Canada - Russia in hockey. Why is it worth a sleepless night?

In the semifinals of the World Cup, the Russian team will meet with the favorite of the tournament - Canada. Unfortunately, Russian spectators, the match will take place on the night of September 24-25: the starting whistle will be given in two in Moscow. However, this is the case when you can sacrifice a dream - a too cool match is expected. "Medusa" explains why.

Matches with comparable compositions may not be repeated. The center of the first link Pittsburgh Penguins against the center of the second link of the same team. The goalkeeper "Montreal Canadiens" against the two defenders of the same club. The best attacking player of the last decade against the best sniper of the same period. The best defenders of the Western conference against the best attack of the East. This list can be continued and continued - the national teams of Russia and Canada appear in their close associates to ideal compositions.

We do not know if the NHL will release its players at the 2018 Olympics. We do not know if there will be another World Cup and if it is, then when - in two years? Four after four? We do not know in what condition the national teams of Russia and Canada will be in - it is likely that generations will change in both. But we know for sure that now everything has come together, and this chance cannot be missed.

Russia has something to recall Canada. It is this generation of Canadians. The most historically strong confrontation in Hockey knew the periods of Canadian victories and the periods of dominance of Russian (Soviet) hockey players. Recently, all significant victories are going to Canada - it was Canadians who won the Olympics in Vancouver (having inflicted a mocking defeat with a score of 7: 3) and Sochi. Ovechkin's generation grew at a time when Canada was considered (and continues to be considered) the dominant force in hockey - and really wants to show that he can beat them.

Russia is not a favorite, but it is not the first to beat Canadians in North America. And here it makes sense first of all to recall the next, post-Vevchkin generation. The weather in the current national team is done by Vladimir Tarasenko, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Artemy Panarin, Nikita Zaitsev, Dmitry Orlov and others - guys who know what is to beat Canadians. At least at the youth level - in the final of the Youth World Cup in 2011, it was they who defeated Canada, losing 0: 3 during the meeting. Of course, that victory does not make Russians favorites, especially since for the adult team, for various reasons, no one reached the Canadians. Nevertheless, a feeling of invincibility of Canada was at least a little, but hesitated.

The Russian team finally stopped scolding. After the loss of Sweden, Russians mercilessly scolded - and in the case. After the match won against the young stars of North America, criticism decreased, and after the match with the Finns, the Russian team again became a team that they are proud of. Finally, the Russians hid their weaknesses (slow protection, gaps between the lines, the failure of the majority, poor positional attacks) and showed good (selflessness, rigidity at the right moments, high individual skill in the attack, the ability to play a cunning aggravating pass). In general, the Russian team is a team that you want to root for, and terribly sorry if the match goes unnoticed by the audience.

And yes, of course, I want a repetition of the game super -series. Perhaps many of the readers did not look at this text from the super-series, confuse the results of the matches of 1972 and 1974 and do not know, Valery Kharlamov played in attack or defense, but somewhere in the subcorta sits with Canada-the USSR-this is the best that happened to hockey. The Wedding World Cup in Toronto is a chance to continue the tradition.

PS "Medusa", of course, will conduct a text broadcast of the Canada - Russia match.