Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Team+Russia
Larionov Turned Down Russian GM Position
by Paul on 02/08/11 at 04:38 PM ET
Comments (4)
from Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province,
Igor Larionov was clearly very interested in the position of Russian GM for the Sochi Olympics because his negotiations with Russian Ice Hockey Federation head Vladislav Tretiak lasted for about six months.
But just last week the Wayne Gretzky of Russian hockey turned down the job. He did so for all of those traditional reasons that can bedevil the country’s hockey program. The way Tretiak had outlined the job, he would have had all the pressure but with no control.
“Before I did the job, I wanted to make sure I had the decisions on the team and the coach but that was not going to be in my control,” said Larionov from his home in Detroit…
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Tags: Igor+Larionov, Team+Russia,
Balancing The Scale
by Paul on 01/06/11 at 03:17 PM ET
Comments (6)
from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
It’s been billed as the greatest collapse in the history of the WJC and that about sums it up. If there’s been one worse than that, I don’t recall it. It might just be, as the kids like to say these days, the greatest “epic fail” in Canadian international hockey. Ever.
How would you like to throw that on your resume?
All that said, it’s not as if blowing a three-goal lead in the third period never happens in hockey.
In the NHL, since the lockout, it has happened, on average, at least once a season. Eight times in 1,226 regular season games since 2005-06, if you are looking to be precise.
But there weren’t four or five million Canadians watching those collapses, it wasn’t the World Junior Championship and the team falling apart in the third period didn’t have a Maple Leaf on their chest. Well, at least not a red one.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Those Russians Know How To Party
by Paul on 01/06/11 at 10:08 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Robert J. McCarthy of the Buffalo News,
Oh, what a party it must have been for the Russian hockey team after their big win over Canada on Wednesday.
But it apparently caught up with the World Junior Hockey champions. They were kicked off a flight from Buffalo Niagara International Airport early this morning after sources said disruptive behavior after a night of celebration posed a safety threat.
“The crew of a flight from Buffalo to Atlanta denied boarding to 30 passengers as a result of unruly behavior,” said Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott. “This was an effort to ensure safe operation of the flight. They will be rebooked on a future flight.”
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Tags: Team+Russia,
How Canada Lost The Gold
by Paul on 01/06/11 at 09:56 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail,
When we win, as in the Vancouver Winter Games (both men and women), we swagger. When we lose, we wallow.
It’s just part of the weird national character that is Canadian.
What happened last night? Well, on the scoresheet sitting before me, Canada takes a 3-0 lead into the third period and somehow loses 5-3. I would say by any imaginable definition that is a “collapse.” It might not be a “national tragedy,” as some have been saying. It might or might not be a “choke,” as all the media was whispering last night but few, if any, dared to say out loud or print. But it as sure as hell a monumental collapse.
So be it. How many times do we have to write “stuff happens” in hockey - it is, truly, as much an essence of the game as pucks and skates and sticks. Stuff happens, though I am tempted here to use the proper hockey word for “stuff.”
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Evening Line
by Paul on 01/05/11 at 10:10 PM ET
Comments (19)
My goodness. The biggest collapse in Canadian national junior history. Stunning to watch it all unfold. 5-3 Russia.
-Damien Cox on Twitter.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Looking For Respect
by Paul on 05/21/10 at 09:59 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Andy Potts of The Moscow News,
Commentators in North America, where the Stanley Cup play-offs are nearing their conclusion, were sniffy about the outcome.
In the Toronto Sun a columnist claimed “nobody out of Europe cares” about a contest which “ranks lower than cricket” and suggested Russia’s excitement over this men-against-boys win might be almost as embarrassing as their Olympic loss.
But, as Bykov put it after the game, a clash between Russia and Canada is never meaningless.
“The Olympics is still incomparable with the World Championships, but in any event this tournament deserves respect and every team wants to win here,” he said.
“Any game between us is an event - if we see Sergei Fedorov fighting on the ice for only the second time in his life, that says it all.”
more and watch the Fedorov ‘fight’ with Downie here....
