I don't know Zam, while greedy people come from everywhere, Alexi Yashin really took the cake I think. I might tend to agree with him a little so finding a counter-argument might be hard for me. Seems they do play more for the money as compared to "most" North Americans who play for the love of the game and just to be in the best league in the world. That said, I guess they grow up dreaming of hoisting the cup while many of the Russians grew up dreaming about an Olympic gold, the NHL is not as prominent to them.
As for Markov, he has an "out" after this year and he will be back. Many believe it will be sooner with no agreement in place between Russia and the NHL and their labour laws (don't think they were revised though it was talked about) and some say it is a negotiation tactic on his part even. I am really surprised someone didn't ante up for him, however I don't know if he was asking for more than he is worth.
2007-10-27 01:17:03
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answer #1
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answered by Bob Loblaw 7
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I'm Russian, so I'm close to the situation here. I must say that us Russians do love money. Most of us grew up in extremely poor circumstances, especially the older players that play today, they grew up during the extremely strict communist era.
My Dad still tells me stories about how the government operatives would come to his neighborhood every week and take one of the neighbors to jail. So many people were serving in jail back then, for no reason. In order to avoid jail, you had to rat others out. People could just walk up to a policeman and say "hey my neighbor once said communism is bad", and just like that, that neighbor would be taken away. Thankfully, this was all in the 50s-80s and I was born in 1990.
After the 80s, after the perestroika, things started dieing down a bit. It wasn't as strict anymore. That's why I think the new Russian players are less about the money. But still, money is very important. Russia is still an extremely poor country. I completely agree that a lot of Russian hockey players are less loyal to the team. They treat it more like a job (which pays well), rather than actually playing for fun.
In recent years though, players like Malkin and Ovechkin have come along that I think really do love playing the game. That might have something to do with them being raised after the communist regime fell.
2007-10-27 15:00:28
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answer #2
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answered by N/A 6
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First Russians aren't a race, they're a nationality so racism is out. It is sever stereo-typing though and I'll raise my hand a say I'm guilty at this point because indeed for every 10 Russian players maybe two have the true heart, grit and determination to compete when the hockey gets real at playoff time. The rest are here for the money plain and simple. But who could blame them in some respects. It's part of their cultural hangover from the Communist days when there were little rewards for a job well done in Russia so most people were zombified and virtually sleepwalked through their miserable lives. And in a country where rolls of toilet paper were more pricey than a bottle of vodka, it isn't hard for me to understand their lust for money so they could get themselves and their families out of the ugly situation. Those facts still don't mitigate the fact that if you want to win a cup you need those special guys who turn it up a notch when the game gets tough rather than the ones who fold up their tent and start asking is it over yet.
2007-10-27 12:59:11
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answer #3
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answered by PuckDat 7
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You can't ignore cultural influencers when considering statements like that.
I won't go into a whole list of specifics, but we are just now starting to see Russian players that did not live under Communism for a large portion of their lives. It'll likely take another generation to completely erase that dynamic but, for now, we have to consider what these guys went WITHOUT for most of their lives to glean some sense of which motivating factors get priority in their lives.
As for Markov, it's almost November and an NHL club has not stepped up with the terms he was looking for. Dynamo did and he took the deal. Good for him. Good for his family.
2007-10-27 19:05:20
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answer #4
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answered by zapcity29 7
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Just tell him its the hot news that sells. Do you think the media is going to go out of its way to report the Russian players that do good?
And while he's at it, he can wear that wild St. Louis Blues jersey that Mike Keenan refused to let the team wear oh so long ago, because he's not only narrow-minded, he's a clown outfit wearing whack job.
(You can find the jersey on NHLUniforms.com)
2007-10-27 07:24:00
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answer #5
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answered by Awesome Bill 7
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It has been my experience that Russian players are in general less loyal and more greedy than players of other nationalities. I look at Yashin and sitting his year out, I look at what Fedorov did to the Red Wings, I look at what Pavel Bure did to Vancouver and Florida, I look at what Dmitri Mironov did to Toronto, and there are others.
2007-10-27 13:16:16
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answer #6
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answered by Like I'm Telling You Who I A 7
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players like Markov and Ya$hin make me sick. but if you listen to a player like Ovechkin just once you can tell he truly loves the game and is happy as long as it's in his life.
2007-10-27 14:42:48
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answer #7
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answered by DC FURY 6
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Don't argue with a bigot. You will not get anywhere.
2007-10-27 15:06:49
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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I would say so!
we dont need him anyway!
2007-10-27 11:53:17
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answer #9
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answered by ReD wInGs FaN 1528 2
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