WC: 2015 — Team Russia

[BlitzSnipe]

Finally, a solid defensive effort by team Russia, and also all 4 offensive lines playing well. Really liked the game.

 

[Salavat Yulaev]

What are the options? Koltsov?

Koltsov is not a real defenseman. IMO: Kuteykin, Vishnevsky

 

[BlitzSnipe]

the defence was much better today. Mironov looked good out there.

 

[Atas2000]

Koltsov is not a real defenseman. IMO: Kuteykin, Vishnevsky

Vishnevsky is injured, no? And I highly doubt Kuteikin is an upgrade compared to Medvedev.

 

[Salavat Yulaev]

Vishnevsky is injured, no? And I highly doubt Kuteikin is an upgrade compared to Medvedev.

Vishnevsky was ok, last time heard about him.
Kuteikin is a way better than this "kosyachnik" Medvedev

 

[Atas2000]

Kuteikin is a way better than this "kosyachnik" Medvedev

Wishful thinking much?

 

[Wings4Life]

The reason the USA has been so successful in this tournament is that they have a national team concept that no one else has. They have a Soviet-style national development team up to U19, and almost all of their top NHL players have spent years in the NDT system. Their NDT loudly proclaimed that their goal was to imitate what the Soviets had done. If you watch them play, even with mediocre players, they look a little Soviet in the sense that they have a system, everyone knows the system, and everyone fits into it. The other teams are just thrown together, but they have a system strategy that makes even average talents look better than they are.

Prior to the KHL, Russian national teams at the senior level were more or less a disaster. And the available Russian talent continuously diminished as time after the Soviet era passed. Probably the greatest Russian team assembled after 1992 was for the 2000 World Championships in St. Petersburg (Fedorov, Bure, Mogilny, Yashin, etc.), and I think they finished 11th. IMO, the problem is that there are not enough good hockey players being developed, and the KHL is among the few trying to do something about it. As for overpaying players, until the league gets established, they have to do something to try to keep good talent playing at home, as well as to attract top foreign players. So far, the system has produced almost nothing, but what's the alternative?

The more I read your posts, the more I see you don't know what you're talking about.

Fedorov did not play for team Russia in the 2000 world championships. In fact, Fedorov only represented Russia a single time while in his prime years: the 1996 World Cup, when he led Team Russia in scoring (he was coming off his year-long contract hold out for the 1998 Olympics, so I don't include those).

Fedorov did not play in any world championships from 1991 until 2008 (a tournament which he dominated at the ripe old age of 38).

Mogilny also did not represent Russia in 2000. In fact, he was pretty much done with Team Russia after the 1996 World Cup, as most Russia fans would know.

 

[Wings4Life]

Finally, a solid defensive effort by team Russia, and also all 4 offensive lines playing well. Really liked the game.

It was a nice defensive game, and a spectacular shutout (though not officially) by Bob.

But the Mozyakin-Malkin-Kulemin line did not look good. Malkin looked great individually, he picked up two points on the powerplay, but we need our lines to produce at even strength. Mozyakin-Malkin-Kulemin have looked bad when playing together in every game so far, aside from one (against a weakeend Denmark team).

I fear our best wingers are being wasted on a line with an injured Anisimov, and it will hurt us in the big games.

 

[BlitzSnipe]

Panarin, man what a goal. The guy's a master - the way he evades defencemen is really impressive. The Panarin - Shipachov - Dadonov line, those guys are telepathic.

 

[Yakushev72]

The more I read your posts, the more I see you don't know what you're talking about.

Fedorov did not play for team Russia in the 2000 world championships. In fact, Fedorov only represented Russia a single time while in his prime years: the 1996 World Cup, when he led Team Russia in scoring (he was coming off his year-long contract hold out for the 1998 Olympics, so I don't include those).

Fedorov did not play in any world championships from 1991 until 2008 (a tournament which he dominated at the ripe old age of 38).

