Best teams to watch?

[CSKA]

o boy some guys here should be thankful that players like BURE and PALFY are/were in the NHL !!!

 

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

Germany (under Zach)

Well i like watching Zach flip out if that counts but i did not much enjoy watching his team play.

 

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

Of course i watch anything Canada does but it really is fine hockey , rarely negative and almost always uptempo- some games more than others. The US can also be very good on their day with a similar uptempo approach. I like watching good Russian teams , ones where there is some effort and organization to go with the slick individual skill. I like watching Belarus score from the red every four years too. In fact there are very few teams i do not like watching, Latvia and Denmark were a couple of the teams that really dissappointed with their negative play, especially Denmark but that was against Sweden and may have been an aberration.

 

[Petey21]

Of course I watch all games with Sweden for obvious reason, but other than that I also like these:

1. Canada (always love watching them playing, like their physical style, I always tape and save the games against Canada)
2. Russia (I enjoy their skills and speed)
3. USA (a bit similar to Canada in a way, always enjoyed watching games between Canada and the USA)
4. Slovakia (skilled and very offensive team to watch)
5. Finland (I enjoy the "derby games" between Sweden and Finland)

 

[Wisent]

Well i like watching Zach flip out if that counts but i did not much enjoy watching his team play.

Zach alone makes a game worth to watch.

 

[Epsilon]

I'm a Sens fan I don't think you need to know more as to why I don't like Yashin, and Bure's pretty much in the same group: players with tremendous talent who underachieve/fail to provide effort.
IIRC Bure has never led Team Russia to any gold medal in the WCs same as Yashin though both have enough talent to do so.
IMO Bure is a primadonna while Yashin simply can't seem to raise his game when it counts.

Fedorov, Kovalev, Mogilny and Samsonov though, with Malakhov, A.Markov and Kasparaitis on defence (i know he hasn't always been the best in international play at least he seemed to be emotional about it) and Khabibulin or Nabokov in nets, THAT's a great team. Russia has so much talent beyond Bure and Yashin, they could make a great team without them.

Bure led Russia to a silver at the 1998 Olympics. The only thing he couldn't lead them past was Hasek, and he can hardly be faulted for that.

 

[therealdeal]

Well seriously I enjoy watching Sweden a lot : no team can match Sweden's puck movement in the offensive zone, especially when players such as Forsberg, Z or Alfredsson are on the ice.

I like watching the Czechs too, especially when Jagr has the puck.

I can't stand watching Canada or the US simply because it's always the same, like a bad cliché : a player skates into the zone, makes one pass and here goes the one timer, and if it doesn't go in they'll build something from a lucky bounce.

Make sure you don't give Canada any credit at all. We only have the best coaching staff, trainers, players, GMs in hockey. It couldnt be a combination of those factors, plus the fact the game is much more important to us than any other country. You are quite a bitter, pathetic person.

1. Canada, for obvious reasons. Skill, speed, physical play and heart.
2. Finland - not always the most skilled, but will always give 110%.
3. Czech's/Slovaks - A team that never backs down, and has players (especially with the Czech republic) that seems to bring their A game when they put their country's jersey on.
4. Russia -95% of the time insanely frustrating to watch, but for the 1% of the time they actually succeed on 1 on 4s, its amazing. Kovalev in the WC...

 

[Diaboli]

When on their game..

1. Finland of course! You can never go wrong with your homies
2. Czechs, just insane handling, passing, shooting and I also like their current play-system
3. Russia, IMO better in the first three things mentioned above, but I don't like their play-system as much

 

[Rogalo]

Germany (under Zach)

That is a good one I liked them too and still like them a lot. Wathing five players defending the blue line is a real treat

 

[mikkoz]

1.Finland
2.Kanada
3.Sweden
4.Slovakia
5.Us
6.Datsjuk
7.Latvia
8.Germany
etc

 

[Habs Icing]

Let's see:

Canada because they develop all kinds of players; checkers, finesse players, goalies, d-men and coaches, you name it. Despite what some European posters think, Canadian teams can play any game with any team. No country comes close to Canada except for:

The Czechs. I think if the Czechs had a larger population to draw from, they would be unstoppable. They also seem to develop all kinds of players. When it comes to forwards, they're right there with the elite teams. It's on defence and in goal, they trail a little behind Canada.

Finland seems to be developing along the lines of Canada and The Czech Republic. Again, their problem is they have an even smaller population to draw from.

Russia, well Russia, has been an enigma of late. When it comes to high skilled forwards, they're second to no one. But when it comes to playing as a team these forwards are hit and miss. And what really surprises me, is a nation that had Tretiak - if not the greatest goalie, one of the two or three greatest ever - a nation that had Tretiak is so weak in goal. That's a shame because a lot of the present Canadian goalies have been influenced directly or indirectly by Tretiak. Their defence is so so.

