Russia, OAR, ROC — regardless of the identify, now that the NHL is out of the Beijing Olympics, the Russians would be the favorites for the gold medal.
After the NHL withdrew from the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday to avoid wasting a league schedule ravaged by virus outbreaks on quite a few groups, Europe-based gamers are set to dominate the Olympic males’s match.
That places the Russians, competing in Beijing as ROC for Russian Olympic Committee, in a powerful place to retain the gold medal it gained in 2018 below the Olympic Athletes from Russia identify. The identify adjustments had been required as a part of Russia’s sanctions for varied doping-related points throughout a number of Olympic sports activities.
Simply because it was 4 years in the past, the Kontinental Hockey League stays the strongest league outdoors of the NHL. Russia has used the big-spending SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow golf equipment to maintain some proficient youthful Russians at residence once they may in any other case have moved to North America.
The Russian roster will likely be much less acquainted to North American followers than the 2018 lineup led by Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, who haven’t formally retired however haven’t performed any hockey this season. Kovalchuk could also be in Beijing in a supervisor position for the Russian Hockey Federation. Some 2018 gold medalists at the moment are within the NHL, together with Minnesota Wild ahead Kirill Kaprizov, Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub and two of the three goaltenders: the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin.
Anticipate middle Vadim Shipachyov, briefly of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, to star for the ROC. He has 21 objectives and 36 assists in 40 video games within the KHL this season for Dynamo Moscow. Skilled ahead Mikhail Grigorenko is out there as a result of he moved again to Russia this season after spending 2020-21 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and former New Jersey Devils wing Nikita Gusev is prone to make the roster, too. Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov has not performed within the NHL since a 2014 home violence arrest and subsequent suspension, however he's additionally thought of key to Russia’s plans.
FINLAND’S CHANCE
The Russians might be overwhelmed, although. Finland proved that Sunday with a 3-2 extra time win in Moscow through the Channel One Cup, a match used as a pre-Olympic tune-up for non-NHL gamers.
The sport-winning purpose was a weird one, awarded by the referees due to a penalty on a Finland breakaway dealing with the empty Russian internet. The puck by no means entered the online. Finland gained all three of its video games within the match however wanted extra time twice.
Former NHL gamers who're candidates for Finland embody forwards Markus Granlund and Leo Komarov and defenseman Julius Honka. Komarov performed a sport for the Islanders earlier this season earlier than agreeing to mutually terminate his contract.
Canada despatched a workforce to the match too, beating Sweden however dropping to Finland and Russia with a roster assembled from golf equipment in six completely different international locations. Two free brokers, defenseman Jason Demers and middle Eric Fehr, introduced much-needed expertise with 699 and 652 profession NHL video games, respectively, and each subsequently signed with the identical KHL workforce.
Former Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien is in line to be behind the bench for Canada, with ex-Arizona Coyotes captain Shane Doan the highest candidate to function basic supervisor.
Sporting throwback Soviet Union uniforms, Russia had wins over Canada, Sweden and the Czech Republic.
USA Hockey may quickly flip to assistant govt director of hockey operations and retired NHL goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck as GM. Former Rangers coach David Quinn is a number one candidate to get the U.S. Olympic job overseeing a roster that embody some faculty gamers.
GERMANY’S YEAR AGAIN?
The absence of the NHL creates alternatives for a shock medalist. In 2018, that was Germany, which took silver after a 4-3 extra time loss to the Russians within the closing.
The Germans had been helped by their workforce cohesion, with gamers nearly solely drawn from their nationwide Bundesliga and acquainted with one another’s play. The NHL’s resolution means MVP Leon Draisaitl remains to be ready to characterize his nation on the Olympics. Germany beat Slovakia, Switzerland and a Russian “B” workforce in a tune-up match on residence ice in November.
BOOST FOR CHINA
Host nation China was below strain to show its males’s workforce meets the aggressive normal to play Olympic hockey. That’s much less of a difficulty now.
China has used KHL membership Kunlun Purple Star as a proxy for the nationwide workforce, with largely naturalized gamers born within the U.S. and Canada, a lot of them with Chinese language heritage. Kunlun is ranked final among the many 24 groups within the KHL and misplaced two video games utilized by the Worldwide Ice Hockey Federation to gauge its readiness.
China is drawn towards the U.S., Canada and Germany within the pool stage. With out the NHL, there’s much less probability of China’s video games changing into document blowouts.
Post a Comment