International year in review!

[Czechboy]

You missing my point, the point is how can it be best on best when one of the best team in the world is not there?? Let's say that instead of Russia being banned it would be Canada not playing what would you say then?? Would it still be best on best if Canada was not participating??? To say oh if it was Canada then it would different story but because its Russia it's okay because we don't like them?? Take a look at the NHL stats and you will see Russian players being at the top of the list as NHL's best players. Kucherov, Panarin, Kaprizov, Shesterkin, Bobrovsky, Vasilevsky ect... So when was the last time USA won best-on-best Olympics? When was last time Finland won best-on-best Olympics? So let's just have an Olympic tournament with countries that have won best-on-best Czechia, Canada and Sweden all the other countries not important?? Do i think Russia deserves to be there no they don't but we there's need to be an asterisk quoting that Russia one of the top hockey nation in the world was banned.

Finn's have never had a chance at best on best with their new generation. Feel for them.

Your list of amazing Russians is a bit short.

After kuch, panarin and Kaprizov there is a 30 point gap to malkin.

Goalies are undeniably excellent as are those 3 forwards.

And don't get me wrong.. definitely a top hockey nation but not very good at the best on best (already listed above).

I do think they are on the rise though and michkov is amazing. Some of the D seem promising as well. Very short on quality centres

 

[Czechboy]

Better than the Czechs but we aren't invited to the next tourney. Maybe it should have an asterisk too?

And my point isn't to insult Russians but I just feel like it is a noticeable dropoff... Ovi, Malkin and Tarasenko are probably on the decline.

Those top 3 are absolute fire though.

 

[Czechboy]

Honestly I don’t think the asterisk to a tournament missing the Czech team would be that huge. Yes, a top team would be missing and it would greatly upset me and other Czech fans. But it simply would not invalidate a tournament. It would be below full possible strength but it would hardly invalidate all the amazing wins by the top teams and other teams.

Canada on the other hand would have a huge asterisk next to it. See the gold medalists since 2002 in best on best hockey at the Olympics. I am not a Canada fan, that in my mind is just simple fact.

I think we need to go on the 4 nations tourney GDT's and write 'asterisk, the Defending World Champs aren't here' daily during the week long tourney. Every GDT, every discussion, every team thread. Just keep reminding them we aren't there. And if that sounds pathetic, I agree.

 

[Jon Riley]

Why are we acting like it wasn't Russia's own decisions?
Do all the 100 m runs need to have an asterisk because Bolt is not there anymore?

 

[Old Man Jags]

Why are we acting like it wasn't Russia's own decisions?
Do all the 100 m runs need to have an asterisk because Bolt is not there anymore?

I want an asterisk because Hasek and Jagr are not in their prime anymore. Imagine what we would do in those games with prime Jagr.

 

[Fil]

I think we need to go on the 4 nations tourney GDT's and write 'asterisk, the Defending World Champs aren't here' daily during the week long tourney. Every GDT, every discussion, every team thread. Just keep reminding them we aren't there. And if that sounds pathetic, I agree.

S**t tournament anyway.
Like how does that make sense?
The world champions and the runners up aren't there?

 

[Czechboy]

S**t tournament anyway.
Like how does that make sense?
The world champions and the runners up aren't th

ere

I'm excited for the Finn's tbh

 

[albator71]

I think we need to go on the 4 nations tourney GDT's and write 'asterisk, the Defending World Champs aren't here' daily during the week long tourney. Every GDT, every discussion, every team thread. Just keep reminding them we aren't there. And if that sounds pathetic, I agree.

The NHL's 4 nations cup is a joke anyway, how in the hell you allow Sweden and Finland and not have Czechia, Swiss??? What will the 4 nations cup prove anyway?? It's a waste of time.

 

[Czechboy]

The NHL's 4 nations cup is a joke anyway, how in the hell you allow Sweden and Finland and not have Czechia, Swiss??? What will the 4 nations cup prove anyway?? It's a waste of time.

I hate it... But it could be exceptional hockey. But I am definitely bitter. If there are 7 Czechs playing d in February.. will riot lol

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Every tournament without Russia has very little credibility and every winner must have an asterisk to its name

I mean if Russian actually won things sometimes you'd have a good argument lol

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

“No politics” crowd when people actually try to exclude politics from sports is what you get in this thread.

@Summer Rose

It has been... Another garbage year for Russia

Your whining won’t change any opinions.
People who agree with you will regardless of it, those who don’t won’t be swayed.

 

[Jon Riley]

To be fair sport, as most of the things that attract mass attention, has always been and will always be "politics"

 

[ViD]

I mean if Russian actually won things sometimes you'd have a good argument lol

Olympic Gold 2018
Olympic Silver 2022
WHC Bronze 2019
And pretty much medaled every year at WHC prior to that

 

[Summer Rose]

Had to clean this thread up. Tread lightly please.

