I wanted to know if international perfomance had impact on the MVP voting because I think that's very constitutive question when analysing the Soviet statistics and awards.
1968
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 137 points
Runner-up Starshinov (Spartak) with 84 points.
3rd G Viktor Konovalenko (Torpedo Gorky) with 49 points.
Soviet league
Firsov
- Led the team, finished 2nd to Starshinov with 33 goals
- CSKA fnished 1st with 82 pts.
- 1st AST
Starshinov
- Led the league with 46 goals
- Spartak finished 2nd with 69 pts.
- 1st AST
Konovalenko
- Torpedo finished 7th
- 1st all-star team
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- 7 games 12+4=16 (1st)
- Best forward
- All-star team
Starshinov
- 7 games 6+6=12
Konovalenko
- Played 5 of the 7 games
- No personal honours
Even though Starshinov was dominant in the Soviet league, Firsov won the MVP award. It’s possible his international excellence was the reason for his victory (theory A). It’s also possible that the voters favored the player who led his team to national championship, as Firsov did by leading CSKA in scoring (theory B).
1969
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 68 points
Runner-up G Viktor Zinger (Spartak) with 63 pts
3rd Starshinov (Spartak) with 56 pts
Leading scorer Yakushev (Spartak) isn’t in top 5
Soviet league
Firsov
- 5th in the league scoring, was behind team mates Kharlamov and Mikhailov
- CSKA finished 2nd
- 1st all-star team (over Kharlamov)
Zinger
- Spartak finished 1st
- 1st all-star team
Starshinov
- 2nd in league scoring
- Spartak finished 1st
- 1st all-star team over Petrov (6th in scoring race)
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- 10 10+4=14 (1st)
- All-star team
Zinger
- Played all the games
- No personal honours
Starshinov
- 10 6+1=7
This time the Soviet league scoring leader did not appear in top 5 in the MVP voting. It could be because Yakushev played only 6 games in the world championships and managed to score just 1+1=2 points. Firsov was the leading scorer of the WCH tournament and won the MVP voting again despite the fact that he wasn’t even the leading scorer of his club team CSKA. The theory A which highlights international perfomance looks better.
1970
Winner G Viktor Konovalenko (Gorky) with 124 points
Runner-up Maltsev (Dynamo) with 104 points
3rd Starshinov (Spartak) with 83 points
Leading scorer Petrov isn’t in top 5.
Soviet league
Konovalenko
- Gorky finished 7th
- 1st all-star team selection
Maltsev
- 9th in scoring, led his team
- Dynamo finished 5th
- 1st all-star team selection
Starshinov
- 4th in scoring, 2nd in own team’s scoring
- Spartak finished 2nd
- 1st all-star team selection
Firsov
- 5th in scoring
- CSKA finished 1st
- No all-star selection
International (Soviet gold)
Konovalenko
- Played 8 games
- All-star team selection, however Finnish goalie Urpo Ylönen was named the best goalie
Maltsev
- 10 15+6=21 (1st)
- Best forward
- All-star team selection
Starshinov
- 9 5+3=8
Just for comparison, Firsov had 6+10=16 points in 8 games, finished 3rd, received an all-star honour. Missed a game against Czechoslovakia (Source) and also against Poland.
In this year’s case, it looks Maltsev’s international excellence wasn’t enough. Maybe it’s because he finished just 9th in Soviet league scoring. Soviet league leader Petrov wasn’t a top 10 scorer in the world championships, which again explains his lack of MVP support. There seems to be a lot of evidence that suggests that success at the international circles outweighs national success (theory A). At least in Petrov’s and Yakushev’s case, when both failed to meet expectations in the WCH after having lead the national league in scoring. Starshinov has done well in both rinks and finished high in the votings. Now Firsov’s similar season wasn’t enough even for the top 5. Maybe it was because Maltsev outplayed him in the WCH. Or just personal grudge. Or politics.
1971
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 134 points
2nd Vikulov (CSKA) with 70 points
3rd Maltsev (Dynamo) with 70 points
Soviet league
The theory B doesn’t seem to hold water, so I’ll leave the team’s finishes away.
