Latvia: Future of national team

[BalticWarrior]

It looks like theres a 80 percent chance we fall out of the Elite this year.
What can our hockey federation do in the future? I mean we have all these promising prospects,but what else can we do,when there is no free money for the country to spend on hockey?
Is this the doom of hockey in Latvia or beginning of something new?
In my eyes theres really only two options now- We are either the next Switzerland or the next Ukraine,theres no middleway.
Maybe we really should drop out of KHL,MHL and whatever,i dont even know anymore...

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[cagney]

It looks like theres a 80 percent chance we fall out of the Elite this year.
What can our hockey federation do in the future? I mean we have all these promising prospects,but what else can we do,when there is no free money for the country to spend on hockey?
Is this the doom of hockey in Latvia or beginning of something new?
In my eyes theres really only two options now- We are either the next Switzerland or the next Ukraine,theres no middleway.
Maybe we really should drop out of KHL,MHL and whatever,i dont even know anymore...

Why do you say that? I don't see any obvious way for Latvia to become a major hockey power but it doesn't seem to me that you'll be going off the deep end any time soon. Like any hockey country there'll be years where you exceed expectations and years where you fall short of them. If Latvia does fall out of the elite this year I wouldn't be surprised to see you jump right back up after next year.

 

[finchster]

It looks like theres a 80 percent chance we fall out of the Elite this year.
What can our hockey federation do in the future? I mean we have all these promising prospects,but what else can we do,when there is no free money for the country to spend on hockey?
Is this the doom of hockey in Latvia or beginning of something new?
In my eyes theres really only two options now- We are either the next Switzerland or the next Ukraine,theres no middleway.
Maybe we really should drop out of KHL,MHL and whatever,i dont even know anymore...

What about Germany? They were out of the elite division not so long ago only to come back.

 

[ozo]

theres no middleway.

Would love to hear your argumentation. Hopefully it will something good.

 

[Justinov]

To the question: What the hell can we do?
Celebrate like crazy for beating Slovakia when it look total dark and gloomy.
Your team showed true fighting spirit to be able to turn this around after losing to Austria.
Still hope and three games for getting that 1 point that likely could send Austria and not Latvia down to Division 1A.

 

[BalticWarrior]

To the question: What the hell can we do?
Celebrate like crazy for beating Slovakia when it look total dark and gloomy.
Your team showed true fighting spirit to be able to turn this around after losing to Austria.
Still hope and three games for getting that 1 point that likely could send Austria and not Latvia down to Division 1A.

Until they can repeat the same kind off game against France and Germany,i`m not celebrating.

 

[Justinov]

Until they can repeat the same kind off game against France and Germany,i`m not celebrating.

True - they have to play like this at least one more time to stay up!

 

[BalticWarrior]

True - they have to play like this at least one more time to stay up!

And girgensons is suspended, IIHF is a joke no wonder north americans ignore WC.

 

[Justinov]

Well maybe I'm very old fashioned but I actually dislike the over-physical play and like when the technique shines.
I think way to much is allowed in NHL, to many injuries and players being taken out by foul play.
Whats the fun in having player after player injured and some career threatening?
You can injure a player and get a few days suspension, if suspension was several months it would make sense. Now it just pays off to be brutal and reckless.

But then I grew up with tic-tac-toe WC hockey in the 1980's, so I'm very biased that way.

In football you get one day suspension for 2 yellow cards....maybe 1 day suspension for 2*2 min (I am joking here).

 

[BalticWarrior]

Well maybe I'm very old fashioned but I actually dislike the over-physical play and like when the technique shines.
I think way to much is allowed in NHL, to many injuries and players being taken out by foul play.
Whats the fun in having player after player injured and some career threatening?
You can injure a player and get a few days suspension, if suspension was several months it would make sense. Now it just pays off to be brutal and reckless.

But then I grew up with tic-tac-toe WC hockey in the 1980's, so I'm very biased that way.

