Kuznetsov Chooses Russia

[number9 3,297]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=630261This sucks for the caps. They thought they would have him for next season. Another Radulov? Anyone think he'll actually come to NA in 2 years?

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

Maybe he has insight into how the negotiations for the new CBA will go.

After finally leaving Mother Russia, he'll be welcomed with open arms.

It happens.

[Red Wings Addict 787]

Keep it up and make other teams afraid to bring in Russians so that we keep getting players like Marchenko.

[Guest Hatethedrake!]

He likely is afraid of only getting 13 minutes of ice time a game.

[WizardOfOz30 1,886]

Forget it.

Edited May 1, 2012 by WizardOfOz30

[Drake_Marcus 890]

He likely is afraid of only getting 13 minutes of ice time a game.

It's funny how some of these young players feel entitled to ice time. If they were as talented as they believed they are they'd earn 1st line mins.

He should look at Radulov's play so far this postseason. Playing in Russia apparently hasn't served Radulov well.

That article says he's considered the top prospect in the world by the Hockey News. That sheet is crayzay.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Drake_Marcus

[Carman 387]

http://twitter.com/#!/AOsadchenko/status/197324330634444800

Kuznetsov's decision to stay in the KHL appears to be final. Sources say he was threatened to be passed on in Sochi if he went to the NHL.

Not sure on the validity of this, but I wouldn't be surprised. I remember similar things happening to Malkin, Fedorov and I'm sure others.

Edited May 2, 2012 by Carman

[Konnan511 1,736]

He gets to stay home with his new wife. Gets more money. And like I said, he gets to stay home. Doesnt shock me. He also gets to hone his skills playing first line minutes in a decent league.

[sibiriak 84]

Listening to you guys hate on Kuznetsovm makes me wonder if you heard that the Cold War was over? I don't have any inside info but here's few reasons he might want to stay home for a couple more seasons:

He's 20, he doesn't yet have the muscle mass to withstand the NHL seson, and NHL hitting.

He had a shoulder surgery recently, so it would make sense to bulk up to avoid re-injury.

He got married just about 9 months ago, could a grandma availability be soon necessary?

Guys, this game is supposed to give us joy, not promote bile accumulation. Why so negative?

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Listening to you guys hate on Kuznetsovm makes me wonder if you heard that the Cold War was over? I don't have any inside info but here's few reasons he might want to stay home for a couple more seasons:

He's 20, he doesn't yet have the muscle mass to withstand the NHL seson, and NHL hitting.

He had a shoulder surgery recently, so it would make sense to bulk up to avoid re-injury.

He got married just about 9 months ago, could a grandma availability be soon necessary?

Guys, this game is supposed to give us joy, not promote bile accumulation. Why so negative?

Imaginary Russian-persecution on a Red Wings board is pretty comical. No other team in the league has had more reasons to love Russia than Detroit has over the last 20 years.

[Guest Shoreline]

Imaginary Russian-persecution on a Red Wings board is pretty comical. No other team in the league has had more reasons to love Russia than Detroit has over the last 20 years.

I already love them for vodka, and entertaining Liveleak videos, but they're ok for giving the Wings some talent I suppose.

[sibiriak 84]

Imaginary Russian-persecution on a Red Wings board is pretty comical. No other team in the league has had more reasons to love Russia than Detroit has over the last 20 years.

Oh, yeah. I remember all the "love" Pavel has gotten on this forum prior to signing his long-term contract.

Also, you wanna see love for Russians, just try praising Fedorov. Yeah, the one who was booed every time he touched the puck.

It seems that a Russian Red Wings (and even more so every other teams') player has to be perfect in all ways to not get bashed here.

If Datsyuk wasn't far and away the best Red Wing this season, his name would have been dirt here, too.

P.S. If I missed sarcasm in your post, sorry for the rant, but if you were serious...

[Guest Shoreline]

Oh, yeah. I remember all the "love" Pavel has gotten on this forum prior to signing his long-term contract.

Also, you wanna see love for Russians, just try praising Fedorov. Yeah, the one who was booed every time he touched the puck.

