Klim Kostin took captain duties for Team Russia, and now he is being recognized on one of hockey’s biggest stages. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily for positive reasons.
First, the Russian captain said this of Canadian captain Maxime Comtois:
It could be spun that he’s playing with grit, but he received some flak following Russia’s semi-final loss to the USA for his actions on the ice while the game wasn't even being played.
His actions were seen as disrespectful, and in fairness to Kostin, he did apologize for the actions.
People may or may not have given him a 2nd chance after what seems like a genuine apology, but when the Bronze Medal game rolled around and the Russian’s saw themselves face-to-face with a fan-favourite Swiss squad, Kostin went right back to his villain role.
After scoring what would eventually be the winning 3rd goal, Kostin didn’t just throw his hands in the air and embrace his teammates. He took a second to let the crowd know he doesn’t care what they think, and gestures an “ear plugging” move.
He’s certainly not making many friends at the tournament, but he can’t hear his enemies anyway. He can plug his ears with a Bronze Medal after the Russians finished off the eager Swiss squad 5-2.
