Will NA public and experts complain again, when a KHLer wins Calder in 2026?

[Honour Over Glory]

It looks like the main contenders for the award are Nikishin, Shabanov and Demidov. So pretty possible that we will again hear complaints about KHL stars beating poor NA kids in the competition for the Calder.

Literally have not heard a complaint about this until I saw this post. More a you thing than what anyone gives a shit about.

 

[Hobble]

I too get upset when a grown adult is in fact smarter than a 5th grader.

 

[PistolPete]

Maybe just my experience, but people don't care. Hockey fans know Russia produces great players. Always have.

RS....sure...PO? .....hmmmm

 

[PistolPete]

It looks like the main contenders for the award are Nikishin, Shabanov and Demidov. So pretty possible that we will again hear complaints about KHL stars beating poor NA kids in the competition for the Calder.

You're a born and bred Russian?

 

[NVious]

Josh Leivo should win it.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Straight up no one cared they were Russian. Some might have cared that they were 6 years older than their competition. But that doesn’t fit your manufactured narrative so I’m sure you’ll come back with some nonsense.

Where am I saying about Russians? I'm saying about KHLers.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Yeah nobody cared that they were russian lol stop being a victim , most NHL fans I know love elite russian players. You're inventing a non existing narrative

Lol, it's rather you trying to turn it into nationality discussion, I'm talking about KHLers, who've been playing hockey professionally for many years.

 

[Sting]

I honestly think like, 95% of fans of the sport could care less about award winners. Many of them don't really reflect what they set out to (Norris) and others are very dependent on things like team, opportunity, injuries, etc.

So no, outside of a few butthurt fans, nobody cares.

 

[Moon Man]

Some people sure like to victimize themselves.

Yes, this is the main take.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Literally have not heard a complaint about this until I saw this post. More a you thing than what anyone gives a shit about.

Never said about majority, but if you wanna see complaints, then read the thread. I'm too lazy to look for Kaprizov's thread.

Thread 'Panarin wins Calder (Gostisbehere second)'

Jun 22, 2016

Fairly large margin of victory for Panarin, McDavid third.

Congrats to Panarin, he had an awesome season

• jetsforever
• Replies: 177
• Forum: National Hockey League Talk

 

[Rabid Ranger]

It looks like the main contenders for the award are Nikishin, Shabanov and Demidov. So pretty possible that we will again hear complaints about KHL stars beating poor NA kids in the competition for the Calder.

Embarrasing.

 

[HanSolo]

Lol, worried. This is the thing I worry the least about, I'm just feeling irony.

From where? Your OP reads as a persecution complex that comes from nowhere.

 

[PistolPete]

I honestly think like, 95% of fans of the sport could care less about award winners. Many of them don't really reflect what they set out to (Norris) and others are very dependent on things like team, opportunity, injuries, etc.

So no, outside of a few butthurt fans, nobody cares.

Probably more like 98.75%

 

[Kshahdoo]

From where? Your OP reads as a persecution complex that comes from nowhere.

Yeah, there were even jokes about Kaprizov who saw mammoths alive, and now won the Calder. Or something like this. I mean of course people joked about those complaints, so where's the complex here? I see that complex in a lot of posts here that aren't mines, actually.

 

[HanSolo]

Yeah, there were even jokes about Kaprizov who saw mammoths alive, and now won the Calder. Or something like this. I mean of course people joked about those complaints, so where's the complex here?

I think you're fixating on a few and acting like the many have some problem you're inventing. Many non-Russians were predicting and excited for a potential Michkov Calder season and I'm sure if one of the guys you listed had a Calder worthy season, more fans than not would be impressed rather than upset. You generating some narrative that doesn't seem to be prevalent for the sake of drumming up drama is the complex.

 

[SoundwaveIsCharisma]

I will be outraged if a KHLer wins the Calder, as mad if not more mad as when Makarov won the Calder. An absolute travesty! I'm irate thinking about it!

Also, I was about 3 when Makarov won the Calder to put the rest of this post into context.

 

[Kshahdoo]

I think you're fixating on a few and acting like the many have some problem you're inventing. Many non-Russians were predicting and excited for a potential Michkov Calder season and I'm sure if one of the guys you listed had a Calder worthy season, more fans than not would be impressed rather than upset. You generating some narrative that doesn't seem to be prevalent for the sake of drumming up drama is the complex.

Btw I doubted that Michkov would won the Calder, and it wasn't of course about him being Russian. It's pretty easy to find my posts.

Again, this topic isn't about nationalities. It's just it turns out that top rookies who come to the NHL from KHL are Russians. But it's pretty possible that one day there will be a Belarus or Kazakh, or, I don't know, Slovak. Or even Mitchel Miller...

 

[PistolPete]

Btw I doubted that Michkov would won the Calder, and it wasn't of course about him being Russian. It's pretty easy to find my posts.

Again, this topic isn't about nationalities. It's just it turns out that top rookies who come to the NHL from KHL are Russians. But it's pretty possible that one day there will be a Belarus or Kazakh, or, I don't know, Slovak. Or even Mitchel Miller...

You're being clever, but no one is falling for it.

 

[Kshahdoo]

You're being clever, but no one is falling for it.

Oh well, and they say I have the complex...

 

[HanSolo]

Btw I doubted that Michkov would won the Calder, and it wasn't of course about him being Russian. It's pretty easy to find my posts.

Again, this topic isn't about nationalities. It's just it turns out that top rookies who come to the NHL from KHL are Russians. But it's pretty possible that one day there will be a Belarus or Kazakh, or, I don't know, Slovak. Or even Mitchel Miller...

Okay. I think the annoyance is when older rookies win over younger ones who were close in production because of relative development. Particularly if they come from a professional league and beat a kid coming from juniors.

This isn't a wholly common outcome but there was a lot of this sentiment about the prospect of Michael Bunting potentially winning the Calder over Mo Seider. Bunting didn't come from the KHL but people were turned off by the prospect of him winning over Seider because iirc he was just a year under the Calder age cutoff.

 

[PistolPete]

Oh well, and they say I have the complex...

???

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Demidov winning I don't think anyone would complain. Nikishin or Shabanov winning would yield complaints, as it's not really in the spirit of the award since they're established European professionals.

This isn't that hard to understand, and in fact if anything them winning is kind of insulting to the KHL, implying it's not close to the level of the NHL (which is true but still).

 

[PistolPete]

Demidov winning I don't think anyone would complain. Nikishin or Shabanov winning would yield complaints, as it's not really in the spirit of the award since they're established European professionals.

This isn't that hard to understand, and in fact if anything them winning is kind of insulting to the KHL, implying it's not close to the level of the NHL (which is true but still).

So going by your logic....shouldn't players who have played in the AHL be excluded since they're NA professionals- and likely a much better league than the KHL?

 

[NyQuil]

It looks like the main contenders for the award are Nikishin, Shabanov and Demidov. So pretty possible that we will again hear complaints about KHL stars beating poor NA kids in the competition for the Calder.

You might want to get some sandpaper to start shaving down that giant chip on your shoulder.

I'm pretty sure the complaints will be about the fact that all the world's best hockey players will be playing in North America as per usual.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Bored? Offseason.