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GDT: May 25 • Gold Medal Game • Part II [MOD WARNING IN OP]

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Yakushev72 said:
The reason that Canadians are genuinely terrified of Russian hockey is a fear for the future. They've seen Russia (aka USSR) catch up even with them in the past and probably surpass them, creating the need for a home-staged Canada Cup tournament, which even then Canada won by the margin of single goal in over 20 games. Canadians fear the likelihood that it will happen again, which is why they cry out so emotionally over a game that took place long after their team had flown home to Canada. Russia is busy in an expansion of youth hockey, and what happens if Canada eventually just can't match the numbers? Truthfully, no other country poses this same threat to Canadian self-images of superiority. They fear the inevitability, maybe as soon as 2018, where they will be looking up the podium to shake hands with the new sheriff in town.
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We were supposed to be looking up the podium in 2014 but that didn't happen.

This was a team that "couldn't win on international ice" and had "never won a best-on-best tournament that wasn't staged on North-American soil".

My worries in that respect were unfounded as Canada ran the table.

So, as far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty pleased with the state of Canadian hockey right now. It hasn't looked this good since the 80s and early 90s.
 
Canuckistani said:
Nope. Team USA poses a far greater threat to Canada, both in terms of talent pool (500,000+ registered players) and recent performances at the top level (silvers in 2002, 2010, a 1-0 SF loss in Sochi).

Russia, meanwhile, has about 70,000 players, has stopped producing top-notch defensemen, and can't seem to get out of the QF at the Olympics, even on home ice.

Russia still has the talent to always be capable of winning, but lately they just haven't. If anything Canadians are becoming complacent about Russia, not fearful.
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Canadians becoming complacent about Russia? You would never know it by the posts you see in this thread. You'd think that Canada was playing for a World Championship instead of watching it on TV. Canada was definitely the best team in Sochi and deserved to win, but the margin is very narrow. Even a slight uptick could dislodge them from their slot. Meanwhile, Canada is on a losing streak at the WJC, and the Russians are consistently beating the Canadians in medal round games at that level. Although Canada may list 500,000registered, the past week proved that there is still not sufficient depth to medal at the World Championships.

Russian hockey appears set on a course of expansion that could easily triple or quadruple the number of youth players in the next 5 or 6 years. Its going to take a few years to reap the benefits of it, but that is a level of expansion that Canada, which is already maxed out, cannot match. I certainly do believe that the long range future of hockey may well be Russia vs. the United States, but there just isn't that much impetus in the US for hockey to grow. Its still mainly a regional sport in the US, in the Northeast and Midwest, and hockey just isn't that popular in comparison to other sports with which it competes for the best athletes. The more that the KHL catches on among local fans, the more young kids are going to want a hockey career. Be careful not be too complacent!
 
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Yakushev72 said:
Canadians becoming complacent about Russia? You would never know it by the posts you see in this thread. You'd think that Canada was playing for a World Championship instead of watching it on TV. Canada was definitely the best team in Sochi and deserved to win, but the margin is very narrow. Even a slight uptick could dislodge them from their slot. Meanwhile, Canada is on a losing streak at the WJC, and the Russians are consistently beating the Canadians in medal round games at that level. Although Canada may list 500,000registered, the past week proved that there is still not sufficient depth to medal at the World Championships.

Russian hockey appears set on a course of expansion that could easily triple or quadruple the number of youth players in the next 5 or 6 years. Its going to take a few years to reap the benefits of it, but that is a level of expansion that Canada, which is already maxed out, cannot match. I certainly do believe that the long range future of hockey may well be Russia vs. the United States, but there just isn't that much impetus in the US for hockey to grow. Its still mainly a regional sport in the US, in the Northeast and Midwest, and hockey just isn't that popular in comparison to other sports with which it competes for the best athletes. The more that the KHL catches on among local fans, the more young kids are going to want a hockey career. Be careful not be too complacent!
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look at the rosters :laugh:

you can try to convince yourselves that its the same but it isn't...Canada didn't send ONE player from the 55 Olympic training camp roster they held in August last year...not one

Russia brought a bunch of stars to smash a lot of Nations with depleted-rosters
 
Gotta love Yakushev's postings, they were entertaining before Sochi and now just as entertaining before the inevitable in 2018. I wonder what he'll post in between 2018 - 2022. Maybe before our life time is done Russia might produce one decent defensemen and they'll actually might come close to challenging at the Olympics. Can it happen? Yes. Will it? No. :laugh:

And that's great, so many of those kids catching on to Hockey in all those new parts of Russia will be looking good in the NHL if they're worthy and are elite. Bodes well for NHL!
 
Yakushev72 said:
Meanwhile, Canada is on a losing streak at the WJC, and the Russians are consistently beating the Canadians in medal round games at that level.
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For Canada two years with no WJC medal is a massive slump, after winning a medal for 14 straight years.

I'm not too worried about that, especially given the young talent Canada currently has ready to step up at the top level.

Canadians aren't under the impression that we'll win every event for the next 10 years. The top 25 players of any major hockey nation can beat another on any given day. Even Russia, on home ice, needed a shootout to get past a weak Slovak team in Sochi after a scoreless draw, while Canada barely got by a Latvian goalie having the game of his life in the QF.

Hockey has never been more competitive, which makes Canada's current run of Olympic success all the more amazing.