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Russia Gets Their Revenge
by Paul on 05/20/10 at 04:50 PM ET
Comments (7)
from Russia Today,
Team Russia has thrashed Canada in the Ice Hockey World Championships quarterfinals to increase their winning streak at world champs to 26 consecutive victories.
Evgeny Malkin made a brace, while Pavel Datsyuk, Maksim Afinogenov and Sergey Fedorov each added a goal for the Russians, who ultimately beat Canada 5-2. Canada trailed 4-0 in the third period but good indivudual efforts by John Tavares and Matt Duchene sugared coat for Canada.
Going into the game captain of the Russian team Ilya Kovalchuk stressed that win over Canada would be “a matter of principle” for the Russian players.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
A Quiet Ovechkin
by Paul on 05/18/10 at 12:56 PM ET
Comments (5)
from Michael Traikos of the National Post,
...At the world championships, currently being held in Germany, Ovechkin is back to being silent. Apparently, the Russian paparazzi took videos of some players smoking cigarettes. And in response, Ovechkin and the rest of the team has decided the boycott all Russian reporters.
Even if this is a team policy, it is inexcusable.
We like Ovechkin. We really do. We think he is one of the most talented players to have ever played in the NHL. And the fact that he decided to represent Russia after being eliminated in the first-round of the playoffs shows his dedication to the sport.
But the NHL needs him to be more than just a goal-scorer. They need him to entertain. They need him to be available to the media after every win or loss. They need him to wear silly hats and sing silly jingles.
But, most importantly, they need him to talk.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
Morning Line
by Paul on 03/02/10 at 11:51 AM ET
Comments (13)
“I don’t want to talk about it. It happened. I feel sorry, but it was an emotional moment for me. I don’t want to say something bad or do something bad, but this happened. Let’s forget about it and move forward.”
-Alexander Ovechkin on the camera girl incident. More from Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
Nabokov Talks About His Team Russia Exerience
by Paul on 03/01/10 at 05:27 PM ET
Comments (1)
from David Pollak of Working the Corners at the Mercury News,
...Nabokov, as usual, wasn’t ducking questions. He took responsibility — but didn’t want to let himself be defined by one game and at one point noted he was in the nets when Russia won the 2008 World Championships.
Here’s the transcript of our one-on-one conversation:
Q: Do you feel added pressure to show people that’s not who you are as a goalie?
“I don’t think one game makes you this or that – whatever it is, a loss or a win. Your whole career makes you who you are. You always want to prove that you’re playing well, but games like that happen. What is different this game from what happened to us against Chicago, you know what I mean?
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Tags: Evgeni+Nabokov, Team+Russia,
A Crack In Ovechkin’s Game
by Paul on 02/26/10 at 07:13 PM ET
Comments (33)
from Edward Fraser of The Hockey News,
None of us know the details regarding Alex Ovechkin shoving a person with a camera in the wake of Russia’s embarrassing 7-3 loss at the hands of the Canadians, but no matter what the circumstances, the Capitals and/or the NHL need to send a message by suspending him.
The once-congenial and ultra-media-friendly Ovechkin has shown progressive cracks in his off-ice demeanor for some time now, culminating with his Olympic availability where he essentially ignored the English media during the tournament.
continued and if you missed the video, you can watch it here.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
Ovechkin Just Like A Hollywood Star
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 12:03 PM ET
Comments (22)
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
Morning Line
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 10:56 AM ET
Comments (0)
Canada rush into the semifinals, while the only consolation for the Russians might be the fact that not many Russian fans witnessed the nightmare live due to time difference.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
The Russian Plan Didn’t Work Out
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 08:56 AM ET
Comments (10)
from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
It all sounded so darn good on paper.
Stack your team with nine KHL players, win the Olympic gold medal, show the world your fledgling league is just as good as the NHL, then enter your own Games in Sochi, Russia, in four years as the reigning champion.
You see, it wasn’t enough that Russia was going to be a heavy contender in this Olympic hockey tournament. There was, as rumor would have it, tremendous pressure on coach Vyacheslav Bykov to include as many KHL players as possible. There were powerful people behind the scenes who wanted to make this a political statement, too.