Firsov
- Scored only 17 goals and wasn’t a top 5 scorer
- 2nd all-star team selection (behind Kharlamov who was 2nd in scoring)
Vikulov
- Scored 19 goals and wasn’t a top 5 scorer
- 1st all-star team selection (over Mikhailov who was 3rd in scoring, weird)
Maltsev
- Led the league in scoring
- 1st all-star team selection (over Petrov)
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- In his last WCH tournament, he scored 11+8=19 points in 10 games and was the leading scorer
- Best forward nomination
Vikulov
- 10 6+5=11
- All-star nomination
Maltsev
- 10 10+6=16 (3rd in scoring)
- All-star nomination
This year it was clear. Firsov’s dominant display in WCH helped him win the MVP. Both Kharlamov and Maltsev had great years both nationally and internationally but it wasn’t enough. It must be remembered, that at this stage, both Kharlamov and Maltsev were just starting their international careers and hadn’t earned the reputation Firsov had. Again international perfomance outweighs easily national league perfomance.
1972 (Both Olympic games and WCH)
Winner Maltsev (Dynamo) with 130 points
2nd Kharlamov (CSKA) with 130 points but less 1st votes
3rd Vikulov (CSKA) with 35 points
Soviet league
Maltsev
- Didn’t play a full season and did not finish in top 5 scoring (although he was close, 2 points away)
- 1st all-star team (over Firsov who played center between Kharlamov and Vikulov this seson (source)
Kharlamov
- Led the league in scoring
- 1st all-star team nomination
Vikulov
- 2nd in scoring
- 1st all-star team nomination (over Mikhailov, thanks to Kharlamov?)
International (Czechoslovakia gold)
Maltsev
- 10 10+12=22, leading scorer
- Best forward
- All-star
Kharlamov
- 9 8+6=14
- All-star
Vikulov
- 10 12+4=16
- All-star
It’s possible that the trio performed as a line (with Maltsev as a C) because as far as I know, Firsov did not play in the tournament and he played between Kharlamov and Vikulov during the Soviet league season. Again, WCH perfomance outweighs national league perfomance, as Maltsev who did not play a full season received more MVP support than Kharlamov who was the leading scorer in the Soviet league.
The fact that Czechoslovakia won gold doesn’t seem to change anything.
Another interesting fact: Kharlamov dominated in the olympic games and won the scoring race with 15 points. Nedomansky was 2nd with 9 points. This should have helped Kharlamov win the MVP but did not.
1973
Winner Kharlamov (CSKA) with 107 points
2nd Petrov (CSKA) with 104 points
3rd Tretiak (CSKA) with 40 points
As we all know, Tretiak was the number one goalie for both CSKA and the national team, I’ll leave him out of the comparison. Yeah, I'm getting lazy.
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Wasn’t a top 5 scorer (due to games missed)
- 1st all-star team regardless
Petrov
- Led the league in scoring by 9 points
- 1st all-star team
International (Soviet gold)
Kharlamov
- 10 9+14=23 (3rd)
- All-star team
Petrov
- 10 18+16=34
- All-star team
Mikhailov finished 2nd and was named the best forward. Finished 4th in MVP voting.
This time it looks like despite the fact that Petrov outscored Kharlamov at both stages, Kharlamov grabbed the win (altough slightly). This could be seen as a sign for Kharlamov’s importance regarding the line’s success.
1974
Winner Tretiak (CSKA) with 113 points
2nd Mikhailov (CSKA) with 67 points
3rd Vasiliev (Dynamo) with 39 points
4th Maltsev (Dynamo) with 38 points
Again, I’ll exclude Tretiak as there’s little data to use and because I'm lazy.
Soviet league
Mikhailov
- Not a top 5 scorer
- All-star
Vasiliev
- Had a fairly good offensive season with 15 points in 31 games. Nothing spectacular
- All-star selection
Maltsev
- 2nd in scoring
- All-star (over Petrov)
Kharlamov outscored Mikhailov.
International (Soviet gold)
Mikhailov
- 10 8+8=16 (leading scorer)
- No all-star team selection (Martinec)
Vasiliev
- 10 0+6=6, similar numbers as before and after
Maltsev
- 10 6+4=10
Kharlamov 10 5+5=10.
The leading international scorer again does best in the MVP voting.
1975
Winner Tretiak with 107 points
2nd Kharlamov with 81 points
3rd Yakushev (Spartak) with 58 points
Also scoring leader Petrov and runner-up Mikhailov will be in the comparison.
