Russia's roster : first 10 players announced!!!

[Frolov 6'3]

As far as I know they have already announced the players two weeks ago !

Alexander Ovechkin
Sergei Fedorov
Alexei Kovalev
Ilya Kovalchuk
Sergei Samsonov
Alexei Yashin
Alexei Zhamnov
Pavel Datsyuk
Maxim Afinogenov
Valeri Bure
Alexander Mogilny
Alexander Frolov
Nikolai Nikolishin
Alexei Morozov
Nikolai Antropov

Sergei Gonchar
Boris Mironov
Darius Kasparaitis
Danny Markov
Oleg Tverdovsky
Vitali Vishnevski
Vladimir Malahkov
Dmitri Kalinin

Nicolai Khabibulin
Egor Podomatski
Maxim Sokolov

 

[augz]

I would love to see that team play... Too bad Bure's knees are shot and Fedorov and Bure hate each other now. Reuniting that Bure-Fedorov-Mogilny line sends shivers down my spine.

Anna Kournikova= The Yoko Ono of Russian Hockey.

 

[wilka91*]

As far as I know they have already announced the players two weeks ago !

Alexander Ovechkin
Sergei Fedorov
Alexei Kovalev
Ilya Kovalchuk
Sergei Samsonov
Alexei Yashin
Alexei Zhamnov
Pavel Datsyuk
Maxim Afinogenov
Valeri Bure
Alexander Mogilny
Alexander Frolov
Nikolai Nikolishin
Alexei Morozov
Nikolai Antropov

Sergei Gonchar
Boris Mironov
Darius Kasparaitis
Danny Markov
Oleg Tverdovsky
Vitali Vishnevski
Vladimir Malahkov
Dmitri Kalinin

Nicolai Khabibulin
Egor Podomatski
Maxim Sokolov

good team but no, it's not THE team

 

[Herby]

I will be very disapointed if the Russian's dont field a quality team, I'm seeing the Russian's twice in Round Robin competition and I dont want to see the Canadians and Americans dominate the likes of Sasha Khavanov and Oleg Kvasha.

As someone else said, really makes you wonder how bad this roster may be if Khavanov is one of the first names released, where are Fedorov, Kovalchuk, Kovalev etc.?

 

[stockwizard*]

Results when Canada puts forward its best players

1976 Canada Cup 1st Place
1981 Canada Cup 2nd Place
1984 Canada Cup 1st Place
1987 Canada Cup 1st Place
1991 Canada Cup 1st Place
1996 World Cup 2nd Place
1998 Olympics 4th Place
2002 Olympics Gold
More world junior medals than any other counter.

As long as Europe puts a silly sport like soccer, where you aren't even allowed to use your hands, infront of hockey, they don't deserve to beat us.
As far as the U.S. As long as they put a sport like Basketball, a bunch of lanky guys running around in short pants and trying to put a ball through a hoop, in front of hockey, they don't deserve to beat us either.
If this was a best of 7 final, we would win guaranteed. The only reason why other countried have a prayer in beating us is because it is a single game final.

Enough with the jealousy and give credit where it is due.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

As long as Europe puts a silly sport like soccer, where you aren't even allowed to use your hands.

:lol
LOL

what's so great about using your hands, do you have a hand fetish ?
Soccer is the most played sport worldwide, so I think you're the stranger.

 

[wilka91*]

Results when Canada puts forward its best players

1976 Canada Cup 1st Place
1981 Canada Cup 2nd Place
1984 Canada Cup 1st Place
1987 Canada Cup 1st Place
1991 Canada Cup 1st Place
1996 World Cup 2nd Place
1998 Olympics 4th Place
2002 Olympics Gold
More world junior medals than any other counter.

As long as Europe puts a silly sport like soccer, where you aren't even allowed to use your hands, infront of hockey, they don't deserve to beat us.
As far as the U.S. As long as they put a sport like Basketball, a bunch of lanky guys running around in short pants and trying to put a ball through a hoop, in front of hockey, they don't deserve to beat us either.
If this was a best of 7 final, we would win guaranteed. The only reason why other countried have a prayer in beating us is because it is a single game final.

Enough with the jealousy and give credit where it is due.

1. Canada Cup is an exhibition tournament where Canada always plays on home ice and NHL-sized rinks.

2. Russia is the country with the most gold medals in the world junior championship.

 

[CSKA]

1. Canada Cup is an exhibition tournament where Canada always plays on home ice and NHL-sized rinks.

that is always so fast forgotten

 

[stockwizard*]

It doesn't matter what you call it, every hockey nation in the world sent their best players and wanted to win very badly.
You are not going to diminish the relevance of the Canada Cup by calling it an exhibition.

