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WC: 2016 Team Russia

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Rob said:
I think Ovi can be forgiven if he sits out the future World Championships. He has done his duty.

Of course hopefully he is playing for a Stanley Cup next year.
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I hoped for that this year.

The fact that Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk are not exactly at their prime is just a signal that it is about time for Kuznetsov, Tarasenko, Panarin and Kucherov to stand up and take the leading roles. Still I'm pretty sure that Ovechkin, Malkin and Datsyuk can be good at secondary roles as long as their health allows it.

And again, lets wait for the World Cup, it's not that long now - who knows, maybe healthy and rested Malkin and Ovechkin will be much better there.
 
Dropping by to give a shoutout to Russia. Great game, thanks a lot and I would like to give mad props to you about the following things:

a) This time the game was fair. I mean both the reffing as well as the plays. No one tried to goon it up but concentrated in the game. It is so nice to see this and I think it speaks volumes that Canada played more dirty than you a couple of days ago.

b) Right after the game I saw no ill comments about Finland/referees/IIHF/you name it from the Russian media. No bulls**t ifs and buts, just humble and reasonable analysis. Had we lost I don't believe even our media would have been this fair.

c) Huge respect to OV for wishing good luck to Laine! The man is getting his temper in control (due to aging I guess) and that is awesome. I've always wanted to like him, but his issues have been an obstacle.

d) Your players have heart for the national team. They always come if asked even if they would be completely worn out by NHL. They set a great example for which some teams could learn from. (I'm looking at you Sweden.)

It is also very comforting that Znarok will no longer be the head coach (if I remember correct?). I had no problem with Team Russia (players) but Znarok has always striked to me as an idiot who can't behave even if his life depended on it.


Anyway, good luck in the bronze game! I'll be cheering for you actually, you've been a fair opponent and it's your home tournament so a bronze (especially against USA) would likely sooth the disappointment of the fans. :)
 
Fantomas said:
Panarin played 15:59. That does not sit well with me.
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He lost a minute somewhere in 3-rd, but overall Shipachyov's line had 17 minutes of TOI which is an usual TOI for them (as they are not playing on PK).
 
I feel as if too many here have never lived in Russia/Europe and are calling for some strange ideas here.

One of them, even though I've never liked Ovechkin and always suggested to leave him off the team - what is this comment about him having done his duty already by winning 3 world champs?
Also the same argument goes in here about testing young players instead of trying to win everything.
- OK. So you guys surely don´t know that the World Championship is very appreciated in Russia, big resources are being spent or player insurances and contacts and especially when it is actually played on home ice with all the new "Red Machine"-theme (have you noticed that 95% of the russian crowd is covered in all these new clothes?).
This tournament is a big deal, it is there to be won, not to test players, wtf? I don´t get you at all O_o

Also, we have had great success over the years by taking in players who have lost in the playoffs, Malkin as a great example.
 
Robban7 said:
I feel as if too many here have never lived in Russia/Europe and are calling for some strange ideas here.

One of them, even though I've never liked Ovechkin and always suggested to leave him off the team - what is this comment about him having done his duty already by winning 3 world champs?
Also the same argument goes in here about testing young players instead of trying to win everything.
- OK. So you guys surely don´t know that the World Championship is very appreciated in Russia, big resources are being spent or player insurances and contacts and especially when it is actually played on home ice with all the new "Red Machine"-theme (have you noticed that 95% of the russian crowd is covered in all these new clothes?).
This tournament is a big deal, it is there to be won, not to test players, wtf? I don´t get you at all O_o

Also, we have had great success over the years by taking in players who have lost in the playoffs, Malkin as a great example.
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I don't think we were talking about testing young players. The idea was that, for example, if Shirokov/Sannikov/etc are that bad, why not to take younger guys. Probably they will be bad too, but at least they will gain some experience to be better in the future.
 