Mogilny also did not represent Russia in 2000. In fact, he was pretty much done with Team Russia after the 1996 World Cup, as most Russia fans would know.

I could care less what you think of my posts! Its not my job to try to impress every Motown fanboy. I didn't have access to the roster at the time I made the post, and while Fedorov and Mogilny were not on the 2000 roster, it was loaded with Bure, Kamensky, Afinogenov, Kovalenko, Viktor Kozlov, Zhamnov, Yashin, Nikolishin, Kravchuk, Markov, Mironov, and Gonchar, and yet they finished 11th in St. Petersburg. You didn't challenge me on the point I was making, which was that sending all those great players to the NHL never worked to the advantage of Russia in international competition.

 

[Mehar]

Excuse my ignorance- but how many roster spots does Team Russia have available? If the Capitals lose in the NHL Playoffs- would Ovechkin be pretty much guaranteed a spot? Thanks.

 

[Wings4Life]

I could care less what you think of my posts! Its not my job to try to impress every Motown fanboy. I didn't have access to the roster at the time I made the post, and while Fedorov and Mogilny were not on the 2000 roster, it was loaded with Bure, Kamensky, Afinogenov, Kovalenko, Viktor Kozlov, Zhamnov, Yashin, Nikolishin, Kravchuk, Markov, Mironov, and Gonchar, and yet they finished 11th in St. Petersburg. You didn't challenge me on the point I was making, which was that sending all those great players to the NHL never worked to the advantage of Russia in international competition.

You were called out for pulling facts out of your butt, don't get mad about it now.

And that roster is not really loaded, considering guys like Afinogenov were too young and Kamensky, Bure, Zhamnov etc were all past their prime years, nevermind missing Fedorov/Mogilny/Zubov et al...

 

[Atas2000]

Excuse my ignorance- but how many roster spots does Team Russia have available? If the Capitals lose in the NHL Playoffs- would Ovechkin be pretty much guaranteed a spot? Thanks.

1.1 spot left

2.yes, as per team officials the spot is for Ovechkin, while pretty much everybody here would prefer them to do what is right for the team.

 

[Atas2000]

And that roster is not really loaded, considering guys like Afinogenov were too young and Kamensky, Bure, Zhamnov etc were all past their prime years, nevermind missing Fedorov/Mogilny/Zubov et al...

You are trying to make it fit your point of view, but it does not. The roster was loaded, with or without those guys. Yakushev72's point is very much valid. Sending players to the NHL never was to the advantage of russian hockey in general.

 

[Yakushev72]

You were called out for pulling facts out of your butt, don't get mad about it now.

And that roster is not really loaded, considering guys like Afinogenov were too young and Kamensky, Bure, Zhamnov etc were all past their prime years, nevermind missing Fedorov/Mogilny/Zubov et al...

Its actually very lame, IMO, to say that a player at age 29 (Bure, Zhamnov, etc) is "past their prime years." Age 25-27 is considered the prime, so you are the only one who considers a player at 29 to be obsolete. Ok, Kamensky was 33, but by your way of thinking, Datsyuk should have retired 10 years ago.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Haven't been able to watch much of the WC

How has Panarin looked?

 

[Khokhlach86]

Haven't been able to watch much of the WC

How has Panarin looked?

He looks great.

 

[jimstark]

Panarin has to be this tournament best player so far My god he is good and i know understand what the swedish KHL players ment when they said he is the best player in the KHL

Hard worker with amazing talent and something extra which makes every shift with him interesting and you get the feeling that something will happen.

Very promising for Russia and Chicago

 

[jimstark]

We look better and our deffence has improved a lot
However Malkin and Kovalthuck need to step up in the quarter finale.
If not bye bye Russia.

