Valeri Kharlamov

[HockeyAddict]

Saw a thread started on the main board asking if Ovechkin was the best Russian hockey player to ever play hockey and several posters mentionned Kharlamov as the best Russian ever to lace up skates. I know that he played in the '72 Summit series and was amazing but I never saw him play. Are there any posters out there who actually saw him play either at the Summit series and preferably also with the Red Army team? If so, with which NHLer ( retired or active ) would you say he is comparable?

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[Crosbyfan]

Saw a thread started on the main board asking if Ovechkin was the best Russian hockey player to ever play hockey and several posters mentionned Kharlamov as the best Russian ever to lace up skates. I know that he played in the '72 Summit series and was amazing but I never saw him play. Are there any posters out there who actually saw him play either at the Summit series and preferably also with the Red Army team? If so, with which NHLer ( retired or active ) would you say he is comparable?

Martin St. Louis. I would also put his overall ability closer to St.Louis level, than Ovechkin level, but he did make a bunch of top preseason NHLers look bad coming off the golf course back in '72.

 

[skeena1]

Tretiak called him hockey's version of Pele, and Fetisov said he was the kind of player who comes along once every 100 years. Ovechkin and St. Louis wish.

 

[Reds4Life]

Martin St. Louis. I would also put his overall ability closer to St.Louis level, than Ovechkin level, but he did make a bunch of top preseason NHLers look bad coming off the golf course back in '72.

Yeah, and
Maurice Richard = Zach Parise
Doug Harvey = Cory Sarich
and
Jean Beliveau = Vinny Lecavalier

right?

 

[Dark Shadows]

Kharlamov was a generational player and the greatest Russian I have ever seen play. Ovechkin is the first guy I have seen come by who really has a chance at overtaking him.

To describe Kharlamov, another person once said he was like a combination of Bossy and Bure, and that is pretty accurate.

 

[Topgoon]

I was also wondering why was Kharlamov placed only 30th in the HOH Top 100? Was it the relative shortness of his career (where he played at 100% at least) compared to the other greats?

 

[VMBM]

I was also wondering why was Kharlamov placed only 30th in the HOH Top 100? Was it the relative shortness of his career (where he played at 100% at least) compared to the other greats?

That and because he didn't play in the NHL, I would assume.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

Fetisov is still the best, most complete, Russian I've seen play. That said, I didn't see much of Kharlamov.