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

[TheNumber4]

A medal for beating players not even good enough for the AHL. Woopsy f***in doo Datsyuk. Putin got a gun to your head or what?

 

[Riddum]

I'd love to see a super series Canada vs Russia. That would be amazing

 

[SovietWings]

If somebody deserved the Olympic gold from the Russian team, it's Datsyuk. He doesn't deserve the crap here...
And he already has multiple cups, so it's perfectly understandable he values the Olympic Gold more. It was somenthing he was still missing. "And no I have no dream" - because he won everything he could (except World Cup but nobody gives a sh*t about that).

You also need to understand that the European kids playing hockey dream about winning World Championship and Olympic Gold. If they dream about NHL, they firstly dream about having a chance to play there. Winning Stanley Cup, that's not "kid's dream" for Europeans, but Olympic Gold is - and that's what makes it more valuable. It's something he dreamt about probably since he was 6 years old watching the Olympics in Sarajevo. When he started to dream about Stanley Cup? Maybe after he was drafted... after he was invited to Red Wings training camp?

The best on best argument is silly in this perspective. What should he say... "Winning Olympic Gold was my dream since I was five, but now I will throw it in the garbage, because McDavid wasn't here so the tournament was a joke." ?

 

[sdf]

I see some here do not understand why the Russians attach such importance to this tournament and victory in it. So, me too

 

[Knave]

You don't get 424 players, only 23

Kucherov best forward in the NHL
Malkin 2nd best forward in the NHL
Ovechkin best scorer in the NHL
Vasilevsky best goalie in the NHL replaces AHL caliber Koshechkin

Panarin/Kuznetsov/Radulov/Tarasenko could all be 2nd/3rd liners on team Canada talent wise.

Provorov/Orlov/Zaitsev/Sergachev/Zadorov all easily better than any D on team Russia other than Voynov

Russians were vocal throughout the last few years about wanting NHL players at the Olympics

Lol. Yeah and Canada lost a full roster, America lost a full roster. Players who can win and not whine. Look at team Russia. It's always filled with KHL players because they lack depth of top end talent. Simple facts.

It's obvious which team was hurt by far the least. The team that lacked depth, that lacked winning pedigree. The Russians.

The attempts by Russian posters to claim every nation was equally hurt by NHL players not participating is a joke. Expected but still a hilarious read. I guess you have to rewrite history to make a nothingburger win seem important and equally valuable....and people mocking you are insecure? LOL.

 

[Xokkeu]

If I were any good at hockey I’d value an Olympic gold more than the cup. Especially if I was from a smaller country. Man if I was Finnish or Czech or Slovak and captained a team to Olympic gold. You’d be a legend forever.

 

[Bear12Good]

Lol. Yeah and Canada lost a full roster, America lost a full roster. Players who can win and not whine. Look at team Russia. It's always filled with KHL players because they lack depth of top end talent. Simple facts.

It's obvious which team was hurt by far the least. The team that lacked depth, that lacked winning pedigree. The Russians.

Are you seriously?

KHL players like Voinov ,Kovi,Datsyuk,Gusev,Kaprizov -100% nhl level player.
In Sochi best russian players was khl-rs Kovi and Radu

 

[Bear12Good]

Daxi

Do you see weak players here?

full russian roster.

Bobrovsky,Vasilevsky,Sorokin (KHL)

Gusev(khl) Namestnikov Kucherov
Panarin Malkin Tarasenko
Ovechkin Kuznetzov Radulov
Buchnevich Anisimov Kaprizov(KHL)
Kovalchuk(KHL)-Datsyuk(KHL)-Dadonov

Zaytsev-Provorov
Voinov(KHL)-Orlov
Sergachyov-Tryamkin(khl)
Zadorov

Kulikov/Emelin
not bad right?

 

[Riddum]

Daxi

Do you see weak players here?

full russian roster.

Bobrovsky,Vasilevsky,Sorokin (KHL)

Gusev(khl) Namestnikov Kucherov
Panarin Malkin Tarasenko
Ovechkin Kuznetzov Radulov
Buchnevich Anisimov Kaprizov(KHL)
Kovalchuk(KHL)-Datsyuk(KHL)-Dadonov

Zaytsev-Provorov
Voinov(KHL)-Orlov
Sergachyov-Tryamkin(khl)
Zadorov

Kulikov/Emelin
not bad right?

I think Team Sweden, Team USA and Team Finland beats them.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

Daxi

Do you see weak players here?

full russian roster.