Oh and the players need sort of a Pavel Bure determined to score goals...how many chances have had without scoring?
This can cost us the tournament

 

[vendetta]

How has kulikov been? I know a lot were down on him early in the tourney

 

[Atas2000]

How has kulikov been? I know a lot were down on him early in the tourney

Looks not out of place now, but he's not standing out either. I guess this is not good at all actually if we look at this roster. It's not like he's not standing out among the best russian D-men.

 

[Wings4Life]

You are trying to make it fit your point of view, but it does not. The roster was loaded, with or without those guys. Yakushev72's point is very much valid. Sending players to the NHL never was to the advantage of russian hockey in general.

Not arguing a particular point of view, as I am not mentioning the sending off Russia's best to the NHL thing. It is my opinion however that a team who is missing their #1 C, #1D, #1RW, #1 goalie and #2D cannot be considered "loaded" (Canada aside). If we sent that roster to the Olympics, they would not have been expected to medal.

Its actually very lame, IMO, to say that a player at age 29 (Bure, Zhamnov, etc) is "past their prime years." Age 25-27 is considered the prime, so you are the only one who considers a player at 29 to be obsolete. Ok, Kamensky was 33, but by your way of thinking, Datsyuk should have retired 10 years ago.

Age is just a number, you would have to watch these players play regularly in their primes to know who was still near their best by the 2000 WC. Kamensky was 33 and his best years were in the mid 90s. Zhamnov was turning 30 but his best years were already behind him. The injuries had added up and 5 years had gone by since his one elite season. By 2000 he was also clearly past his best days.

Bure was a different player in his Florida years. I know some Russia fans who preferred that version of Bure to the one who played in Vancouver. I am not one of them.

 

[Wings4Life]

We look better and our deffence has improved a lot
However Malkin and Kovalthuck need to step up in the quarter finale.
If not bye bye Russia.

Oh and the players need sort of a Pavel Bure determined to score goals...how many chances have had without scoring?
This can cost us the tournament

You keep repeating this, without context.

It is not the player's fault in this case, since it's on the coach to find the right mix, and he has not experimented at all so far.

There are facts at play which we cannot ignore. Kovalchuk and Tarasenko need a better center than an injured Anisimov. Malkin needs a better winger than a way past his prime Mozyakin, who even at his peak was widely considered a NT failure.

Maybe an embarrassing loss to Finland will finally necessitate some changes to these awful lines...but I am not holding my breath.

 

[od71]

You keep repeating this, without context.

It is not the player's fault in this case, since it's on the coach to find the right mix, and he has not experimented at all so far.

There are facts at play which we cannot ignore. Kovalchuk and Tarasenko need a better center than an injured Anisimov. Malkin needs a better winger than a way past his prime Mozyakin, who even at his peak was widely considered a NT failure.

Maybe an embarrassing loss to Finland will finally necessitate some changes to these awful lines...but I am not holding my breath.

Disagree, Mozyakin is OK, not at his best, but OK, better than Malkin btw so far. It is Kulemin who has to be changed though I'm afraid it's too late (last game before qf). Mozyakin in NT played with Tereshenko and Petrov before that WC. Completely different players, playing absolutely different hockey, no chemistry at all. Crosby also was not prominent in NT outside of lucky golden goal.

 

[Yakushev72]

Not arguing a particular point of view, as I am not mentioning the sending off Russia's best to the NHL thing. It is my opinion however that a team who is missing their #1 C, #1D, #1RW, #1 goalie and #2D cannot be considered "loaded" (Canada aside). If we sent that roster to the Olympics, they would not have been expected to medal.



Age is just a number, you would have to watch these players play regularly in their primes to know who was still near their best by the 2000 WC. Kamensky was 33 and his best years were in the mid 90s. Zhamnov was turning 30 but his best years were already behind him. The injuries had added up and 5 years had gone by since his one elite season. By 2000 he was also clearly past his best days.

Bure was a different player in his Florida years. I know some Russia fans who preferred that version of Bure to the one who played in Vancouver. I am not one of them.