Well, Russia made its statement, all right. Thanks for coming out.
In a quarterfinal game that meant everything to both hockey superpowers, Canada embarrassed Russia 7-3 on Wednesday night.
“It is the same feeling as the Canadians would have had if they lost—it’s a disaster,” Russian netminder Ilya Bryzgalov said after the game.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
The Canadian Way
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 12:35 AM ET
Comments (10)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
On this improbable night of hockey, as Canada rolled to a lopsided 7-3 victory over a star-studded Russian team, Corey Perry was talking about what constitutes Canadian hockey at its very best.
“That was it,” said Perry. “Physical play, grinding, cycling, forechecking - that’s what we did tonight and that’s what wore them down.”
In one of the most hyped, heralded and anticipated hockey games in history, Canada unleashed a devastating first-period attack Wednesday night to crush Russia, the defending world champions and in some people’s minds, the gold-medal favorite, in a men’s Olympic hockey quarter-final game.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Milbury Shoots From The Lip
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 10:19 PM ET
Comments (46)
via the Star-Ledger,
Moments after Canadian hockey team defeated the Russians 7 to 3 in the Olympic quarter finals, NBC announcer Mike Milbury described the Russian team’s effort as a “Eurotrash game.”
“I’m was really disappointed that these guys came with their, their Eurotrash game,” Milbury said, referring to the Russians. “It was just no heart, no guts, no nothing there to back it up.”
“Did you really say Eurotrash? Did that come out of your mouth?” NBC hockey host Bill Patrick asked, as former NHL star Jeremy Roenick sat stunned between the two men with his mouth open.
“I heard it, I heard it,” Roenick replied, attempting to bail out the situation by agreeing with Milbury’s overall analysis that the Russian team lacked effort in the one-sided loss.
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Tags: Mike+Milbury, Team+Russia,
Open Post- Team Russia vs. Team Canada
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 06:45 PM ET
Comments (20)
Puck drops on CNBC and CTV at 7:30pm ET.
Should be an exciting game to watch and I hope CNBC does not turn this into a Crosby vs. Ovechkin circus.
Ken Holland on 640am in Toronto about a 1/2 hour ago stated he expects a 3-2 game tonight and feels it will be a tight, defensive game.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
All The Crosby Against Ovechkin Talk
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 12:21 PM ET
Comments (7)
from Greg Inglis of NHL.com,
“Can we call this Super Wednesday?” asks Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News on the eve of this feast of four Olympic quarterfinal games that features more than 125 NHL players pursuing their gold-medal dream in one spectacular day of competition.
“This is not merely a showstopper. This is a nation stopper,” proclaims Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber on the much-hyped Canada-Russia showdown….
“Sid vs. Ovie: The rivalry goes global,” reads the headline to Craig Custance’s preview in the Sporting News.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sidney+Crosby, Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Russia Under Pressure
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 10:36 AM ET
Comments (7)
from Jason Botchford of the Vancouver Province,
Team Russia is the only team in the tournament enduring anything close to the pressure and second guessing that Team Canada copes with. With good reason. Ovechkin is been playing on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Semin. It’s a unit which should be deadly in terms of goal production.
But some believe the wear from the pressure is showing. Ovechkin, usually eminently likable and gregarious, has been questioned for his lack of openness in Vancouver.
After the win against the Czech Republic—a win—Ovechkin answered only three questions in Russian and walked away saying: “That’s it.”
added 10:49am, from Sean Gordon of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
Russia is beginning to pick up the medal pace after a slow start to the 2010 Olympics - which has prompted some angry demands that the country’s sports minister be sacked - and a sentiment familiar to many Canadians is beginning to take hold: win gold in hockey, and all is forgiven.
“That is the case,” Vladislav Tretiak, the legendary former goaltender and current general manager of the Russian Federation’s Olympic squad, said through an interpreter.
“Of course we feel the pressure, but Canada feels much bigger pressure.”
