Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has a new manager and it may not be a match made in heaven. Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has a new manager and it may not be a match made in heaven. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Barry Trotz is not final piece to Russian puzzle in Washington



The Washington Capitals have hired Barry Trotz as their coach. He is a safe choice, but not an inspired one.

The central fact about the Capitals is that their fortunes will rise or fall with those of their star player, Alex Ovechkin, the epitome of an enigmatic Russian.

The Caps should have hired someone with a record of working well with Russians. Trotz does not: during his time in Nashville, Alexander Radulov bolted from the team to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL); when he returned, four years later, he was soon suspended for nightclubbing during the play-offs.

Mike Keenan would have been a good choice for the job. Yes, Iron Mike is a divisive figure whose pattern is a strong start followed by a flame-out. But this year, he coached in Russia and coaxed Metallurg Magnitogorsk to the KHL championship.

If he can win the Gagarin Cup on his first try, maybe he can figure out how to make Ovechkin care as much about wearing Washington’s jersey as he does Russia’s.

Paul Maurice, the Winnipeg Jets coach, also spent a year coaching in Magnitogorsk and came back changed. He told the Toronto Star: “Probably the biggest thing I walked away with is a blanket apology to every Russian player I ever coached ...

“I have a better understanding of their world, how they train, how they play, and why they play the way they do.”

Keenan could have been just what Ovechkin needs: someone who gets him.

rmckenzie@thenational.ae

Follow our sports coverage on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE

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HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE

Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega

Director: Tim Burton

Rating: 3/5

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

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MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

The biog

From: Upper Egypt

Age: 78

Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila

Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace

Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace

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Violence%20
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Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
​​​​​​​

Second ODI

England 322-7 (50 ovs)
India 236 (50 ovs)

England win by 86 runs

Next match: Tuesday, July 17, Headingley 

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