WC: 2016 Team Russia

[kp61c]

It isn't 100% Tretiak's fault (he doesn't have unlimited money to build rinks, fund hockey schools and train coaches - others have failed to deliver that money), but he has failed in his mission to improve all facets of hockey in Russia. In 20 years, only insignificant progress has been made in digging out of the hockey morass of the 1990's.

Russia still seems to lag far behind Sweden, Finland and Canada on the international level. There are still only 5 or 6 good hockey schools in the country that consistently produce players (Traktor in Chelyabinsk can't handle the problem by itself). He has failed to acquire funding to build new rinks and train qualified hockey coaches. I give the credit to the KHL for creating the MHL in order to increase the number and quality of hockey prospects for development. I just don't think he has anything to show for himself other than being a legend for his great playing career.

well said

 

[Talisman]

I don't know if Znarok will remain coaching national team.
What other candidates can possibly improve our play?

I'm not counting Bykov (he's busy with family), Bragin (He is good with junior team and that's fine for junior team), Billyaletdinov (no comment).
Nazarov, Nikitin, Vitolinsh - I doubt that.
Kvartalnov, Zakharkin (alone), Vorobiev - may be they haven't enough authority for players to be head coach.

Who else can be here? Yurzinov Senior? May be Fetisov on the World Cup of Hockey?

i think that it would`ve be very interesting to see a foreigner coach in team russia!!. i don`t mean that coach comes from latvia(znarok) or lithuania etc etc. from western world maybe from finland.....?. Maybe he could bring who lot of different dimensions to team russia playing!!

 

[XokkeyGuy]

I don't know if Znarok will remain coaching national team.
What other candidates can possibly improve our play?

Well, I'm sure you guys know who I wish for coach. Bring back Bykov!

1. Morale: He was the man who turned sh't around with the NHL-players constantly saying no. He was liked among the players, made the national team something to be proud of to play in and had so many players so chose amongst to the point that he himself said no.
I remember when he sent e-mail to Kovalev replying that he won´t get a spot because he is too slow.

2. Statistics: He was the man who turned sh't around with the World championship-failures, getting to the final game in 3 consecutive years - getting 2 gold and 1 silver.

Sure, the olympics in 2010 should have been better, but hey.. It was after all Canada that we lost against.
Also 2011 was a failure, but this year we had a pretty bad team in my opinion.
Even I could win the gold in 2012 coaching that team we had, it was 99% olympic team.

3. Why he would be a good coach for this team:
- He is good at coaching top teams, which we have had the recent years.
- During his time as coach we had sh'tty goalkeepers, Nabokov sucked already in the 2008 final, 2010 vs Canada and the whole 2011 championship (he didn´t even play in a club that season!?). With Varlamov and Bobrovsky he would probably never have lost that semifinal in 2007 against Finland and made a better olympics in 2010 + 2011.
- With him the team always scored goals, the offense was awesome. The defending hasn´t been better without him.

 

[Yakushev72]

I don't know if Znarok will remain coaching national team.
What other candidates can possibly improve our play?

I'm not counting Bykov (he's busy with family), Bragin (He is good with junior team and that's fine for junior team), Billyaletdinov (no comment).
Nazarov, Nikitin, Vitolinsh - I doubt that.
Kvartalnov, Zakharkin (alone), Vorobiev - may be they haven't enough authority for players to be head coach.

Who else can be here? Yurzinov Senior? May be Fetisov on the World Cup of Hockey?

There are no magic bullets among prospective coaches, although Bragin is the one who seems to be the best motivator who gets the most respect from his players (maybe because they're younger, I don't know). The coach represents Russia, so the RHF has to use success as the main criteria for keeping him. Should the team lose to the USA today, I have to believe that will be his last game.

 

[XokkeyGuy]

i think that it would`ve be very interesting to see a foreigner coach in team russia!!. i don`t mean that coach comes from latvia(znarok) or lithuania etc etc. from western world maybe from finland.....?. Maybe he could bring who lot of different dimensions to team russia playing!!

