Russia's roster : first 10 players announced!!!

[Macman]

Canada Cup 1987. That team was full of nobodies. They still managed to play evenly with Canada.

But in the end, they lost. Fetisov, Larionov, Makarov, Krutov, Kasatonov, Kamensky. Some nobodies!

 

[colonel_korn]

Is Ruslan Fedetenko eligible to play for Russia? I know he was born in Kiev, but there seem to be a few other guys born in former Soviet states who play for the Russian team. After the way he's played in the playoffs this year you'd figure he'd be a lock, if he's eligible.

 

[GKJ]

Canada Cup 1987. That team was full of nobodies. They still managed to play evenly with Canada.

That's because they were all nobodies, no one knew who those guys were except Russians. Quite a few of those players went on to have carreers in the NHL. Semak played some games, Kamensky had a relatively good carreer...



I don't think Fedotenko will play for Russia because he still has ties to Ukrane as he played for them in the Olympics. Nabokov is a Russian citizen, but he played in the WJC's for Kazakhstan when he was a citizen there. Fedotenko is a citizen of Ukrane, and I'm pretty sure you have to be a citizen of the country you want to play for in the Olympics, or else Russia would be after Irbe, Ozolinsh and Skrastins (all are Latvian) and Bondra was born in Kiev, but he is a Slovakia citizen.

 

[KrasnyeKrylia]

First of all the list from sovsport.ru looks a bit different (maybe someone else already posted this, haven't seen it yet):

Известна почти треть состава сборной России в розыгрыше Кубка мира по хоккею. Среди десяти игроков, которые уже дали согласие на свое включение в расширенную заявку (31 игрок), трое представляют российские клубы. Это - защитник Олег Твердовский («Авангард»), нападающие Андрей Николишин (ЦСКА) и Александр Овечкин («Динамо»).

Кроме этой тройки подтвердили свое участие в КМ семь представителей клубов североамериканской Национальной хоккейной лиги - защитники Сергей Гончар («Бостон»), Андрей Марков («Монреаль») и Александр Хаванов («Сент-Луис»), нападающие Максим Афиногенов («Баффало»), Олег Кваша и Алексей Яшин («Айлендерс»), Сергей Самсонов («Бостон»).

(No Zubrus, Kvasha included, more realistic imho, even though Nikolishin doesn't play for CSKA, of course... )

What concerns Tverdovsky: He absolutely deserves a top-6 spot on Team Russia imho. As Wilka pointed out, he played a fantastic season for "Avangard" (he was named MVP). Imho it's important to pair him with a solid stay-at-home defenseman and he'll shine (but a pair like Gonchar & Tverdovsky would really hurt the team).
Btw: Tverdovsky was part of Team Russia at SLC.

Ovechkin: I completely agree with Raimo Sillanpää. Some people might call me nuts, but I'd definitely pick a solid role player like Korolyuk or Brylin over Ovechkin for this tournament (and they're used to the smaller ice surface and the permanent clutching and grabbing...). The "pick all the highly skilled and flashy offensive players" approach just doesn't work imho (don't get me wrong, I want to see Kovalchuk, Datsyuk, Frolov, Afinogenov... on the team, but offensive skill doesn't guarantee success at such a tournament, especially considering the fact, that it will be officiated by NHL-refs... )

Great to see Nikolishin on the team (no way he's overrated, his defensive play is likely underrated imo). Add Korolyuk and Brylin (not gonna happen, I know) and Team Russia would have a solid "checking line".

Khavanov: Somewhat surprising. I'd pick Malakhov, Mironov, Kasparaitis, D. Markov, A. Markov, Gonchar, Tverdovsky, Kalinin and maybe even Zyuzin over Khavanov (not to mention Zubov and Zhitnik who likely won't play).

Is Ruslan Fedetenko eligible to play for Russia?

No, he played for Team Ukraine several times (including the Olympics '02).

 

[wilka91*]

Now that is strange because Sport Express clearly mentions Zubrus! I don't get it!

And I think Nikolishin has already agreed to terms with CSKA for next season.

 

[Macman]

That's because they were all nobodies, no one knew who those guys were except Russians.

That's simply not true. Canadian fans knew who Fetisov, Krutov, Makarov and Larionov were going back to their days in junior. They played Canadian teams many times internationally prior to the '87 Canada Cup.

 

[Mothra]

Whats the point of talking about how player X wouldnt make a certain countries B or C team.....its both arrogant and ignorant....its also makes me think about the canadian fan that was walking around the then named Cores States Spectrum in Philly laughing and boasting how Brett Hull couldnt even make team canada for the last world cup......we all know how that worked out

all these teams will be filled with very good/great players......it should be a fantastic tourny.....but it will be won on the ice...not on paper

 

[wilka91*]

That's simply not true. Canadian fans knew who Fetisov, Krutov, Makarov and Larionov were going back to their days in junior. They played Canadian teams many times internationally prior to the '87 Canada Cup.

Do you really think I was talking about Russia's top 5 players?

