Russia is the weakest team in the top 6 NT?
- Thread starter Bear12Good
- Start date
-
Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
They have obvious flaws such as their recent inability to produce elite defenders (the last truly elite Russian D was Zubov, both Gonchar and Markov are borderline). But I'd for sure take the Russians over the Czech's and they seem to have more talent than the Finns but the Finns seem to always overachieve what they look like on paper, recently at the expense of Russia (2006 Olympics and 2014). Canada's team usually is stronger than everyone on paper, talent wise I'd say Russia is on par with Sweden and the USA, but their talent seems to be more equally distributed between Forwards and Defense which leads to better teams.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,801
- 15,456
No, Russia's team is stronger than the Czech team and the Finnish team. Whether Russia gets better or worse results is a different matter.
Bear12Good
Registered User
If the total body of international hockey competition is excluded from consideration in order to focus only on the order of finish in Olympic Games, as the Canadians insist on doing, then Russia has no claim to status higher than 5th or 6th in the World. If you are looking for the nation that has the greatest potential to totally reverse its position from 6th to 1st in a reasonably short time, only Russia has that potential.
tony d
New poll series coming from me in June
Baemon Severson*
N1CO!!!
In 4 years, Datsyuk, Radulov, Malkin and Kovalchuk will be gone or much less effective. Who are you gonna fill in those top 2 center spots?
I think you missed the point of what Fantomas is saying. Russia has produced far more depth in recent years than when guys like Datsyuk and Kovalchuk came up. There were a few individual stars, but no depth at all, which explains why, with the obvious talent and skill of the guys that you mentioned, there was nothing to show for it in the way of Olympic medals.
If you look at this decade (2011-20), Russia has been the best nation at the WJC for the last 6 years. Check the record. Good players are beginning to stack up more than in the past, and Fantomas is right - in 4 years, they will put a team on the ice that is likely to be a strong contender for a medal.
JackSlater
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2010
- 19,801
- 15,456
People don't need Olympic results (which are indicative of nothing really) in order to compare the strength of one national team with another. Russia has very good forwards, good goaltending and bad defenemen. The teams above it have actual elite defencemen.
Meh. One guy gives his controversial opinion about something, another guy takes offence and decides to ask the world.
Just another typical day at HFBoards.
Yes, Russia hasn't medaled in best-on-best in 14 years. However, anyone ranking them based on that is putting too much emphasis on the years, and too little on the sample size.
Just another typical day at HFBoards.
Yes, Russia hasn't medaled in best-on-best in 14 years. However, anyone ranking them based on that is putting too much emphasis on the years, and too little on the sample size.
Conspiracy Theorist
Registered User
- Jan 30, 2016
- 5,863
- 2,098
Sweden would only need Finnish goalies and forwards to be the best team in the world. And Finnish coach of course.
IceHockeyDude
Registered User
Russia is world-class when it's about offense but the defense and coaching aren't that high-end.
Conspiracy Theorist
Registered User
- Jan 30, 2016
- 5,863
- 2,098
They have lost the last four or five best-on-best tournaments against Finland.
JAS 39 Gripen
Registered User
Canada
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Switzerland
My ranking at the moment. I agree with the earlier poster that Russia has the most potential to turn it around on the ready. They really need to shed the Kovalchuk and Radulov stink that had been surrounding their national hockey team in the past couple of big tournaments.
Sweden
USA
Finland
Russia
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Switzerland
My ranking at the moment. I agree with the earlier poster that Russia has the most potential to turn it around on the ready. They really need to shed the Kovalchuk and Radulov stink that had been surrounding their national hockey team in the past couple of big tournaments.
Conspiracy Theorist
Registered User
- Jan 30, 2016
- 5,863
- 2,098
Finnish offense is pretty good actually, even without NHL players. WJC 2016 might have been the first time in history when Finland completely relied on offense.Finnish forwards?
If you don't put Czech Republic in the top group you have to put them into their own. We are pretty much a elevator team that can flip both ways in the future (Get again into top group or continue the decline)
I don't think it is a team of 3rd liner grinders, but saying Sweden needs that offense to be the best...is laughable. Maybe in the future, when the Puljujarvi, Laine etc. grow up, but definitely not now.
Conspiracy Theorist
Registered User
- Jan 30, 2016
- 5,863
- 2,098
Sweden will never be the best with that offense and goaltending they have. I don't see Russia medalling also anytime soon. Their glory days are over.
I did say it and I stand by it you can point to talent and no one can deny the talent but results matter and the results don't lie. In pro tournament s that matter Russia has failed and that is a fact.
