Why was Nail Yakupov a bust?

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Yakupov and other Russians playing on a false birth certificate would be about as likely as Macklin Celebrini being secretly 23 years old and playing on a false birth certificate.

Where do people just get off making up stupid lies like this? Russian birth certificates are well kept records. A player cannot just lie about their age.

100% plausible that records from outlying Soviet republics aren't entirely accurate. Tatarstan overwent massive bureaucratic shifts beginning in the 1960s and going into the 1990s, where Tatar languages and systems of government were replaced. Then in the 1990s Tatarstan declared independence from Russia, which was a move not recognized by Russia. That's all assuming an accidental error occurred, and one of Yakupov's family member didn't bribe someone to make him seem younger for the purpose of furthering his athletic career.

Back on topic, it's funny to make fun of the Oilers, but the entire top 4 was a bust. It was an awful draft. The first good forward was Forsberg at #11. Then a run of good forwards at 16-18 and then more crap. The Oilers only come out ahead, if they go way off the board and pick a guy projected to be a #2-3 d-man.

 

[WarriorofTime]

100% plausible that records from outlying Soviet republics aren't entirely accurate. Tatarstan overwent massive bureaucratic shifts beginning in the 1960s and going into the 1990s, where Tatar languages and systems of government were replaced. Then in the 1990s Tatarstan declared independence from Russia, which was a move not recognized by Russia. That's all assuming an accidental error occurred, and one of Yakupov's family member didn't bribe someone to make him seem younger for the purpose of furthering his athletic career.

Back on topic, it's funny to make fun of the Oilers, but the entire top 4 was a bust. It was an awful draft. The first good forward was Forsberg at #11. Then a run of good forwards at 16-18 and then more crap. The Oilers only come out ahead, if they go way off the board and pick a guy projected to be a #2-3 d-man.

Hockey in general would be a very hard sport to lie about because it is so rigidly organized everywhere it is played with players grouped by age. Where you typically see age fraud is in more loosely run at the youth level sports like soccer and baseball in certain parts of the world where an 18 year old without a birth certificate is suddenly said to be 16 in order to be scouted. In hockey, if you played with 12 year olds one year, you couldn't just play with 10 year olds the next year, it would draw too much scrutiny. Any birth certificate fraud would need to occur from the time a player was basically just getting started, i.e., they are 9 but get put in with the 7 year olds. Kids in Russia are already playing in high level Districts Cup competition by their U14 year (when they are 13) and of course, like in Canada or anywhere, it's not like they just start from nowhere before that.

Yakupov was born in a pretty large center with good and developed infrastructure, and Tatarstan in general has always been one of the most industrialized parts of Russia/Soviet Union. The whole thing became centralized/standardized (unsurprisingly) as the Bolsheviks took power and localities had strict requirements to maintain records for all civil and administrative purposes. Government shifts and political stuff can occur, but I've never seen an indication that Tatarstan does not maintain accurate civil records.

 

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Hockey in general would be a very hard sport to lie about because it is so rigidly organized everywhere it is played with players grouped by age. Where you typically see age fraud is in more loosely run at the youth level sports like soccer and baseball in certain parts of the world where an 18 year old without a birth certificate is suddenly said to be 16 in order to be scouted. In hockey, if you played with 12 year olds one year, you couldn't just play with 10 year olds the next year, it would draw too much scrutiny. Any birth certificate fraud would need to occur from the time a player was basically just getting started, i.e., they are 9 but get put in with the 7 year olds. Kids in Russia are already playing in high level Districts Cup competition by their U14 year (when they are 13) and of course, like in Canada or anywhere, it's not like they just start from nowhere before that.

Yakupov was born in a pretty large center with good and developed infrastructure, and Tatarstan in general has always been one of the most industrialized parts of Russia/Soviet Union. The whole thing became centralized/standardized (unsurprisingly) as the Bolsheviks took power and localities had strict requirements to maintain records for all civil and administrative purposes. Government shifts and political stuff can occur, but I've never seen an indication that Tatarstan does not maintain accurate civil records.

