ONE-ON-ONE WITH DEVANTE SMITH-PELLY

A version of this article first appeared in Russian for Sport-Express under the title, “Кузнецов и Овечкин сразу же научили меня ругаться на русском. Интервью канадского героя Кубка Стэнли — о наших суперзвездах и расизме.”

Stanley Cup Champion Devante Smith-Pelly had two brilliant tutors ahead of his debut in Russia’s KHL: Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. From late-night karaoke sessions in Washington D.C. to second-hand lessons in Russian cursing on the bench, Smith-Pelly arrived culturally well-prepared….but the Olympic-sized ice took some adjustment.

I caught up with the former Washington Capital ahead of Kunlun Red Star’s clash with Barys Nur-Sultan. We discussed his first weeks in the KHL, the Bill Peters scandal in Calgary and Devante’s unconventional jet-lag strategy.

Gillian Kemmerer (GK): There was a lot of speculation that you were going to stay in North America before your KHL move was announced. How did you ultimately come to the decision?

Devante Smith-Pelly (DS): I got released from Calgary’s training camp and was just at home skating and hanging out really. We were talking to teams in North America and trying to figure something out, but there was a certain point where I just couldn’t wait anymore. I wanted to get going and play, so I decided to come to China.

I knew guys who played on [Kunlun Red Star] before. I work out with Ethan Werek, Wojtek Wolski was here for years. Victor Bartley and I crossed paths—we had played together for a little bit. I knew a bunch of guys and had heard that the travel was kindof crazy, but overall it was a fun experience.

We were talking to teams and then it was mentioned that Kunlun was thinking of me coming over. I thought it would be an easier transition since I knew a bunch of the guys.

GK: What are your first impressions of the KHL and Beijing?

DS: It has been cool. I haven’t been to this side of the world…Europe a couple of times, but not anything crazy. It’s been fun and given me a chance to see some different countries—places that who knows if I’d ever have gone. Overall, it has been a really good experience and I’m enjoying it.

[Beijing] is a whole new world and totally different than what I’m used to. I’ve been trying to go around and see some local spots a little bit. It’s fun to be somewhere that is so different from where I grew up. I’m adjusting and learning, and I will keep trying to see new places.

GK: Shougang Arena has Olympic-sized ice. That adjustment had to be tough, especially mid-season.

DS: Adjusting to that was the toughest thing. I’ve been taught to play a certain way my whole life, obviously on smaller ice. Things that I’ve been doing my whole life on NHL-sized ice got more challenging. It took me about ten games to figure it out, and I’m now more comfortable on that ice size than I was when I first came over.

GK: What are some differences in playing style that you’ve noticed?

DS: I figured that it would be fast-paced and less physical. Those are two things that have stood up. With the bigger ice, I’m not hitting as much or getting hit as much. There’s a lot more skating and every team is fast—that definitely is a change for me. There are whole teams of super fast guys, not just a couple on each team that can really skate.

GK: Do you feel that you had a good introduction to Russian culture playing alongside Ovechkin and Kuznetsov in Washington?

DS: Those guys are great and I still talk to them all the time. They love their borscht and their soup. [Laughs] It’s kindof weird how into that they are! 

Whenever we have a day and night off here [in Russia], we go out to a karaoke bar. Alex and Evgeny always used to bring us to those Russian places in DC and sing karaoke. I wasn’t sure if that was just something that they liked to do, but obviously it’s pretty big on this side of the world! They’re great—really nice guys, obviously superstars. They’ll be friends for life.

GK: So have you serenaded the locals with Russian songs?

DS: No, I don’t know any Russian songs…but I’m trying to learn some Russian words.

GK: Surely those guys taught you good curse words.

DS: [Laughs] Yeah they taught me a couple of curse words—directly, and even just sitting beside them when they’re bickering on the bench. I heard some things and could figure out what they were saying. That’s about as far as my Russian vocabulary goes.

GK: Have you tried cursing in Russian on KHL ice yet?

DS: No, so far I’ve been keeping my curse words to English! You never know—it must just pop out since we’re on this side of the world.

GK: What is your most vivid memory from the Stanley Cup celebrations two summers ago?

DS: During the parade, they called everyone up [individually]. Hearing all those people cheer when I got called was pretty cool and pretty special. There were hundreds of thousands of people there—plus the good scenery in DC, beautiful day, beautiful setup. I think I chugged a beer in front of 100,000 people with a championship belt on! That was something that I’ll never forget within all the celebrations. That moment was pretty special.

GK: On a more somber note, Flames coach Bill Peters was fired for overt racism earlier this season. Did you ever encounter anything of that nature in an NHL locker room?

DS: No. Regarding that situation, nothing like that has ever happened to me or to my face. I feel really bad for Akim Aliu—I know him personally, and he’s a friend of mine. I feel bad that he had to go through that. Nothing like that should ever happen, and I am really thankful that it has never happened to me.

GK: What about in the KHL? Have you felt a positive reception here so far?

DS: It has been positive here. I’ve met fans, taken photos—obviously I’ve never been to Russia and wasn’t sure how it would be, but so far it has been positive.

GK: Is your family planning to come out and see you this season?

I think they’re trying to work with our schedule. I don’t think we go back to Beijing for more than twenty days. I think the plan is to hopefully catch a couple of playoff games if we make it, and go from there. Whatever happens, maybe they’d want to come when the season is over and we can sightsee a little bit. I’m hoping that works out and that they’ll be able to watch me play in China.

GK: When we first met in Beijing a few weeks ago, you were benched for two games. What was the rationale behind that coaching decision?

DS: The coaching staff gave me a little more time to feel ready. I came over and jumped right into a game. I had one little practice, played a game, we went on break and then we were playing nonstop. The travel was obviously a lot different than I’m used to, and my sleep was all over the place. I wasn’t sleeping a lot and wasn’t feeling that great for the first ten games. I talked to the coaching staff, and they wanted me to take a couple of days and reset—get my sleep back together, my legs back together. Not playing those two games and having 4 to 5 days to relax and reset definitely helped, and I came out on the other side feeling a lot better.

GK: You have obviously gotten your rhythm back, and scored a pretty pivotal goal against Sibir.

DS: We knew how important that game was. It’s getting to the point where every night you’re watching the standings, and it has been really tight. Going down 2-0, we still thought we were playing alright, but obviously we had more to give. We played a really good third period and I just so happened to get a chance and put one in. Obviously we would have loved to get two points, but at this point in the year, you’ll take any point you can get.

GK: Kunlun is slowly climbing the Eastern Conference, but there have been some tough losses and injuries along the way. How do you assess your chances?

DS: I really think that we have a good team, honestly. I haven’t been around the league that long, but we played teams that are high in the standings and hung right with them. We haven’t played a full game with a full roster—every time someone comes back, someone else gets hurt. We have a lot of call-ups, guys coming in and out. We’ve done well to weather that. But once everyone gets healthy and we all start to play together, we have a really good team and I think we can do some damage.

GK: We’re talking pretty late in Kazakhstan…you mentioned that you don’t sleep the night before a game!

DS: Honestly, I’m just trying to find a schedule. I had no idea that the KHL had so many time zones! I just try to get my six, seven hours and there’s no real method to it. The travel from Beijing to Russia and within Russia has been messing with me, so I’m trying to survive really. I feel fine getting my six hours and staying up all day, waiting for the game. No real strategy or superstitions or anything like that—just trying to get by!