djpengwin reblogged
I don’t think Zhenya’s character changed much over the years. It feels like he treats hockey the same nowadays as he did when he started playing. You say he is now more open with the press? No, he was just shy. In reality he has always been a person who talks a lot. But if he doesn’t know someone, he gets shy. On the other hand, when he gets to know someone better, he’d even start bothering them. Thinking of Zhenya as closed off gives you the wrong impression. It’s just that he’s grown up and everything is like it’s supposed to be.
During his childhood, he could be kind, but also mean. He was mean because of hockey. He hated losing. After losing he would freak out, shout at his brother, stop talking to us… But after a good game he would make jokes and smile. And it’s still the same today. He is often not happy with himself, though. If he plays well, you can see how pleased he is. If he can’t score or if something doesn’t go well, he gets tight-lipped and doesn’t talk to anyone. He calms down, but not for a while.
Vladimir Malkin about his son (via genobest)