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Not a top 5 scorer (only 39 points compared to Petrov’s 53)
- All-star
Yakushev
- Not a top 5 scorer
Petrov
- Leading scorer
- All-star
Mikhailov
- Finished 2nd in scoring
- All-star
International (Soviet gold)
Kharlamov
- 9 10+6=16 (5th)
- No all-star selection
Yakushev
- 11+5=16 (4th)
- All-star selection (over Kharlamov)
- Best forward
Petrov
- 6+12=18 (2nd)
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 7+8=15 (8th)
- No all-star selection (Martinec)
Viktor Shalimov (Spartak) was the leading scorer with 19 points (11 goals). Wasn’t a top 5 Soviet league scorer.
Even if Shalimov led the tournament in scoring, he didn’t receive any personal honours and received little MVP support. Could be due to lack of reputation. Yakushev was the best forward and ranked 3rd in the MVP voting. Kharlamov was the best skater in MVP voting even though linemate Petrov outscored him again both in Soviet league and in WCH. Yakushev’s international success definitely was the reason for his 3rd place finish in MVP voting. Kharlamov’s success wil remain a mystery. Maybe he just stood out on the ice more than his linemates.
1976
Winner Tretiak with 139 points
2nd Kharlamov with 107 points
3rd Shalimov with 38 points
4th Maltsev with 28 points
5th Yakushev with 17 points
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Not a top 5 scorer (outscored by linemates Petrov and Mikhailov, neither one was a top 5 scorer)
- All-star (center?)
Shalimov
- Leading scorer
- All-star (RW)
Maltsev
- 3rd in scoring
Yakushev
- 2nd in scoring after linemate Shalimov
- All-star (LW)
International (Czechoslovakia gold)
Kharlamov
- 10 4+10=14 (6th) (Best of Soviets)
- All-star
Shalimov
- 10 3+5=8 (not in top 10)
Maltsev
- Not a top 10 scorer
Yakushev
- Not a top 10 scorer
Olympics (Soviet Union gold)
Shadrin won the scoring with 10 points (goals). Maltsev, Shalimov and Kharlamov each had 10 points (5 goals). (the source is neither eurohockey.net or hockeyarchives.info. Could be the site seventieslord and Jekyll have advertised).
So Kharlamov had a pretty good international year after somewhat disappointing national season. Kharlamov was the best skater again in MVP voting. Notable correlation between international perfomance and MVP voting success.
1977
MVP winner Balderis (Riga) with 166 points
Runner up Petrov with 90 points
3rd Mikhailov and Tretiak with 73 points
Soviet league
Balderis
- Leading scorer
- All-star (LW, over Kharlamov)
Petrov
- 2nd in scoring
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 4th in scoring
- All-star
International (Soviet gold)
Balderis
- 6th in scoring
- All-star
- Best forward
Petrov
- Leading scorer
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 2nd in scoring
- No all-star nomination (Martinec)
The winner of best forward nomination won the MVP award by large margin. Looks like personal honours outweigh personal success in scoring.
1978
Winner Mikhailov with 128 points
2nd Tretiak with 110 points
3rd Fetisov with 61 points
Soviet league
Mikhailov
- 2nd in scoring
- all-star selection
Fetisov
- all-star selection
International (Soviet gold)
Mikhailov
- 9+3=12 (4th)
Maltsev outscored Mikhailov and received all-star honour. Maltsev missed games in Soviet league. Might explain his lack of success in the MVP voting (was 4th).
Fetisov
- all-star
- best defenseman
There’s no voting info available for 1979. Mikhailov won even though he was behind Petrov, Kharlamov and Makarov in WCH scoring.He was outscored by Petrov in Soviet league by 9 points. Doesn’t seem to make any sense. Explanation, again: Mikhailov was named the best forward and received an all-star honour in WCH.
It looks like the voters appreciated personal honours in international circles above everything else. Almost every year the player who was named the best forward was the leading skater among MVP candidates. Tretiak was named the best goalie in 1974, 1979 and 1984 but won the MVP award only in 1974, so it doesn’t explain his success.
CONCLUSION
After this research it’s clear that international success was taken into account when voting for the MVP award / player of the year award in Soviet Union. And not only was it taken into account, it played the biggest role in it. But, also Soviet league perfomance was considered (see 1978 Maltsev vs. Mikhailov).
