Team Russia, or Team CIS?

[EveB]

This is old news already, but anyway. Larionov was willing to take the GM job and he already had Larry Robinson standing by him as a head coach. The federation's opinion: "Only a madman would want a foreigner to coach Russia. It just doesn’t work." (Steblin’s deputy, Igor Tuzik, MoscowNews.com)

I would have so wanted to see this "madman" and his team Russia in the World Cup.

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No World Cup job for Larionov
April 7, 2004
TSN.ca

The Newark Star Ledger reported Wednesday that New Jersey Devils centre Igor Larionov has turned down the job of general manager for Team Russia in this summer's World Cup of Hockey.

Larionov, who said he had lined up Larry Robinson as his coach, had a disagreement with the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.

"I offered a good, solid program to have a successful team," Larionov told the paper yesterday. "I told them my conditions - that I'd pick the coach, the staff and the players. I asked Larry Robinson, and Larry was going to accept the job.

"Now it's over. I wished (the federation officials) good luck and don't even bother me. Don't call me. There's no way I'll change my mind."

....

[body-czech]

I think that in Russia is enough of good coaches, so why to hire a foreigner coach? Methods of Tikhonov are old, and he can´t force the players to accept training 10 hours a day like he used to do.(he doesn´t though) Hockey is developing every second. What was effective in the 60´s and 70´s can be today almost useless. It is a difficult question to say who´d be a good coach. It is a very difficult work, even more when they press on you to have high results like in Russia. My opinion is that Russia has a great potential, just unable to profit from it. Tikhonov should be replaced by somebody, who will be highly respected by the players, and who´ll be able to motivate the russian players to let on the ice everything. But who is the right person?

[Lukasz]

Machine translation with www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?86519


TIKHONOV WILL MEET WITH STEBLINYM

Over the weekend the meeting of president FHR of Alexander Steblina with the main trainer of modular Russia Victor Tikhonov on which the question on continuation of work of a present staff of a national command will be finally solved should take place.

- On Tuesday the main trainer of combined team, without dependence from its surname, should give the full list from 26 hockey players sent on the Cup of the world, - Tikhonov to correspondent "SE" Maxim LEBEDEVU has told. - the Present staff of combined team, as a matter of fact, which week is in the suspended condition. Almost every day to me call Vladimir Jurzinov and Valery Belousov. To a question them one, Russian: " What to do? " And what I can answer? To plan him work to the Cup of the world? Or to speak: thanks, have a rest?
The present staff of a national command after leaving Alexey Kasatonova does not have the if want, transatlantic "eyes" and "hands". And consequently to work much more hardly. Though the necessary list of candidates at us, certainly, is. It will be entered by four-five hockey players from a superleague - heads of clubs have assured me, that will release the players on the Cup of the world. There is also a preliminary list of players of NHL. But as well as with what powers I can carry on with them negotiations? Whether also me it is necessary for their message? I hope, over the weekend Alexander Steblin will give the answer to these questions.

[Lukasz]

Another story about famous Sergey Zinoviev who was removed from Russian squad before WCH in Czech R.
Machine translation with www.sport-express.ru/art.shtml?86493

BUSINESS ABOUT MARIHUANA

After history with the marihuana which has happened with attacking "AK Leopards" Kazan Sergey Zinovevym before start of modular Russia in the world championship in Czechia, was passed almost with month. But to find the imperceptible forward always distinguished by closed character, appeared business uneasy. Only after visit Zinov'eva to Kazan has taken place, it was possible to meet it. Correspondent "SE" as it was found out, became the first journalist which questions the hockey player has answered.

Sergey ZINOV'EV: " ALL OVER AGAIN it WOULD BE DESIRABLE TO KNOW, THAT for me WAITS "

Sergey GAVRILOV

From Kazan


- So happened with you before world superiority on which you should go as one of leaders attacking the Russian combined team?

