Olympics: Datsyuk says this medal means more than the Stanley Cup

[beowulf]

Didn't read the whole thread but I don't get how he could find this being more meaningful than his Cup wins. I could understand if it was best against the best like past Olympics but this was a fairly stacked Russian team against a bunch of team with former NHLers and minor league or Euro league players. Not exactly the best competition.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Posters in this thread are focused too much on the competition. I doubt Datsyuk cares whether or not this tournament proves he's the best, or that Russian hockey is the best. He won an Olympic Gold in hockey which is a HUGE deal to the Russian public, and he was the team captain at that.

We have to keep in mind that Russia has been starving for this medal since 1992. They don't care how they won it (as long as they didn't get caught cheating or anything), or that politics weakened their main opposition, they just care that they won it. And to Pavel, having that effect on his home country is worth more than the personal glory he achieved from winning the Cup.

I understand why so many people want to put an asterisk to this tournament, but let the man assign whatever meaning he wants to the events in his life.

I mean, this is equivalent to a top-level team in a beer league dropping down 2 tiers and playing C-level hockey so that they can win a tournament. "They don't care how they won it, they just care that they won it" doesn't really make it better.

Pavel has the right to assign meaning to whatever he wants, but in this case it makes him look like a smaller man.

 

[hairylikebear]

I mean, this is equivalent to a top-level team in a beer league dropping down 2 tiers and playing C-level hockey so that they can win a tournament. "They don't care how they won it, they just care that they won it" doesn't really make it better.

Pavel has the right to assign meaning to whatever he wants, but in this case it makes him look like a smaller man.

Which tournament 2 levels higher than the Olympics did Datsyuk elect not to participate in? I fail to see the equivalence.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Which tournament 2 levels higher than the Olympics did Datsyuk elect not to participate in? I fail to see the equivalence.

The Stanley Cup playoffs.

 

[hairylikebear]

The Stanley Cup playoffs.

Wait, I can't be understanding your point correctly.

Are you saying Datsyuk thought the Stanley Cup was too hard to win so he left the NHL to win an easier tournament? And now you think him petty to say the Olympics were worth more all along? I know you didn't forget this guy is a two time cup champion.

 

[JETZZZ]

In North America, an Olympic gold is nothing compared to the Stanley cup. Look at Ken Morrow for example. He was a complete NOBODY until 1980...when he won his first of 4 Stanley cups with the Islanders. Obviously way more of a career defining moment than if he won some random medal at a silly tournament of non NHLers.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Wait, I can't be understanding your point correctly.

Are you saying Datsyuk thought the Stanley Cup was too hard to win so he left the NHL to win an easier tournament? And now you think him petty to say the Olympics were worth more all along? I know you didn't forget this guy is a two time cup champion.

You’re right, you don’t understand my point.

Datsyuk just played on an A-quality team to win an C-quality tournament, and said it’s more meaningful than winning an actual A-quality tournament. That’s silly, even if it’s his genuine feeling.

 

[hairylikebear]

You’re right, you don’t understand my point.

Datsyuk just played on an A-quality team to win an C-quality tournament, and said it’s more meaningful than winning an actual A-quality tournament. That’s silly, even if it’s his genuine feeling.

Okay. It was a misleading analogy so I needed clarification.

I'll chalk this up to a difference between an individualistic North American culture and a nationalistic Russian one. To say it makes him a smaller man is extreme to me, but you're entitled to that opinion.

 

[Mac Williams]

The Lightning would have killed the Russians, as would the Predators or other top end NHL teams.

Not that I don't think Pavel should be excited after winning, gold is gold. But he's just playing to the Russian fans with these comments.

 

[shello]

I don't know, if I was the Russian's I'd be embarrassed. They should have destroyed this tournament, not barely get by.

 

[ArGarBarGar]

You’re right, you don’t understand my point.

Datsyuk just played on an A-quality team to win an C-quality tournament, and said it’s more meaningful than winning an actual A-quality tournament. That’s silly, even if it’s his genuine feeling.

I think a lot of it has to do with a few things:

1. He is from a country that does not host the league that the Stanley Cup is won in, meaning the concept of winning it as the end goal of playing the sport being "ingrained" in the [hockey] culture like it is here doesn't exist (unless native Russians can clarify that it actually does).
2. He won the Stanley Cup his first ever NHL season as a rookie, never having to really struggle to earn it for the first time like he did with the gold medal.
3. There could very well be a national pride issue with the Russian team being so awful in recent Olympic events and having a black mark on the program. This could be seen as vindication to a point.

I personally don't care either way, but I can at least understand his perspective as someone who is not from North America and won a Stanley Cup immediately upon joining the league.

 

[tarheelhockey]

This could be seen as vindication to a point.

I guess that's my point -- what does this really vindicate? It's like a football team getting relegated, winning at the lower level, and then saying they've vindicated themselves for struggling at the higher level. It only makes sense if you put on blinders and pretend that the level of competition doesn't actually matter.

