President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR), Vladislav Tretyak, after the end of the final, said that "the potential of Russian hockey is always champion, always golden." In his opinion, the result of the team in Beijing is "only silver" because "there were unconditional mistakes and shortcomings."

“There are questions about the work of the coaching staff,” said the three-time Olympic champion. “In the final, the Finns were stronger, played better in attack and created more chances. When you score one goal, it is difficult to win the Olympics, ”Tretyak stated.

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Deserved victory for Finns

Finland was the strongest team in the tournament. She won six out of six matches, scored the most (22 goals) and conceded fewer (8), except for the USA (6). But the Americans played two games less.

In the final, Russia had practically no chance of success, despite the "slippery" score of 1:2. After the opponent took the lead at the beginning of the third period, the Russians were never able to create anything worthwhile at his gate, and all hope for salvation was reduced to relying on chance. In the third period, Russia made only three shots on target, the opponent - ten. So who needs to play?

Finland won the final not only by score, but also by many statistical indicators: throws - 31:17, penalties - 2:6, throw-ins - 33:27.

What chances does Russia have in the hockey final with Finland Olympiad 2022

Problems in attack

Native hockey has always been famous for its attack. But in Beijing, the Russian team scored only 13 goals in six matches (the winning post-match shot in the game with Sweden does not count). And five of them - in the game with the Czech Republic, which had no tournament value. For comparison: four years ago in Pyeongchang, the team scored 27 goals.

If we take out the “friendly” match with the Czech Republic, then in five games the team scored only eight goals for the result - one each for Switzerland, Sweden and Finland and five for Denmark. And if you remember all the goals, then this indicator will be perceived even sadder.

Switzerland (1:0): the opponent scored an own goal.

Denmark (2:0): goal from rebound and into an empty net.

Denmark (3:1): a goal after a rebound from the goalkeeper's foot and two shots from the defenders.

Sweden (2:1 PB): attacker's individual pass.

Finland (1:2): throw from the face-off circle.

Thus, the Russian team could not score a single goal after combinations. The team played simple hockey, as a rule, using the board - throwing the puck on it and wrestling in the corners of the site. As a result, a small number of goals and problems in all matches, including with modest Denmark.

Photo: Global Look Press

Preparation

Four years ago, the Russian team began preparing for the Olympics from the very beginning of the season. In November, a composition close to the Olympic went to the first stage of the Eurotour - the Karjala Cup. In December, he went through another run-in at the First Channel Cup in Moscow.

Before the Games in Beijing, there was no such systematic preparation of the national team. It's not so much that head coach Alexei Zhamnov was appointed only at the end of September - a little more than four months before the Olympics, but that during the Karjala Cup he went overseas to watch players from the NHL, and an experimental composition.

As a result, players from the NHL did not play at the Olympics. And the team under the leadership of the new headquarters gathered for the first time only closer to the New Year. So one of the stages of preparation was lost. Yes, at that time the option of the Enkhaelites coming to Beijing seemed real. But Ilya Kovalchuk could also see the players in action across the ocean and talk to them personally. It is no coincidence that his position is called "manager of work with players in the NHL."

As a result, in Pyeongchang, the team showed a productive game and, albeit not without problems, still won gold. In Beijing, Russia found itself without a good game, and without an award of the highest standard.

But the Finns last November invited many candidates for the Olympic team to the Karjala Cup, then “polished” the game in Moscow, winning the main prize. And they took the gold of the Olympics.

Little experience

In September, an experiment was made in Russian hockey: the national team was entrusted to coaches who actually had no experience, which can also be called one of the reasons for losing gold.

Zhamnov had never worked as a head coach before joining the national team on a permanent basis. He was part of the headquarters of the national team at several major tournaments. Also, when he worked as the general manager of Spartak, he stood on the bench as an acting mentor or his assistant. That's all.

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