sibiriak

SJS/CHI: 4-3 PHI/MTL: 4-3

Gretzky did play for Canada in the IIHF World Hockey Championships. Lemieux, Orr, or Howe never did play in an IIHF tournament. So, they aren't on the team.

SJS/DET:4-2 CHI/VAN:4-2 PIT/MTL:4-1 BOS/PHI:4-2

Your 1st and 2nd points may have some merit, but you lost me on the third. How is 12 mil. AFTER taxes to play in your home country, and having your young family close to the grandmas, grandpas, uncles, aunties etc worse than about 8 mil (4 mil after taxes) to play in the US? Apart from the level of competition that you mentioned separately that is?

Given that the schedule is weighted in favor of division/conference, having 16 top point getters make the playoffs is unfair. The teams in more even/stronger divisions will be penalized, while a second team in a weak division will make the playoffs. If the top teams in points make the playoffs, the schedule must be even, and division/conference format would need to be completely done away with.

Jagr was saying what he said mostly because there's a difference between Russia and the NHL in how the training process is structured. The KHL players are used to long pre-season training camp, which is designed to get them into game shape. Also, they do much more actual physical training during the season (as opposite to NHL practices, that are more skill/tactics oriented). And their season is shorter. So they are probably fitter/less exausted in March than their NHL counterparts. NHL players nowadays are expected to arrive for training camp already in/close to game shape. And they don't do as much weight/endurance training as the Russians during the season. So when Grigorenko arrived to Detroit, he most likely expected to get in shape during the camp. He didn't expect everyone else to already be in shape, and so he couldn't keep up. I believe this was at least a part of the reason for his failure.

I guess KHL is catching up with the NHL in that respect as well

SJS/COL:4-2 CHI/NSH:4-2 VAN/LAK:4-1 PHX/DET:4-1 WAS/MTL:4-1 NJD/PHI:4-2 BUF/BOS:4-2 PIT/OTT:4-1 WC Champion:CHI EC Champion:PIT SCF Champion:PIT

I've seen the KLM line in their prime. It is tougher to concentrate on each individual player on that line than on NHL players, because of the style of play, constant movement, changing places, passes and drop passes. That style made Larionov look even better as a passer than he already was. But the KLM played (mostly) against inferior opposition. That made pretty passing easier. Against the NHL All-Star teams or even against particularly well-coached and defensively sound Swedish and Czech national teams, they often had a bit more difficulty. So given the above, I think Datsyuk really is a better player. Here's a (IMHO) breakdown of the relative strengths of the two players: Defensive awareness and positioning: EVEN (with a superior hand-eye coordination giving Datsyuk an edge in steals department). Passing: EVEN Dribbling/one-on-one: Datsyk by a mile Shooting: Datsyuk is slightly better Play along the boards/corners, hitting: Datsyuk by a lot Skating speed: EVEN Leadership: Larionov Offensive creativity/awareness: Datsyuk, slightly I can't think of any other component of the game where I'd consider larionov to be better than Datsyuk.

Niemi came in in the second period vs CBJ in relief of Huet, but only lasted 5:43, letting in 1 goal on 5 shots, and then left the ice, Huet coming in again. Injury? That would all but bury the Hawks playoff chances. Poor Hossa, lol.

The clip is edited. The beginning is cut off. In the real clip Ovechkin is walking in another direction, then suddenly reverses course and walks right to the camera. That's when this clip starts and the sound comes on. The original claim by this "female fan" was that OV broke her camera, there was nothing about sustaining any injuries. Now, since we can't hear what made OV to come back toward her, we don't know what started the altercation. I don't see any violence toward the actual person, rather than the camera in the clip. The "broken" camera is working well enough to film OV walking away. All in all, dumb move on Ovechkin's part, but I highly suspect that the actual event was very different from what this girl claimed.

Lets not get carried away here. Washington picked OV with the 1st overall pick, so NYI never had a chance at him.

If the Finns won, they would have had to play SUI/BEL winner in the 1/4, and then SWE vs CZE/LAT winner in the semis. Now that they lost, they have to play CZE/LAT winner in the 1/4, and USA/SUI winner in the semis. All this was known before the FIN-SWE game started. What exactly would the Finns have gained by losing on purpose? You really shouldn't throw around unfounded allegations like that.

