My All Time Russian NHL Team

[Larry N]

A team composed of (imo) the best Russian players to play in the NHL. Who wants to lace 'em up?

Line 1: Ovechkin Fedorov Bure

Line 2: Krutov Larionov Mogilny

Line 3: Kovalchuk Malkin Makarov

Line 4: Kamensky Yashin Balderis

1st D: Fetisov Konstantinov

2nd D: Gonchar Zhitnik

3rd D: Zubov Kasparitis

G:Khabibulin

G:Bryzgalov

Krutov? Balderis? Yes, they both had brief stints in the NHL.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

I kind of like Markov in there and Kaspar is Lithuanian I think.

 

[postmaster]

Well, my favorite Russian line is as follows:
Fedorov, Larionov, Kozlov
Konstantinov, Fetisov

For obvious reasons

 

[Larry N]

I kind of like Markov in there and Kaspar is Lithuanian I think.

Yep. Kaspar's Lithuanian. But he hold Russian citizenship and has played for the Russian national team, so I granted him a Peter Stastny style exemption.

Actually, there were a couple of other dmen who could have made the list. But I was trying to create blended pairings with one skater and one banger. And Kaspar deinitely fits the banger bill.

The other guy who's borderline for me is Kamensky. I need a better left winger there.

 

[Larry N]

Well, my favorite Russian line is as follows:
Fedorov, Larionov, Kozlov
Konstantinov, Fetisov

For obvious reasons

Yes, for obvious reasons.

But you can't have Bowman as the coach.

 

[postmaster]

Yes, for obvious reasons.

But you can't have Bowman as the coach.

Then I wouldn't have any issues about having a third defenseman in Fedorov and his dad bitching about it.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

What? No Alexei Yashin ?

 

[johnnytata]

datsyuk! i don't care where you put him but he's gotta be there somewhere doesn't he? i would take him over yashin any day of the week.

and as mercurial as he is, what about kovalev? not sure i would take him but maybe he warrants some consideration.

as for d-men, got a feeling volchenkov will be in the mix before all is said and done.

 

[Larry N]

What? No Alexei Yashin ?

Centering the fourth line, my friend.

 

[Larry N]

datsyuk! i don't care where you put him but he's gotta be there somewhere doesn't he? i would take him over yashin any day of the week.

and as mercurial as he is, what about kovalev? not sure i would take him but maybe he warrants some consideration.

as for d-men, got a feeling volchenkov will be in the mix before all is said and done.

Swap out Kamensky with Kovalev. I don't care if it's off-wing. I gave Dats a lot of consideration, too. It's a tough call, and maybe nostalgia's got me biased there. I could see swapping him for Yashin, but not any of the other three centers.

 

[johnnytata]

i always liked yashin, even when most people thought he was a complete doof. but i think datsyuk is a more complete player than yashin ever was.

then again i am a red wings fan, so......

 

[BOSSMANPC]

Centering the fourth line, my friend.

Ha, Maybe I should have read your post better. He should be on the first line though.

 

[MM213]

A team composed of (imo) the best Russian players to play in the NHL. Who wants to lace 'em up?

Line 1: Ovechkin Fedorov Bure

Line 2: Krutov Larionov Mogilny

Line 3: Kovalchuk Malkin Makarov

Line 4: Kamensky Yashin Balderis

1st D: Fetisov Konstantinov

2nd D: Gonchar Zhitnik

3rd D: Zubov Kasparitis

G:Khabibulin

G:Bryzgalov

Krutov? Balderis? Yes, they both had brief stints in the NHL.

Larry, I don't understand the rationale for your selection.
If it's based on their NHL career, then there is no way Krutov or Balderis should be listed.
If it's an all-time Russian team, then more than half of listed players don't belong there.

 

[MM213]

i always liked yashin, even when most people thought he was a complete doof. but i think datsyuk is a more complete player than yashin ever was.

then again i am a red wings fan, so......

Most people don't think Yashin is a complete doof, however hard media is trying to instill the opposite.

Yashin was not supposed to be the man in Ottawa. Daigle was. And I think most of us remember how it went. Yashin brought a bad Ottawa team from being NHL doormat to a playoff level. Then contract problems started, then media got involved, then he got pushed out of Ottawa. Nobody knows for sure what actually happened. All we heard was Ottawa management side of the story, blown out of proportions by Canadian media. Yashin rarely talks, if ever.

The he was made a scapegoat by Nolan and bought out by Islanders. Where is Nolan? How are Islanders doing? Well, Yashin is doing fine in KHL, still one of top the centers there. I'm sure he would have been an upgrade over most of Islanders forwards this year.

Still, I don't think he should be higher on all-time list, since Fedorov, Datsyuk and Larionov accomplished much more (and it's not my Wings bias talking). And he fares not much better than Malkin, if better at all.

 

[Larry N]

Larry, I don't understand the rationale for your selection.
If it's based on their NHL career, then there is no way Krutov or Balderis should be listed.
If it's an all-time Russian team, then more than half of listed players don't belong there.

It's a combination, MM. It's not based solely on NHL performance, just the fact that they've played in the NHL at some point (which is why I included Krutov and Balderis, but omitted players like Mikhailov, Tretyak, etc.).

 

[MM213]

Ovechkin - Fedorov - Mogilny
Kovalchuk - Datsyuk - Bure
Kamensky - Larionov - Kovalev
Kozlov - Malkin - Makarov

Fetisov - Zubov
Gonchar - Markov
Malakhov - Konstantinov

Khabibulin, Bryzgalov