 

[wilka91*]

World Junior Championships

Russia/USSR : 12 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze
Canada : 10 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze

 

[ZBORNAJA]

It doesn't matter what you call it, every hockey nation in the world sent their best players and wanted to win very badly.
You are not going to diminish the relevance of the Canada Cup by calling it an exhibition.

1996 World Cup was the first relevant ... Sure even before CCCP or other nations send best players but those were players who played on big ice rinks whole life,were officiated by NHL judges and criteria and CAnada or USA had home field advantage ... Picture your NHL stars trying to play in Europe on bigger ice rinks with European officiating and u would be on the other end trying to diminish it as exebition...
Only since 1996 most players participating were from NHL ,used to play and criteria...
This is the first World(Canada) Cup after 1996 that holds some value...

 

[joe_shannon_1983*]

Great hockey countries find a way to adjust to whatever size ice surface they are using.

Big ice surface, small ice surface, playing out on the frozen lake, playing out in the parking lot, etc.

It shouldn't matter so much.

These are professional players and they should be able to play even if the conditions are not 100% to their liking.

And the fact is that Canada, when all nations are allowed to send their best players (Summit Series 1972; Canada Cup 1976-1991; World Cup 1996; and Olympics 1998-2002) have done better combined than any other country by a fair margin.

I will never use "big ice surfaces" as an excuse for why Canada would lose to a European team.

I may use "poor officiating", "poor team selection and management", "flukey loss", "cheating", and I may even use "the game was fixed" if the situation looked really very fishy.

But I would never use "big ice surfaces".

So why do fans of European teams use "small ice surfaces" as an excuse for why they lose?

 

[Macman]

World Junior Championships

Russia/USSR : 12 gold, 6 silver, 5 bronze
Canada : 10 gold, 6 silver, 4 bronze

This one always makes me laugh. When Canada was winning seven world junior golds in the 1990s, Europeans dismissed it as a "kids" tournament. Now it's apparently how we determine world hockey supremacy. Never mind the fact Russia has won only one tournament where the world's best players competed -- and that was 23 years ago!

The ONLY reason Russia has won more world junior titles than Canada is that Canada didn't begin sending a national team until 1982. Never mind the fact Russia has only had to deal with junior-eligible guys not being available for their world team in recent years while Canada has been dealing with it from the start. I'm almost hoping for an NHL strike or lockout cuz we'll get to see a full Canadian junior team next year for only the second time ever. And like the last time in 1995, it'll be a blowout.

The other one about the Canada Cup somehow not counting because it's an "exhibition" and on NHL ice and in Canada is another scream. I don't recall the Soviets celebrating in '81 like it was an exhibition. And in the unlikely event Russia wins this thing this year, I'm guessing it won't be an "exhibition" again.

As we've seen time and again in the world championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup playoffs home ice means squat. Of Canada's 10 world junior titles, how many were won at home? Two. Of Canada's 23 world championships, all 23 were won in Europe, on big ice, and never, not even once, with a team that comes close to representing the best this country can muster. Chew on those numbers for a while.

 

[ZBORNAJA]

Great hockey countries find a way to adjust to whatever size ice surface they are using.

Big ice surface, small ice surface, playing out on the frozen lake, playing out in the parking lot, etc.

It shouldn't matter so much.

These are professional players and they should be able to play even if the conditions are not 100% to their liking.

And the fact is that Canada, when all nations are allowed to send their best players (Summit Series 1972; Canada Cup 1976-1991; World Cup 1996; and Olympics 1998-2002) have done better combined than any other country by a fair margin.

I will never use "big ice surfaces" as an excuse for why Canada would lose to a European team.

I may use "poor officiating", "poor team selection and management", "flukey loss", "cheating", and I may even use "the game was fixed" if the situation looked really very fishy.

But I would never use "big ice surfaces".

So why do fans of European teams use "small ice surfaces" as an excuse for why they lose?

It isnt so matter of adapting as it is in style....The more the ice is smaller more is suited for CAnada style of play ,playing the body and opposite ...
Only the new generation of Russians and other Europeans now play NHL style...

 

[stockwizard*]

Team Canada would actually play better on the road, and usually does. Less pressure.
It would not be a problem for us to adjust to a larger ice service.
The only thing I would be worried about is if they had european officials since they often times mistake bodychecking with roughing.
Good point Macman, could you imagine If we had everyone of our best 19 year old playing.

By the way wilka91, how did Manchester United play today?

 

[wilka91*]

By the way wilka91, how did Manchester United play today?

