La Presse Bombshell: Alexei Kovalev Claims Discrimination in Monteal

So I've only been up for five minutes and already I've heard a story that should spice the discussion for the rest of the day. Before I start I should say that Alexei Kovalev is negating the truth of it...but you be the judge.

The newspaper La Presse reported this morning that Kovalev gave an interview to Russian journalist Regina Sevostianova on February 26th in which he claimed that the Russian players on the Montreal Canadiens were discriminated against by head coach Guy Carbonneau, the French-Canadian fans, and the Montreal media.

And the winger didn't stop there: He went on to say that it was every man for himself in the Habs' locker room, and that the French-Canadian players had a habit of protecting each other. Kovalev also added that teammate Sergei Samsonov was the victim of discrimination, and that the team's young players, including Guillaume Latendresse, Maxim Lapierre, and Jaroslav Halak have heart but lack intelligence.

In Montreal, there are two perspectives on the interview: Le Journal de Montreal says that it never took place; La Presse insists that it did. La Presse failed to get the audio tape of the conversation between Sevostianova and Kovalev, and instead had to rely on a translation of the written transcript.

Now my own comments: I feel bad about the discrimination charge but I don't know if I believe it. When I talk to French-Canadian fans in Montreal, I often hear criticism about Kovalev's offensive production and work ethic, but I have never listened to anything I would call racist or discriminatory.

Kovalev isn't a fan favorite, and I think it's a low blow for him to play the discrimination card. The truth is that the fans in Montreal will give you the shirts off their backs, and will treat you like one of their own, when the team wins and you work day-in and day-out.

I'd also say that Kovalev is out of line with his criticism of hardworking teammates like Latendresse, Lapierre, and Halak. Check back for updates as the story develops.