DaJackal said:
Dropping by to give a shoutout to Russia. Great game, thanks a lot and I would like to give mad props to you about the following things:

a) This time the game was fair. I mean both the reffing as well as the plays. No one tried to goon it up but concentrated in the game. It is so nice to see this and I think it speaks volumes that Canada played more dirty than you a couple of days ago.

b) Right after the game I saw no ill comments about Finland/referees/IIHF/you name it from the Russian media. No bulls**t ifs and buts, just humble and reasonable analysis. Had we lost I don't believe even our media would have been this fair.

c) Huge respect to OV for wishing good luck to Laine! The man is getting his temper in control (due to aging I guess) and that is awesome. I've always wanted to like him, but his issues have been an obstacle.

d) Your players have heart for the national team. They always come if asked even if they would be completely worn out by NHL. They set a great example for which some teams could learn from. (I'm looking at you Sweden.)

It is also very comforting that Znarok will no longer be the head coach (if I remember correct?). I had no problem with Team Russia (players) but Znarok has always striked to me as an idiot who can't behave even if his life depended on it.


Anyway, good luck in the bronze game! I'll be cheering for you actually, you've been a fair opponent and it's your home tournament so a bronze (especially against USA) would likely sooth the disappointment of the fans. :)
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Thanks, Dajackal, that was a really classy comment. Your team is just awesome, I would be proud to be a fan of Team Finland. And Laine is pure class. I wish you the best of luck and believe that you will win Gold tomorrow! Thanks again for staying classy and not pouring on the hate, but I'm sure that many 'neighbours' will be more than delighted to pour hatred on our team and the country.

I don't know how Russia will do tomorrow against the US. By the sounds of it, the team is demoralized and the US are actually hungry for a medal, so we might lose again. I hope to see the day when the Russian team can actually compete with the world's best, but 'something's rotten in the state of Denmark' - whether Mutko, Znarok or the ineffective Russian hockey system, but something needs to change.
 
Some reasonable middle ground should exist between these two things:

- fact of Ovechkin playing 24 minutes and not producing

- extremist opinion that Ovechkin should not be on the team at all
 
kp61c said:
bandu het? wtf is it? bendera's language? get out.
and my argument was stated above, the system can't and won't produce good quality players in numbers to be competitive in the best vs best tourneys. i'd welcome rotenberg for that matter. the question of being fired won't be of such importance to him as it to tretyak. he'll have more freedom and power in realizing his ideas.
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The above poster was himself 'making fun' of those types of slogans.
 
Fantomas said:
Some reasonable middle ground should exist between these two things:

- fact of Ovechkin playing 24 minutes and not producing

- extremist opinion that Ovechkin should not be on the team at all
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Ovechkin wasn't taking control of the puck, wasn't created any significant chances. He shot the puck a few times and missed a near breakaway that could've shifted the momentum towards Team Russia. I don't know, this loss is very disappointing, especially considering how well it plays into the hands of trolls.
 
Ovechkin is not a saviour, but if he didn't produce, who did? Shirokov, who scored and dissapeared? At least Ovechkin tryed to generate offense, as Shipachyov's line was shut down today and had to pass the puck along the boards.
 
BlitzSnipe said:
Thanks, Dajackal, that was a really classy comment. Your team is just awesome, I would be proud to be a fan of Team Finland. And Laine is pure class. I wish you the best of luck and believe that you will win Gold tomorrow! Thanks again for staying classy and not pouring on the hate, but I'm sure that many 'neighbours' will be more than delighted to pour hatred on our team and the country.

I don't know how Russia will do tomorrow against the US. By the sounds of it, the team is demoralized and the US are actually hungry for a medal, so we might lose again. I hope to see the day when the Russian team can actually compete with the world's best, but 'something's rotten in the state of Denmark' - whether Mutko, Znarok or the ineffective Russian hockey system, but something needs to change.
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It's always tough when u get the late game and then gotta play the early game the next day, which is USA's lot...Still, if memory serves, that's how it was last year in Prague and Yanks still won Bronze. I do think this USA team is hungry...BUT they played so hard today, who knows how much they'll have left in the tank?
 
Scotty B said:
It's always tough when u get the late game and then gotta play the early game the next day, which is USA's lot...Still, if memory serves, that's how it was last year in Prague and Yanks still won Bronze. I do think this USA team is hungry...BUT they played so hard today, who knows how much they'll have left in the tank?
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No idea, the main disappoint for Team Russia was today - and they all know that they didn't deliver according to expectationhs. But I still hope they win, of course. I just fear that they're quite demoralized after the match against Team Finland.
 
Fantomas said:
Finland has the young stars - Aho and Laine. I am jealous.
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Thing is Russia has Panarin & co.

