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9 сентября 2006 года. 
Language barrier no impediment to Malkin on ice // Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

By Dave Molinari.

Jordan Staal understands the pressures that go with being the second player taken in an NHL draft.

He knows what it's like to deal with inflated expectations, with having a team and its fans expect great -- or better -- things from you.

But Staal, whom the Penguins claimed with the No. 2 choice in the June draft, can't begin to relate to much of what fellow center Evgeni Malkin is going through these days.

Staal, who is attending the Penguins' rookie camp, is training in an NHL setting for the first time, just like Malkin. And, yes, they're staying at the same hotel and spending time with many of the same people.

The difference is, Staal can understand what most of those people say. He can read menus in the restaurant. He can ask questions and comprehend the answers.

A lot of things that simply are beyond Malkin because his command of English is limited to a few basic phrases whose meanings he may or may not fully grasp.

"It's got to be hard," Staal said yesterday after the first workout of camp.

No doubt, but Malkin, the second player claimed in the 2004 draft, made most things look pretty easy while he was on the ice. He was, easily, the most polished of the 26 players who took part in the practice.

"It's nothing against anyone else, but he's played at higher levels," defenseman Noah Welch said. "He's been playing pro for a while now.

"He forechecks hard and he's good with the stick. He's good at, right before you [throw] a pass, hitting your elbow forward and throwing you off.

"And he's pretty sneaky. He kind of forces you around the net, then he'll cut you off, or he anticipates a reverse pass. Little things like that, you can tell that he see the ice and thinks the game a little differently."

He certainly hears it differently than anyone else at camp. Malkin, speaking through an interpreter, said he understands a handful of simple phrases and hockey terms such as "pass" and "shoot," but acknowledged how tenuous his commend of English is.

"It's still a bit difficult for me," Malkin said. "I'm trying to do my best to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can."

The good news for the Penguins is that, based on the workout yesterday, it doesn't seem as if much is getting lost in the translation, perhaps because there usually isn't one.

Besa Tsintsadze, the power-skating coach who is working at the camp, was the only other Russian-speaking person on the ice during the workout, and he didn't hover by Malkin's side to offer instant insights on what was said by those running the practice.

Instead, before participating in a drill, Malkin would study the coach's diagram on a dry-erase board, then watch at least one set of players execute it before getting involved himself.

"It's not so difficult for me to understand what's going on because I make lots of observations," he said.

After sharing a slab of ice with him for 100 minutes or so yesterday, the guys who worked out with Malkin had a few observations of their own.

"You could see how fast he is, how strong he is." Staal said. "He'll fit in nicely here, I'm sure."

Fitting in on the ice shouldn't be much of a problem. Adapting to life in a new city, where the culture and language are almost completely alien, could be a lot tougher.

Malkin, though, said he is beginning to get comfortable in his new town.

"It is very pleasant for me to know that everything has gone so smoothly for me so far," he said.

He added that watching the Steelers-Miami game on TV Thursday night reinforced the idea that "Pittsburgh is a fan's city, that Pittsburgh is a sports city," and said that stepping onto the ice at Mellon Arena yesterday was a major milestone for him.

"It is difficult for me to describe my feelings because it was like a dream came true," Malkin said.

"I felt very proud and excited and, at the same time, a bit nervous, but everything has gone great and everyone has shown me so much support that I'm really very pleased."

Страничка Евгения Малкина на сайте "Звёзды с Востока"

ПРЕДЫДУЩИЕ МАТЕРИАЛЫ:

6 сентября. Малкин стал «пингвином». «Магнитка» начинает судиться // "Советский Спорт"

3 сентября. Malkin's parents plan to move // Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

31 августа. Малкин получил свободу. Так думают агенты, отправившие две недели назад факс в «Магнитку» об увольнении своего клиента // "Советский Спорт"

18 августа. Евгений Малкин объявился в Лос Анжелесе. . . «Нельзя заставлять подписывать контракты в три часа ночи» // «Спорт-Экспресс». 

13 августа. Малкин «положил» на Величкина. И правильно сделал. . . 

10 июня. Malkin is coming to Penguins soon // Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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