Picked as pre-tournament favourites to make the gold-medal game, the Russians are striving to avoid the fate that befell them four years ago in Turin, when they finished out of the medals after eliminating Canada.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
A Russia/Canada History Lesson
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 09:48 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Joe Pelletier of Greatest Hockey Legends,
The politics may have changed, but the cold war is back in full force.
As enjoyable as the Canada vs USA rivalry has become, for old fogies like me Russia vs Canada will always be the great rivalry.
It goes back to 1954, when the Soviet Union entered a hockey team at the World Championships and shocked the world by defeating Canada. Almost from that moment on, international hockey was their great domain, changing hockey for the greater in the process.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Loser Go Home
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 09:31 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
The winner moves on, the loser faces hard questions. But there’s no question this contest means more to Canada, with these Olympics on its home turf and with the ballyhooed Own The Podium program having fizzled over the past 10 days.
Canada hasn’t beaten Russia in its various forms at the Winter Olympics in 50 years, a drought that stretches back to the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley.
Eight meetings between Canada and Russia at the Olympics, eight Canadian losses.
So no pressure, gentlemen. Just relax and breathe. And that goes for you too, Canada.
The game that will feature the Sidney Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin rivalry, something everyone hoped to see at this competition.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Ehrhoff Says Russia Over Canada
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 12:00 AM ET
Comments (2)
from Chris Stevenson at the Toronto Sun,
German defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, who plays for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, is picking the Russians to beat Canada Wednesday in the Olympic quarterfinal.
Minutes after Canada blasted the Germans 8-2 to punch their ticket to that game, Ehrhoff didn’t hesitate when asked who would win.
“Russia,” he said. “They bring skill, but they also play very hard and physical. They have a great goalie and I think they have the complete package to pull it off here.”
Ehrhoff agreed Canada isn’t yet at the level of team play the Russians and Americans have shown so far.
“I was a little surprised. But it can happen in a tournament,” he said. “You’ve got to get together quick as a team and so far the Russians have done that.”
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Russia vs. Canada Again
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 09:53 PM ET
Comments (4)
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun (Wednesday edition),
Somehow, it always seems to come back to this: Canada and Russia. A rivalry once dormant, now very much alive….
Now it’s a best-of-one.
And all this with reputations very much on the line.
This is Steve Yzerman’s team. He picked the players. He put the coaching staff together. He never once considered the possibility of finishing sixth.
This is Sidney Crosby’s team. He was left off the Canadian roster four years ago. He is the captain without the C. He has a Stanley Cup so young. But this is the world. This should be his time.
This is Roberto Luongo’s opportunity. You can only be so great without winning anything for so long. This is his chance to shed the loser label. One game can alter a reputation forever.
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Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Can Ovechkin Be Stopped?
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 07:57 PM ET
Comments (3)
from Reed Albergotti of the Wall Street Journal,
If you want to win Olympic gold in men’s hockey, you’ll have to stop a scruffy, gap-toothed, trash-talking Russian named Alexander Ovechkin. Good luck.
Mr. Ovechkin, who plays wing for the Washington Capitals, has been confounding opponents in the National Hockey League for five years. Now, as the Olympic hockey tournament heads into its final rounds, the star of the Russian Federation team poses a problem of global proportions.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
The Ovechkin Olympic Experience
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 06:51 AM ET
Comments (0)
Alexander Ovechkin talks about keeping a low profile, his experience in Vancouver and a few other topics.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
Is The Red Army Back?
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 10:40 PM ET
Comments (4)
from Dan Wetzel of Yahoo,
At 24, he may be the most accessible and down-to-earth superstar in sports.
Whatever Ovechkin and his fellow NHL stars are in their professional sweaters has been forgotten. They’ve taken on the mentality of their home nation’s team – serious, direct and not to be bothered.
The Red Army is back. And it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Reporters aren’t going to have their notebooks filled up with quotes, but since when was that the goal of the Olympics?