1968
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 137 points
Runner-up Starshinov (Spartak) with 84 points.
3rd G Viktor Konovalenko (Torpedo Gorky) with 49 points.
Soviet league
Firsov
- Led the team, finished 2nd to Starshinov with 33 goals
- CSKA fnished 1st with 82 pts.
- 1st AST
Starshinov
- Led the league with 46 goals
- Spartak finished 2nd with 69 pts.
- 1st AST
Konovalenko
- Torpedo finished 7th
- 1st all-star team
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- 7 games 12+4=16 (1st)
- Best forward
- All-star team
Starshinov
- 7 games 6+6=12
Konovalenko
- Played 5 of the 7 games
- No personal honours
Even though Starshinov was dominant in the Soviet league, Firsov won the MVP award. It’s possible his international excellence was the reason for his victory (theory A). It’s also possible that the voters favored the player who led his team to national championship, as Firsov did by leading CSKA in scoring (theory B).
1969
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 68 points
Runner-up G Viktor Zinger (Spartak) with 63 pts
3rd Starshinov (Spartak) with 56 pts
Leading scorer Yakushev (Spartak) isn’t in top 5
Soviet league
Firsov
- 5th in the league scoring, was behind team mates Kharlamov and Mikhailov
- CSKA finished 2nd
- 1st all-star team (over Kharlamov)
Zinger
- Spartak finished 1st
- 1st all-star team
Starshinov
- 2nd in league scoring
- Spartak finished 1st
- 1st all-star team over Petrov (6th in scoring race)
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- 10 10+4=14 (1st)
- All-star team
Zinger
- Played all the games
- No personal honours
Starshinov
- 10 6+1=7
This time the Soviet league scoring leader did not appear in top 5 in the MVP voting. It could be because Yakushev played only 6 games in the world championships and managed to score just 1+1=2 points. Firsov was the leading scorer of the WCH tournament and won the MVP voting again despite the fact that he wasn’t even the leading scorer of his club team CSKA. The theory A which highlights international perfomance looks better.
1970
Winner G Viktor Konovalenko (Gorky) with 124 points
Runner-up Maltsev (Dynamo) with 104 points
3rd Starshinov (Spartak) with 83 points
Leading scorer Petrov isn’t in top 5.
Soviet league
Konovalenko
- Gorky finished 7th
- 1st all-star team selection
Maltsev
- 9th in scoring, led his team
- Dynamo finished 5th
- 1st all-star team selection
Starshinov
- 4th in scoring, 2nd in own team’s scoring
- Spartak finished 2nd
- 1st all-star team selection
Firsov
- 5th in scoring
- CSKA finished 1st
- No all-star selection
International (Soviet gold)
Konovalenko
- Played 8 games
- All-star team selection, however Finnish goalie Urpo Ylönen was named the best goalie
Maltsev
- 10 15+6=21 (1st)
- Best forward
- All-star team selection
Starshinov
- 9 5+3=8
Just for comparison, Firsov had 6+10=16 points in 8 games, finished 3rd, received an all-star honour. Missed a game against Czechoslovakia (Source) and also against Poland.
In this year’s case, it looks Maltsev’s international excellence wasn’t enough. Maybe it’s because he finished just 9th in Soviet league scoring. Soviet league leader Petrov wasn’t a top 10 scorer in the world championships, which again explains his lack of MVP support. There seems to be a lot of evidence that suggests that success at the international circles outweighs national success (theory A). At least in Petrov’s and Yakushev’s case, when both failed to meet expectations in the WCH after having lead the national league in scoring. Starshinov has done well in both rinks and finished high in the votings. Now Firsov’s similar season wasn’t enough even for the top 5. Maybe it was because Maltsev outplayed him in the WCH. Or just personal grudge. Or politics.
1971
Winner Firsov (CSKA) with 134 points
2nd Vikulov (CSKA) with 70 points
3rd Maltsev (Dynamo) with 70 points
Soviet league
The theory B doesn’t seem to hold water, so I’ll leave the team’s finishes away.