- I would not like to make comments on that history, let all over again it heads of federation and the combined team, promulgated will make this information. With a management " Ak Leopards " we have agreed, that while all we shall not discuss and we shall not develop the general line, comments to give we not begin. First it is necessary to learn, than for me all will end - with disqualification or any other punishment.

- According to some information, after the world championship you have lead the most part of time in Boston. With what purpose flied for ocean?

- Really, I have just returned from America. Usual business trip - there was the general manager " Boston Br'uins ", has tried to learn, what plans from club concerning me for the following season, whether there will be in NHL a lock-out.

- Your contract with " Ak Leopards" has ended on April, 30. Have prolonged it?

- Yes. As well as many other hockey players acted for the Kazan club in the past season.

- Before the world championship three Ovechkin - Zinov'ev - Zelepukin inspired optimism. But in a result to Czechia you have not gone, and the combined team has played unsuccessfully. In your opinion, why?

- Not my business - to give an estimation and to carry out the analysis. Experts have named performance of our command on world superiority a failure. To this to me to add there is nothing.

The professional hockey league will not discuss and solve the problem on punishment of the forward accepting forbidden substance " Ak the Leopard " Sergey Zinoveva, correspondent "SE" Alexey LAPUTIN informs. In connection with that the player has been convicted of smoking marihuana, being in an arrangement of combined team, the decision concerning it has the right to accept only executive committee FHR. This body can charge to apply to league sanctions against the hockey player. But at last session of executive committee at the end of the last week theme Zinov'eva was not discussed. That is for today of obstacles to participation attacking in the following championship of Russia on the part of federation and leagues are not present.

[GX]

Yeah Russia was not very good in this champ that see's in the result 11th place for Russia it's very bad for them of cours I and my country (Latvia) if we doesn't saw they games and doesn't played with them we don't now about that but it's see's in the result. Of cours they was very small on font for F groupe were eas Sweden USA Finland and Slovakia but I think if they had a fresher team's coache's they will beat some of them and get to quarterfinals. That's fact they 3 coache's calculate jointl'y have coached the team 200 years.

[Lukasz]

GX:
>That's fact they 3 coache's calculate jointl'y have coached the team 200 years.

Yes it is Russian tradition not only in hockey, soccer, volleyball as well. But this is not effective now, Tikhnov is good USSR but not for modern Russia. This is not any justification for those players who didn’t wanted play for Tikhnov, if I was their new trainer their carrier in national team will been over.

[Lukasz]

Russia will declare rosters on monday

[Jazz]

I am curious to see what it looks like....as I guess we all are....

[Lukasz]

machine translation after SportExspress:


The structure of modular Russia on hockey on the Cup of the world will be named in a week - on May, 31. The federation of hockey of Russia and Management of the Cup of the world have come to an agreement, that the structure of the Russian command will be determined not on May, 25 (this date is a deadline), and on May, 31. Such delay managed to be received in connection with that in FHR literally one of these days there has come the conclusion of the American lawyers of Paul Bure that it cannot take part in tournament in any quality. Meanwhile at FHR there was a preliminary arrangement with the Drill about its help to a national command on the Cup of the world.

Now FHR is going to lead urgently consultations of candidates for combined team and a trainer's staff, informs RIA of "News".

[body-czech]

Why is hte deadline on the 25th May? So soon. The World Cup starts at the end of august or something. i think it could have waited even a month. Many things can change. And the NHL play-offs are not over yet. Whatevuh.

Anybody can tell my why Finland and Sweden play 2 games at home, while Czech Republic and Germany only one in the group? According to the results of the last World Cup where ÈR and Deutschland ended worse than Suomi and Sverige?

[Jazz]

This story is about a week old, but it is interesting.....

Talking about Nikolai Khabibulin and the possibility of him playing for Russia.

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Habby might not play in World Cup
The '02 Olympics' top goalie has not heard from Russian officials. If he does, it might not matter.[/i][/b]

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer - St. Petersburg Times (FLA)
Published May 17, 2004

PHILADELPHIA - Nikolai Khabibulin said he would love to play in this summer's World Cup tournament.

