Kovalev complains in Russian media

[RusDRW 155]

Their national team speaks volumes on this subject alone.

Yeah, indeed... I got this feeling too watching last WJHC in Buffalo. That was a new generation of lazy Russian players in the finals.

[sputman 1,268]

this is what i HATE about todays athlete.

1) a players success is personal

2) coaches are the first to get fired

3) players can't get blackballed

4) it's ALL about the $

5) there's no men anymore, just investments

6) player fines men squat

7.

8..

9...

sports in todays day and age is awful!

i was a college lacrosse player and earned what i got from "nerding" out in my sport. there wasnt a day i didnt goof around with my friends playing. i gave back 99% of the time with kids. teaching, tips, coaching, hell i even gave away most of my stuff. why don't i see that anymore, and if i do, its a photo op. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

/rant

you know, this one would be so much more FABULOUS if you'd just put a comma after the word "fines".

:rainbow:

[Bramsy 16]

oopz

[stevie for president 42]

Fedorov was not the stereotypical Russian player, as you put it. He certainly had that reputation after his holdout in the late 90s, but that was more due to fan bitterness and the fact that he wasn't living up to the ridiculous money that the first year of that contract paid him with the playoff bonuses. Fans were expecting him to score 150 points and win the Selke all in 20 games, and he was "merely" one of the league's top forwards. He scored at a higher per-game pace than his 96-97 mark every year following that holdout until he left Detroit. He was a hard working all-around player who was accurate in his assessment that he didn't get nearly the credit for his on-ice performance that he deserved.

Anyway, you say Ovy and Dats break the stereotype, but Fedorov fits the bill. Let's hear that argument.

I dont care how many points he scored, thats completely irrelevant. I'm not saying he sucks. He doesn't suck. He's one of the best red wings of all time, but if you or anyone else says he worked as hard as Yzerman, lidstrom, or the rest of his teammates youre lying or delusional. Fedorov has the reputation of taking games off because he took games off. Not because he held out for more money. He got the prima Donna rep for holding out.

Highlight reels and statistics can be misleading.

[Majsheppard 203]

Honestly, Kovalev was, at his peak, the most skilled offensive player in the league. He however never became the best player in the NHL.

He had the ability to do almost anything he wanted with the puck at any given moment, but he never consistently took advantage of it. If he is taking this identity of a man who didn't show up every night as an insult... then I would like to know what excuse he would like to give?

He was the Datsyuk of his time and could have put up goals like Pavel puts up dangles, but he didn't and at the end of his NHL career we are going to question why. It is a real shame he doesn't question it too... but that is most likely why he never became a true legend.

[eva unit zero 271]

I dont care how many points he scored, thats completely irrelevant. I'm not saying he sucks. He doesn't suck. He's one of the best red wings of all time, but if you or anyone else says he worked as hard as Yzerman, lidstrom, or the rest of his teammates youre lying or delusional. Fedorov has the reputation of taking games off because he took games off. Not because he held out for more money. He got the prima Donna rep for holding out.

Highlight reels and statistics can be misleading.

And what I was saying is that he didn't get that reputation until after his holdout. He wasn't a different player after his holdout. If anything, he was more of a veteran leader in those years than he was in the years before it. Another thing; Ovechkin is mentioned as 'not fitting' the Russian stereotype of a lazy, talented player who takes nights off. He used to have that reputation, and then it went away. Do you know WHY it went away? Because Washington acquired Sergei Fedorov, and Ovechkin spent time with him. He was considered important in every aspect to the Ducks, and didn't get the "lazy Russian" label. It is confined to his time with the Wings from 1997 through 2002. Meaning that it is fan bitterness, not objective analysis.

I wonder though; Fedorov played for Babcock and they seemed to do well together. Could Sergei be a good pickup, even if he's not the player he once was?

[dragonballgtz 273]

And what I was saying is that he didn't get that reputation until after his holdout. He wasn't a different player after his holdout. If anything, he was more of a veteran leader in those years than he was in the years before it. Another thing; Ovechkin is mentioned as 'not fitting' the Russian stereotype of a lazy, talented player who takes nights off. He used to have that reputation, and then it went away. Do you know WHY it went away? Because Washington acquired Sergei Fedorov, and Ovechkin spent time with him. He was considered important in every aspect to the Ducks, and didn't get the "lazy Russian" label. It is confined to his time with the Wings from 1997 through 2002. Meaning that it is fan bitterness, not objective analysis.

I wonder though; Fedorov played for Babcock and they seemed to do well together. Could Sergei be a good pickup, even if he's not the player he once was?

Please, if Fedorov was so important to the Ducks they would have kept him instead of trading him.

"The reality is, he came here to be the guy and when you come some place to be the guy, you got to be the guy every night, 82 games," Babcock said.

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Maybe it's the drinking water in Montreal that's the common thread in this malady: TSN.

[eva unit zero 271]

If Fedorov wasn't "the guy" every night, meaning he wasn't the Ducks' top player, and that means he didn't work hard... then I'd hate to see the report on Datsyuk's effort because he's Detroit's best player far less often. I'd say in the past two years Zetterberg and Lidstrom have been better than Dats more often when all three have been in the lineup.

[VM1138 1,921]

I dont care how many points he scored, thats completely irrelevant. I'm not saying he sucks. He doesn't suck. He's one of the best red wings of all time, but if you or anyone else says he worked as hard as Yzerman, lidstrom, or the rest of his teammates youre lying or delusional. Fedorov has the reputation of taking games off because he took games off. Not because he held out for more money. He got the prima Donna rep for holding out.

Highlight reels and statistics can be misleading.

Fedorov did take games off, I remember this clearly, but I never got the impression that he was lazy. Sure, he didn't work as hard as Lidstrom or Yzerman, but who did? I'd hesitate to group Fedorov in with lazy asses like Kovalev, who take every game off, except for a select few against weak teams.