Russia/Soviet Union and Goaltending.

[Frightened Inmate #2]

With all of the threads regarding the Soviet Union and their players at the current time this seems to be the best time to ask the question as to why Russia/THe Soviet Union has historically been unable to produce much in the way of top end goaltending tallent - well at least that has been able to produce at the NHL level. I know Tretiak and I do appreciate how he was able to perform in 72, THe new years eve game in 75 as well as in 76. But past Tretiak there really has never been much in the way of goaltenders that have been able to control a game. A trend that can still be seen.

So I guess the question I have is why is this? Is it due to socio-economic reasons where the goaltending equipment is to expensive? Are Russians just bad goaltenders?

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[raffael3d]

I would say before tretjak there was another great goaltender. Victor Konovalenko. After Tretjak the bar was set very very high.

Vladimir Myshkin was solid, but not amazing.
The best goalie maybe after the soviet aera is maybe Khabibulin.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Part of it is that the entire system collapsed in the 90's producing a weaker crop of talent. Then, alot of it is probably the system. Some developmental systems just do a really good job with goalies. (Quebec, Finland.) while others do not. (Russia, Slovakia, Ontario.)

The bigger question IMO, is why is Ontario so much farther behind the rest of Canada?

 

[Tighina]

Konovalenko, Tretiak and Khabibulin. Three exceptional netminders in the entire history of Russian hockey.
Myshkin was merely adequate and Nabokov isn't on the level of greatness yet.

Why? Simply because it was never a priority in our system. Russian hockey is all about high scoring, speed and skill. Goalies were an afterthought. A goaltending coach is not even a profession in our hockey. The netminders are left to develop by themselves, if by chance someone naturally gifted emerges - great! So, we had three natural geniuses, which ain't that bad.

 

[Frightened Inmate #2]

I wouldn't call Khabibulin a genius for a second. A good #1 goaltender but really he doesn't match up well against the "elite" goaltenders in the NHL today.

 

[Tighina]

Khabi is an elite goalie, for sure. He wasn't the smallest piece in the Stanley Cup puzzle, he was amazing in the '02 Olympics and one poor season on a horrible team does not a career break.
Anyway, he is the second- or third-best goalie to emerge from the laissez-faire Soviet system and that alone requires a certain degree of genius.