Posts About "Russian Hockey"

Who is the Leader in Hockey Player Development? — Part 2

August 28th, 2019 This article is the second part of my study into the player development models of the six leading nations in international hockey. Part 1 focused on the models used by Canada, the US and Sweden. An evaluation of their high-performance teams at the IIHF U-18 and U-20 World Championships over the last 10 years was provided, as well as...

Bandy: The Other Ice Hockey

October 20th, 2018 The sound of blades grinding the ice of players skating at high speeds, blistering 100+ mph slap shots, beautiful end to end rushes with tape to tape passes, and sprawling kick saves by goaltenders are major components of the great game of bandy. Most people: "Wait what? You mean hockey." No, I mean bandy. Bandy is an incredibly...

KHL Western Conference Finals Preview: CSKA vs. SKA

March 24th, 2015 The two top teams in the Kontinental Hockey League Western Conference take to the ice in its finals starting this week, as historical powers CSKA Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg face off with Game 1 in Moscow on Thursday. In a playoff picture that hasn’t seen a single upset, CSKA comes in as the favorite having won the Continental...

Are Russian Hockey Players Unfairly Criticized ?

August 29th, 2014 The NHL has undergone many changes since it’s creation, from expansion to curved sticks to goalie masks and beyond. But one of the most major alterations that really changed the face of the game was when teams began routinely bringing players over from Europe. The real awareness to the talent that lay hidden in faraway ice fields...

Can The Russian National Team Overcome Their Weak Defense?

February 10th, 2014 Coming into the 2014 Sochi Games, the Russian National Team had the weight of their massive country on their shoulders. However, while their offense is among the best in the tournament; their defense will embarrass the host country. In post-World War II Russia imposed an “Iron Curtain” defending westerners from entering their...

The Russian Non-Factor - NHL Theory May Become Obsolete

August 8th, 2011 "Because a player is from Russia, will their draft stock drop?" - Is this still a valid question? For many years this has been the case with the likes of Alexei Cherepanov, Viktor Tikhonov, Alexander Khokhlachev, and even some higher profile names like Kirill Kabanov and Dmitri Kulikov. Russian hockey player's reputations have been...