Bobrovsky,Vasilevsky,Sorokin (KHL)

Gusev(khl) Namestnikov Kucherov
Panarin Malkin Tarasenko
Ovechkin Kuznetzov Radulov
Buchnevich Anisimov Kaprizov(KHL)
Kovalchuk(KHL)-Datsyuk(KHL)-Dadonov

Zaytsev-Provorov
Voinov(KHL)-Orlov
Sergachyov-Tryamkin(khl)
Zadorov

Kulikov/Emelin
not bad right?

Its not a bad roster, its just not nearly as good as Canada's and because of the defense I would have it behind USA and Sweden, maybe even finland.

I dont agree that Russia is 3-5th place. Just look at the NHL leaders right now. you have Russians players leading in almost every category. I pray that in 2022 the NHL let its players participate because Russia will be a favorite to win gold again.
Russia is always a favorite in every hockey tournament it participates. to say that they are 3-5th is not true.

Define
"a favourite" because If NHLers go in 2022 I would still put Canada and the US ahead of them, so I would have them in the 3-5th group with Sweden and Finland.

 

[Gsus]

Whatever, but I'm sure most of us value Stanley Cup more than this years olympic gold. The work you put in a Stanley Cup winning year vs a year where NHL'ers weren't even allowed and you also couldn't represent your flag because your country is full of doping.

 

[Brock Radunske]

Seriously? He thinks getting a gold medal against high-end beer leaguers while not even technically representing his country means more than winning a Cup?
Yikes. To each their own, I guess.

 

[Instincts]

So many idiotic posts here. Gratz Pavel

 

[Bear12Good]

I think Team Sweden, Team USA and Team Finland beats them.

Maybe. I think Russia can win Team Finland, SWE and USA fifty-fifty. Сandada right now almost unbeatable.

 

[Bear12Good]

Its not a bad roster, its just not nearly as good as Canada's and because of the defense I would have it behind USA and Sweden, maybe even finland.


Define
"a favourite" because If NHLers go in 2022 I would still put Canada and the US ahead of them, so I would have them in the 3-5th group with Sweden and Finland.

Russian defense line better Finland defense line.

 

[psycat]

Obviously all European/Russian players feel like this even if they dont say it.

 

[Nervousbreakdown]

Maybe. I think Russia can win Team Finland, SWE and USA fifty-fifty. Сandada right now almost unbeatable.

I think its more like 50/50 against Finland and Sweden, US is ahead of Russia, They have less at the top end of their offense but are deeper through the bottom 6 and there D core is just incredible.

 

[Alessandro Seren Rosso]

I don't get what's so controversial about it.

Datsyuk was born in 1978 and probably had no access to the NHL whatsoever growing up. Meanwhile, he grew up watching those CCCP teams and it's Russian legendary players dominate international tournaments.

– If you could choose, Stanley Cup or Olympic Gold Medal?
– Well, what about both? (Laughs.) Seriously speaking, I’d probably take the Olympics, after all it’s played only every fourth year.

Kirill Kaprizov, born in 1997
https://thehockeywriters.com/kirill-kaprizov-interview/

 

[Daeni10]

It's funny to see that the OAR is such a big deal on here. In Germany everyone just called them Russia and while it was obviously a topic, nobody I know thought that its OAR winning those medals and not Russia

 

[Bear12Good]

It's funny to see that the OAR is such a big deal on here. In Germany everyone just called them Russia and while it was obviously a topic, nobody I know thought that its OAR winning those medals and not Russia

LOLWAT? OAR = Russia.

 

[Daeni10]

LOLWAT? OAR = Russia.

I mean yeah but some people on here are saying that OAR won gold and the Olympic flag won gold and not Russia while nobody cared about it as much in Germany. Nobody said OAR won gold but Russia won gold

 

[Rebels57]

That's pretty sad considering the level of competition he finally achieved it against.

 

[FlameChampion]

I wouldnt read too much into it. I think its probably feels more special to him because its taken 5 tries to achieve it. There was probably some point, after numerous heart breaks, that he didnt think it would happen. He won the stanley cup (on a great team) pretty early on his career, so he probably takes it for granted a bit.

 

[Baxterman]

The Europeans value an Olympic Gold/World Championship win more than a Stanely Cup rings pretty hollow when we see so few/close to zero leave the NHL to try and win one.

I am sure it is a bigger deal to them than North American players and I am sure immediately after winning one it seems amazing for Datsyuk but based on what we see I have a real hard time believing that there is even close to a majority of Europeans that feel that way.

 

[ImporterExporter]

What a joke. You win a medal where NHL players aren't allowed to participate and claim it means more than a SC?

Perception is reality I guess.....