Nikita Tryamkin says Vancouver 'stinks of weed'

Sep 25 2017, 11:17 pm

Why won’t he love us?

Nikita Tryamkin broke the hearts of Canucks fans when he left for the KHL back in April. He left without saying goodbye, and Vancouver is having a tough time letting go.

The 6-foot-7 Russian giant gave a lot of hope and optimism to a fanbase that desperately needed it. The sky’s the limit (figuratively) for the 23-year-old defenceman at this point.

That’s why anything Tryamkin says about his former team and the city he called home last season will grab our attention.

The latest news? He thinks we stink.

Literally.

In speaking with Russian hockey writer Igor Eronko, Tryamkin opened up about a number of topics, including Vancouver.

Eronko gave us the translation on Twitter:

A lot can get lost in translation with these types of articles.

“Maybe I’ll have a brick on my head, and I’ll stay a fool,” Tryamkin said, hilariously interpreted by Google Translate.

Russian reporter Slava Malamud, reported that Tryamkin called Vancouver a “junkie city,” which clearly has a more negative connotation.

Here is what Tryamkin said about Vancouver, translated from Russian, according to Google:

“There is such. Everyone smokes grass everywhere. The city is all in smoke. There is still a street – I do not remember what is called. So there even in a car it’s scary to go. A lot of bad guys. They can not stand on their feet, but they still smoke without stopping. There is such chaos – a really devastated street. Cirque du Soleil in Vancouver came, my wife and I went, and for some reason we returned on this road. And in the evening there is a real life. After nine hours. Cool there ( laughs ). Life begins at night.”

This next quote makes you wonder what part of town he lived in.

“They smoke everywhere. There is not something that smells of grass – it stinks, everywhere is stinking. Okay this drug street, where these guys settle, but in downtown, in the centre of the city stank the same. We lived on the tenth floor – even there, it used to smell. This is how much you need to smoke? It seems to me, it was possible to stick the receiver out of the window and inhale.”

Tryamkin signed in the KHL on April 19. Wonder what he would have thought of the city’s 4/20 celebrations.

Eronko clarified that Tryamkin was not trying to speak poorly of the city. He was just really surprised everyone smoked so much weed.

I mean… Should we be surprised? Vancouver bud is a source of pride for many.

Tryamkin left the door open to a return to Weed City, after his three-year contract with Yekaterinburg Automobilist – which he says he will honour – expires.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is he certainly left with a bad taste in his mouth, and not just because of all the weed.

The Canucks’ third round pick in 2014 confirmed that ice time was an issue during his time in Vancouver under head coach Willie Desjardins. You have to wonder what could have been if a different approach was taken with the blueliner.

Tryamkin ranked seventh in average ice time among Canucks defencemen last season, playing more than two minutes less per game than Luca Sbisa. He was made a healthy scratch for the first month of the season after he showed up to training camp out of shape.

The Canucks wanted to send him to Utica, but he refused.

Tryamkin says he has lost six kilograms (14 pounds), bringing his current weight down to 251 pounds.

The Russian d-man also shared his feelings on some players still with the Canucks, including countryman Nikolay Goldobin. Goldobin was regularly benched by Desjardins, despite showing some goal scoring prowess, which appeared to baffle Tryamkin.

“He is small, brisk, his hands are in order, and he knows how to score goals,” Tryamkin said of Goldobin (hilariously translated by Google again).

On the subject of the Sedins, Tryamkin echoed the thoughts of everyone who has ever played with them. He loved them.

Will he ever give Vancouver another chance at love? We’ll have to wait three years to find out.

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