I have no idea.

Oh and by the way, are you going to the curling game tonight? :lol

 

[ZBORNAJA]

This one always makes me laugh. When Canada was winning seven world junior golds in the 1990s, Europeans dismissed it as a "kids" tournament. Now it's apparently how we determine world hockey supremacy. Never mind the fact Russia has won only one tournament where the world's best players competed -- and that was 23 years ago!

The ONLY reason Russia has won more world junior titles than Canada is that Canada didn't begin sending a national team until 1982. Never mind the fact Russia has only had to deal with junior-eligible guys not being available for their world team in recent years while Canada has been dealing with it from the start. I'm almost hoping for an NHL strike or lockout cuz we'll get to see a full Canadian junior team next year for only the second time ever. And like the last time in 1995, it'll be a blowout.

The other one about the Canada Cup somehow not counting because it's an "exhibition" and on NHL ice and in Canada is another scream. I don't recall the Soviets celebrating in '81 like it was an exhibition. And in the unlikely event Russia wins this thing this year, I'm guessing it won't be an "exhibition" again.

As we've seen time and again in the world championship, Olympics and Stanley Cup playoffs home ice means squat. Of Canada's 10 world junior titles, how many were won at home? Two. Of Canada's 23 world championships, all 23 were won in Europe, on big ice, and never, not even once, with a team that comes close to representing the best this country can muster. Chew on those numbers for a while.

I never said it is exhibition...but with that play and European officiating canada would had 2 men less all the game...I am just watching 1987 , and those NHL dirty trick are everywhere...hands,knees...
This is why i get hooked on CCCP when i started watching hockey...Sure they also had some dirty plays but otherwise they played clean....The way hockey should be played so we could see the best players....But u more like better athletes so be it ...

 

[Slick Nick]

I have no idea.

Oh and by the way, are you going to the curling game tonight? :lol

Don't laugh, curling is a nice sport, mainly because you can use your hands!!!!!

 

[stockwizard*]

No, wilka, I will be watching the Stanley Cup Finals tonight. Game 3.
In case you didn't know, hockey is much more popular in Canada than Curling.
Don't get me wrong, I applaud Europeans and Americans for taking an Interest in Hockey. It is good for the game.
You should just show a little more respect.

 

[wilka91*]

Can I ask you something? Why did you come to this forum in the first place?

 

[Markov]

Why are there some Canadians that think they are the only ones that are capable of playing and understanding the sport of hockey? Why because there's snow and ice up there? C'mon man it's time to stop being so arrogant.

 

[ZombieMatt]

Ouch....with that top ten, things do not look promising for Russia.

EDIT : Sorry, what i mean is that traditionally Russia has iced teams that were much more impressive on paper, and this doesn't look to me as strong as their teams in the past.

 

[Foppa_Rules]

Ughhh, it ISN'T a top ten!

 

[wilka91*]

Why are there some Canadians that think they are the only ones that are capable of playing and understanding the sport of hockey? Why because there's snow and ice up there? C'mon man it's time to stop being so arrogant.

That dude is a troll.

When I hear something like "Russia hasn't won anything in 23 years" it makes me laugh, because of course since the Canadians decide everything for everyone, they just say : "hey everyone, there's a Canada Cup in Montreal in 1984 and 1987, these will be your only chances to prove you can play hockey", and whatever the Russians do the rest of the time doesn't count.

So basically Canada decides when and where (of course in Canada) the Russians will play, and if theydon't win that time, Canada is the best, and the Russians can go home and just wait whether the NHL will decide to hold another tournament or not.

If Canada really wanted to prove they were the best, they should have sent their players to the World Champ and Olympics, because Russia's best teams were playing at those events.

 

[stockwizard*]

No need for name calling wilka. It appears as if you have a tough time accepting the truth.

Ok, if you think russia will win, go ahead and bet all your money on them.
I can't guarantee a win for Canada because it is only a 1 game final. Anyone can win. Like I said, if this was the best of seven it wouldn't be much of a contest.
The reality is we have the strongest roster, and if things go accordingly, we will win. That is why I am sure we will be the favorites.

Just look who didn't make our team- Bertuzzi, tanguay, Nash, Kariya. That is called Depth.
Then I see the Sedins are on the Swedish team.
Gretzky put Maltby and Draper on because he wanted the best checking line in the world instead of having 4 scoring lines.

That being said, in the spirit of good sportsmanship I wish all the teams good luck and I hope no europeans get hurt or injured playing against our Superstars.

By the way, I saw Ovechkin on T.V. He seems like a nice boy, I hope he has a good tournament. I am glad he was named on team Russia.