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GDT: Exhibition game - Canada Vs Russia

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Yakushev72 said:
A good win for Canada, but not a dominant one by any means. If this team compares favorably to the 2005 team, it wasn't obvious tonight. Still, a deserving win.

For Russia, all of us fans were waiting with anticipation to see what we would get, since Larionov had never coached a game before. Would it be an Igor Larionov cliche, or would we see something new and wonderful! A Larionov cliche is what we got. No physicality, no defensive pressure in the neutral zone, no offensive pressure on the net in the Canadian zone. What we saw was the team constantly moving the puck backward. Regrouping or rewinding in the defensive zone. You can't score goals from the defensive zone, and they showed an inability to control the puck for any extended time in the offensive zone. So for Russian fans, we have to prepare ourselves once again for the fight for the Bronze Medal.
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A bit tough on your guys after their first exhibition game together. I thought they played with good pace and showed some real talent. Get better every game is the motto. You will be there at the end.
 
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Yakushev72 said:
A good win for Canada, but not a dominant one by any means. If this team compares favorably to the 2005 team, it wasn't obvious tonight. Still, a deserving win.

For Russia, all of us fans were waiting with anticipation to see what we would get, since Larionov had never coached a game before. Would it be an Igor Larionov cliche, or would we see something new and wonderful! A Larionov cliche is what we got. No physicality, no defensive pressure in the neutral zone, no offensive pressure on the net in the Canadian zone. What we saw was the team constantly moving the puck backward. Regrouping or rewinding in the defensive zone. You can't score goals from the defensive zone, and they showed an inability to control the puck for any extended time in the offensive zone. So for Russian fans, we have to prepare ourselves once again for the fight for the Bronze Medal.
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You didn't watch the Karjala tournament, I take it...
 
canuck2010 said:
A bit tough on your guys after their first exhibition game together. I thought they played with good pace and showed some real talent. Get better every game is the motto. You will be there at the end.
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I thought it was a pretty well played game overall given the circumstances. Not a ton of chances for either team but good pace and attention to detail.
 
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canuck2010 said:
A bit tough on your guys after their first exhibition game together. I thought they played with good pace and showed some real talent. Get better every game is the motto. You will be there at the end.
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If I sounded like I was taking it out on the players, then I didn't communicate my point properly. There is good talent on the team, and I believe that they are capable of more than just being shut out. My intent was to be tough on, or at least skeptical of, how Larionov plans to lead them to victory. There was an article about how he plans to use Liverpool of the English Premier League as a model for how he wants the team to play. That might explain why the team kept moving the puck backward into the defensive zone all night for a regroup. I am skeptical of that approach, but I will admit that I was hopeful that Bragin would be replaced by one of the guys just down the bench from Larionov - Filatov. His aggressive, attacking defense in the neutral zone has worked very well with younger age groups in flipping the ice - less time in the defensive zone and more time attacking the opponent's goal. But, as you suggest, it was just a pre-tournament game, and maybe things will settle down and start to work more effectively.
 
Yakushev72 said:
If I sounded like I was taking it out on the players, then I didn't communicate my point properly. There is good talent on the team, and I believe that they are capable of more than just being shut out. My intent was to be tough on, or at least skeptical of, how Larionov plans to lead them to victory. There was an article about how he plans to use Liverpool of the English Premier League as a model for how he wants the team to play. That might explain why the team kept moving the puck backward into the defensive zone all night for a regroup. I am skeptical of that approach, but I will admit that I was hopeful that Bragin would be replaced by one of the guys just down the bench from Larionov - Filatov. His aggressive, attacking defense in the neutral zone has worked very well with younger age groups in flipping the ice - less time in the defensive zone and more time attacking the opponent's goal. But, as you suggest, it was just a pre-tournament game, and maybe things will settle down and start to work more effectively.
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I seem to recall the old Soviet teams of the late 60s and early 70s doing the same thing. I'll keep my eye out for that.
In the meantime let's all hope for no more serious injuries and no more Covid.

Enjoy the games Yak.
 
Yakushev72 said:
So they beat Finland, Sweden and the Czechs?
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All of whom are Big 6 hockey nations.

I didn’t think the Russians played that bad yesterday, both starting goalies were good. It was a fast, tight checking hockey game by two of the best hockey nations in the world.

Lots to learn from for both sides. For Canada our PP in particular was atrocious, I thought the Russians struggled a bit when Canada was forechecking fast on the pucks and hemming them in.

Both teams traded good chances, game could have went either way. I watched a re-run of it earl today,, came away with the same thoughts a second time. It was as close as the 1-0 score indicates.

Best of luck in group play, hopefully we meet for Gold.
 
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canuck2010 said:
I seem to recall the old Soviet teams of the late 60s and early 70s doing the same thing. I'll keep my eye out for that.
In the meantime let's all hope for no more serious injuries and no more Covid.

Enjoy the games Yak.
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Thank you, you too my friend. I was really sorry to see that Dach got injured, and hope he can just focus on mending. But if any team can afford to lose a player, even a star like Dach, it is Canada. You guys have talent up and down the roster.
 
Really a bit of a freak injury.....simply a hockey collision that happens dozens of times in each period. Unfortunately could be a facture or ligament damage. A big loss not only for Canada at the WJHC, but also for the Hawks. Dach was an important player for them, even at such a young age.
 
Yakushev72 said:
So you are suggesting that by tomorrow against the US, we might see Larionov put his cards on the table, with significantly different strategies and tactics? That seems unlikely to me, given the thrown-together nature of this tournament and the short time frames to produce results. It seems that it would be more practical to work on perfecting what it is you plan to do.
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I doubt that Russia worried about things like matchups or strategies for a pre-tournament game. Think they will be much more organized tomorrow night and the ice time will be divided much differently.

Of course the same will be true for the USA.
 
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