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I do think that he is a great hockey player but I just don't think he has proven yet that he is on that Lemieux and Gretzky level.
I'm not sure that the point anyone was making. I think a direct comparison is probably impossible for all the reasons you guys brought up, but simply put they're the two best forwards in the league - Crosby and Ovechkin (in my opinion at least) - and, as such, can't really be overrated.
No question in my mind that Crosby is our best player. I happen to think if you stuck him on the ice with Gretzky of the mid 80s, Wayne wouldn't know what hit him, but who knows if Gretz had gone through the ringer of today's faster junior hockey and specialized training etc. he may well have just been that much better than anyone else. We will never know.
the toucan kid wrote:So much for the vaunted Russians...
I'm a little disappointed because a true epic would have made the victory all the sweeter- but maybe that game is still to come, and I'm just glad we're starting to play well.
I'm feeling the same way Toucan. Naturally I am happy that Canada has elevated their game but I am shocked and disappointed with Russia's performance. Victory would be much sweeter if we edged them in an epic battle but they clearly didn't come to paly. It MIGHT have been different if Nabakov was in form, but the moment he let in that softie against Morrow, it was over (Couldn't really fault him for the first 3).
This is revenge for the Russians laying a beat down on us in (I think it was) the 1981 Canada Cup. 8-1, when we had the likes of Gretzky, Bossy, Trottier, Lafleur, and Perreault among others. There was obviously a big build up to that game, but the Russians just creamed us. It was a humiliating defeat. There were always the excuses that we lost in the Olympics because we didn't have our best players, but this was our best against their best in OUR country and they annihilated us.
When I was watching last night I was thinking back to that game. I couldn't remember which Canada cup it was so I had to do some googling this morning to jog my memory. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Canada_Cup
So to make a long winded story longer, no, I am not disappointed. We pounded them into dirt like they did to us in 1981. This was step 1 of payback. Step 2 of payback is winning the gold.
This is revenge for the Russians laying a beat down on us in (I think it was) the 1981 Canada Cup. 8-1, when we had the likes of Gretzky, Bossy, Trottier, Lafleur, and Perreault among others.
Christ what a team. A young Raymond Bourque and Dennis Potvin on the backend too. Did Gretz and Bossy play together?
This is revenge for the Russians laying a beat down on us in (I think it was) the 1981 Canada Cup. 8-1, when we had the likes of Gretzky, Bossy, Trottier, Lafleur, and Perreault among others.
Christ what a team. A young Raymond Bourque and Dennis Potvin on the backend too. Did Gretz and Bossy play together?
I can't remember. I would assume Bossy played with Trottier and I think Gretzky played with Lafleur, but I could be wrong.
But the Russian defence and team defence was outstanding, and they just picked us apart. They also shut down Gretzky (which is sort of obvious given the score). Any time we had a chance they would counterattack and score. Any time we had a legitimate scoring chance, Tretiak would stone us. There was a big fallout after than game, and much soul searching.
That Russian team was full of superstars. Even more shocking it was essentially the same team that lost to the U.S. in the 1980 Olympics (miracle on ice). Although in that one Tikhonov was stupid enough to pull a Keenan and yank the best goalie in the world (Tretiak) at the end of the first period with the score tied. But with a monkey in net the USSR should have beat the US.
