Vladimir Krutov is player who did not even appear in the discussion in 18/19 project, but I'd like to invite all to re-consider his position. Krutov was the third most valuable member of the Green Unit and the notorious 'Red machine'. Krutov played in the era when Russian hockey reached its all-time peak. He has 11 seasons of very good to elite play (1980-1990) so the lack of NHL success should not be held too much against him. Krutov did note a single-season peak that can be matched with any other single season of a European player pre- or post-1990. I am talking about 1987 when Krutov obtained 85 1st-place finishes out of 89 ballots submitted by Soviet sports-writers (trust me those polls weren't otherwise so lopsided at all), and when Krutov convincingly won the '87 Izvestia best European player voting conducted by 8 National team coaches' ballot. Although Krutov was not the best Euro LWer literally every season in 1980-90, he was the one most of those seasons. Krutov was also very good two-way player, physical and outstanding PKer. A top 90 player.
Boris Mikhailov is player I've come to rank lower in recent years. Although he did make the cut and finished 86th in the final list,
it became more or less clear from
the discussion that Mikhailov was rarely even the best European RW. Maltsev, Vikulov, Martinec and once even Nedomanský who played off of his normal center position were all repeatedly voted over Mikhailov for RW international awards. Furthermore, Mikhailov did little something of note before the Summit Series and his prime seasons happened strictly in 1973-1980, despite otherwise playing for USSR National team since late 60s. Still, Mikhailov consistently put up excellent scoring numbers on domestic and international level and
he was gritty, agitating, defensively competent forward with lauded leadership abilities. His playing style in combination with reliable scoring productivity makes him a worthy top 100 player.
Valeri Vasiliev. Great 70s and early 80s Soviet d-man whom we discussed in 2019 but ultimately reached - I think - a consensus that he's just below that magic 100 threshold. During previous project, I made two detailed posts (
1st part,
2nd part) outlining how would Vasiliev's career likely played out in a global league which would had fully integrated all the world's top talent. I think Vasiliev came short of winning some notable awards primarily because of his less-varied game. My current read on Vasiliev is that he was a very one-way, stay-at-home d-man who didn't mind getting more physical with forwards (very important quality in 1970s..). But Vasiliev was not able (or willing?) to contribute offensively to even half a degree of other notable non-NHL Euro d-men such as Fetisov, Suchý, Pospíšil, Kasatonov or Sologubov. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Vasiliev never won any defensemen scoring on either domestic (USSR league) or international (WHCs, OGs, CCs) level. A top 110 player.
Jan Suchý. Hockey romantic whose peak level of play among the Czech players was bested later only by Hašek and Jágr. Suchý with Firsov were the Europe's brightest things for display in the late 60s / early 70s. I have recently posted a detailed breakdown covering Suchý's prime and contemporary state of European defensemen in general. If you have time - because I admit it is LONG but includes everything - read it
here. I don't recall ever seeing any Firsov-Suchý debate on this forum. A consensus Firsov>Suchý seems to be set, but I would personally picked Suchý if only on-ice impact was considered. Suchý was the embodiment of "big game player", however he also had issues with alcoholism which led to him being convicted of vehicular homicide. Unlike Firsov, Suchý had many clashes with coaches and other non-hockey official authorities. Shorter prime forces me to rank Suchý below Vasiliev. A top 120 player.
Václav Nedomanský. True sniper in front of whom goalies were avoiding shots and rather letting a goal in - and I mean it literally, I do have a game report in my files saying that.
Nedomanský was a consistent goal-scoring machine on both domestic and international scene similarly to Mikhailov. What prevents Nedomanský from being a legitimate top 100 player is his weaker Golden Stick record. Nedomanský was the kind of forward who from time to time was able to completely take over the game and obliterate the opposing defense, but his younger version was not defensively adept and did not produce sufficiently in high-pressure games against top opponents. I believe Nedo's GS voting record was deflated because of his more
individualistic style understandably devaluing him in the eyes of Czech observers but also allowing him to adjust and compete in different environments. What I call 'individualistic' means only that Nedo was a rare shoot-first kind of guy, which was admired by all 60s, 70s Europe-residing NHL scouts but despised by many Czech experts. I think most of us here know that past 30 Nedomanský emigrated and then even led the 'Detroit Dead Things' in scoring when he was 34 and 35 y/o. His longevity as an effective player makes me appreciate him a little more than his contemporaries Petrov and Yakushev. A top 130 player.
