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The Flyers Should Grab a Russian Translator from Northeast Philly
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Crossing Broad alumnus Anthony SanFilippo is writing for a new website called “On Patterson” or “On Pattinson,” or something like that, and noted that Aleksei Kolosov did not speak to the media after his Flyers debut because they didn’t have anyone to translate for him:
…the original goal of this post was to talk all about his game and to provide perspective that can only be given by Kolosov about his historic performance that likely had an entire country of hockey fans staying up late into the Belarusian night to stream the game.
However, there will be no thoughts or feelings from Kolosov about his special night. That’s because the Flyers did not make him available to speak after the game.
It’s not that he wasn’t willing, or that he was getting treatment for injury. But rather that the Flyers didn’t have a Russian language interpreter available for him to use for an interview.
Egor Zamula has been translating for Michkov this year. The players should be available to do that in a pinch, but it’s not a great long term idea because they’re full-time athletes and not full-time translators. Zamula was taken out of the lineup on Sunday anyway, so it can’t be one of those situations where a guy who is a borderline NHL player has to be wrangled to stand next to the rookie superstar and do some side task.
That being said, I have a solution. The Flyers should go to Northeast Philly and grab some random Russian guy. Pay him $100 an appearance to translate for Michkov, Kolosov, and whomever else needs it. It’s not like there’s a shortage of Russian speakers in the area. Have you ever driven along Bustleton Pike or spent even five seconds in Somerton? It’s really diverse. It’s basically post-Soviet Europe. If you drive from the Roosevelt Boulevard up to the Buck Hotel, which I think is technically Feasterville, you will pass a half dozen Uzbek and Georgian restaurants, not like Atlanta, Georgia, but Tbilisi, Georgia, and there’s a market called “Petrovsky,” which, if I recall, is stocked with Russian and Ukrainian food and the kind of stuff you’d find in the Central Asian “Stan” countries.
You think I’m joking? I’m not. You get a legit Russian speaker to show up in Voorhees and South Philly when necessary, and the job is handled. I’m sure some people probably think it doesn’t matter, like “who cares” if they speak to the media or not, but the Flyers are in a rebuild and turning a corner, and anything they can do to connect these new players with the fan base and help people get to know them and understand them is helpful. Plus, media/player exchanges are always better when the two sides have a good working relationship, which ultimately results in a better flow of information and interest coming back to the fan. There’s a reason why both of the Diegos who translated for the Phillies were loved as much as they were, because they bridged the gap between and English-speaking fanbase and the Spanish-speaking portion of the clubhouse.
(любовь и уважение всем русским и восточноевропейским читателям Crossing Broad)
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com