Kovalchuk not invited to Riga.

Slitty

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Oct 23, 2005
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Kovalchuk joins Yuskevich, Zhitnik, Korolyuk, Varlamov, Koshechkin, and Nabokov as players availble (except Nabokov) players confirmed not to be partaking in the upcoming World Championships. While the reasons for others vary from injuries, newborn children, suspensions, or undefined.... Kovalchuk was publicly ripped by Russia's national coach, for, get this, drinking and partying at majour tournaments.

Krikunov was unwilling to give the already unenthusiastic Ilya another chance with the national team. He cited two cases of Ilya drinking instead of preparing for games as well as an attitude of coming to tournaments merely to have a good time as the reason. Kovalchuk has not preformed well for Russia, and recently went on record saying that he is not utilized in the right way: he does not get enough playing time and the team doesn't rely on him enough. He also suggested Russia needs different, younger coaches. He denied widespread allegation that he doesn't try for the national team by saying that he goes to international tournaments to win, and if he wanted to have a good time, he would be lying on the beach in Hawaii instead.

Krikunov said that Kovalchuk can wait for a younger coach to come along and utilize him properly along with wishing him a relaxing vacation in Hawaii. ;)

As you can tell, the Russian hockey federation is a joke:
http://www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?120029
http://www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?120027
 
Last edited:

Rob

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Feb 27, 2002
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Perhaps Krikunov believes that Kovalchuk may creat bad chemistry in the dressing room. Maybe thats one of the problems Team Russia had before its semifinal game with Finland?
 

Ola

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Apr 10, 2004
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Slitty said:
Kovalchuk joins Yuskevich, Zhitnik, Korolyuk, Varlamov, Koshechkin, and Nabokov as players availble (except Nabokov) players confirmed not to be partaking in the upcoming World Championships. While the reasons for others vary from injuries, newborn children, suspensions, or undefined.... Kovalchuk was publicly ripped by Russia's national coach, for, get this, drinking and partying at majour tournaments.

Great call by the coach, it was about time. Don't get me wrong, I like Russian hockey allot. Its not a attack on Russians or russian hockey in general.

But something have been really rotten with the Russian national team for a long time. Stars that have been extremely egoistic ect. I've heard allot of reports from experts during WCH's that explain how its always best to play Russia late in a tournament because the players can never get along for more then a few days.

I think it would be best for Russian hockey to bring in a coach from the outside. Someone who can stand the pressure and only will pick players who are commited to the nation and not ******** like Kovalchuk. (I think that if a player of any other nation that have won a gold in a international tournament the last ten years would go out drinking before games or during tournaments that player would be publically hanged in that nation. Kovalchuk may not be a ******* dooing it for russia but if Russia wants to win anything they need to get rid of people with that kind of attitude)
 

Clint

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Jul 14, 2003
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This might not be an entirely bad move. It could show the players that ARE on the team that they better take it seriously and bust their asses or they might not be on the team again.

Think addition by subtraction. By showing that no one is invulnerable, the team work ethic is raised just a bit and could lead to a more productive, more winning team.

This move may be akin to benching the most skilled player on youth team for refusing to commit to the team concept by playing solid defensive hockey. By doing this, you send a message to the rest of the team that says they have to pick up their play a notch, and play as a team.
 

Zine

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Feb 28, 2002
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Kovalchuk is a moron. Just the fact that he complains about a lack of ice time with the national team is reason enough to leave him off. Cry me a river Kovy. :cry:

But its true that he's not utilized right by Krikunov, who is also an idiot - as proven by his coaching in the olympics. Didn't tactically adjust to anything other teams were doing (especially Finland); rolled 4 lines no matter what the score; etc. I couldn't believe my eyes when he had Kharitonov out on the power-play. :biglaugh:
 

Slitty

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Oct 23, 2005
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Kirkunov is a moron, he rips ALL of Russia's stars not just Kovalchuk. He always points out exactly whos fault a failure is, and its never his. Even when everything is going well he manages to sling mud at some player.

Kovalchuk needs an attitude change as well. However, most of Russia's players that participated in the Olympics are a little icy attitude towards Krikunov. Although most did not go for the open critisim and a call for a coaching a la Kovalchuk... you cant tell the team didnt like the coach. Kovalev was also very vocal but later appologized. Nabokov was a bit more diplomatic but did critisize the way things were run in great detail and did call for a coaching change. Even the Ryan Smith of Russian hockey, Alexei Yashin, is showing some iffyness on whether he wants to play for the first time EVER.

If it was just Kovalchuk, I wouldn't be worried.
 