Of course I understand that Datsyuk isn't going to get up on a podium in front of the press and say something like that. And of course the Olympics are all about nationalist sentiment. But I certainly hope that he doesn't genuinely feel like this was a greater achievement than beating Crosby and Malkin for the Stanley Cup. If he sincerely believes that, he's delusional at best.

 

[jj cale]

I guess that's my point -- what does this really vindicate? It's like a football team getting relegated, winning at the lower level, and then saying they've vindicated themselves for struggling at the higher level. It only makes sense if you put on blinders and pretend that the level of competition doesn't actually matter.

Of course I understand that Datsyuk isn't going to get up on a podium in front of the press and say something like that. And of course the Olympics are all about nationalist sentiment. But I certainly hope that he doesn't genuinely feel like this was a greater achievement than beating Crosby and Malkin for the Stanley Cup. If he sincerely believes that, he's delusional at best.

I don't doubt winning the olympic gold means more to Pavel but I agree with you that beating Crosby and Malkin for the cup was a far bigger accomplishment.

What he assigns priority to as far as his feelings go is his call and one that only he can make.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

People are allowed to be proud of whatever they choose to. That said, no serious hockey fan or anyone interested in hockey history is ever going to consider this a meaningful accomplishment.

 

[Eisen]

Reading these comments are gross, no good reason to degrade Russia by taking their flag away. People gloating losing because the winner couldn't wave their flag? The decline of Western culture on full display.

Russia still showed up and won the event that matters most.

Than they go complain against their own state which gave every athlete in Russia a bad name. The athletes have not been degraded by the IOC but but there very own organisations and state.

 

[beowulf]

Okay. It was a misleading analogy so I needed clarification.

I'll chalk this up to a difference between an individualistic North American culture and a nationalistic Russian one. To say it makes him a smaller man is extreme to me, but you're entitled to that opinion.

What? How is NHL hockey more individual than Olympic or Russian hockey? You don't think Canadians are mad happy when someone wins for Canada? Makes no sense.

 

[sdf]

Olympics with nhl-ers >> Stanley Cup
Olympics without them is garbage
It is must be clear no matter are you NA fans or if you from Africa)))

 

[Sentinel]

Olympic medal matters to him for one simple reason: you can't switch your country every season like you can with NHL clubs. Your country can't trade you away. So country matters a great deal more than the city where you may not even be playing tomorrow, and then your own fans will boo you (Chelios and Chicago, for example). They can't take your country's pride from you. They tried... and Russians still sang their national anthem.

You can moan about the quality of this year's Olympics, but it's not Datsyuk's fault. He played his part and captained his team to its first medal since 92. Moreover you all make it sound like it's 1980 again, and the Russians brought the pros, while everyone else brought students. This Olympics have shown that outside NHL Russia is #1. And Datsyuk is proud of this.

 

[Canes]

Olympic medal matters to him for one simple reason: you can't switch your country every season like you can with NHL clubs. Your country can't trade you away. So country matters a great deal more than the city where you may not even be playing tomorrow, and then your own fans will boo you (Chelios and Chicago, for example). They can't take your country's pride from you. They tried... and Russians still sang their national anthem.

You can moan about the quality of this year's Olympics, but it's not Datsyuk's fault. He played his part and captained his team to its first medal since 92. Moreover you all make it sound like it's 1980 again, and the Russians brought the pros, while everyone else brought students. This Olympics have shown that outside NHL Russia is #1. And Datsyuk is proud of this.

You also can't choose which country you're from (for the most part)

Guys like Kopitar and Chara had/have no shot at ever winning gold. That you are able to win gold has a lot to do with circumstance where you are born, when, etc,

 

[GeeoffBrown]

Datsyuk is a great player and a great ambassador to the game. I'm glad he accomplished something that is important to him. Don't know why people in this thread are trying to tell Pavel how he feels...

 

[TheMule93]

People are allowed to be proud of whatever they choose to. That said, no serious hockey fan or anyone interested in hockey history is ever going to consider this a meaningful accomplishment.

except for pavel, at least

 

[VVP]

Well, Olympics of 1988 had no NHLers, but they was great so were 1984, 1992, and so on. By that standard Stanley Cup before Soviet players could play there were also crap, because they were missing some of the top talent.

 

[llwyd]

I think this is purely a cultural issue - the Olympics simply are hugely respected in Russia. Also in other European hockey countries but bit less intensely so. It's completely understandable that he thinks that way and I have no problem respecting his sentiments. But for myself the level of the tournament is still rather important - I think that hard core hockey fans in Finland and Sweden would not have the same respect for this gold should either country have gotten it. Don't know about the Russian fans, maybe it is bit different for them. But I see this issue as no cause to disparage and disrespect such a legendary player.

 

[sdf]

Even the nhl WC f***ing joke is much more important than this Olimpics

 

[cbj21]

Pretty much anyone not living in America grows up watching the Olympics and for them thats the big sport tournament in the world.
Winning Gold is special no matter what. To talk it down is just ignorance.