did russian hockey die at the 1981 olympics?

[VMBM]

Yeah, predictable reaction. There is a world outside your religion. In North America most ppl still think the NHL is the only place for hockey and still think Gretzky and Lemieux were the best of all time. Feel free to be upset about it, but there are ppl who witnessed more than just the NHL and think otherwise. Yeah, great players. Gretzky obviously the best Canadian to ever play the game. But piling up points in a NA league doesn't make him the best off all. And judging by his game and not his stats in the NHL there were others I would compare to him and maybe give them a better grade overall. But there can only be one true god, I know. Same happening with Crosby right now. I don't know why ppl can't accept the fact it's even wrong to try to determine one best out of apples and oranges. And they are driven into it by economics, not common sense. The league wants to market one face and does so. And ppl follow the hype created.

Why should I be upset? You're barking up the wrong tree here. Neither Gretzky nor Lemieux are among my favourite players of all-time. My favourite players are nearly all Russians & Czechs: Martinec, Mikhailov, Kharlamov, Hlinka, Kapustin etc, and among Canadians, Perreault, Serge Savard, Bossy.
Yet, I've seen enough of them all (and I don't let my emotions to decide my opinions) to conclude that none of them were on Gretzky's or Lemieux's level. And not on Gordie Howe's level either, especially if you take his whole career into consideration.

Care to tell me, who the greteast forwards of all-time are then? And some reasoning, please. I would love to hear a well-written argument for, say, Makarov or Kharlamov.

The NHL is not the only place for hockey, but it is the best league in the world and has always had most of the best players in the world. Arguments? That does not necessarily mean that all those players who excelled in the NHL, would have excelled in the Soviet league (and vice versa), but it is still likely that most of them would have. The hockey wasn't really that much different. And so: a player who dominates in the NHL would probably dominate everywhere else too.

I'm not into Crosby hype at all; he is not comparable to Gretzky or Lemieux in any way. The only people who think that are the ones who also think that hockey started around 2010.

 

[eal]

Great game by the way. Have some doms and marketing - sky is the limit

Yeah, Bandy is quite fun to watch.

 

[Atas2000]

Isn't Bandy more popular in parts of Siberia? Thousands show up to games outdoors in frigid weather. The World Championship Final in Irkutsk attracted 15,000 in -32 C tmperatures.

That's part of it. As I wrote there are many different sports that are popular in Russia, many of them in certain regions.

 

[obskyr]

Damn, so many misconceptions in this thread. Sports culture, ice hockey and "the Miracle on Ice" aren't as big outside of North America as American and Canadian fans may think.

Still a good thread.

when were you when 1981 olympics?

russian hockey is kill

no