It seems that a Russian Red Wings (and even more so every other teams') player has to be perfect in all ways to not get bashed here.

If Datsyuk wasn't far and away the best Red Wing this season, his name would have been dirt here, too.

P.S. If I missed sarcasm in your post, sorry for the rant, but if you were serious...

Exaggerate much?

The issue with Fedorov stems from his 2003 antics when he left for the Ducks and put the Wings in a spot who tried negotiating with him and didn't sign anyone else when they should have. Has nothing to do with him being Russian. Most fans let go the fact that Fedorov had contract issues before, combined with a knack for putting forth very little effort once winning his first two Stanley Cups.

Pavel was criticized at one point for not producing enough in the playoffs, which he fixed, had nothing to do with the contract.

The players that were most bashed here on this forum are named Lilja, Filppula, Lang, and Osgood, and last I checked Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Canada aren't Russia.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Shoreline

[number9 3,297]

Oh, yeah. I remember all the "love" Pavel has gotten on this forum prior to signing his long-term contract.

Also, you wanna see love for Russians, just try praising Fedorov. Yeah, the one who was booed every time he touched the puck.

It seems that a Russian Red Wings (and even more so every other teams') player has to be perfect in all ways to not get bashed here.

If Datsyuk wasn't far and away the best Red Wing this season, his name would have been dirt here, too.

P.S. If I missed sarcasm in your post, sorry for the rant, but if you were serious...

Dude your crazy. I had a Fedorov jersey before i had an Yzerman jersey. I love love loved the Russian five and love Datsyuk. Of course Fedorov got some hate...he was a beloved wing and he left us for the Ducks...and of course Pavel got criticism as a young player....unless your Yzerman everyone does, Pavel proved himself though, just like Filppula is now. This has absolutely nothing do with someone being a Russian...It has everything to do with the KHL and players they've ruined like Radulov.

[sibiriak 84]

Exaggerate much?

The issue with Fedorov stems from his 2003 antics when he left for the Ducks and put the Wings in a spot who tried negotiating with him and didn't sign anyone else when they should have. Has nothing to do with him being Russian. Most fans let go the fact that Fedorov had contract issues before, combined with a knack for putting forth very little effort once winning his first two Stanley Cups.

Pavel was criticized at one point for not producing enough in the playoffs, which he fixed, had nothing to do with the contract.

The players that were most bashed here on this forum are named Lilja, Filppula, Lang, and Osgood, and last I checked Sweden, Finland, Czech Republic, and Canada aren't Russia.

Man, you have been a member here longer than I have, but you seem to have a short memory. Pavel was bashed herer prior to signing his long term (and as it turned out bargain basement cheap) deal, precisely for the terms of that contract. The prevailing opinion was that he wasn't (as all Russians) a playoff performer and wasn't worth the money. I don't want to spend my time searching for those old threads, but if you wish, you can look it up and see if I'm right.

Fedorov was bashed before he left for not being consistent, being a primadonna etc., and after he left, well you know about that one.

Yes there were other players who were bashed here for various reasons, and some were bashed more than others. My point is that (especially after the start of the KHL) there seem to be extra hate for any Russian player who (blasphemy) doesn't drop all he's doing and rush to North America to play for (relative) peanuts, on a two-way rookie capped contract. Or for any European player who goes to KHL instead of here. Am I all that wrong?

[sibiriak 84]

Dude your crazy. I had a Fedorov jersey before i had an Yzerman jersey. I love love loved the Russian five and love Datsyuk. Of course Fedorov got some hate...he was a beloved wing and he left us for the Ducks...and of course Pavel got criticism as a young player....unless your Yzerman everyone does, Pavel proved himself though, just like Filppula is now. This has absolutely nothing do with someone being a Russian...It has everything to do with the KHL and players they've ruined like Radulov.

I didn't say that every single fan here hates Fedorov. But you can't deny that a lot, probably a significant majority, do. It does take several thousand fans to boo someone and be heard.

