Quote
Stoneage
Congratulations to Canada. Although I rooted for Russia: They are such elegant players and very sportsmanlike. Even though they often have everything against them
(the audience and the referees) they hardly never complain. Canada is a very efficient and opportunistic team. They lack the Russian grandeur though. But all kudos to them.
First of all they have a winning mentality. Which often pays off. Like it did yesterday. And almost any day...

Swedes were a disappointment. Their fuel kind of dried up when they were facing the important matches. Congrats to Slovakia for their first medal ever.

I have to ask: did you watch any of Canada's games? The playmaking skills, of the top two lines in particular, and ability to find each other with open ice seeing-eye passes was really a thing of beauty and easily on par with the Russians or anyone
else this year.They had skill, be it passing, shooting, stick handling or playmaking, up the yin yang. They didn't trail in any game at any given point in the tournament. And sportsmanship? Russia? Are you serious? This is the country that is notorious for pulling their teams from the ice during a game because they're unhappy with the refereeing. This is why so few Russians are drafted in the NHL draft any more: their tendency to pout if things aren't going their way (Kovalchuk, Yakupov, Radulov) or to threaten to return to play in the KHL.

My opinion,and I think I'm being objective here, is that there is so much parity between the best hockey nations now that, in any given year, the Finns, the Swedes, the Russians, the U.S. or Canada could field the winning team. You could throw the Czech Republic and Slovakia in there too. Isn't that what makes it great? And they all play the same way, with the same systems. They all use an aggressive three-man forecheck. The North Americans have long since absorbed the best of the European game and vice versa.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-07 00:03 by andrewm.

I guess I'm influenced by the great Soviet-Russian teams ever since the Tarasov and Tichonov's days. Those teams were superior to any team in the world. I have seen them in action in every WC since the seventies. Of course the situation has changed since the wall came down and NHL started to trade in the best Russian players. Russia nowadays is basically a team amongst others.
Still, when everything works for them there is an element of beauty and skill in their play that few other teams can match. That doesn't mean that Canada or any other team lack skills. Canada is perhaps the greatest team when it comes to shooting and passing skills, for instance. And they have the winning mentality and competetiveness that many other teams lacks. Which is a thing that is admired here in Sweden. Canada has won the JWC 16 times, Sweden only twice.
When it comes to discipline and sportsmanship I guess there is a huge difference between the Russian individual player and the Russian Team. I have always contributed the Russian team with sportsmanlike behaviour on the ice. Not always the Canadian team though. But that is another story.

Quote
Stoneage
I guess I'm influenced by the great Soviet-Russian teams ever since the Tarasov and Tichonov's days. Those teams were superior to any team in the world. I have seen them in action in every WC since the seventies. Of course the situation has changed since the wall came down and NHL started to trade in the best Russian players. Russia nowadays is basically a team amongst others.
Still, when everything works for them there is an element of beauty and skill in their play that few other teams can match. That doesn't mean that Canada or any other team lack skills. Canada is perhaps the greatest team when it comes to shooting and passing skills, for instance. And they have the winning mentality and competetiveness that many other teams lacks. Which is a thing that is admired here in Sweden. Canada has won the JWC 16 times, Sweden only twice.
When it comes to discipline and sportsmanship I guess there is a huge difference between the Russian individual player and the Russian Team. I have always contributed the Russian team with sportsmanlike behaviour on the ice. Not always the Canadian team though. But that is another story.

And here's a great example of Russian sportsmanship...

[globalnews.ca]

EDIT...forgot to mention, quite elegant as well, as you'd noted in an earlier post.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2015-01-07 02:16 by treaclefingers.

I don't know if that throw was especially elegant, Treacle. Hopefully he will be reprimanded. If the stick hit someone in the audience it might be expensive for him also.
Everyone should be careful with throwing sticks at the audience, even Charlie...

My fondness for Russian hockey doesn't seem to go down well in Canada. Which I guess is understandable.

Quote
Stoneage
My fondness for Russian hockey doesn't seem to go down well in Canada. Which I guess is understandable.

I think we have a great respect for the Russians. We just don't happen to cheer for them when we're playing them.

I just thought some of your observations were perhaps overly-generalizing and maybe giving credit where it wasn't actually due.

It is however, only a matter of opinion.

What treacle said. You certainly seem to have an axe to grind based on decades-old grudges but that's your prerogative, of course. I have the utmost respect for Russian hockey, in general, but when you start talking about sportsmanship in that context I have to laugh. Ha.

Sure, my timing was a bit off here. My intention was not to spoil your celebration. If that was the case I apologize for that. I kind of felt the Russians were a bit of underdogs in this giant bowl of Canadian patriotism in Toronto. So I took sympathy for the Russians. I do admire the Russian hockey tradition though. Like most Swedes I guess. I didn't mean to take anything away from the Canadians. They were undefeated throughout the tournament and rightfully deserved their win. No doubt about that.