But eight days before rosters need to be finalized for the eight-team event that begins Aug. 30 in Helsinki, Finland, the Lightning goalie said no one from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation has asked.

What's more, Khabibulin said unless Russia figures out its management and coaching problems, he is not sure he would accept an invitation.

"If they had the right people in charge, yeah, I would consider it," he said. "But there's nobody to talk to right now. If it stays the way it is right now, I don't think I'm going to be talking to anybody."

Would Khabibulin be disappointed?

"Yes," he said.

The World Cup will be a big deal and not just because the NHL might shut down the day after the Sept. 14 gold medal game in Toronto, when the collective bargaining agreement between the players and league runs out.

"It's the best players in the world," Lightning goalie John Grahame said. "It's like an All-Star Game that matters. It will have all the intensity of a Stanley Cup final except you're doing it for your country."

The Lightning should be well represented in the tournament that includes the United States, Canada, Russia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Germany and France.

Wing Martin St. Louis and center Brad Richards will play for Canada. Left wing Fredrik Modin is a good candidate to play for Sweden, which will announce its team today. Defenseman Pavel Kubina could play for the Czech Republic and Grahame for the United States.

"Any time you can play for your country, it's a whole different thing," Grahame said. "It's the pride of your country. It's the pride of all the people who live there. If you get picked or are just in the running, it says something about your ability, and you want to show you can compete on that stage."

Which brings us back to Khabibulin.

He would seem a natural choice. He leads the playoffs with four shutouts and a .946 save percentage and is second with a 1.44 goals-against average. He also sparkled for Russia at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City and was named by the International Ice Hockey Federation as that tournament's top goalie.

Asked if he would consider playing in the World Cup, Khabibulin, 31, said, "Yeah, because it's a big tournament and it's great to represent your country. But at the same time, if they can't figure out what's going on in Russia with the coaches, it's not really clear what's going to happen."

Khabibulin was not specific about his perception of Russia's problems, but it is easy to speculate they pertain to legendary coach Viktor Tikhonov and Igor Larionov's apparent inability to secure the job of general manager of the national team.

Tikhonov coached the Unified Team at the 1992 Olympics in Albertville, France. The story is he took for himself the gold medal that should have belonged to Khabibulin, who did not play as the No. 3 goalie.

It is one of the reasons Khabibulin did not play for Russia in the 1998 Olympics and was the start of a saga that ended in 2002, when Khabibulin was finally awarded his medal.

The Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger reported Larionov, a former Soviet great and NHL star, was denied the GM job after a disagreement with the Russian Federation.

The paper said Larionov arranged for former Canadiens great Larry Robinson to coach. A Reuters report said a foreigner behind Russia's bench was deemed unthinkable. Instead, Tikhonov led the team to a 10th-place finish in this month's world championships.

As a result, Reuters reported, Tikhonov's job is in danger. Khabibulin said he is watching and waiting.

"There will be a lot of great players there," he said of the World Cup. "Having said that, I think they have to figure out first what they have to do to get the thing straightened out."

They have eight days.

[Lukasz]

At last they made some decisions:
machine translation after SportExspress:



HOCKEY - WITH THE WASHER - RUSSIA
Bil'aletdinov will head combined team on the Cup of the world
28.05.2004 17:20
The ex-instructor of Moscow "Dynamo" Zinetula Bil'aletdinov is appointed by the main trainer of modular Russia on hockey on a forthcoming Cup of the world. Its assistants will be Vladimir Jurzinov and Valery Belousov, and as the general manager Igor Tuzik will work. As informs "RTR-SPORTS", in a trainer's staff 40-years Sergey Nemchinov also is involved, which past season has lead as the player of Yaroslavl "Locomotive".

