ìàðèê - êàìàðèê
02-25-2010, 12:34 AM
VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Russia's 7-3 loss to Canada in their Olympic hockey quarterfinal game is one of the most definitive, declarative and emphatic emasculations the sport has seen in decades. The fans chanted "we want Russia" after Canada's win over Germany; how many knew Canada would dismantle this hockey empire once it got them?
There's no way around it: Russia was embarrassed. To the point where Russian NHL player participation in the 2014 Games in Sochi is now guaranteed; there's no other way to cleanse the stench from this defeat. This game was supposed to be a classic. Instead, it was a coronation for the Canadians in this rivalry.
Evgeni Nabokov(notes) was pathetic. As bad as goaltender has been in this tournament. The 23 shots he faced before he was pulled were the fault of his defenders; the six goals were his own folly. His mistimed slide on Rick Nash's(notes) goal, which gave Canada a 3-0 lead, was his worst moment until he allowed a shot by Brendan Morrow to squeeze through him and over the goal line, like a dog leaving an ignominious present on its owner's stoop. The sixth goal he allowed came 57 seconds after the fifth. The questions about his status as a clutch goaltender have never been more validated.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Russia-rsquo-s-hockey-empire-crumbles-in-front-o?urn=nhl,223990
There's no way around it: Russia was embarrassed. To the point where Russian NHL player participation in the 2014 Games in Sochi is now guaranteed; there's no other way to cleanse the stench from this defeat. This game was supposed to be a classic. Instead, it was a coronation for the Canadians in this rivalry.
Evgeni Nabokov(notes) was pathetic. As bad as goaltender has been in this tournament. The 23 shots he faced before he was pulled were the fault of his defenders; the six goals were his own folly. His mistimed slide on Rick Nash's(notes) goal, which gave Canada a 3-0 lead, was his worst moment until he allowed a shot by Brendan Morrow to squeeze through him and over the goal line, like a dog leaving an ignominious present on its owner's stoop. The sixth goal he allowed came 57 seconds after the fifth. The questions about his status as a clutch goaltender have never been more validated.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Russia-rsquo-s-hockey-empire-crumbles-in-front-o?urn=nhl,223990