 

[Eye of Ra]

Olympic Gold 2018
Olympic Silver 2022
WHC Bronze 2019
And pretty much medaled every year at WHC prior to that

none of this tournaments where best on best

 

[ViD]

none of this tournaments where best on best

The last best on best was 8 years ago, the last Olympics 10 years ago

 

[Old Man Jags]

The last best on best was 8 years ago, the last Olympics 10 years ago

And the last world championships Russia won were 10 years ago.

 

[ViD]

And the last world championships Russia won were 10 years ago.

Ok, so ? The last Olympics Russia won was 6 years ago, same not best on best. And then Russia didn’t participate last 3 years..

 

[Old Man Jags]

Ok, so ? The last Olympics Russia won was 6 years ago, same not best on best. And then Russia didn’t participate last 3 years..

Head over to the thread “International Year In Review” where this topic is discussed at length and I post at length in response to some Russian posters at length. I know some Russian posters and fans are absolutely obsessed with this topic like a dog with a bone that won’t let go, it is getting very, very repetitive and tiring. Just head over there, everyone’s opinions are there and consider not posting the same stuff Russia s have posted a million times over.

EDIT: Oops, this is the thread “International Year in Review”, my bad. So you saw all the exchanges and are still blathering on about this. Wow, OK. Sorry you are so bitter.

Again: Canada - big asterisk, especially best on best. Russia - no more asterisk than any other top nation, and its absence does not invalidate any of the great games played between the other teams. Russians tend to massively overestimate Russia’s significance.

 

[Old Man Jags]

Had to clean this thread up. Tread lightly please.

@Summer Rose: I would say that on this particular thread, when it comes to Russia, posters on both sides of the opinion divide have done a good job keeping politics completely out of it, unlike in previous threads. This is about Russia’s medals record relative to other nations mostly, and how big an asterisk there should or shouldn’t be based on past achievements. No politics in it. There might be strong differing opinions, like some of us might raise the constant whining of Russian posters in our minds being delusional about the importance of the Russian hockey team. But that’s not political.

EDIT: Maybe a few robust (non-political) opinions, but definitely no more robust than some expressed between posters living the (not always entirely) friendly Swedish - Finnish rivalry

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

McKenna was the highlight of the year for Canada, imo.

Good to see Czech get it done at the worlds, was a great moment.

 

[kabidjan18]

I miss Russia being in the big hockey tournaments. No one should pretend they don't add tremendous value to the international hockey scene. Do I think it's still appropriate, the way it's being handled currently? Yes. But that doesn't mean I don't wish they weren't there, it would make for more interesting matchups and more interesting games. Which is what we are all rooting for at the end of the day.

 

[martygod12]

Olympic Gold 2018
Olympic Silver 2022
WHC Bronze 2019
And pretty much medaled every year at WHC prior to that

2018 shit tournament without all NHL players
2022 shit tournament without all NHL players
WHC bronze is nice but nothing really jaw dropping

They are not even close to being the big powerhouse hockey cant live without. A top team sure, but there is another 6 and then another 3-4 good ones so the quality really doesnt suffer that much.

If I didnt see Russia on an international level ever again, I would definitely not be upset and wont care one bit lol.

 

[Old Man Jags]

Most people still talking about the absence of Russia are Russians, just as you. The rest of us don't really think about it.

Actually this is an underrated comment. It perfectly expresses in two sentences what I believe the vast majority of non-Russian hockey fans have been feeling.

We do not sit in the corner rubbing our hands together, gleefully thinking, “gee, am I happy that Russia is not playing”. We just don’t think about Russia at all. We are only reminded because Russian posters insist on constantly reminding us.

I guess I really meant what Urbanskog posted when I said a while ago that I don’t miss Russia. Then of course the deluge of Russian reactions came about asterisks and tournaments being worthless, etc. But I didn’t mean that Russia’s absence did not result in a decrease in quality to some extent - it did of course (though not nearly as big as Russian fans seem to think). But my feeling is ‘so what’. The hockey world has moved on and is fine.

 

[weklof]

I do think they are on the rise though and michkov is amazing. Some of the D seem promising as well. Very short on quality centres

The US and Canada have excellent centers, but most European nations feel like they 1-2 top centers and then there is a massive drop.

Sweden has Pettersson and Zibanejad, but after that? Leo Carlsson has potential but haven't broken through yet. Elias Lindholm? Good, but certainly not elite. W. Karlsson, Eriksson Ek, Backlund? Bottom 6 at best-on-best max

Czechia? Hertl and Zacha are probably the best, then it gets dicey.

Russia you already mentioned.

Finland probably has the best case with Barkov, Aho, Hintz, Lundell and Granlund.

What I am trying to say is that most Euro nations are one injury to a star center from being significantly weakend for the Olympics.

I get flashbacks from Sweden starting the gold medal game with Patrik Berglund and frickin' Jimmie Ericsson as their top centers