Names 10 of 26 hockey players who will support combined team on the Cup of the world are already known. They are defenders Oleg Tvardovsky ("Avant guarde"), Sergey Gonchar ("Boston"), Andrey Markov ("Montreal") and Alexander Havanov ("Saint Louis"), and also the attacking Andrey Nikolashin (TsSKA), Alexander Ovechkin ("Dynamo"), Maxim Afinogenov ("Baffalo"), Oleg Kvasha, Alexey Yashin (both - "Ajlenders") and Sergey Samsonov ("Boston").

[Kyle Abbott]

From WCH2004.com:

The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia named Lithuanian forward Dainius Zubrus (NHL Washington Capitals) to the Russian World Cup roster. The 26-year old winger is a Lithuanian citizen, but is eligible to play for Russia in the World Cup of Hockey, where the IIHF eligibility rules do not apply. The Ice Hockey Federation of Russia received the clearance from the Lithuanian Ice Hockey Association to use Zubrus in the World Cup, which does not forfeit his eligibility to play for Lithuania in future IIHF championships.

Mr. Steblin announced that the complete Russian roster will be named on May 31.

[Lukasz]

Does Russia have only few players that they must loan guy from Lithuania? Very strange decision, completely missed in my opinion, cause Zubrus don’t have any perspectives to play in Russia in main events. They should build new team for Olympics.

[Lukasz]

First interview of new Russian coach Bilaletdinov:



HOCKEY

CUP OF THE WORLD - 2004


Yesterday briefing FHR on which it has been posted has taken place in Luzniki: by the main trainer of modular Russia on the Cup of the world it is appointed Zinetula Bil'aletdinov.

Right after a briefing the new instructor of a national command has answered questions of correspondent "SE".

Zinetula BILALETDINOV: " I SHALL be PLEASED, IF we SHALL LEAVE
IN THE SEMIFINAL. BUT BETTER TO WIN "


Pawel STRIZHEVSKIJ

From Luzniki


- What feelings test in connection with today's purpose?

- Before I have agreed to head combined team, carefully all have considered. Very interesting work is necessary serious and responsible, but. To take part in such tournament as the Cup of the world, and it is honorable, and it is useful in professional sense.

Time you not at once have agreed, means, tested doubts. What?

- Special doubts was not. And I thought first of all above, whether it will be possible to find common language with players, to create, and in the shortest terms, the rallied collective. In fact on it depends, as far as successfully we shall act.

- Other seven combined teams, as is known, have already declared the structures and, according to our hockey players, in preparation for tournament have left far forward. As far as it is far?

- I consider, all commands are in equal conditions. Under the rules of Association of players of NHL, preparatory gathering cannot begin before August, 18. This day all commands-participants also will collect the hockey players. Why our federation till now has not declared structure is other question, and to set it better to heads FHR. Yes, probably, it would be better, if the invited players knew about the participation hardly earlier in appropriate way to plan holidays and individual preparation. But as a whole, I believe, time at us has enough.

- The Russian command begins gathering in Swiss Kloten because of what a number of our legionaries should cross twice within a week Atlantic ocean. You agree with such plan of preparation?

Is a decision as understand, not I too accepted. It is connected by that many hockey players - about 12-13 person - in any case will go to Switzerland to prepare for a season under management YUrzinova. Besides in Cologne for August, 22 the exhibition match with Germany so, arrival of players to Europe to not avoid is planned. I think, that those five days on which some hockey players should arrive because of ocean, by way of acclimatization will not make special difficulties.

- Not a secret, as at Mihajlova, carrying combined team on the Cup of the world - 96, and Tikhonov in last world championship had complexities in dialogue with some legionaries. How you estimate own attitudes with hockey players whom many years support ocean?

- As I have already told, work in this sense is necessary uneasy, but also very interesting. We shall use the best efforts to create in a command a good climate that at players with trainers normal mutual relations that guys felt freely were adjusted.

- What final result will count successful?

- What? Maximal! (Laughs.)

- That is, even taking into account the most complicated structure of our group and the schedule of matches, with an output in a semifinal will not be satisfied?

- Any success is a success. The semifinal too becomes a quite good result, but it is better to win, certainly.