Sorry, dbl post

Or sure, whyever do the rest of us even bother playing against them

You misunderstand me. I am not saying that Malkin is a superior center to Datsyuk. You seem to think that Dats was demoted. He wasn't. There's no 1st, 2nd 3rd lines on Russian Oly team, just 4 equal lines. Dats on Kovy line and Malkin on OV line represents a better use of available assets by coach Bykov. See above for the reasons I think so. It's hard to argue with results, Malkin got 2 goals today, and that line didn't get scored upon.

OV-Semin-Malkin line is strictly speed North-South movement, if Malkin turns the puck over, they just come back and try again. When Malkin played with Kovy and Afinogenov, his turnover would usually mean an odd man rush agains, because the other two forwards would be deep in the opposition zone. Playing with the Caps duo, Malkinn's defensive liability is minimized, while Dats offensive potential is not being wasted on OV's line.

Moving Dats WAS a good idea. His style totally doesn't mesh with OV and Semin. He needs to carry the puck, not watch the other 2 skate it end to end. Kovy+Dats is a much better fit.

Do you read what you post beforhand? Do you realize that you come across as just another bigot? This is an old argument hereabouts, but still, do you really need me to draw you a list of North American players who do the same thing? Really...

When Kovalchuk was a RFA, he signed with Atlanta having been promised that the team would make a serious effort to build a playoff contender. And look what happened. He'd be not just stupid, he'd be a total moron to fall for this line again. In his shoes, the only way I'd stay in Atlanta is for max salary. There's clearly nothing else there to look forward to, competitivness-wise.

If we take Zubov of 3 years ago, you are quite right. But if we take Sergei Zubov of 2010 who has missed basically an entire NHL season because of a very serious injury, then not so much. Plus Zubov did not show up when he was invited to the national team for the Channel one tournament couple of montth ago. I'm not sure what happened there, but the coaches certainly took it amiss.

You are probably right, Malkin is the best Russian born center right now. Not that the difference is great. But Bykov didn't have "1st, 2nd etc." lines in the past. The strength of that Team is that it has 4 1st lines and 4 checking lines. OV has played a checking role before and the Kazan KHL-based unit got a lot of PP time. So your initial point is really moot.

Ironically, the even the 4 Russian Olympians without significant NHL experience already HAVE faced almost all of the Canadian players you named in WC (except Morrow, IIRC) several times and beaten them twice. Zinoviev tried NHL but didn't like it. Nikulin played in AHL. Zaripov and Korneev never played in NA. The rest have all played significant number of NHL games and were adequate or better NHLers.

Not to rain on the OP's parade, but if we had a time machine, the 2010 TB Lightning would wipe the floor (the ice maybe) with the 1960s Canadiens and probably 1980s Oilers. When I watch the old games, I am always struck by how slow (relatively) the players seem and how much time and space they enjoy. Compared to the modern NHL, they play in slow motion. So the best All-NHL All-time team IMHO should be composed of 95% current players with perhaps some more recent superstars included, such as M.Lemieux, Gretzky Hasek, Jagr. Certainly not Gordie Howe or Bobby Hull et al. If they were born now, with modern training and nutrition, plus their natural talent, they'd been huge. But they didn't and so they shouldn't be on the "All-NHL All-time" team.

Best goalie ever: Hasek. Just because he came to the NHL at a later age than Roy/Brodeur etc and played on a worse team for most of his years here, he didn't get to win as many Cups and amass the stats of Roy/Brodeur. But in his prime, he would win games by himself with little supporting cast. He just couldn't be beat. Period. Best defenseman ever: Before Orr "revolutionized" the position, Russian and other European defensemen already partisipated in offensive rushes, and (o horror) crossed the opposition blue line before Orr did it. Orr was great, but Lidstrom, Fetisov, Kuzkin in their primes were just as good if not better. Gretzky probably was the greatest forward of all time, I won't argue with you there (honorable mention: Lemieux). But Wayne is of Ukrainian decent anyway The above is, of course, IMHO only. But I have as good grounds for my opinion as you do for yours. As to the question of whether Canada is "better" than the US or anyone else in Hockey, I think that the word "better" has one meaning in sports, and one meaning only: did yoiu win? If US beat Canada in a gold medal game, US is better than Canada until Canada wins the gold again, as they probably will next year. That is the only meaning of "better" in sports. The better team is the team that won. Excuses are for losers.