Slitty

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Oct 23, 2005
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In other Russian news: Gonchar declined. Yashin and Fedorov won't be invited. Zherdev asked personally to be on the team, but the coach said probably not since he is injured and slung dirt at him for leaving Russia untraditionally by saying what if he packs up his bags and leaves halfway through the World CHampionships.
 

Ola

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Apr 10, 2004
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Slitty said:
Kirkunov is a moron, he rips ALL of Russia's stars not just Kovalchuk. He always points out exactly whos fault a failure is, and its never his. Even when everything is going well he manages to sling mud at some player.

The facts are that Russia is the super power in hockey, or the next biggest superpower, depending on how you look at it. No matter how you put it things haven't "gone well" for Russia since 1993. Thats 13 years ago. Canada, the Czech and Sweden together have what 17 big titles, Russia have zero. Russia with maybe the most talent of all countrys.

When a country have gone 13 years without a big title players shouldn't be looing for bars before big games.

Not that I care much but I can't for the love of god understand how a russian fan can complain at a coach for cleaning out the a-holes which are dragging russian hockey in the mud. 13 years and counting...

If I am Fetisov, or who ever it is who is in charge of the Russian national team id bring in Mike Keenan, I wouldn't think twice about it.
 

12# Peter Bondra

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Apr 15, 2004
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CCCP said:
Great job, Krikunov!!! Now even Yashin doesn't wanna play for u!!! FIRE THAT IDIOT!!!!!!!!!! :madfire:
We are in the same position.

Our only NHL players coming are Surovy, Jurcina (confirmed) and Marian Hossa (will probably go). All of the others rejected (over 15 NHL players) :(.
 

yarre

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Oct 13, 2005
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I thought Kovalchuk really sucked when he played in the olympics, had much higher hopes on him, doesn't feel that surprising but I don't really have a good insight in russian hockey, only that they produce a high number of toptalent but never gets any titles. Might be good to set an example.
 

artilector

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Jan 11, 2006
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Kovalchuk has sucked for Russia, and should let the vetarans do the talking, but Krikunov is just a disaster. A hot-headed young player is one thing, but a coach who lets himself go at players in the media at every opportunity is a feckin disgrace. Plus, he is a bad coach!

I can't wait for this generation of old Russian coaches to just go away - pass on their experience and disappear from the map. Or just work with junior teams..

I do hope that now that Fetisov and Tretiak are holding high positions, things will start to improve across the board. If only they could get Larionov to manage or coach!

As far as Kovalchuk, I'm unconvinced that he can be a good fit, so I'm not sure what effect absence will have. He needs the entire team to work for him, it seems, he does not work hard enough himself, and cannot be used in any role other than #1 LW with 23-25 minutes of ice-time, most of which he basically coasts, letting others do most of the work. As good as he is, he does not justify the amount of ice-time that it takes for him to be effective.

But the #1 LW spot will be Ovechkin's for the next 10 years. I think Russia is potentially set on LW with Ovechkin, Semin, Frolov - perfect distribution of skills and roles. I am afraid that Kovalchuk is a riddle that will a cancer for a long time, because it will be bad to take him and bad to leave him. Hopefully the team will show that it can win without him, and he will independently realize that to be great, he needs to work his rear off.
 

Douggy

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Dec 22, 2002
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From the rosters I've seen the Russians are still going to win this tournament. (I haven't seen the Swedes yet)

A lot of people were pissed at Kovalchuk for the way he played in the Olympics so maybe this is the best thing to give him a kick in the pants.
 

yarre

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Oct 13, 2005
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Douggy said:
From the rosters I've seen the Russians are still going to win this tournament. (I haven't seen the Swedes yet)

A lot of people were pissed at Kovalchuk for the way he played in the Olympics so maybe this is the best thing to give him a kick in the pants.

The thing is that the russians have often had the best team on paper but that doesn't mean anything if they don't work well together as a TEAM.

(And don't worry about the swedes, we are not mounting up a strong team to this tournament, unless we get some NHL-reinforcements, this might sound like a condtradiction to the statement that I just made but every team needs some form of star-talent to go far)
 

Paxton Fettel

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Mar 3, 2006
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wow, finally some good news for Russian hockey! Kovalchuk is such a burden whenever he plays for them.
 

Paxton Fettel

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Mar 3, 2006
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yarre said:
The thing is that the russians have often had the best team on paper but that doesn't mean anything if they don't work well together as a TEAM.

this theory has never been proven

look : Canada was the best on paper at every Olympic tourney and finished 4th and 7th ... but no one accused them of not playing as a team

Sweden was pathetic losing every major quarterfinal until Torino, and yet nobody accused them of not playing as a team



I always hear that Russia never or seldom plays as a team, but you can say that just about every other country, with just as much truth in it
 

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