In football you get one day suspension for 2 yellow cards....maybe 1 day suspension for 2*2 min (I am joking here).

Well im not sure anyone plays tic-tac-toe hockey anymore,not even Russians, and they practically inveted it. So theres that,also im angry at the suspension,BECAUSE there wasnt any,Girgensons just kind of shoved the Slovakian player and he gets a suspension,W T F?

 

[Justinov]

Well im not sure anyone plays tic-tac-toe hockey anymore,not even Russians, and they practically inveted it. So theres that,also im angry at the suspension,BECAUSE there wasnt any,Girgensons just kind of shoved the Slovakian player and he gets a suspension,W T F?

No but I'm still dreaming for a revival.

 

[BalticWarrior]

No but I'm still dreaming for a revival.

Well if the trend continues,your dream will most likely never happen

 

[Justinov]

Well if the trend continues,your dream will most likely never happen

Not until someone actually get's tired of having too many injured players around. Concussion-knowledge might pressure a reform of the rules. New softer body-equipment, full helms etc, making certain kind of tackles illegal etc
Could eventually have a renaissance of pure technical play, but how it looks these days (especially in NHL) I doubt it very much.
Since so many NHL players come to these WC anyways - maybe first when we have a EC based on European players and stricter enforced rules will a change ever be likely.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Not until someone actually get's tired of having too many injured players around. Concussion-knowledge might pressure a reform of the rules. New softer body-equipment, full helms etc, making certain kind of tackles illegal etc
Could eventually have a renaissance of pure technical play, but how it looks these days (especially in NHL) I doubt it very much.
Since so many NHL players come to these WC anyways - maybe first when we have a EC based on European players and stricter enforced rules will a change ever be likely.

Maybe,but i wouldnt want for hockey to become too soft,this is not figure skating after all.

 

[Justinov]

Maybe,but i wouldnt want for hockey to become too soft,this is not figure skating after all.

It's not that I'm against tackles, but it's tackles on players that don't know a tackle is coming that is so dangerous.
You can also tackle a player without destroying him in the progress.

In football where you have disallowed tackles with the knobs first and also tackles from behind.
Just because you don't have gliding tackles with the knobs first doesn't mean that football no longer is physical; AND it has stopped all the argument whether he hit the ball first or not because the tackle in itself is illegal now.
Like in hockey when a player oblivious to the coming tackle is totally smashed and people argue whether it was the players own fault (well if you don't see the tackle how can you be of fault - humans don't have 360 degree vision).
Making only front torso-to torso (no head-contact, not even secondary) tackles on a puck-controlling player legal and all back-and-side tackles illegal (whether he turned or not being irrelevant) will diminish serious injuries a lot I believe.

But I don't think that would be popular for many people....they like the smashing, blood and injuries. I think many fans especially in NHL go more for the fighting than the play.

Old school football tackle.......Bundesliga 1981 - open thigh to the bone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

 

[Justinov]

Anyways such chances would be profitable for smaller sized technical teams like Denmark and Latvia, while NHL probably "never" change it since it's part of their hockey history and fan base.
I don't know enough about KHL in which direction it is going - more technical or more physical or it stands in a status quo in between?

 

[BalticWarrior]

It's not that I'm against tackles, but it's tackles on players that don't know a tackle is coming that is so dangerous.
You can also tackle a player without destroying him in the progress.

In football where you have disallowed tackles with the knobs first and also tackles from behind.
Just because you don't have gliding tackles with the knobs first doesn't mean that football no longer is physical; AND it has stopped all the argument whether he hit the ball first or not because the tackle in itself is illegal now.
Like in hockey when a player oblivious to the coming tackle is totally smashed and people argue whether it was the players own fault (well if you don't see the tackle how can you be of fault - humans don't have 360 degree vision).
Making only front torso-to torso (no head-contact, not even secondary) tackles on a puck-controlling player legal and all back-and-side tackles illegal (whether he turned or not being irrelevant) will diminish serious injuries a lot I believe.

