Greatest Russian/USSR Born Player

Tukker wrote:why are none of the older players getting votes? only the two NHL stars and tretiak are getting any love

Well, I voted "Other" for Yakushev. That's "older".

Tukker wrote:So did you have trouble pronouncing English names when you moved here? or are our names really that easy :D ?

I was not even 13 when I came (plus I spent almost all of grade 7 in an American school in Rome). My cousin was 18 months older and left more than a year after we did, and his accent is very strong. Me, not so much.

There's a saying in Russia: "In English you spell it Manchester, but you pronounce it Lverpool". English names are not so much hard to pronounce (except for sounds that have no equivalent in Russian) as they are impossible to write. Probably not an English name at all, but what is Toews pronounced like Taves?

With some regional exceptions, Russian names are pronounced jst like they are spelled. The only difficulty is which syllable to place the accent. Yeah, Ovechkin is really pronounced much closer to Ah-vechkin (unless you're from the Volga region) but other than that it's simple.

wprager wrote:

Tukker wrote:So did you have trouble pronouncing English names when you moved here? or are our names really that easy :D ?

I was not even 13 when I came (plus I spent almost all of grade 7 in an American school in Rome). My cousin was 18 months older and left more than a year after we did, and his accent is very strong. Me, not so much.

There's a saying in Russia: "In English you spell it Manchester, but you pronounce it Lverpool". English names are not so much hard to pronounce (except for sounds that have no equivalent in Russian) as they are impossible to write. Probably not an English name at all, but what is Toews pronounced like Taves?

With some regional exceptions, Russian names are pronounced jst like they are spelled. The only difficulty is which syllable to place the accent. Yeah, Ovechkin is really pronounced much closer to Ah-vechkin (unless you're from the Volga region) but other than that it's simple.

I've never gotten Toews myself. i was pronouncing it Toes for the longest time

I didn't know much about most of those guys. I voted Bure, but it wasn't an informed vote.

how is Fetisov getting no votes...?

Tretiak -

He not only revolutionized the position, but he put the fear of losing into the hearts and minds of the previously overconfident Canadian forwards (not an easy task, considering the line-up).

The others were no slouches either: I remember Fetisov and Kharlamov being two that stand out from the past.

Ten years from now, maybe the vote goes to Ovechkin, if only because I have never seen anyone (Gretzky included) play with his level of passion and heart; he seems to have fun in the same way that kids do at a Pee-Wee tournament. Only, unlike the kids, OV is checking the opposition defencemen through the boards before scoring. And each goal is like a cup-winner.

Not enough this season. He's in my pool and stinking it up.

AO will be on that list when he retires for sure. Right now, for me it's no question Tretiak.

If only Tretiak got to play for Montreal, than he would be undoubtedly the best goalie ever

wprager wrote:I voted "Other" since Alexander Yakushev is not on that list. He was my favorite player growing up in Moscow, and that was during the heyday of Kharlamov, Michailov and the rest of the Big Red Machine. So there must have been something special about him. Unfortunately by the time I got over here he was no-longer playing.

From his Wikipedia page:

Alexander Sergeyevich Yakushev (Russian: Александр Сергеевич Якушев) (born January 2, 1947) was an ice hockey player for the Soviet Union.
Born in Moscow, Russia, Alexander Yakushev is best known to North American hockey fans as one of the stars for the Soviet Team that played Team Canada in the famous 1972 Summit Series.
His style of play was atypical of his colleagues who were fast and
skilled; he was often described as the equivalent of Canada's Phil Esposito. Although often overshadowed by his famous teammate Valeri Kharlamov, by the end of the Summit Series, Yakushev led the Soviets in scoring with 7 goals and 4 assists for 11 points.

See, even back then I preferred the North American style of play.

It must be an age thing Walter... because I thought of Yakushev also. In the end I selected Kharlamov... never saw a guy who could skate like that. I was a young kid, and I still remember. Most people here though won't remember him at all