Then you would need to remove Tretiak since he has said himself that no foreigner will coach the national team. It would be one thing if this was a sport that Russia sucked at or wasn´t really that competetive, but since you are talking about a proud and patriotic country and its perhaps greatest team sport you will probably never see a foreigner ever coaching it.
Especially after the failure/scandal with Capello in the football team last year and the atmosphere that it left behind it won´t be possible in the nearest future.

 

[BlitzSnipe]

Alright, at least we got Bronze. Still though, the tournament was a disappointment, since the team should've at least played in the Final.

 

[Fantomas]

Well, I'm sure you guys know who I wish for coach. Bring back Bykov!

No thx

 

[jj cale]

Want to congratulate Russia on their win.


From top to bottom you guys were the best here this year.

Always top talent.............always to be feared.

The big bear has won again.

 

[Caser]

Bronze added some positive emotions to my mood. Some after-tournament thoughts:

Bobrovskiy is solid, I was a bit worried before the tournament as he didn't have the best season, but he is fine.
Sorokin and Shestyorkin - those kind of kids make me really glad with the production of young goalies in Russia.

Belov and Chudinov - as usual: brainless, but with a heavy slapshot.
Antipin - also as usual: lacks size.
Zaitsev and Marchenko - decent, but looked kind of nervous to me, which lead to unnecessary mistakes.
Emelin - very strange: makes some good defensive plays, but then suddenly falls asleep. Useless for the starting of the offense.
Voinov - decent, wouldn't call it good as he also made too many mistakes, but comparing to other defenders it wasn't that bad.
Orlov - I liked him, contributes on both sides of the ice, we need that badly.

Panarin-Shipachyov-Dadonov - looked perfect until Finland applied some pressure on them.
Ovechkin - I totally agree that he is not what he used to be especially on big rinks, still he was basically the only one who was able to create offense Vs. Finland.
Datsyuk - he still can do the magic, but it looks like his health doesn't allow him to kill penalties any more, which is very bad for us.
Mozyakin - mixed feelings: he definitely got the shot, on the other hand so much plays ended on him with just a puck loss.
Kuznetsov - some good plays from him and then he dissapears, then again makes some decent plays and dissapears again. What happened to him at the second half of the season?
Telegin and Lyubimov - revelations of the tournament, played with such a high energy, probably borrowed some nuclear fuel from Radulov.
Kalinin - not bad for a 4-th liner: some decent defense and zero offense.
Plotnikov - a biggest mistery to me: he played as a decent 4-th liner both in Pittsburgh and Arizona, but was horrible at this tournament... until the Bronze medal game, where he finally looked decent. I'm totally confused.
Sannikov, Burmistrov, Shirokov - they shouldn't be here.

Znarok - he didn't catch the moment when the game slipped away against Finland, I'd blame the 'designated coach for NT' thing here. Totally has to be blamed for the bad PP and for some bad after-faceoff plays. Partially can be blamed for PK, but here we just don't have the resources. And yes, he should've found someone better than Shirokov, Sannikov and Antipin (actually Plots and Burmi too, but at least I can understand the idea here).

 

[Fantomas]

Time to run with the kids on defense. Sick and tired of Belov. Never liked Voynov. Antipin/Chudinov are just mediocre.

The kids will do better.

 

[Caser]

Want to congratulate Russia on their win.


From top to bottom you guys were the best here this year.

Always top talent.............always to be feared.

The big bear has won again.

Thanks, but you probably know that we hoped for something more at home, so the bear wasn't that big this time.

 

[XokkeyGuy]

No thx

Why though? Do you believe that Bilyaletdinov or Znarok have made a better job?
Bykov differed a lot from the previous coaches, but these latter two have just continued to surf on his wave.

 

[Caser]

Time to run with the kids on defense. Sick and tired of Belov. Never liked Voynov. Antipin/Chudinov are just mediocre.