Firsov
- Scored only 17 goals and wasn’t a top 5 scorer
- 2nd all-star team selection (behind Kharlamov who was 2nd in scoring)
Vikulov
- Scored 19 goals and wasn’t a top 5 scorer
- 1st all-star team selection (over Mikhailov who was 3rd in scoring, weird)
Maltsev
- Led the league in scoring
- 1st all-star team selection (over Petrov)
International (Soviet gold)
Firsov
- In his last WCH tournament, he scored 11+8=19 points in 10 games and was the leading scorer
- Best forward nomination
Vikulov
- 10 6+5=11
- All-star nomination
Maltsev
- 10 10+6=16 (3rd in scoring)
- All-star nomination
This year it was clear. Firsov’s dominant display in WCH helped him win the MVP. Both Kharlamov and Maltsev had great years both nationally and internationally but it wasn’t enough. It must be remembered, that at this stage, both Kharlamov and Maltsev were just starting their international careers and hadn’t earned the reputation Firsov had. Again international perfomance outweighs easily national league perfomance.
1972 (Both Olympic games and WCH)
Winner Maltsev (Dynamo) with 130 points
2nd Kharlamov (CSKA) with 130 points but less 1st votes
3rd Vikulov (CSKA) with 35 points
Soviet league
Maltsev
- Didn’t play a full season and did not finish in top 5 scoring (although he was close, 2 points away)
- 1st all-star team (over Firsov who played center between Kharlamov and Vikulov this seson (source)
Kharlamov
- Led the league in scoring
- 1st all-star team nomination
Vikulov
- 2nd in scoring
- 1st all-star team nomination (over Mikhailov, thanks to Kharlamov?)
International (Czechoslovakia gold)
Maltsev
- 10 10+12=22, leading scorer
- Best forward
- All-star
Kharlamov
- 9 8+6=14
- All-star
Vikulov
- 10 12+4=16
- All-star
It’s possible that the trio performed as a line (with Maltsev as a C) because as far as I know, Firsov did not play in the tournament and he played between Kharlamov and Vikulov during the Soviet league season. Again, WCH perfomance outweighs national league perfomance, as Maltsev who did not play a full season received more MVP support than Kharlamov who was the leading scorer in the Soviet league.
The fact that Czechoslovakia won gold doesn’t seem to change anything.
Another interesting fact: Kharlamov dominated in the olympic games and won the scoring race with 15 points. Nedomansky was 2nd with 9 points. This should have helped Kharlamov win the MVP but did not.
1973
Winner Kharlamov (CSKA) with 107 points
2nd Petrov (CSKA) with 104 points
3rd Tretiak (CSKA) with 40 points
As we all know, Tretiak was the number one goalie for both CSKA and the national team, I’ll leave him out of the comparison. Yeah, I'm getting lazy.
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Wasn’t a top 5 scorer (due to games missed)
- 1st all-star team regardless
Petrov
- Led the league in scoring by 9 points
- 1st all-star team
International (Soviet gold)
Kharlamov
- 10 9+14=23 (3rd)
- All-star team
Petrov
- 10 18+16=34
- All-star team
Mikhailov finished 2nd and was named the best forward. Finished 4th in MVP voting.
This time it looks like despite the fact that Petrov outscored Kharlamov at both stages, Kharlamov grabbed the win (altough slightly). This could be seen as a sign for Kharlamov’s importance regarding the line’s success.
1974
Winner Tretiak (CSKA) with 113 points
2nd Mikhailov (CSKA) with 67 points
3rd Vasiliev (Dynamo) with 39 points
4th Maltsev (Dynamo) with 38 points
Again, I’ll exclude Tretiak as there’s little data to use and because I'm lazy.
Soviet league
Mikhailov
- Not a top 5 scorer
- All-star
Vasiliev
- Had a fairly good offensive season with 15 points in 31 games. Nothing spectacular
- All-star selection
Maltsev
- 2nd in scoring
- All-star (over Petrov)
Kharlamov outscored Mikhailov.
International (Soviet gold)
Mikhailov
- 10 8+8=16 (leading scorer)
- No all-star team selection (Martinec)
Vasiliev
- 10 0+6=6, similar numbers as before and after
Maltsev
- 10 6+4=10
Kharlamov 10 5+5=10.
The leading international scorer again does best in the MVP voting.
1975
Winner Tretiak with 107 points
2nd Kharlamov with 81 points
3rd Yakushev (Spartak) with 58 points
Also scoring leader Petrov and runner-up Mikhailov will be in the comparison.
