Russian roster

[rananda]

this is possibly the dumbest idea i think a grown man can have w/o being presumed to be insane, drunk, or joking. nhl dmen like zhitnik, gonchar, kaspar have played in the nhl for years and years. they know how to play hockey a certain way and they are comfortable playing a certain number of minutes. now kirkunov's going to ask them, in a two week tournament, to totally change the way they play and scale back on minutes. completely inane and Pejorative Slured. while canada will have pronger and redden playing 26 minutes a night, we'll get gonchar and bykov each playing 15, and they'll be wondering what the hell different theyre suppossed to do in those 15. what, he wants them to pass to the forwards and join the rush every time. this is silly. this kind of nonsense may work in a league where refs are routinely bribed and where teams whose players strike because they arent paid replace them with juniors, but this crap will not fly in the olympics against nhl caliber players and coaches. if pavel bure werent too busy sleeping on a pile of cash w many beautiful women, maybe he would be able to talk some sense in kirkunov and tell him, you know, i think we'll be a much better team if our top dmen (who are world class) play alot and someone like bykov stays back in moscow. but alas.

by the way slitty, did kirkunov say anything else interesting in that interview. also, what is the feeling among russian journalists and fans?

 

[TORRUS]

Why don't you relax and take a deep breath...

what kind of coach is one that only thinks his players are good and usable? a dumb coach.

1. That dumb coach won the RSL championship last year with not as many NHL stars as some other teams.

2. That dumb coach humiliated Sweden in SLC and somehow got Belarus to the 4th place!!!

I am sure Krikunov knows perfectly what he's doing and if he's preparing some special style for his defenseman then I just can't wait to see what it is! I'm sure it will be very sweet...

 

[rananda]

1. dynamo was stacked last year w offensive talent in the playoffs: ovey, datsyuk, rosa, frolov, afinogenov. the only team w more talent on paper was ak bars and they had many north american players who didnt adapt well to rsl style and they ultimately imploded in the playoffs. anyway, like i said, coaching in the rsl is very very different than in the nhl or in international competitions. there is way more hooking and holding, way more defensice and tactical play, and the refs are sometimes bribed. while i cant say for sure that some refs wont be bribed or at the very least very anti-russia biased in these olympcs, i can tell you that the style of play will be much more similar to the nhl than the rsl.

2. belarus got absolutely dominated by sweden, but sweden couldnt finish for some reason, mezin played great, and belarus scored on a 90 footer on salo. that is why they won that game. that being said, im sure kirkunov did a good job w that team to get them there. beating sweden w belarus in one game has nothing to do w russia beating cze, usa, and most importantly canada.

i hope youre right, but im not optimistic, and kirkunov's track record and selections dont make me feel any better.

 

[greatwhite101*]

Morozov Samsonov and Brylin... Well ok Morozov and Brylin deserve to go but Zhamnov? Very surprised with that decision. Too bad Fedorov said no. I'd want him on this team instead of Zhamnov or Brlylin even if he is playing the way he is.

 

[TORRUS]

OK, but what I'm trying to say is that Russia finaly has a coach (and good coaching staff ) that enjoys some respect in the media and the fans. That coach gained that respect by winning the bronze medal with Belarus, bronze medal this year in Austria, winning the Euro tour after I don't know how many years and winning the RSL championship last year...

Some things are also not very clear to me... Why Zhitnik and not Brylin or Zinovjev?Why Bykov and not Morozov? But in the end it doesn't really matters because he has his plans and ideas and I believe in those plans because I have no reason not to.

Just sit back, relax and enjoy the great hockey. I tell you, Russia will play an INCREDIBLY beautiful hockey in Turin (and effective too).

 

[Jagr314]

I'm really excited to see this Russian team. I always have enjoyed their style of play. I'm not sure about this Zhamnov being on the team though, I'd rather have Fedorov, as bad as he has been this year.

 

[Slitty]

Why don't you relax and take a deep breath...


