Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
A former teammate of Ivan Demidov has just taken an unwarranted shot at the young Montreal Canadiens forward, and it’s really strange.
Up until now, all comments about young Demidov had been unanimously positive.
But one of his former teammates has just changed that!
It’s pretty bizarre.. I don’t really understand his purpose in making such public remarks, especially several months after Demidov’s departure.
A former teammate of young Ivan Demidov opens up
“In an interview with the MHL site, a former teammate of the Habs forward, Maxim Ilyichyov, was asked what it was like to play on the same line as Demidov. And his answer is.. interesting.” – DLC
Here is the response in question:
“It wasn’t always pleasant.
He would just take the puck and beat all five players.
Every time he passed me the puck, I was the happiest guy in the world.”
– Maxim Ilyichyov
He went even further, hinting at Demidov’s supposed lack of vision and more individualistic style, but you get the idea.
He even added that, in his opinion, Demidov didn’t deserve the KHL Rookie of the Year title last season.
Personally, I sense maybe a hint of jealousy coming from Ilyichyov, especially since this is literally the first time we’ve heard such comments about Demidov.
“He is one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen in terms of skill and playmaking. I hope he continues to develop.”
“In practice, he tries not to stand out too much so as not to make his teammates look bad.” – Evgeny Kuznetsov
His linemates with SKA, including Evgeny Kuznetsov, have praised Demidov on numerous occasions in recent weeks, so Ilyichyov’s comments should be taken with a grain of salt here.
Previously on HabsFanatics