We're basically winning Olympic golds (in best-on-best formats) with the same frequency as the Soviets did against amateurs!
 
Canuckistani said:
For Canada two years with no WJC medal is a massive slump, after winning a medal for 14 straight years.

I'm not too worried about that, especially given the young talent Canada currently has ready to step up at the top level.

Canadians aren't under the impression that we'll win every event for the next 10 years. The top 25 players of any major hockey nation can beat another on any given day. Even Russia, on home ice, needed a shootout to get past a weak Slovak team in Sochi after a scoreless draw, while Canada barely got by a Latvian goalie having the game of his life in the QF.

Hockey has never been more competitive, which makes Canada's current run of Olympic success all the more amazing.

We're basically winning Olympic golds (in best-on-best formats) with the same frequency as the Soviets did against amateurs!
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Even if everything should work out perfectly for you, 4 years is a long time to wait for the next medal celebration. Russia will likely be World Champion again next year.
 
Yakushev72 said:
Even if everything should work out perfectly for you, 4 years is a long time to wait for the next medal celebration. Russia will likely be World Champion again next year.
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you can win gold in those World Hockey Championships for the next 10 years and I bet every one of the Russian players would trade them for an Olympic gold..

bottom line: Russia's gold were against nobodies and on a European stage

Canada's Gold was against the best hockey has to offer on the World stage!
 
Yakushev72 said:
Even if everything should work out perfectly for you, 4 years is a long time to wait for the next medal celebration. Russia will likely be World Champion again next year.
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That's fine. Russians seem to value the WHC more than we do anyway so I hope they enjoy it.

Canadians only go nuts for the top level of competition and opportunities to celebrate such victories shouldn't be an annual thing. The football World Cup wouldn't have the value that it does if it were an annual event and neither would best-on-best events in hockey.
 
Yakushev72 said:
Even if everything should work out perfectly for you, 4 years is a long time to wait for the next medal celebration. Russia will likely be World Champion again next year.
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Depends entirely on the rosters. Maybe next year other countries will have their best/better/more NHL players while Russia will not.
 
I only watched the Gold medal game

but as a Blue Jacket fan I gotta say I am very happy for Sergei Bobrovsky!! Way to go goalie Bob!!! While you are there can you talk a few of your talented countrymen to come join you in Columbus. It would be extremely nice if the State of Ohio could win something other than an MLS title in professional sports!!

Way to go Sergei!!! Cheers!!!
 
Olli on the large number of penalties in the final: http://www.iltalehti.fi/mmjaakiekko-2014/2014052618345030_jv.shtml

- Pelaajat pelaa KHL:ssä. Mitä juttelin suomalaisten siellä pelaavien kanssa, niin siellä on viidakon lait. Pelaajatyypiltään ne ovat erilaisia. Pohjois-Amerikassa jos kaadut ja näyttelet, niin omat joukkuekaverit ja seurajohto laittaa sinut aisoihin
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Translation:

- The players(Russian) play in the KHL. From what I've talked to the Finns playing there, it's the law of the jungle. The player types are so different. In North America if you fall down and "play dead", your team mates and team management will set you straight.
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Jussi said:
Depends entirely on the rosters. Maybe next year other countries will have their best/better/more NHL players while Russia will not.
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I stand corrected. There are a lot of variables that could decide who wins next year. Russia at a minimum has a very good shot at repeating because they make up the largest population by far of the KHL. With a good array of KHL talent to choose from, in addition to the fact that 70% of NHL players have ended their season before the WC starts tilts the probability factor to their side. But probability is only that - the odds.
 
Just had to express my thoughts of the final yet.. Well what a night. Just don't want tell much about the referees, I guess you know what I think, just by looking at the flag under ny nick name. Also other things made me pissed off, like shots on posts at least twice. What if these pucks went in.. S*** happens. We had a team with which we were supposed to have simply no chance to achieve anything so silver is a great achievement!
 
aka Ude said:
http://www.katsomo.fi/?progId=349634 If someone wants to see a nine minute clip by refs doing good job last night, it's there.

Still the IIHF needs to punish Russia for breaking the rules with Znarok.

As pissed as I am, I gotta still gongratulate Russia from being the best in the tournament.
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Jezus! Im looking at this video and I see Ruskies falling down all over the ice like italian soccer players. Did the refs screw us, or do I have Finnish goggles on? When did the russians start diving like this?
 
Russian players are questioning the choice for MVP. Rinne shouldn't have gotten the honor in their minds and the Russian's are saying it was a political honor that was purposely given to someone else than a Russian player.

:laugh:
 
TAnnala said:
Russian players are questioning the choice for MVP. Rinne shouldn't have gotten the honor in their minds and the Russian's are saying it was a political honor that was purposely given to someone else than a Russian player.

:laugh:
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Well Russians scored 10 goals in Rinne's gate during this turnament. So they have their reasons to question the choice.
 
Does any russian in this thread even know what the award "mvp" stands for? It sure doesnt seem like it.
 
Yakushev72 said:
Even if everything should work out perfectly for you, 4 years is a long time to wait for the next medal celebration. Russia will likely be World Champion again next year.
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Im sure we will still be celebrating the Olympics in 3 years. North Americans prefer Nhl playoffs not some world cup that takes place at the same time. Meanwhile the olympics they take a break from nhl.
 
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