The Russians are most fun to compete against when they adopt a reserved yet aggressive way, dismissive of the outside world yet eager to show their might, their skill, their tenacity. Nations around the globe have been trying to solve the Russian riddle at the Olympics for decades.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
The Game Changing Play In Russia/Czech Republic Game
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 06:45 PM ET
Comments (3)
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Open Post- As Fans Of Hockey, It Is A Great Day
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 02:46 PM ET
Comments (13)
As hockey fans, we may be only rooting for for one team.
Is it Team Russia or Team Czech Republic which starts just after 3:00pm ET on NBC &TSN?
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Tags: Team+Czech+Republic, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Team Russia Could Use Some Line Juggling
by Paul on 02/20/10 at 08:55 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
Evgeni Malkin, solo artist?
That is how he has looked for most of Russia’s first two games, and through no apparent fault of his own: Malkin has skated feverishly since the first faceoff, at times bowling through teammates and opponents alike to win loose pucks. But there has been no more than scant indication that he is clicking with linemates Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov.
On one level, that should be little surprise despite the compelling assembly of names: Kovalchuk’s passing is not a strong suit, certainly not compared to his shooting, and many of his shots have been blocked. He has been the target of most of Malkin’s passes, with little reciprocation. Afinogenov always has been known more for his speed than hands, and there has been little chemistry….
One possibility could be to move Pavel Datsyuk, who looks just as isolated on the top line with Washington teammates Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin, with Malkin.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
Team Russia Lacked Passion In Their Play
by Paul on 02/19/10 at 10:42 AM ET
Comments (0)
from RussianHockeyfans,
Russian coach Vyacheslav Bykov talked about the reasons of the loss to Slovakia, stated that not all players had passion, explained why Ovechkin had three shootout attempts and talked about power play units in an interview to Russia site gazeta.ru.
RussianHockeyfans.com offers you a translation.
What shortcomings of the team did you find out?
Bykov: “The players had no passion. It looked like it was a regular game for them.”
Ovechkin was turned on the whole game, made like five hits. Why weren’t other players pumped up?
Bykov: “Yes, Alexander was one of the players who tried to demonstrate their best during the whole game. Others were in shadow.”
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Tags: Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Slovakia Upsets Russia
by Paul on 02/19/10 at 08:22 AM ET
Comments (1)
from John Dellapina at NHL.com,
Perhaps somebody forgot to inform the Slovaks that they had drawn the short straw in this 2010 Olympic hockey tournament. Or maybe they figured, having confounded the skeptics and the schedule-maker four years ago by going undefeated in pool play in Torino, they simply were being perfectly set up to shock the hockey world yet again.
Whatever the case, the little country that supposedly couldn’t somehow found a way Thursday night at Canada Hockey Place. It took a third-period comeback. And it took seven rounds of a shootout—three of which saw Alex Ovechkin shoot against them.
But at the end of a second straight long, withering night, it was the Slovaks who were still standing—2-1 victors over the powerhouse from Russia.
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Tags: Team+Russia, Team+Slovakia, Winter+Olympics,
More Ovechkin Needed
by Paul on 02/18/10 at 11:45 AM ET
Comments (1)
from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
If only the Washington Capitals’ crack PR staff had been assigned to Ovechkin and the Russian national team. We’re pretty sure there wouldn’t be any carping. But it isn’t, and repeated requests for Ovechkin from the national media have fallen pretty much on deaf ears.
Now, the Olympics are a tricky business, between rights holders and who gets to stand where and who has to talk to whom first in the mixed zones (the penned areas where the media are held like much livestock—discuss amongst yourselves).
But the Russians, or Ovechkin himself, have decided to behave in a manner that is decidedly un-Olympic, speaking almost exclusively to the Russian media (we get that) and generally ignoring the rest of us (which we don’t).
Now, we’re not suggesting Ovechkin is Socrates on skates and we’re all the poorer for not knowing how he feels about the lines at the Hudson’s Bay Company or the ticket fiasco here or the food at the athletes’ village. But it shouldn’t be this big a hassle to get in front of a player who is arguably the best in the world playing in the world’s biggest tournament … should it?