The kids will do better.

Hopefully, as while Kulikov and Markov can slightly reinforce the D for the World Cup, we need to be rebuilding the defensive core soon.

Bereglazov could be decent right away, he had a solid season.
Tryamkin had an interesting start at Vancouver.
Nesterov is a bit shaky, but I guess it is too early to write him off. More or less the same for Zadorov.
Provorov needs to get some experience against men, but I have very high hopes for him.
Gavrikov also can make it, although I'm a bit worried about his injury history.
Sergachyov and Paigin are more of a longshots, but again, hopes are high.
I also hope to see progress from Mironov, he didn't have a good season, but I'm not done with him yet. More or less the same for Rukavishnikov.

 

[Yakushev72]

Reporting is that Tretyak named Znarok as the coach for Russia's World Cup team today, so that ends any chance of a change at the top in the near future.

 

[Siberian]

Russia played great at times and at times average. Powerplay was a failure, and penalty kill did not help. As far as personnel Russia has enough talent to be winning the tournaments, however it is clear from US, Finland and Canada that the current trend in hockey is to bring youth. We talk about it every year but it always ends the same. Datsyuk for example as much as I love him did not have enough speed when it mattered. I would prefer someone young in his spot. I am not sure why Plotnikov was there. He pretty much polished the bench all year so his readiness was questionable. I know previously he played well but come on, he is not the type of talent to have a roster spot based on his previous accomplishments.

All in all we need some fresh blood in the management of the federation, Tretiak did a good job but time to move on.

 

[Coldplay619]

Looking at Canada.

Nobody but Sweden and USA have a chance.

They're the only team that have the D and offense to match.

 

[snipes]

Great event Russia. Well hosted, thank you! First class event all around

 

[Fantomas]

Reporting is that Tretyak named Znarok as the coach for Russia's World Cup team today, so that ends any chance of a change at the top in the near future.

Thinking on this with a clear head, I don't see the point of firing him. Some of his moves have annoyed me, but I can't think of a better choice.

Maybe Bragin in a couple of years once his kids grow up. He knows them. They know him.

 

[Fantomas]

Hopefully, as while Kulikov and Markov can slightly reinforce the D for the World Cup, we need to be rebuilding the defensive core soon.

Bereglazov could be decent right away, he had a solid season.
Tryamkin had an interesting start at Vancouver.
Nesterov is a bit shaky, but I guess it is too early to write him off. More or less the same for Zadorov.
Provorov needs to get some experience against men, but I have very high hopes for him.
Gavrikov also can make it, although I'm a bit worried about his injury history.
Sergachyov and Paigin are more of a longshots, but again, hopes are high.
I also hope to see progress from Mironov, he didn't have a good season, but I'm not done with him yet. More or less the same for Rukavishnikov.

Good list. Maybe Valiev some day too.

 

[Mehar]

Reporting is that Tretyak named Znarok as the coach for Russia's World Cup team today, so that ends any chance of a change at the top in the near future.

What are your thought on Canada winning Gold today? Yesterday, you said that you would be cheering loudly for Finland (LOL). Mr. Putin showed proper respect to Canada in his statements. Much respect to him since he knows the truth.

Russia will have a very good World Cup team. Cannot blame the coaches, since sometimes it is on the players to get it done. Hoping to see a Russia-Canada World Cup Final. Too bad- we did not get a Russia-Canada Final today, since Russia did not get it done once again yesterday.

 

[kp61c]

Bronze added some positive emotions to my mood. Some after-tournament thoughts:

Bobrovskiy is solid, I was a bit worried before the tournament as he didn't have the best season, but he is fine.
Sorokin and Shestyorkin - those kind of kids make me really glad with the production of young goalies in Russia.

