Damn! I was just about to do a similar thread! Oh well, here´s my top 10...
1. Boris Mikhailov
- No, he never was the fastest or the most skilled Soviet player, but always a reliable scorer; even against the best NHL opposition. A great leader too!
2. Vladimir Martinec
- Great Czechoslovakian forward of the 70s. Skilled, clever, unpredictable (his nickname "the fox" should tell you as much).The Soviet defensemen used all legal and illegal methods to try to stop him from scoring - often to no avail.
3. Mike Bossy
- I´m not grazy about his skating or passing skills. But maybe his image as the "ultimate sniper" just fascinates me, I don´t know...
4. Valeri Kharlamov
- Doesn´t everybody like him? The player most fun to watch ever.
5. Guy Lafleur
- Of the Canadians, I guess he´s the closest thing to Kharlamov.
6. Sergei Kapustin
- Fast, skilled... and his name sounded kinda cool to me as a child, for some reason.
7. Helmut Balderis
- If there has been a better skater in hockey, I haven´t seen him.
8. Serge Savard
- Intelligent, cool & calm. And gotta love that "Savardian Spinorama"
9. Bobby Clarke
- I guess that as a fan of Soviet hockey I should hate his guts. Well, I don´t. A great leader and passer.
10. Ivan Hlinka
- Most remember him as a coach, but he was a brilliant player too. Even the old stone-face Tikhonov seemed to respect him very much, which was quite rare, when the Soviets´ opponents were concerned.