 

[CSKA]

Whats the point of talking about how player X wouldnt make a certain countries B or C team.....its both arrogant and ignorant....its also makes me think about the canadian fan that was walking around the then named Cores States Spectrum in Philly laughing and boasting how Brett Hull couldnt even make team canada for the last world cup......we all know how that worked out

all these teams will be filled with very good/great players......it should be a fantastic tourny.....but it will be won on the ice...not on paper

 

[wilka91*]

Whats the point of talking about how player X wouldnt make a certain countries B or C team.....its both arrogant and ignorant....its also makes me think about the canadian fan that was walking around the then named Cores States Spectrum in Philly laughing and boasting how Brett Hull couldnt even make team canada for the last world cup......we all know how that worked out

all these teams will be filled with very good/great players......it should be a fantastic tourny.....but it will be won on the ice...not on paper

EXACTLY. I've said it like a hundred times, but a team is not the sum of its players. Look at the Rangers.

 

[Macman]

Do you really think I was talking about Russia's top 5 players?

Direct quote: "That team was full of nobodies." They weren't. In fact, they were the best two dozen players in the Soviet Union at the time. The national team. The creme de la creme. The best the Motherland had to offer. Give it up, you're getting silly.

 

[wilka91*]

I think they selected Khavanov because he is the perfect teammate for Andrei Markov ... but I really hope they won't play at all, or at least keep Khavanov off the ice. The man is smart, he went to University despite playing hockey, but a brain is not enough.

 

[417]

Andrei Markov will hopefully start to get recongnition as one of the NHL's great talents, I thought he would be a bubble player but obviously the Russian Federation holds him in high regards, and rightly so, probably also due to the fact that the coach that was named was also his coach when he played for Dynamo, don't quote me on that, but i'm pretty sure, which would then explain the Khavanov nomination ....

 

[Dizzy]

I don't get it how Zubrus could play for Russia? He has no connections with Russia whatsoever - he was born in Lithuania; learned to play hockey in Ukraine and went to North America as teenager. I'm sure he don't have Russian citizenship. Things must really be bad in Russian Ice hockey, if they are looking to Lithuanian Ice hockey players to play in Russian National team.

Zubrus is eligible to play, if he was selected. Who knows with the two different lists. But from what I've heard in the past, players who were born in the Soviet Union have the right to play for Russia even if their birthplace is now a separate country. But anyone who plays for their birth country in international competition loses the right to play for Russia and if they play for Russia they can't go back and play for their birth country later. Lithuania never has a team in international competition so if he's going to play for anyone it would have to be Russia.

Edit; nevermind, found this;

http://www.iihf.com/news/iihfpr5304.htm

The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia further named Lithuanian forward Dainius Zubrus (NHL Washington Capitals) to the Russian World Cup roster. The 26-year old winger is a Lithuanian citizen, but is eligible to play for Russia in the World Cup of Hockey, where the IIHF eligibility rules do not apply. The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia received the clearance from the Lithuanian Ice Hockey Association to use Zubrus in the World Cup, which does not forfeit his eligibility to play for Lithuania in future IIHF championships.

 

[joe_shannon_1983*]

When is the rest of the team going to be announced?

It was supposed to be Friday morning, but that hasn't happened yet.

 

[wilka91*]

Monday, May 31st

 

[Ace2000]

damn ovechkin is already on the list.....

 

[VAThrasher]

I haven't seen him play much, but from what I've seen, Ovechkin is like Kovalchuk minus Kovalchuk's stupidity, that is to say Ovechkin makes passes and doesn't just shoot the puck from everywhere hoping it will bounce in the net.

Yeah, you're right, Kovalchuk sucks.

 

[wilka91*]

damn ovechkin is already on the list.....

That was so obvious he was going to be on the team!

 

[wilka91*]

Yeah, you're right, Kovalchuk sucks.

He is soooooo talented, but give him a brain and he's the best player in the world.

 

[Kronblom]

And Oleg Tverdovsky must have called in a favor to get named this early. Has he ever even played for Russia? I do not recall, I know he's from Ukrane but I know he didn't play for them. I guess he was in the Olympics.

World Cup 1996
Olympics 2002
World Championships 1996 & 2004

http://www.eurohockey.net/players/show_player.cgi?serial=10484

That's because they were all nobodies, no one knew who those guys were except Russians.

Change that to except europeans!
In those days we hardly knew anything about the NHL and their players.

 

[wilka91*]

The Russians added forwards Alexei Zhamnov and Oleg Kvasha.

Vladimir Malakhov said he won't play.

 

[ShippinItDaily]

First of all it's not a top 10, and second of all, Yashin and Tverdovsky would be on Canada's A team.

As for Khavanov and Afinogenov, they were simply selected for their value at international level.

HAH!

:lol

 

[wilka91*]

Maltby, Yzerman, Draper, Doan, Brewer, Regehr ...

 

[Ratfinklives]

Maltby, Yzerman, Draper, Doan, Brewer, Regehr ...

Is that a list of players you think are better than half of the players on this pre-lim roster?