2. That dumb coach humiliated Sweden in SLC and somehow got Belarus to the 4th place!!!

I am sure Krikunov knows perfectly what he's doing and if he's preparing some special style for his defenseman then I just can't wait to see what it is! I'm sure it will be very sweet...

Belarus practised at 12am and then 7am for two weeks prior to the tournament or something to get acclimitized to the timezone change. There wasn't a team more prepared in that tournament than Berlus.

Russia will not have the same luxury.


Even though its Bure's doing, I dont completely trust a coach that would select Zhamnov.

 

[Slitty]

they know how to play hockey a certain way and they are comfortable playing a certain number of minutes. now kirkunov's going to ask them, in a two week tournament, to totally change the way they play and scale back on minutes. completely inane and Pejorative Slured. while canada will have pronger and redden playing 26 minutes a night, we'll get gonchar and bykov each playing 15, and they'll be wondering what the hell different theyre suppossed to do in those 15. what, he wants them to pass to the forwards and join the rush every time. this is silly.

this kind of nonsense may work in a league where refs are routinely bribed and where teams whose players strike because they arent paid replace them with juniors, but this crap will not fly in the olympics against nhl caliber players and coaches.

Well first off you are vastly underrating the RSL and make it sound horrid, when its the 2nd best league in the world.

As for the defencemen.... I think that Krikunov dosen't want of A. Markov's pairing playing 25 minutes a game and Zhitnik's playing 22 with a 4th pairing not existing and the extra defenceman getting a couple of minutes scraped up here and there. Instead, I think the idea is that A. Markov's pairing plays 20 minutes and Zhitnik's plays 17 minutes while Bykov's gets 10 minutes.

If you think about it, its not a bad idea at all! This way the top 6 defencemen get less ice time and wont have to conserve their energy to log those 25 minutes. We are not talking about joining every rush, but giving 100% on both defence and offense whenever you are on the ice! The defencemen will be more active than they are in the NHL this way, and will get less tired, especially on the BIG ice. Russia's defence dosen't have 1 superstar and a whole bunch of scrubs, its a gradual slope of quality... I think a refreshed Bykov playing those 5 minutes instead of a tired and not very mobile Gonchar is a good thing.

 

[Slitty]

I was thinking alot about that ..........and hell i just dont unterstand that decision !

I have developped a hypothesis about Bykov's selection!


Krikunov said he selected Bykov over Tverdovsky because Tverdovsky was an offensive defenceman while a defensive guy like Bykov was needed. At first I was VERY surprised as the exact opposite appeared and an offensive guy was needed. Lets take a look at the defensive pairings at first glance: (Offensive=O, Defensive=D)

A. Markov(O) - Volchenkov(D)
Gonchar(O) - Kasparitis(D)
Zhitnik(O + D) - D. Markov(D)
Tyutin(D) - Bykov(D)

However I soon realized that Krikunov is most likely planning on using Volchenkov in an offensive role! Although Volchenkov is as defensive as they come for the Ottawa Senators... he was an offensive guy in his early career in Russia and at the World Juniors where he scored the game winning goal against Canada in the gold medal game. Thus, the pairings now look a little like this:

A. Markov(O) - D. Markov(D)
Gonchar(O) - Kasparitis(D)
Zhitnik(O + D) - Bykov(D)
Volchenkov(O+D) - Tyutin(D)

Ofcourse, this is only my theory, I could be wrong.