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Team+Russia,
The Last Great Russian Olympic Moment
by Paul on 02/17/10 at 12:13 PM ET
Comments (0)
from John Sanful at IIHF.com,
Russian hockey has a rich history. Since first winning gold at the 1956 Olympics, the hockey program has experienced many glorious moments- including the most successful run in hockey history from 1964 to 1992. During those years, spanning eight Olympic tournaments, they lost only four games en route to seven gold medals and one silver medal.
Russia has also seen lean times, including a disappointing fourth place performance at the 1994 Olympics.
The last great Olympic hockey moment came in 1992 when an old Soviet dinosaur coached a team of talented youngsters to the gold medal.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
Crosby & Ovechkin Are Popular Topics In Vancouver
by Paul on 02/17/10 at 10:27 AM ET
Comments (10)
from Dan Steinberg of D.C. Sports Bog,
NBC analyst Mike Milbury obviously knows that Caps fans regularly accuse him of anti-Ovechkin propaganda. From the Crapitals incident, to calling Ovechkin “a dog,” to the more recent “Hey Ovi, I’m still your daddy right now” comment about Crosby, Milbury is building up quite a resume.
Does this make him second-guess his comments about Ovechkin, keeping everything drab and vanilla, offering generic praise and moving on, staying away from controversy? It does not. During the first intermission of the Canada-Norway game Tuesday evening, NBC ran a little piece about Ovechkin, then came out of it by asking Milbury to whom he compares Ovechkin.
The question was asked in the “history of hockey” sense, or maybe the “compare him to a great athlete in another sport” sense. The gist was that NBC’s analyst should help viewers understand the nature of Ovechkin’s game. Milbury’s answer?
“Well, if I compared him to the other great player in the game it’d be Sidney Crosby,” Milbury replied.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sidney+Crosby, Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Latvia/Russia Wrap
by Paul on 02/17/10 at 08:43 AM ET
Comments (4)
via Russia Today,
The reigning world champions thrashed their opponents, 8-2.
Aleksandr Ovechkin and Danis Zaripov each claimed a brace, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evgeny Malkin had a goal and an assist each, and Sergey Fedorov came off the rink with two assists under his belt.
The only disappointment this evening was Evgeny Nabokov’s might-have-been shootout.
“It is only the first game, but I am sure it will be different in the second game. We have to play desperate,” Kovalchuk assured after the game.
“A few things we would like to change. But it’s the first game,” said defender Sergey Gonchar, echoing Kovalchuk. “Still, I like what we had,” he added.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
Can Russia’s Defense Hold Up?
by Paul on 02/16/10 at 08:27 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Lucas Aykroyd at IIHF.com,
A few years ago, this criticism was perfectly legitimate. At the annual World Championship, Russian blueliners would pinch at inopportune times, giving up odd-man rushes on a regular basis. In their own zone, they would attempt feeble pokechecks instead of taking the body, and woe betide the Russian netminder who failed to smother a rebound, as opposing forwards on elite teams would happily rush to the net and bang in loose pucks.
No wonder Russia suffered some mighty collapses in international hockey. The most notable instance was the embarrassing 11th-place finish on home ice at the 2000 IIHF World Championship in St. Petersburg. But the 10th-place outing in 2004, marked by legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov’s ill-fated comeback at age 73, wasn’t far behind in terms of lowlights.
However, this is 2010. The Russians have tightened up significantly on defence going back to 2005, when they captured bronze at the Worlds in Austria. The improvement has been particularly evident under coach Slava Bykov, who took over the reins for the 2007 Worlds in Moscow.
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Tags: Team+Russia,
Team Russia Notes
by Paul on 02/16/10 at 07:57 AM ET
Comments (4)
from Russia Today,
• Russia’s ice hockey captain Aleksey Morozov says the food at the Olympic village has been so bad he has been forced to eat at McDonalds.
• Despite being 11 time zones from Russia, the players will have a few home comforts, with the players’ wives, girlfriends and children also in Vancouver, though they will not be staying with the players in the athletes’ village.
