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The Irony of the Russians Facing the Big Red (and White) Machine. |
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Some of you may be too young, but there was a time when the Russians would just toy with other teams in the Olympics. Their dominance was insane between 1963 and 1991 where they won 18 gold medals, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals....
A lot of you out there may look at the last few Olympics and not see the Russians as a major hockey force, but that would mean you were't around for the Soviet Union Hockey Team...aka The Big Red Machine
The All-time Soviet Union National Team Record was: 738–110–65. Thats an .844 Winning Percentage
And they didn't just beat teams. They destroyed teams. Except for one group of American college kids in Lake Placid...but that is another story.
Many will note that this was a full-time job for the Soviets and they were playing against non-pros mostly. But when they did take on pros in the Summit Series in '72, the Challenge Cup in '79 and Rendez-Vous in '87 the Soviets and the Best the Canadians/NHL could muster were almost a dead heat.
Then came the fall of the Soviet Union. And with it a less militarized hockey program along with some countries splitting off the Russian hockey program became a lot less intense....But still amazing players were coming out of Russia and that has not changed...which is pretty remarkable considering the economic turmoil that many of our now NHL stars grew up in. I will say this. The Russian players currently playing in the NHL are often among the most humblest and nice guys to talk to. They really appreciate the fact they can do this for a living and make so much money for their families...
And tonight we will see those Russians face the latest team of hockey dominance. A team that is every bit as dominant as the Soviets were in their heyday... maybe even more so when you consider the fact that the last Olympics and this tournament have been men vs. men.
This may be the best Team Canada ever. It really may be. From Carey Price to Crosby...The only better Team Canada may be coming in 17 months if the NHL goes to the Olympics and McDavid, MacKinnon and Ekblad will join them. And I also feel Matt Murray will be on that team. I would put that Team Canada against any Gretzky/Lemieux team.
So tonight it is the Russians trying to perform their own Miracle on Ice and do so in Toronto in front of the craziest crowd to date. The Russians have been good in this tournament but the Canadians have been special...
For the Russians to win they need to take more high percentage shots and not pass off oppurtunites from between the circles. And Malkin HAS to drive the net. Something he does all the time in the NHL, but hasn't even come close to attempting in this tournament...And Bobrovsky will have to be beyond human... The Russian D will have its hands full for sure. Markov will need another gem to say the least.
It could happen, but thee Canadians will have a hell of a lot to say about it.
This game feels more like a final than a semi-final. The one thing Sweden would have is the defense to play with Canada.... So that may make the final intriguing...but I wouldn't count out Team Europe in that Semi..
Enjoy the game..
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