 

[rananda]

im not trying to disrespect the rsl or not give it enough credit. i think it is the 2nd best league in the world in regards to the skill and quality of the players. i dont think there is a question there. what im saying is, it is a very different type of league with regards to style than the nhl, and i think the olympics will look much more like the nhl than the rsl. rsl is very defensive and tactical. i dont think olympic games, especially those involving can and us (who have been russia's biggest problems lately) will be like that all. there is tons of hooking and holding in the rsl. now the nhl has very very little of that. olympics will use nhl refs for the big games so that will be very different for rsl players and coaches. and yes there are reports of games being fixed and other illegitimate practices in the rsl. i dont think there is any of that in the nhl, nor do i think it will happen in the olympics.

look there are tons of nhl players who couldnt make it in the rsl. there are many all-star players in the nhl who would be mediocre in the rsl. but, that's not what matters, the olympics, for better or worse, is going to look more like the nhl, i think, despite the large ice. that's the game that the players that matter are going to play. i think russia needs to adapt to this game and this type of coaching (matching lines) as much as canada needs to adapt to the large ice. can kirkunov do it? that's the question we will find. i think the judging by the rosters, the answer is no so far. but you never know.

as for volchenkov, i hope he isnt on the 4th pairing, because he might be one of their better all around dmen at this point. he needs to play alot and in all situations.

 

[TORRUS]

Well, Russia has to play it's own game. And Canada has to play it's own game. Russia shouldn't play Canada's game because it's not Russian hockey then. And that's not hockey I fell in love with many years ago. If Russia starts adapting and playing Canada's game then there is no way we can beat them. Just as much they don't stand a chance if they try to play Russia's game... It goes both ways.

That style of game brought us many medals before. And apparently Krikunov didn't forget how does it look like. And he also has a good roster to start with...

In order to achieve something big Russia HAS to play Russia's game!

Now I'm off to listen to the junior final... Russia beating Canada in Russian way!

 

[Slitty]

Zhamnov is out with an ankle injury, which is good news for Russia as he has not been at his best this year.

So it looks like Brylin can book his ticket to Italy, Zvinovjev is another possibility if he can pass the drug test , and Krikunov previously say he prefered Taratukhin.

 

[Corto]

Zhamnov is out with an ankle injury, which is good news for Russia as he has not been at his best this year.

So it looks like Brylin can book his ticket to Italy, Zvinovjev is another possibility if he can pass the drug test , and Krikunov previously say he prefered Taratukhin.

If Zhamnov is out, and Morozov doesn't get the call, I'll strangle Krikunov.

 

[TORRUS]

If Zhamnov is out, and Morozov doesn't get the call, I'll strangle Krikunov.

Zhamnov is likely to be replaced with one of the centers Brylin/Taratukhin/Zinovjev. I think Morozov will stay on the taxi squad.

 

[Kaizer]

Zhamnov is likely to be replaced with one of the centers Brylin/Taratukhin/Zinovjev. I think Morozov will stay on the taxi squad.

It will be very tough choice. Zhamnov had to help our offence. Zino is perfect man to play him with Kovalchuk. They were excellent together. From other side : Taratukhin is hard worker and Krikunov loves him for this. We haven't a lot of hard wokers and even Taratukhin if you use him right can help. Brylin is the most experienced of them. Good in PK and in his own zone. Tough to decide. I'd go with Brylin, but Krikunov can bring Taratukhin like he did it with Bykov.

 

[Den]

It's a shame that he gets taken out in this, way, but... My heart says Zinoviev, but the mind counters "Brylin". Brylin is heavier, has more experience handling the NHLers. If there was Morozov on the squad, Zina would be a natural choice... Plus you never know when the guy starts smoking again

 

[Corto]

It's a shame that he gets taken out in this, way, but... My heart says Zinoviev, but the mind counters "Brylin". Brylin is heavier, has more experience handling the NHLers. If there was Morozov on the squad, Zina would be a natural choice... Plus you never know when the guy starts smoking again

Well, I'd go with Brylin then. Though if Krikunov really wants Morozov on the team now, he could use Kozlov at center. (though honestly, he's never looked that good at center)

 

[rananda]

i feel bad for zhamnov, but honestly, this is only good for team russia. zhamnov, the way he has been playing, would not have helped this team. i would hope this would open the door for morozov, but i know kirkunov wont select him. they could move kozlov to center but kirkunov has said that he prefers to play on the wing. zivoviev or brylin makes the most sense, but then if you choose zinoviev, it is really dumb not have morozov on the team at that point. i think kovalchuk-zinoviev-morozov would be a brilliant line.

