Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

CALGARY, Alberta – As Coyotes associate coach Jim Playfair drew on a whiteboard plastered to the boards during an off-day practice, winger Sergei Plotnikov stood behind many of his teammates to watch the lesson.

Plotnikov, who is Russian and was acquired Feb. 29 in a trade with the Penguins, speaks limited English, and the Coyotes have been using winger Viktor Tikhonov – who also speaks Russian – to translate when needed.

But once the explanation ended and players scattered to start the drill, Plotnikov skated off without needing any further instruction.

“My language’s definitely improved since the beginning of the season,” Plotnikov later said in Russian with Tikhovov translating. “I can definitely understand a lot more, almost everything.”

Russian is just one of a handful of languages spoken in the Coyotes dressing room with French, Swedish and Czech also often heard.

But despite the diversity, the Coyotes seem to have no problem communicating with each other with their passion for the sport uniting them on and off the ice.

“It’s cool to see that hockey or any sport can bring together so many people from so many countries,” Tikhonov said. “We kind of speak the same language on the ice by playing hockey, so it’s something that’s really cool the sport can do.”

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Players might speak their first language with fellow countrymen in one-on-one conversations, but the unwritten rule says English is the preferred dialect in a team setting. This helps everyone feel included.

“People can sometimes get a little paranoid that people are talking about them,” defenseman Zbynek Michalek said. “So if you’re a bigger group, it’s just polite to speak English. But of course, it’s easier for all of us to speak our native language. You can express better, and it’s a little bit awkward or weird to speak to your countrymen in English.”

But players may have a little more freedom on the ice.

Actually, it’s there they might be able to use the words that are most familiar to help the team.

“I know with Marty (Hanzal) we can talk maybe before a faceoff what kind of play we’re going to run,” said Michalek, who’s from the Czech Republic. “ … I can talk to him in our language, and it’s an advantage because no one else understands what we’re saying.”

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With players surrounded by so many different languages season to season, the dressing room can almost transform into a classroom.

Tikhonov is trading Russian words with goalie Louis Domingue in exchange for their French counterpart, and Michalek has also picked up some new terminology through the years.

“You learn the bad words first,” he said.

As Plotnikov shows, players try to adapt and improve their English to help assimilate.

Defenseman Nicklas Grossmann said he had a teammate in the minors who was from the Czech Republic who carried a dictionary with him for two years.

“After two years, he could communicate,” Grossmann said.

The NHL attracts the top talent from all over the world, a melting pot of skill that widens the sport’s reach.

And each team is an extension of that harmony as players come together to chase the same ambition.

“That’s what hockey’s all about,” Michalek said. “It’s a big family. We get along pretty well for the most part and try to support each other no matter what. Knowing someone doesn’t speak English that well or English is not his first language, you try to help the guy out, try to make him feel comfortable.”

Injury update

Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed his second straight game with a bruised shoulder.

“He was out there skating (Friday morning), which is a good sign,” coach Dave Tippett said. “But he won’t play. He’s still a few days away from playing.”

As for goalie Mike Smith, he continues to practice.

Smith has been out since having surgery on a core muscle injury in mid-December.

“We’re getting closer, but he’s gotta be the one to walk off and say, ‘I’m in,’” Tippett said. “Until that happens, that’s where we are.”

Ice chip

Head equipment manager Stan Wilson has left the team to be with family after a member of his family passed away this week.

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.

Saturday's game

Coyotes at Oilers

When: 8 p.m.

Where: Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Arizona-Plus/KTAR-AM (620).

Oilers update: The Oilers are second-to-last in the Western Conference with 61 points, but they seem to be embracing the spoiler role. Edmonton has won five of its past seven games and most recently edged Minnesota 2-1 on Thursday. Rookie center Connor McDavid has helped boost the team after his return from injury. McDavid missed 37 games with a broken clavicle but has nine goals and 23 points since he’s rejoined the lineup. Overall, McDavid has 14 goals and 35 points. Winger Taylor Hall paces the Oilers in goals (22), assists (35) and points (57).