- "Buffalo" -- 2:5 - - Kalinin "B" (0+1) , "Montreal" - "Carolina" - 2:8, "Tampa" - "Toronto" - 3:2 (B), "Phoenix" - "Vancouver" - - 4:7, “Colorado” – “Minnesota” – 3:2.Alexander Ovechkin, having been injured in Washington's last match, was unable to take the ice against the Islanders. It is not yet known exactly when the Russian legionary, included in the Russian Olympic team, will be able to fully recover. According to some estimates, Ovechkin's groin strain could take up to two weeks to heal, casting doubt on his participation in the Turin Olympics. However, it is possible that a more optimistic forecast will come true, according to which Ovechkin will need several days for treatment.
Another Russian legionnaire, Atlanta striker Ilya Kovalchuk, is also in trouble. So far, the league's top scorer has failed to score for the fifth match in a row. And in the last game with Buffalo, Kovalchuk was sent off for using the wrong stick curve. After the removal, the forward did not appear on the ice again, and Atlanta head coach Bob Harley, who had previously assured everyone that there were no “wrong sticks” on his team, said about Kovalchuk: “He must respect the team, our organization and the fans. I think he has a lot to learn." Andrey VDOVIN
Dementieva is already in the quarterfinals
Elena Dementieva reached the quarterfinals of the first category BTA tournament with a prize fund of $1.34 million in Tokyo. Since the Russian woman is “seeded” here with the second number, and there are only 28 participants in the main draw, she was exempted from participating in the opening round matches. Starting her performance in the 1/8 finals, Elena defeated Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik - 2:6, 6:1, 7:5. Elena Likhovtseva defeated Japanese Shinobu Asagu in the first round - 6:3, 6:2. The famous Swiss Martina Hingis, spending her first season after her three-year absence from the WTA tour, defeated the Korean Yun Yong Cho - 6:0, 6:0. Last year's tournament winner Maria Sharapova will enter the fight today in a match against the world's second racket in doubles, American Lisa Raymond, who made her way through qualification. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
Dydek brings minimal benefits
Our women's basketball clubs played the first matches of the 1/8 finals of the FIBA Euroleague. The current holder of the VBM-SSAU trophy (Samara) defeated Dexia (Belgium), for which Russian Natalya Khalturina plays, on its site - 75:52. The greatest contribution to the team's winning team was made by the centers: Belgian national team player Anne Wouters scored 21 points, the best basketball player in Europe in 2005, Maria Stepanova, scored 18. The capital's Dynamo team in Moscow prevailed over the Spanish "Ros Casares", which also includes our compatriot Olga Podkovalnikova, -- 72:59. Three quarters of the match was an equal game, and in the final period the hosts won 14 points against the club from Valencia. And only Ekaterinburg UMMC lost at home to Sopron (Hungary) - 77:80. The 1999 European champion, one of the tallest players in the world, Pole Malgorzata Dydek (height 217 cm) still brings minimal benefit to the Urals - only two points in 13 minutes. Dydek's transfer to UMMC has become one of the biggest transfer sensations of this season, but so far she doesn't look good in the game. Ilya TRISVIATSKY
Plyushchev was fired from Severstal
By the decision of the coordination council of the Severstal hockey club (Cherepovets), former coach of the Russian national and youth team Vladimir Plyushchev was released from the post of head coach of the team. The reason is unsatisfactory results in the Super League championship. The Northerners are in 12th place six matches before the end of the regular season. Plyushchev's former assistant Alexander Astashev was appointed acting helmsman.
The dismissed Plyushchev previously worked at Ak Bars Kazan and was responsible for training the reserves at Spartak Moscow. He appeared in Cherepovets before the start of this season and was unable to meet the expectations of the club management. An interesting detail: the coach’s 19-year-old son, Alexander, played 29 games as a forward for Severstal this season and scored only one goal. Vladimir ILYIN
Bryant is productive again
Basketball. NBA. Regular season. Philadelphia - Phoenix - 99:123, Washington - Indiana - 84:79, New Jersey - Detroit - 91:84, New York - - Lakers - 97:130, Dallas - Chicago - 98:92, Sacramento - Denver - 98:91.
Thanks to the effective play of their leader Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers were able to win big against the Knicks. Bryant scored exactly 40 points in this match. In January, thanks to a striking match against Toronto (81 points scored), Bryant had impressive statistics - he averaged 40.3 points per game. Konstantin IVANOV
Spartak bought Arsenal striker
On the last day of the European transfer campaign, Spartak Moscow entered into a deal with London's Arsenal to buy Dutch youth team striker Quincy Ovsu-Abeye. The 19-year-old striker has made four appearances in the Premier League and four games in the Champions League this season. The Dutchman, who has Ghanaian roots, scored his only goal this season in the English League Cup. Quincy Ovsu-Abeye became the first Dutchman in the Russian championship, and Spartak, according to the English press, paid about 15 million pounds for him. Andrey VDOVIN