The immediate reasons for hate vary, dependent on a player we are talking about, but there seems to be an underlying jealousy/hate toward KHL and Russian players, who do constitute a large majority of its players.

As to whether KHL ruins players, the sample size is too small. There haven't been many players who played in KHL and then in the NHL. In fact, I suspect that your sample consists of Hudler and Radulov only. And Radulov has played too few games after his return, to judge. After all he had the most points of all players on both teams in the Nashville series, if he was ruined by the KHL, then who ruined the rest of the players in that series?

And if you are referring to his discipline problems, it's not like he was a choir boy here before he left Nashville for the KHL. One might argue that it's the NHL that is turning its players into spoiled primadonnas. In fact, that is precisely the argument that's made on the Russian fan sites. And they have much larger sample size to base their conclusions on.

[Guest Shoreline]

I didn't say that every single fan here hates Fedorov. But you can't deny that a lot, probably a significant majority, do. It does take several thousand fans to boo someone and be heard.

The immediate reasons for hate vary, dependent on a player we are talking about, but there seems to be an underlying jealousy/hate toward KHL and Russian players, who do constitute a large majority of its players.

As to whether KHL ruins players, the sample size is too small. There haven't been many players who played in KHL and then in the NHL. In fact, I suspect that your sample consists of Hudler and Radulov only. And Radulov has played too few games after his return, to judge. After all he had the most points of all players on both teams in the Nashville series, if he was ruined by the KHL, then who ruined the rest of the players in that series?

And if you are referring to his discipline problems, it's not like he was a choir boy here before he left Nashville for the KHL. One might argue that it's the NHL that is turning its players into spoiled primadonnas. In fact, that is precisely the argument that's made on the Russian fan sites. And they have much larger sample size to base their conclusions on.

People didn't boo Fedorov because of his nationality. Fedorov lost my respect and I would have booed him too but not because he was Russian, that's asinine.

The jealousy/hate toward the KHL comes from a competitive mindset because the RSL/KHL don't broadcast to North America, the NHL does, the RSL/KHL accuses the NHL of taking talent as well, it's a bitter competition between leagues and the NHL represents North America, nothing else to expect other than a broad consensus bias for the NHL. If the KHL made it's product highly available to North American markets things would obviously be different.

Radulov has been criticized already in this series against Phoenix for floating around, much like Fedorov. He has a great ability and can do quite a bit of damage to the opponents but rather than put out an effort for 10-25 minutes a game he wants to float for most of it helping his team lose. That merits criticism, has nothing to do with the KHL nor Russia, and someone suggesting the RSL/KHL ruining players would be stupid because Pavel wasn't ruined when he played there during the lockout, nor a few other players.

Fedorov was bashed due to inconsistency but why shouldn't someone be bashed for that? What does that have to do with Russian hatred/dislike as per your claim? I guess you didn't see how much vitriol was placed upon Osgood after the team lost to the Penguins in the 2009 SCF, and the following season? Should I then suggest that LGW hates Canadians?

As for the Datsyuk bashing of his contract, here's the topic of his signing:

http://liveweb.archive.org/http://www.letsgowings.com/forums/topic/41642-datsyuk-signs-7-year-469m-contract-extension/

I read the first 25 pages, and nowhere did I see any Russian bashing.. in fact I was correct that it had entirely to do with his playoff performance as to why people were sceptical, plus, fans were naturally sceptical of long term contracts since the Wings were not really into that kind of thing previously.

This is the last (serious) post I give toward the Russian bashing thing, it has no merit, until proof is seen to this assertion that this was heavily prominent on this forum. Right now the proof says otherwise, and it's clear you have a seriously misguided view of posters' here and their view on Russians.

If there's anything humorous it's that people in that first 25 pages of the Datsyuk signing thread kept saying that Z should earn 10m/season and that Z > Pavel.. yikes.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Shoreline

[Carman 387]

Eh I still think zetterberg is a better player than datsyuk if he's healthy which he hasn't really been the past couple seasons. Now it's really close but if I had to choose one, just for a playoff game I'd pick Z.