The very first time I saw a Russian hockey team play against Canadians, was in the once in lifetime, 1972 Summit Series. Canada won that incredible 8 game showdown, with incredible athletic courage,to go along with divine like heroics by Paul Henderson, and did so on the road, in not so hospitable, back then, Moscow. One thing you could definitely say about the hockey players from the former Soviet Union, was that no matter the outcome of the game, they always showed up, and gave their best effort the vast majority of the time. Canada’s complete crushing of Russia in Vancouver last night, was not only a supreme effort by the home side, but it was probably the worst ever game that anyone can remember, by any Russian professional hockey team. The shocking dimension of the beating that they took in this highly anticipated meeting, was that there seemed to be almost no resistance from the net on out, by any of the Russian players, to the aggressive and very physical style of play, exhibited by Team Canada, right from the opening faceoff. The final score was 7-3, but in reality, this game seemed to be over in the first period, after Canada went ahead by 4-1. Russia’s first goal by Dmitri Kalinin, provided a sliver of hope, but the failure of coach Slava Bykov to bring in Ilya Bryzgalov, in place of the overwhelmed Evgeni Nabokov, after the first period, insured that the visitors humiliation would continue. The decision to change goalies wasn’t made until after the score was 6-1, and by then,the game was over, other than on the game clock. Nabokov got shelled, but it’s not as though he was getting any help from the team in front of him.
It was also surprising, that Alex Ovechkin, didn’t exhibit any of the aggression which has become such a key part of his National Hockey League style of play. There was absolutely no evidence of that, in his game against the Canadians. He seemed almost invisible, which was unheard of,till now, when you think of the Washington Capitals team captain. Russia did not display any physicality against Canada, until very late in the game, long after their fate had been determined. Some in the media, criticized Canadian coach Mike Babcock for playing Roberto Luongo, instead of Marty Brodeur. In fact, it turns out that it was a brilliant strategic move, as it seemed to have woken up the Canadian team, after a disappointing loss to the USA, in which the Devils future Hall Of Famer, did not play well. Babcock, through his substitutions, has made it clear to his players, that a less than top drawer performance by anyone on the team, could lead to time spent on the bench, with the same rules applying to everyone on the squad.
In a tournament full of surprises, Canada will now face Slovakia in Friday’s semifinals. The Canadians will certainly be favored to win the game, but you would have to think that the Slovaks will offer more resistance, and display more heart than the Russians did, in their -throw in the towel- type, lack of effort. If that sounds somewhat harsh, it’s no more severe than what Russian back-up goalkeeper Ilya Bryzgalov said about his team, after their humiliating loss to Canada. “ I saw a team that wants to win and play smart hockey, and another team that didn’t play smart hockey and didn’t play with passion.”