Finland is to be commended for producing great talent lately, but Russia always does. I would not worry one bit. If anything I would be happy as I am as a Canadian that there are nations stepping up to challenge at the game we love.

Obviously I understand that it does not help dealing with the loss as it will not tomorrow should the Finns win (they won't) but fundamentally Russia remains a superpower of hockey and at that you also have a personality of your own.
 
Fantomas said:
Some reasonable middle ground should exist between these two things:

- fact of Ovechkin playing 24 minutes and not producing

- extremist opinion that Ovechkin should not be on the team at all
Click to expand...
i'm more of a malkin fan than ovy's. to me he's like one trick pony that lacks finesse to heavily rely on. good complimentary player, but 24 minutes? jesus. and it's not like he played great the whole tourney and deserved those minutes. znarok's blind hope in him is kinda dumb to me.
 
kp61c said:
yep, by being a generalized character. the main purpose of tretyak have always been a wish to keep his post at all costs to the detriment of anything else.
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It isn't 100% Tretiak's fault (he doesn't have unlimited money to build rinks, fund hockey schools and train coaches - others have failed to deliver that money), but he has failed in his mission to improve all facets of hockey in Russia. In 20 years, only insignificant progress has been made in digging out of the hockey morass of the 1990's.

Russia still seems to lag far behind Sweden, Finland and Canada on the international level. There are still only 5 or 6 good hockey schools in the country that consistently produce players (Traktor in Chelyabinsk can't handle the problem by itself). He has failed to acquire funding to build new rinks and train qualified hockey coaches. I give the credit to the KHL for creating the MHL in order to increase the number and quality of hockey prospects for development. I just don't think he has anything to show for himself other than being a legend for his great playing career.
 
kp61c said:
i'm more of a malkin fan than ovy's. to me he's like one trick pony that lacks finesse to heavily rely on. good complimentary player, but 24 minutes? jesus. and it's not like he played great the whole tourney and deserved those minutes. znarok's blind hope in him is kinda dumb to me.
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I agree. I love his attitude and his willingness to show up every year and play, but in response to all the posters who say that there is no excuse for failing to win a Gold Medal with Ovi on the team, I have to wonder if they even watch the games. Ovi is not a guy who can skate end-to-end, fake the goaltender into the seats, and score goals. He needs other people to create space and set him up for a one-timer that he can blast into the net, but usually there is no space and no opportunity for a one-timer into a wide open net. People tend to overstate his abilities, so that when he doesn't score, his teammates seem to become demoralized. Malkin, Radulov and Datsyuk when he was younger possessed a greater ability to create opportunities for themselves than Ovi, and his presence can be overstated.
 
Yakushev72 said:
I agree. I love his attitude and his willingness to show up every year and play, but in response to all the posters who say that there is no excuse for failing to win a Gold Medal with Ovi on the team, I have to wonder if they even watch the games. Ovi is not a guy who can skate end-to-end, fake the goaltender into the seats, and score goals. He needs other people to create space and set him up for a one-timer that he can blast into the net, but usually there is no space and no opportunity for a one-timer into a wide open net. People tend to overstate his abilities, so that when he doesn't score, his teammates seem to become demoralized. Malkin, Radulov and Datsyuk when he was younger possessed a greater ability to create opportunities for themselves than Ovi, and his presence can be overstated.
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He looked pretty good in 2014 to me playing with Tikhonov and Plotnikov. (The year the Caps missed the playoffs.)

I'd chalk it more to a fatigue problem, though old age does get you at some time.

His puck handling has definitely been getting worse and worse.
 
Maybe people wouldn't criticize AO as much if he was teamed up with some other player than some random grinder and Kuznetsov in one of the biggest slumps I've ever seen.
 
I don't know if Znarok will remain coaching national team.
What other candidates can possibly improve our play?

I'm not counting Bykov (he's busy with family), Bragin (He is good with junior team and that's fine for junior team), Billyaletdinov (no comment).
Nazarov, Nikitin, Vitolinsh - I doubt that.
Kvartalnov, Zakharkin (alone), Vorobiev - may be they haven't enough authority for players to be head coach.

Who else can be here? Yurzinov Senior? May be Fetisov on the World Cup of Hockey?
 
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