Well, not exactly—-but it’s safe to say that detractors of Alexander “the Wild Siberian” Semin will interpret his candid comments in this Russian interview in that manner. (Special thanks to HFBoards.com poster “artilector” for translating and posting the interview.) And, to be fair, Semin’s certainly given Caps fans plenty of cause for concern, what with his refusal to play for the Caps’ then-minor-league affiliate the Portland Pirates during the 2004-2005 lockout and subsequent refusal to return to Washington in the year following the lockout (citing “military obligations” in Russia), the infamous puck-throwing incident last season, getting thrown off the 2007 World Championship Russian National Team for reporting late to camp, his reluctance to speak with the U.S. media due to his reluctance to learn English, his penchant for reckless driving, general puckhoggishish, and—-most recently—-rumors suggesting that he refused to have a lingering knee injury operated on during the off-season, which may result in him missing part of the Caps’ upcoming training camp.

Yes, Semin’s big thumbs-down on D.C. nightlife, lackluster enthusiasm for the NHL brand of hockey, and comments such as “women are women” (when discussing his mother’s concerns over his dismissal from the Russian National Team) aren’t going to reduce the number of armchair GM’s screaming for the Caps organization to trade the team’s second-best-scorer and potential All-Star. But, as the Peerless Prognosticator astutely noted on the Caps’ message boards, Semin’s answers “[s]eemed pretty simple to me…Washington is where he works, Russia is home. Shoot, I don’t expect to live here when I retire, either.”