Pavel Datsyuk: Pressure on Russia to win in Sochi is 'enormous'
The Russian men's hockey team has not won a gold medal at the Olympics in 22 years, and captain Pavel Datsyuk acknowledges the pressure is mounting on the 2014 team to reach that goal on home ice.
“The pressure is enormous and it’s growing every day,” Datsyuk told the IIHF's official website. “Everyone is expecting only one thing from us. And we won’t have the right to make an error.”
Evgeni Malkin added "there will certainly be plenty of stress, considering we are playing at home.”
Malkin also said if Alex Ovechkin is in top form, Russia will be in good hands.
If Ovechkin is in top shape, there is no need to even put our skates on. He’ll just jump out and tear everyone apart. As a matter of fact, it doesn’t matter what shape he is in. He’ll just drink a couple of cans of coke and will run around like he just got scalded or something.
Russia lost to Canada by a score of 7-3 in the quarterfinals at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.