Metallurg Novokuznetsk GM: No one wants to fight us since we signed Chris Simon

Metallurg Novokuznetsk General manager Leonid Vaysfeld in an interview with Russian site Sportbox.ru shared his opinion about the Canadian left-winger Chris Simon.

«How did you plan to use Simon when you brought him into the team?»

«First of all, I want to emphasize that we are completely satisfied with his game. At first he was training with Washington Capitals, and then by himself. It is difficult to keep fit on your own, but he is a professional. Unfortunately he had food poisoning recently and couldn’t train for a while. But he likes to play, he is good with his hands. 30 goals a season in the NHL is an impressive record! Though probably the main benefit of his presence in the squad is that no opponent is willing to start a fight with our players now.»

«Russia must seem a strange place for Canadian players?»

«Of course. But it often leads to some amusing situations. Once our team was being tested for illegal substances in Novokuznetsk and all the players needed to have their passports at hand. As they have to do the test straight after the game, they keep wearing their shorts. Our striker Randy Robitaille put his passport in the back pocket of his shorts, and afterwards threw them in the washing machine. Needless to say, the document was ruined. Having a Canadian citizen with no ID made the club administrator’s job pretty hard.»