“This bronze is a merit of Vasilevsky at least 80%”: how did the performance of the Russian team at the World Hockey Championships in the country be assessed

"For us, this is a reserve for the future"

The results of the World Hockey Championship for the Russian team were found to be satisfactory. This was after the completion of the tournament, said the Minister of Sport of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov. The official noted the intensity of the fight in the match for the third place and stressed that he intends to personally congratulate the coaching staff and players on winning bronze medals at the world championship.

“Our team showed willpower, character and endurance. The third place match was remembered by an uncompromising struggle and beautiful hockey. Congratulations to the national team with this result and in the near future I plan to meet with the team. We will remember this world championship for a long time, because our team went without defeat to the semi-finals and had every chance to fight for gold, ”the Ministry of Sport’s press service quotes Kolobkov.

The President of the Russian Hockey Federation (FHR), Vladislav Tretyak, supported the opinion of the minister, and also said that the head coach of the team, Ilya Vorobyov, will continue to work with the national team. In addition, the three-time Olympic champion highly appreciated the game of the Czech team in the match for third place and stressed that the team took the bronze medals with a positive attitude.

“In the semifinals, playing against Canada, the Czechs did not show such strong hockey, but, coming out against us, they began to gnaw the ice with their teeth. The rival played adequately, so I am grateful to the guys who gathered and fought back. Of course, we all wanted gold, but better bronze than silver. When you win medals in a fight, it means that you are leaving with a victory, ”the head of Russian hockey said.

Summing up the tournament, the head of the national team headquarters Roman Rotenberg noted the significance of the current result for all domestic sports. In his opinion, Russia has proved that it is rightfully included in the elite of world hockey.

“We have done a great job. Everyone was worried, and during the tournament the team became one. They gave everything they could. Nine wins out of ten, one is missing. There is something to make a start. This season we have U-20 bronze, U-18 silver, now bronze. For us, this is a reserve for the future, ”quotes the words of the functionary Sport-Express.

"Vorobyov failed to cope with the task of winning gold medals"

Despite the high appreciation of the sports leadership, the actions of the Russian national team in the match with the Czech team caused a lot of questions from hockey experts. Thus, the world champion and bronze medalist of the Olympics, Andrei Nikolishin, said that the Russians in the game lost to their rival.

“They transferred us, created more chances, actively traveled to the shock positions. We were saved by a reliable defense and a smart game by Andrey Vasilevsky. He was the best in the match. But the whole team wins, not a single player. Of course, being maximalists, we only wanted gold, but it’s good that the guys found the strength not to give up and finish the championship on a positive note, ”Sport24 quotes Nikolishin.

The two-time Gagarin Cup winner Alexey Badyukov also spoke about the game of the Russian goalkeeper. In the opinion of the ex-striker Ak Bars, the team found it difficult to tune in to the consolation final, but Vasilevsky’s clear actions at the last line instilled confidence in his partners.

“It was hard both physically and psychologically. Two goals that we scored from the game became a gift after a dry match with the Finns, but what happened next is beyond logical explanation. Thanks Vasilevsky! He proved to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world. This bronze is his merit at least 80%. The Czechs had iron moments, where only our goalkeeper saved. He is our best player in the tournament. Well, the best goalkeeper of the championship ", - said the expert.

He also stated that the coincidence of circumstances prevented the Russian team from competing for gold. The specialist stressed that the level of skill and quality of the Russian national hockey team at the tournament was not equal.

“Third place for the Russian national team at the World Championships - failure? Of course, we would like to get to the final, to play there with Canada. For this confrontation would follow the whole world. But let's remember that we won nine times in ten games! Yes, we lost one, and then with a difference of one goal. So in general, the tournament turned out good. And with the Finns, a real accident just happened, ”added Badyukov.

In turn, the former general manager of Salavat Yulaev, Leonid Vaysfeld, complained about the heterogeneity of the performance of Ilya Vorobyov’s players at the tournament.

“Vasilevsky is out of competition, the best player throughout the tournament. Frankly, I am extremely surprised that at the preliminary stage and in the playoffs there seemed to be two different teams. One performed fantastically, and the second upset me, ”confessed Weisfeld.

The two-time Olympic champion Alexander Kozhevnikov expressed skepticism regarding the results achieved. According to him, after the tournament a lot of questions arose to both the players and the coaching staff.

“Of course, you don’t need to get upset, but for the Russian team, bronze is not a success. All stars were collected, I think they are unhappy with this result. There was not enough efficiency, freshness, pressure - these simple things for hockey. The coach scored such a composition, he saw some kind of drawing of the game, but he did not cope with the task of winning gold medals, ”said TASS Kozhevnikov.

"We need to rejoice at all the medals"

Nevertheless, some experts noted the positive aspects of the national team performance. So, according to the world champion of 1993 Andrei Nikolishin, not one of the hockey players can be blamed for the lack of desire to fight.

“Good performance, the team played effectively, spectacularly. Many guys came from the NHL, and because of this, we rarely see them. It was nice to see how they played for the national team with soul and mood. In general, the championship turned out to be very interesting, ”the website of the TV channel“ 360 ”quotes the words of the ex-hockey player.

Two-time world champion Vladimir Yurzinov also urged not to criticize the charges of Ilya Vorobyov. He stressed that the team showed a positive result, despite the fact that all hockey players were in different physical and psychological form and some of them were not easy to adapt to the unusual conditions for themselves.

“In any case, you need to enjoy the bronze medals. It is worth noting that all the guys came with joy, this is a big deal. It was very difficult for them to unite in terms of tactics and everything else, but they tried and quite stably held the championship. In general, the level of competition is quite high, and it grows every year, ”said Yurzinov.

Olympic medalist, world hockey champion Alexei Yashin added that the Russian team has traditionally been one of the main irritants for many teams, in connection with which any opponent goes against it with double motivation.

“I believe that you need to rejoice at all the medals. We won the bronze in such a hard match. Each game evolved differently, it was impossible to throw in the semifinals, because the opponent did not allow this to be done, ”Yashin is sure.

Former tutor of the Russian national team Vyacheslav Bykov, in turn, is also not inclined to dramatize the situation and suggests evaluating the performance as a whole, rather than based on the result of one match.

“Unfortunately, the Russian team won the entire tournament, but one match crossed all hopes. It is necessary to analyze the failure and draw conclusions. It is important to avoid emotions and not to anathematize the guys who gave all their strength for the team and for the country, ”Izkovia quotes Bykov.