“It’s support and gives our guys extra motivation. So I don’t partially see anything wrong with this. Sport and the family are one. Our players are professionals and know why they are here and we will hope it will give us extra motivation and strength to achieve a miracle,” Russia’s coach added.
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Fedorov Having Fun
by Paul on 02/15/10 at 09:56 PM ET
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from the CP at CTVOlympics,
The 40-year-old forward appeared to be just as loose and relaxed as the players around him on the eve of the Olympic tournament. He was clearly enjoying himself on the ice during Monday’s practice at Canada Hockey Place and was cracking jokes afterwards.
“I’m just delighted to be around those guys and have fun,” said Fedorov. “If you want to be part of the group, you have to goof off too sometimes.”
Fedorov is five years older than anyone else on the Russian team. He’s back for his third Games and is painfully aware that his country hasn’t won Olympic gold since 1992, but doesn’t believe it’s much of a distraction for the young stars.
“I don’t think anybody on the team thinks about when we won last time Olympics and stuff because we’re having too much fun,” said Fedorov.
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Different Styles For Ovechkin And Crosby
by Paul on 02/15/10 at 01:22 PM ET
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from Lucas Aykroyd at IIHF.com,
It is, of course, unfair to label 2010 the “Ovechkin versus Crosby Olympics”, because hockey is a team sport. But these are both players that have the ability, not just to make a play that changes a game, but to go ahead and impose their will on the game.
However, the captain of the Washington Capitals and his Pittsburgh Penguins counterpart achieve their goals in such different ways.
It’s hard to pin down intangible qualities that make a star what he is. But if I had to try, I’d say that Ovechkin’s success stemly mostly from passion, whereas Crosby’s mostly reflects his drive. (Their skill sets both go without saying, and they have both diversified their games to the point where the old “Ovechkin shoots, Crosby makes plays” label is no longer adequate.)
One dictionary defines passion as “a powerful emotion, such as love, joy, hatred, or anger”. And that’s what you see every time Ovechkin steps on the ice. He’s blowing kisses and throwing himself into the boards when he scores goals. He gets angry when his team falls behind and spurs himself to play better. A classic example occurred in Washington’s come-from-behind 5-4 OT victory over Pittsburgh on February 7, where Ovechkin led the way with a hat trick.
The same dictionary defines drive as “the trait of being highly motivated”. To that, you might add “focused” in Crosby’s case.
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Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sidney+Crosby, Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Team Russia Will Take It One Game At A Time
by Paul on 02/13/10 at 08:59 PM ET
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via RIA Novosti,
“We are pleased to be predicted for the final, but there are many other candidates,” Vladislav Tretyak said at a news conference in Russia House adding that many other teams have equal chances of reaching the final, including the United States, Finland and Sweden.
Russia’s legendary hockey goalie Tretyak, a three-time Olympic champion and 10-time world champion, said the Russian players are currently seriously focusing on the first game against Latvia, as there are no weak opponents at the Olympics.
“The first game is always exciting no matter who you play against. The boys are set for a difficult game. There are no weak opponents and there will be a lot of surprises,” he said.
The Russian 2010 national Olympic team, which includes 14 players from the National Hockey League (NHL) and nine from the Continental Hockey League (KHL), will play its first game of the tournament against Latvia on February 16.
The Russian squad is led again by Coach Vyacheslav Bykov, who is already being talked of as a coaching great.
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Political Games
by Paul on 02/01/10 at 11:10 AM ET
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from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
Think Canada has a monopoly on player selection controversies? Or is the only country immersed in discussion about who will play where during the men’s 2010 Winter Olympics hockey tournament?
It’s just as bad - and maybe worse - in Russia, which has the added complication of balancing players from its own domestic league (the Continental Hockey League or KHL) as well as its stars in the NHL.
Politics is the stepchild of modern international hockey, and so for the Vancouver Games, the Russians opted for nine players from the KHL, and the rest from the NHL.