Belov and Chudinov - as usual: brainless, but with a heavy slapshot.
Antipin - also as usual: lacks size.
Zaitsev and Marchenko - decent, but looked kind of nervous to me, which lead to unnecessary mistakes.
Emelin - very strange: makes some good defensive plays, but then suddenly falls asleep. Useless for the starting of the offense.
Voinov - decent, wouldn't call it good as he also made too many mistakes, but comparing to other defenders it wasn't that bad.
Orlov - I liked him, contributes on both sides of the ice, we need that badly.

Panarin-Shipachyov-Dadonov - looked perfect until Finland applied some pressure on them.
Ovechkin - I totally agree that he is not what he used to be especially on big rinks, still he was basically the only one who was able to create offense Vs. Finland.
Datsyuk - he still can do the magic, but it looks like his health doesn't allow him to kill penalties any more, which is very bad for us.
Mozyakin - mixed feelings: he definitely got the shot, on the other hand so much plays ended on him with just a puck loss.
Kuznetsov - some good plays from him and then he dissapears, then again makes some decent plays and dissapears again. What happened to him at the second half of the season?
Telegin and Lyubimov - revelations of the tournament, played with such a high energy, probably borrowed some nuclear fuel from Radulov.
Kalinin - not bad for a 4-th liner: some decent defense and zero offense.
Plotnikov - a biggest mistery to me: he played as a decent 4-th liner both in Pittsburgh and Arizona, but was horrible at this tournament... until the Bronze medal game, where he finally looked decent. I'm totally confused.
Sannikov, Burmistrov, Shirokov - they shouldn't be here.

Znarok - he didn't catch the moment when the game slipped away against Finland, I'd blame the 'designated coach for NT' thing here. Totally has to be blamed for the bad PP and for some bad after-faceoff plays. Partially can be blamed for PK, but here we just don't have the resources. And yes, he should've found someone better than Shirokov, Sannikov and Antipin (actually Plots and Burmi too, but at least I can understand the idea here).

can't agree with this summary, orlov is as much apt to brainfarts as emellin. kuznetsov and ovechkin are plain bad with no excuses. plotnikov should be in "they shouldn't be here" category. lubimov is good only against poor competition. datsyuk and shipachev's line are the only ones who left a favourable impression on me. telegin too, but i think this tourney is an exception for him, like it's with plotnikov in minsk

 

[Fantomas]

Orlov has talent. Emelin doesn't.

 

[kp61c]

Orlov has talent. Emelin doesn't.

he's more flashy, that can be confused with skill. looks like a headless horseman too often for my liking out there.

 

[zbornaja36]

When at the end of 90's and start of 2000 the new generation of russians came ( Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalchuk...) that started to accept invites to play at WC, Russia begin to play better and better...
There was that 2002 solid second place, but Russia play was shaky...I remember in 2005 things started to look better...In 2008 Russia with Bykov finally played as a team... Sure there were medals since then, but Russia is again slowly regressing...Problems still are :

1. Special Units... PP and PK...PK especially is always very shaky for Russia against good teams like Canada... PP also cant seem to work as it should.

2. Coaching...To address things in number 1 and overall, Znarok is solid, but not good enough.

3. Defense. Well this problem can be solved only by new generation.

4. Team play, discipline, fighting spirit is lacking for longer or shorter moments

Also players like Ovechkin. In 2008 he was hungry, playing tough, sacrificing body for plays, laying bodies. Now he floats most of the time and doesnt use his body much. If he put Telegin energy into playing he would make all the difference as he is physicial dominant atlete. He became conservative, like he deceided he will pick his spots for some occasional hard play. Does he thinks to himself ok i have 10 more years to play without injuries, so lets play it safe??...

With the way he plays right now he is useless to team Russia. If he would play with his potential and Telegin energy he would be totally dominant...I think he has this 7th gear in himself, i just dont know why he doesnt use it...I dont watch Washington games, but if he plays like this there also ...

 

[Fantomas]

he's more flashy, that can be confused with skill. looks like a headless horseman too often for my liking out there.

Inconsistent, but young. Emelin doesn't have that excuse.

Next season will be Orlov's chance to prove himself.