actually looking at the roster, it really doesnt make any sense for kozlov to play lw. they already have ovechkin, kovalchuk, kharitonov, and frolov playing there. if kozlov plays on the left side then which of those 4 moves to the right. frolov? i dont like that idea.

meanwhile, there are only 3 natural rw's: kovalev, afinogenov, sushinsky. i think it really makes the most sense to add morozov to this team. if kirkunov doesnt add him at this point, it's clear that he has something really wrong with him or his game. i dont get it as he is pretty much dominating the rsl right now.

here are the lines i would like to see (though i know these wont happen):

ovechkin-datsyuk-kovalev
kovalchuk-malkin-morozov
frolov-yashin-afinogenov
kharitonov-kozlov-sushinsky

if anyone hears of any reaction from kirkunov or people in russia to zhamnov's injury, please post it. thanks.

 

[Den]

I am sure they will take their time now to announce the substitution. One of the reasons is to see if all wingers survive. If a winger is gone: we'll se the pair Morozov-Zina for sure....

 

[Den]

i feel bad for zhamnov, but honestly, this is only good for team russia. zhamnov, the way he has been playing, would not have helped this team. i would hope this would open the door for morozov, but i know kirkunov wont select him. they could move kozlov to center but kirkunov has said that he prefers to play on the wing. zivoviev or brylin makes the most sense, but then if you choose zinoviev, it is really dumb not have morozov on the team at that point. i think kovalchuk-zinoviev-morozov would be a brilliant line.

actually looking at the roster, it really doesnt make any sense for kozlov to play lw. they already have ovechkin, kovalchuk, kharitonov, and frolov playing there. if kozlov plays on the left side then which of those 4 moves to the right. frolov? i dont like that idea.

meanwhile, there are only 3 natural rw's: kovalev, afinogenov, sushinsky. i think it really makes the most sense to add morozov to this team. if kirkunov doesnt add him at this point, it's clear that he has something really wrong with him or his game. i dont get it as he is pretty much dominating the rsl right now.

here are the lines i would like to see (though i know these wont happen):

ovechkin-datsyuk-kovalev
kovalchuk-malkin-morozov
frolov-yashin-afinogenov
kharitonov-kozlov-sushinsky

if anyone hears of any reaction from kirkunov or people in russia to zhamnov's injury, please post it. thanks.

Kozlov won't happen. Krikunov said a couple of times that he talked to Victor and he feels unconfortable playing center. Krik won't do that.

 

[rananda]

so then which of the lw's move over to the right. would we rather have frolov or kharitonov playing out of position on the right side or would we rather have the leading rsl scorer playing his natural position? if kozlov is definitely playing lw then this roster really makes no sense to me.

 

[Slitty]

Kozlov would be the one playing right wing.

 

[jcpenny]

Good team but pretty small defense...

 

[TORRUS]

so then which of the lw's move over to the right. would we rather have frolov or kharitonov playing out of position on the right side or would we rather have the leading rsl scorer playing his natural position? if kozlov is definitely playing lw then this roster really makes no sense to me.

Kozlov always plays RW. The situation with wingers is clear - 4 LWs and 4 RWs. The only queastion is the 4th center. Since Krikunov is likely not going to announce his decision anytime soon let the competition between Brylin, Taratukhin and Zinovjev begin. May the best win!

 

[Slitty]

Kozlov always plays RW. The situation with wingers is clear - 4 LWs and 4 RWs. The only queastion is the 4th center. Since Krikunov is likely not going to announce his decision anytime soon let the competition between Brylin, Taratukhin and Zinovjev begin. May the best win!

Brylin has some horrible statistic of scoring 3 points in the last 20 games... or something along the lines of that.