But I don't think that would be popular for many people....they like the smashing, blood and injuries. I think many fans especially in NHL go more for the fighting than the play.

Old school football tackle.......Bundesliga 1981 - open thigh to the bone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Yeah probably,but you have to be aware of whats happening on the ice,if its a hit from behind,sure theres nothing you can do but if its a frontal hit you can atleast get ready for the impact.

Well yeah that is the more important part of "North Americas" game and thats why alot of their fans call us Europeans "soft"

Also question about KHL ,it looks like they want go for the finnish sized rinks,which is sort of middle way between Europe and NA, so they dont want to look soft in front of the NHL,but also doesnt want to lose that European style too.
But fights and bodychecks get more and more popular,hell just go on to the official KHL channel to see.

 

[BalticWarrior]

But talking about Latvian perfomance- the good thing is- i see alot of improvement,but only from our young players like Girgensons and Indrasis,it looks like they are the next generation that will get us out of the slump,not this one.

 

[Justinov]

But talking about Latvian perfomance- the good thing is- i see alot of improvement,but only from our young players like Girgensons and Indrasis,it looks like they are the next generation that will get us out of the slump,not this one.

The Latvian performance could be based on nervousness.
The pressure to stay up year after year can overwhelm a team, when they suddenly have a weak roster caused by injuries. [compared to last year it just shows how important Mikelis Redlihs is - I miss seeing him this WC]
Win over Slovakia (not expected) but losing to countries you normally win over.
Maybe if the press have totally given up, the team can save the day against France......
But it does look promising for the future with the new players coming

 

[BalticWarrior]

The Latvian performance could be based on nervousness.
The pressure to stay up year after year can overwhelm a team, when they suddenly have a weak roster caused by injuries. [compared to last year it just shows how important Mikelis Redlihs is - I miss seeing him this WC]
Win over Slovakia (not expected) but losing to countries you normally win over.
Maybe if the press have totally given up, the team can save the day against France......
But it does look promising for the future with the new players coming

Is it fair to say hes your favourite Latvian player?

Yeah,but the fans and the NT itself has to overcome these tough times and wait for our young guys to mature,theres not else we can do i guess.

 

[Justinov]

Is it fair to say hes your favourite Latvian player?

Yeah,but the fans and the NT itself has to overcome these tough times and wait for our young guys to mature,theres not else we can do i guess.

Fairly small skilled technical and creative player....whats not to like

 

[BalticWarrior]

Fairly small skilled technical and creative player....whats not to like

 

[Justinov]

Yep that's what I want to see way more than bone- and brain breaking tackles and fist fighting. Beautiful - thanks for the clips.

Maybe I'm very Danish that way - but in all sports most danish fans want the technical play as primary and not the physical. Goes for football, handball, hockey etc [Laudrup country you know]. We certainly don't want to play Norwegian......though I see a lot of changes especially for younger Hockey fans here that is very much NHL brought up (and not old school 80's Sovjet style on Swedish television like me).

Latvia certainly have had it's share of technical hockey wonder players through time. So hopefully it wont die out.

 

[BalticWarrior]

Yep that's what I want to see way more than bone- and brain breaking tackles and fist fighting. Beautiful - thanks for the clips.

Maybe I'm very Danish that way - but in all sports most danish fans want the technical play as primary and not the physical. Goes for football, handball, hockey etc [Laudrup country you know]. We certainly don't want to play Norwegian......though I see a lot of changes especially for younger Hockey fans here that is very much NHL brought up (and not old school 80's Sovjet style on Swedish television like me).

Latvia certainly have had it's share of technical hockey wonder players through time. So hopefully it wont die out.

For every one Bukarts we have two Girgensons type player,so it doesnt look good in that aspect.

 

[Justinov]

For every one Bukarts we have two Girgensons type player,so it doesnt look good in that aspect.

So it seems both KHL and Latvian player development clearly goes towards are more physical side.
Probably good overall for Latvia in international hockey and for getting NHL players if you look at it neutrally.