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Not a top 5 scorer (only 39 points compared to Petrov’s 53)
- All-star
Yakushev
- Not a top 5 scorer
Petrov
- Leading scorer
- All-star
Mikhailov
- Finished 2nd in scoring
- All-star
International (Soviet gold)
Kharlamov
- 9 10+6=16 (5th)
- No all-star selection
Yakushev
- 11+5=16 (4th)
- All-star selection (over Kharlamov)
- Best forward
Petrov
- 6+12=18 (2nd)
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 7+8=15 (8th)
- No all-star selection (Martinec)
Viktor Shalimov (Spartak) was the leading scorer with 19 points (11 goals). Wasn’t a top 5 Soviet league scorer.
Even if Shalimov led the tournament in scoring, he didn’t receive any personal honours and received little MVP support. Could be due to lack of reputation. Yakushev was the best forward and ranked 3rd in the MVP voting. Kharlamov was the best skater in MVP voting even though linemate Petrov outscored him again both in Soviet league and in WCH. Yakushev’s international success definitely was the reason for his 3rd place finish in MVP voting. Kharlamov’s success wil remain a mystery. Maybe he just stood out on the ice more than his linemates.
1976
Winner Tretiak with 139 points
2nd Kharlamov with 107 points
3rd Shalimov with 38 points
4th Maltsev with 28 points
5th Yakushev with 17 points
Soviet league
Kharlamov
- Not a top 5 scorer (outscored by linemates Petrov and Mikhailov, neither one was a top 5 scorer)
- All-star (center?)
Shalimov
- Leading scorer
- All-star (RW)
Maltsev
- 3rd in scoring
Yakushev
- 2nd in scoring after linemate Shalimov
- All-star (LW)
International (Czechoslovakia gold)
Kharlamov
- 10 4+10=14 (6th) (Best of Soviets)
- All-star
Shalimov
- 10 3+5=8 (not in top 10)
Maltsev
- Not a top 10 scorer
Yakushev
- Not a top 10 scorer
Olympics (Soviet Union gold)
Shadrin won the scoring with 10 points (goals). Maltsev, Shalimov and Kharlamov each had 10 points (5 goals). (the source is neither eurohockey.net or hockeyarchives.info. Could be the site seventieslord and Jekyll have advertised).
So Kharlamov had a pretty good international year after somewhat disappointing national season. Kharlamov was the best skater again in MVP voting. Notable correlation between international perfomance and MVP voting success.
1977
MVP winner Balderis (Riga) with 166 points
Runner up Petrov with 90 points
3rd Mikhailov and Tretiak with 73 points
Soviet league
Balderis
- Leading scorer
- All-star (LW, over Kharlamov)
Petrov
- 2nd in scoring
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 4th in scoring
- All-star
International (Soviet gold)
Balderis
- 6th in scoring
- All-star
- Best forward
Petrov
- Leading scorer
- All-star
Mikhailov
- 2nd in scoring
- No all-star nomination (Martinec)
The winner of best forward nomination won the MVP award by large margin. Looks like personal honours outweigh personal success in scoring.
1978
Winner Mikhailov with 128 points
2nd Tretiak with 110 points
3rd Fetisov with 61 points
Soviet league
Mikhailov
- 2nd in scoring
- all-star selection
Fetisov
- all-star selection
International (Soviet gold)
Mikhailov
- 9+3=12 (4th)
Maltsev outscored Mikhailov and received all-star honour. Maltsev missed games in Soviet league. Might explain his lack of success in the MVP voting (was 4th).
Fetisov
- all-star
- best defenseman
There’s no voting info available for 1979. Mikhailov won even though he was behind Petrov, Kharlamov and Makarov in WCH scoring.He was outscored by Petrov in Soviet league by 9 points. Doesn’t seem to make any sense. Explanation, again: Mikhailov was named the best forward and received an all-star honour in WCH.
It looks like the voters appreciated personal honours in international circles above everything else. Almost every year the player who was named the best forward was the leading skater among MVP candidates. Tretiak was named the best goalie in 1974, 1979 and 1984 but won the MVP award only in 1974, so it doesn’t explain his success.
CONCLUSION
After this research it’s clear that international success was taken into account when voting for the MVP award / player of the year award in Soviet Union. And not only was it taken into account, it played the biggest role in it. But, also Soviet league perfomance was considered (see 1978 Maltsev vs. Mikhailov).