Balderis may be the best example but it does not mean he was the only one that did not make it for one reason or another. Tikhonov did not take players based on how successful their careers were, but based more on how good the player's form was in the time approaching a tournament. Which makes sense, but some will say that this bad (like it does not take into accouint experience). Many Soviet fans were always upset when players of their favorite club team, players who might have been among the best in the Soviet Union, did not make the national team for the reason stated above or any other. So one can also look on Soviet players' careers and say that some of the best Soviet players did not play at one time or another.