He grew up in Nizhnekamsk, Tartastan, which was largely a center for the Soviet petrochemical industry. It's a city of about 1/4 million people that is half native Tatars and half Russian immigrants living in soviet style housing blocks. I highly doubt the youth sports program is strictly controlled there.

You'd be shocked how many people there are living all over the world, and in North America, with incomplete or false birth certificates. Once again, that's accidental errors, not purposeful attempts to gain an advantage. We're also talking about a nation that was banned from the Olympics in 2020 for helping its athletes cheat.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

He grew up in Nizhnekamsk, Tartastan, which was largely a center for the Soviet petrochemical industry. It's a city of about 1/4 million people that is half native Tatars and half Russian immigrants living in soviet style housing blocks. I highly doubt the youth sports program is strictly controlled there.

You'd be shocked how many people there are living all over the world, and in North America, with incomplete or false birth certificates. Once again, that's accidental errors, not purposeful attempts to gain an advantage. We're also talking about a nation that was banned from the Olympics in 2020 for helping its athletes cheat.

We have seen confirmed instances of phony birth certificates/overage players coming from Central America into MLB and NA minor league baseball.

Has there ever been a single confirmed instance of a Russian hockey player with a fraudulent DOB? Not cases where it’s merely plausible, I’m talking about actual confirmation.

 

[PocketNines]

Bees Yakupov! Don't let them sting you ahhhhhh!!!

 

[WarriorofTime]

He grew up in Nizhnekamsk, Tartastan, which was largely a center for the Soviet petrochemical industry. It's a city of about 1/4 million people that is half native Tatars and half Russian immigrants living in soviet style housing blocks. I highly doubt the youth sports program is strictly controlled there.

You'd be shocked how many people there are living all over the world, and in North America, with incomplete or false birth certificates. Once again, that's accidental errors, not purposeful attempts to gain an advantage. We're also talking about a nation that was banned from the Olympics in 2020 for helping its athletes cheat.

For doping, not for age fraud, lol. All of this idle speculation is foolish, sometimes players don't work out.

 

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We have seen confirmed instances of phony birth certificates/overage players coming from Central America into MLB and NA minor league baseball.

Has there ever been a single confirmed instance of a Russian hockey player with a fraudulent DOB? Not cases where it’s merely plausible, I’m talking about actual confirmation.

There's been very few cases of known age fraud, although it's likely a lot more widespread than we think it is. Russia has 100% been caught forging documents to help their athletes cheat:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/russia-track-federation-suspension-lifted-1.5482409

I'm not saying that Yakupov lied, but the idea that it would impossible, merely because the record keeping system in Tatarstan has such high integrity is absurd.

 

[WarriorofTime]

There's been very few cases of known age fraud, although it's likely a lot more widespread than we think it is. Russia has 100% been caught forging documents to help their athletes cheat:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/russia-track-federation-suspension-lifted-1.5482409

I'm not saying that Yakupov lied, but the idea that it would impossible, merely because the record keeping system in Tatarstan has such high integrity is absurd.

A national conspiracy, (from Putin himself, dount), to get the Oilers to select the wrong player, lol.

 

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A national conspiracy, (from Putin himself, dount), to get the Oilers to select the wrong player, lol.

Naw. Just Yakupov's family doing what was best to further Yakupov's career.

I know multiple people who have no idea what their actual birthdays are. I have no idea why people are getting so defensive about this.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Naw. Just Yakupov's family doing what was best to further Yakupov's career.

I know multiple people who have no idea what their actual birthdays are. I have no idea why people are getting so defensive about this.

Birth certificates are routinely off by like a day. Not by multiple years.

 

[TheNumber4]

The damn bees wouldn’t leave him alone.

In other words, too much chaos and a lack of efficiency in his game.