All-Time IIHF Team. Do Soviets deserve to have a 4 players? Only ONE Canadian! (Wayne Gretzky)

[JackSlater]

It seems to me this is a list about nostalgia for two specific tournaments between Canada and Russia rather than a list of players with impressive international accomplishments in best on best tournaments

I don't believe they care that much about best on best. Since the IIHF has had barely any connection to best on best tournaments and actively worked against them, it isn't surprising. I am certain that most Canadians do not care about the iihf all time team and I expect that roughly 0 Americans care about it. Maybe people do in Europe, I don't really know. It's a frivilous thing like the NHL's top 100.

 

[VistamarCroissants]

you just need to watch him a bit on YouTube. Basically, he is Datsyuk with exceptional acceleration and top speed. Thus puts him in the same category as McDavid. A bit worse than Wayne but much better than those who benefited from their physical dimensions (Lemeaux, Malkin, Ovechkin and others).

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I had the chance to watch Makarov play in those early years, long before YouTube made everything accessible, and long before he joined the NHL. He was a special player, no question about it. In fact, he was my favourite of all the Soviet players.
But if you’re talking about the very best, then you have to put Fetisov in a category of his own. He was a cut above. The way he read the game, his poise, his leadership—he was in a class by himself. Makarov had the flair, no doubt, but Fetisov had the complete game.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Was the Canada Cup actually sanctioned by the IIHF?

When you write “sanctioned” do you mean “authorized” or the opposite? I’m sure the French “sanctionner” wouldn’t also be its own opposite.

 

[Reindl87]

When you write “sanctioned” do you mean “authorized” or the opposite? I’m sure the French “sanctionner” wouldn’t also be its own opposite.

Yes, I mean authorized/reckognized.

 

[Albatros]

It seems to me this is a list about nostalgia for two specific tournaments between Canada and Russia rather than a list of players with impressive international accomplishments in best on best tournaments

Salming is there basically because he got a standing ovation in Toronto.

 

[DamonDRW]

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I had the chance to watch Makarov play in those early years, long before YouTube made everything accessible, and long before he joined the NHL. He was a special player, no question about it. In fact, he was my favourite of all the Soviet players.
But if you’re talking about the very best, then you have to put Fetisov in a category of his own. He was a cut above. The way he read the game, his poise, his leadership—he was in a class by himself. Makarov had the flair, no doubt, but Fetisov had the complete game.

let's agree to disagree

 

[ijuka]

It’s right in the text of OP which tournaments qualify, for those that read it.

From OP

with a requirement that they must have performed "at the highest possible level (Olympics, the IIHF World Championship or the Canada Cup/World Cup tournaments

Oh, and here I thought that "the all-time IIHF team" was about IIHF, my bad.

sort of like: "who is the best KHL player of all time?" "alex ovechkin because of his NHL performance"

makes sense

 

[Astyanax]

what? He is probably the best Russian ever. At the very worst he is in top-3. Better than Kharlamov, Ovechkin, Malkin. Miles better than Krutov, Larionov, Petrov, Fetisov, Bure, Fedorov, etc

I will not argue with your take on Russian players rankings nor suggest that makarov doesn't belong on the all time iihf list. But to suggest that he is "miles" better than larionov? Simply not true. Also that Firsov was pretty good in is day.