The Slovaks. Wow, next to the Russians, they produce the most skilled individual forwards. They need to develop goalies, grinders and d-men.

Sweden, well Sweden, got lost the last few years with their traps and defence systems and forgot to teach skills to their younger players. Hopefully, they can learn some things from the Czechs and The Finns.

And the USA. Watch out for the Americans. I think very soon they'll be challenging Canada and The Czech Republic for top spot. They're turning out young players with the skill of these two countries and they have the playing population that rivals Canada right now. Within 5-10 years the main rivalry will be Canada- USA.

 

[Kaizer]

Russia, well Russia, has been an enigma of late. When it comes to high skilled forwards, they're second to no one. But when it comes to playing as a team these forwards are hit and miss. And what really surprises me, is a nation that had Tretiak - if not the greatest goalie, one of the two or three greatest ever - a nation that had Tretiak is so weak in goal. That's a shame because a lot of the present Canadian goalies have been influenced directly or indirectly by Tretiak. Their defence is so so.

First. So so defence was 9-1-2 in last 12 games and allowed more than 3 pucks only once.
Second. We have goalies, but they can't play at this WC It's a shame. No Khabibulin, no Nabokov, no even Bryzgalov .
Third. I agree with you about points of view.

 

[Paxon]

Aside from the homer answer of U.S., Russia and Finland are my two favorites to watch in any tourney. Can't pass up a Canada game either, because you know you're going to see damn good players and awesome goaltending. I always root against Canada though, even though I like the country itself. I suppose it is no different than everyone rooting against the Yankees.

 

[Habs Icing]

First. So so defence was 9-1-2 in last 12 games and allowed more than 3 pucks only once.
Second. We have goalies, but they can't play at this WC It's a shame. No Khabibulin, no Nabokov, no even Bryzgalov .
Third. I agree with you about points of view.

Kaizer,

Khabibulin will never rank as one of the top goalies and neither will Nabokov. What I meant to say was a nation that produces so many great hockey players, Russia doesn't produce the goalies. Habie and Nabbie are good goalies that can rise to the occasion on occassion. Look at Canada, you take away Brodeur and Loungo and you have Theodore, Turco, Raycroft, Belfour and I'm forgetting a few others. And Russia had Tretiak. He's been training North American coaches and players. Russia should call him back.

If the Russian team had to play the Czech or Canadian team in a best of seven, their defence would be exposed. Seriously exposed. And this is a Canadian team without Ignila, Sakic, Lecavalier, St. Martin, Richards, Tanguay or Karyia. Don't look at those stats because they're padded against teams like Austria, Germany, Belarus an d so on.

 

[Kaizer]

Kaizer,
Khabibulin will never rank as one of the top goalies and neither will Nabokov. What I meant to say was a nation that produces so many great hockey players, Russia doesn't produce the goalies. Habie and Nabbie are good goalies that can rise to the occasion on occassion. Look at Canada, you take away Brodeur and Loungo and you have Theodore, Turco, Raycroft, Belfour and I'm forgetting a few others. And Russia had Tretiak. He's been training North American coaches and players. Russia should call him back.

If the Russian team had to play the Czech or Canadian team in a best of seven, their defence would be exposed. Seriously exposed. And this is a Canadian team without Ignila, Sakic, Lecavalier, St. Martin, Richards, Tanguay or Karyia. Don't look at those stats because they're padded against teams like Austria, Germany, Belarus an d so on.

First, I thought Khabibulin is already ranked as one of the top goalies as Nabokov. I don't want to start brawl on this thread, but how can you mention Theodore and Turco ... and Raycroft without talking about Nabokov and Khabibulin ? I can name Bryzgalov in the list with Raycroft if you count so
Second, Tretiak is a head of sports department in Duma now.
Third, About best of seven series it's all woulda, shoulda, coulda. You can build any dreams as you want and I can do the same
Fourth, Again whoulda should coulda ... we were without Khabibulin Nabokov Zubov D. Markov Malakhov Mironov Kasparaitis Yushkevich Gonchar Tverdovsky Zhitnik Fedorov Mogilny Frolov Morozov Zhamnov and few others like you said before ... So you can imagine all you want like NHL before Summit Series
Fifth, Of course I willn't count stats against Austria and Belarus and I'll ask you the same thing. Don't count your offensive numbers against Slovenia and Latvia

 

[Streaker-man]

Russia hands down here! Pure skill, god those hands!

Players like Ovechkin, Afinogenov, Kovalev, Malkin, Datsyuk etc. But only when they play 100%!

I also like Latvia when they´re flying high.