thefifthsedin*
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'i consider [bob] gainey the world's best all-around player' - soviet national team coach viktor tikhonov in 1981
this is a somewhat classic modern day hockey statement. can we dig within it a little, perhaps?. i want to know more about why he said it. or perhaps ... more about the coherence surrounding it. as a matter of fact, montreal canadiens official site says tikhonov said that gainey was 'technically the best player in the world' ... here http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/player/Bob-Gainey
i can see a clear difference in all-round and technically. in what language did tikhonov say this?, who did he say it to?
according to the official story it's from the following of the 1981 canada cup. the soviet team won that tournament, beating canada [with gretzky, bossy, lafleur, perreault, bourque, dionne, robinson, gainey, sittler, trottier, gillies, potvin ... ] in the final game with a score of 8-1 [known popularly as the 'montreal massacre'] ... canada had earlier in the same tournament won the group stage game between the two teams with 7-3 and was expected by most experts to win also the final
i must tell that this statement by tikhonov regarding gainey, to me, sounds a little like something a coach of an opposite team says out of respect for the other team or its players, more than it being a universally accepted truth. or even a strong personal view ... [although it's far from impossible that tikhonov really had a major crush on gainey's ice hockey skills ... ]
1981 was the year gainey put up his best regular season offensively with his nhl club, the montreal canadiens. that reads 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 78 games. that's his offensive mount everest. this is by a player touted to be 'the best all-round player in the world' by a legendary coach ...
best forward defensively in the world at the time? sure, i can take that. that some people considered him to be the best forward defensively when he was at his best. but best all-round?. doesn't all-round mean that you provide as good at both ends of the ice?.
see, how hard is it to be a great forward defensively if you spend 90 per cent of your ice time in your own goalies crease?, sitting in his lap?
high scoring forwards are more than less criticized for being liabilities on the other end of the ice. but what about defensive specialist players being liabilities offensively?. it would be interesting to hear if there's any examples of such cases ...
this is a somewhat classic modern day hockey statement. can we dig within it a little, perhaps?. i want to know more about why he said it. or perhaps ... more about the coherence surrounding it. as a matter of fact, montreal canadiens official site says tikhonov said that gainey was 'technically the best player in the world' ... here http://ourhistory.canadiens.com/player/Bob-Gainey
i can see a clear difference in all-round and technically. in what language did tikhonov say this?, who did he say it to?
according to the official story it's from the following of the 1981 canada cup. the soviet team won that tournament, beating canada [with gretzky, bossy, lafleur, perreault, bourque, dionne, robinson, gainey, sittler, trottier, gillies, potvin ... ] in the final game with a score of 8-1 [known popularly as the 'montreal massacre'] ... canada had earlier in the same tournament won the group stage game between the two teams with 7-3 and was expected by most experts to win also the final
i must tell that this statement by tikhonov regarding gainey, to me, sounds a little like something a coach of an opposite team says out of respect for the other team or its players, more than it being a universally accepted truth. or even a strong personal view ... [although it's far from impossible that tikhonov really had a major crush on gainey's ice hockey skills ... ]
1981 was the year gainey put up his best regular season offensively with his nhl club, the montreal canadiens. that reads 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 78 games. that's his offensive mount everest. this is by a player touted to be 'the best all-round player in the world' by a legendary coach ...
best forward defensively in the world at the time? sure, i can take that. that some people considered him to be the best forward defensively when he was at his best. but best all-round?. doesn't all-round mean that you provide as good at both ends of the ice?.
see, how hard is it to be a great forward defensively if you spend 90 per cent of your ice time in your own goalies crease?, sitting in his lap?
high scoring forwards are more than less criticized for being liabilities on the other end of the ice. but what about defensive specialist players being liabilities offensively?. it would be interesting to hear if there's any examples of such cases ...