If Washington Capitals goaltender Semyon Varlamov is dropped for injury reasons, the third goalie to play behind Ilya Bryzgalov of the Phoenix Coyotes and Evgeni Nabokov of the San Jose Sharks is expected to come from the KHL.
Even though Russian coach Slava Bykov is considered a progressive leader, he adopted one of the principles from the old Soviet days and will play four five-man units.
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Tags: Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Zubov Humiliated By Being Included As A Substitute Player For Team Russia
by Paul on 01/26/10 at 08:16 AM ET
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from RussiaToday,
Ex-NHL star Sergey Zubov was outraged by the coaches’ decision to choose him as a substitute player for Russia’s Olympic hockey team, calling the move “a spit in the face”.
“The administrator of the national team has just called me and said that I am included in the list of substitutions for the Olympics. I actually did not know what to say. The situation surprised me a lot,” the 39-year-old told Sport-Express newspaper.
Zubov currently plays for SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL, being the top-scoring defender in the regular championship.
“And earlier I was amazed and even offended by the words of the president of the Russian Hockey Federation, Vladislav Tretyak, and head coach of the national team Vyacheslav Bykov, who uttered in an interview: that in order to get to the national squad one must gnaw the ice, and that they would not take you for your previous merits,” the veteran stressed.
“All these statements have extremely disappointed me. This is humiliation of me as a personality and a sportsman. I do not owe anything to anyone and I have honestly earned my name in ice hockey. I am not 25 years old and have proved my high level with seventeen seasons in NHL. I am not going to prove anything anymore,” he added.
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Tags: Sergei+Zinoviev, Team+Russia,
Report- Russia Adds Substitute Players To Olympic Roster
by Paul on 01/22/10 at 02:01 PM ET
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via RussianHockeyFans,
Alexei Kovalev, Alexander Frolov, Sergei Zubov and Nikolai Kulemin are going to the Olympic Games in Vancouver as substitutes for the Russian team.
It is not officially announced yet but according to Russian site infox.ru Kovalev, Frolov, Zubov and Kulemin have received the Olympics equipment as well as other players from the official Team Russia roster. It means they are going to the Olympics in the status of substitute players.
Overall Russia will have 9 substitute players, three from the NHL and six from the KHL.
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Morning Line
by Paul on 01/12/10 at 10:08 AM ET
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I see that many people are worried because of my decline in productivity. But the season is long and everybody has slowdowns. Do not worry I will be in my best form by the Olympics and I hope I will not let my country down.
-Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Team Russia. More from Malkin at RussiaToday.
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Team Russia Announced
by Paul on 12/25/09 at 10:54 AM ET
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from RussiaToday,
Russia’s hockey coach Vyacheslav Bykov has announced his choice for the upcoming Vancouver Olympics, with stars like Aleksandr Ovechkin, Evgeny Malkin and Ilya Kovalchuk on the list.
And the Russian Coach says the Russians can beat the Canadians…
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The Games May Have Started Early
by Paul on 11/30/09 at 11:05 AM ET
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from John Shannon of Sportsnet,
Last week on Prime Time Sports with Bob McCown, Bob and I had the chance to talk to Vladislav Tretiak. I have met the great goalie a couple of times over the years when he was the goalie coach for the Chicago Blackhawks, but this was the first time I had talked to him since he had been named head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, and recently the general manager of the Russian Olympic Team.
He has an interesting dilemma when it comes to the Olympics. Does he field a team of NHLers, KHLers or a little bit of both leagues? He told Bob and I that it would be a mix of the two leagues. And frankly from his perspective, it has to be. Even if there were 23 NHL players fit for the ice in Vancouver, Tretiak has no choice but to pick some talent from the Kontinental League. In order to give the Russian-based league any level of credibility throughout Europe, there has to be some of its players on the ice at the soon-to-be-renamed GM Place.
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Team Russia Olympic Camp Roster
by Paul on 08/03/09 at 11:28 AM ET
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from the IIHF via Universal Sports,
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has named 38 players for their Olympic Summer Camp from August 29 to September 1 in Moscow. The KHL and the NHL contribute with 19 players each.
continued and the compete roster is listed below…
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