He named the names of the players who were called up for the team's banners at the Olympics. 15 hockey players represent SKA St. Petersburg, eight - CSKA Moscow, two more - Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Znarok was forced to assemble a squad from a limited set of performers: not only will the players of the National Hockey League (NHL) not come to Pyeongchang, but also the pool representing the Continental hockey league(KHL) declined due to the sanctions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). In what form the Russian national team will take to the ice in Pyeongchang - we figured out.
It could be worse
Last few days fans Russian hockey held in anxious anticipation, whether the leading players from Oleg Znark's cage would repeat their fate, and - the stars of national sports who were not invited to the Olympics without explanation. And even the list of criteria for admitting Russians to Pyeongchang published by the International the Olympic Committee(IOC) a couple of days after the second wave of suspensions, the situation.
Russian team:
Goalkeepers: Vasily Koshechkin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), Ilya Sorokin (CSKA), Igor Shesterkin (SKA).
Defenders: Vyacheslav Voinov, Vladislav Gavrikov, Artem Zub, Andrey Zubarev, Dinar Khafizullin (all - SKA), Bogdan Kiselevich, Alexey Marchenko, Nikita Nesterov (all - CSKA).
Forwards: Alexander Barabanov, Nikita Gusev, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kablukov, Sergey Kalinin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikolai Prokhorkin, Vadim Shipachev, Sergey Shirokov (all - SKA), Sergey Andronov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Kirill Kaprizov, Ivan Telegin (all - CSKA) , Sergey Mozyakin (Metallurg Magnitogorsk).
Fortunately, the IOC commission led by Valerie Fourneiron was not too fierce towards hockey players. Only five players were left without an invitation: defenders (SKA), (Metallurg Magnitogorsk), (CSKA), a forward of the Moscow army team and his colleague (SKA). Of these five, only three had a good chance of going to Pyeongchang - Belov, Plotnikov and Nichushkin. Belov was the captain of the national team at the last world championship, Plotnikov perfectly fit into Znark's schemes and quickly became an important gear in the mechanism of the "Red Machine", and Nichushkin, although he is not a backbone player of the national team, would definitely not spoil the overall picture.
Photo: Alexey Malgavko / RIA Novosti
Where are Ovechkin and the others?
A reasonable question from those who remember the existence of Russian hockey during the World Championships and the Olympics. This is not a stone in their garden (this is the reality), but only a clarification: where are the main stars of the team? Whatever one may say, the names of Alexander Ovechkin and other Russian NHL members regularly appear in news reports, and, judging by them, ours are doing well overseas.
The IOC is not to blame for their absence in the national team - that is, the committee did not remove any of them, but he still has a share of responsibility for the fact that Ovechkin and his comrades do not see Pyeongchang. The reason is simple: the NHL leadership and officials from the IOC could not agree on the amount of compensation for the participation of the league players in the Olympic hockey tournament.
What kind of compensation are we talking about? The leading players of not only Russian, but also other top national teams play in the NHL. If the Europeans are released to the Olympics, then, firstly, most of the league's clubs will lose more than one or two key performers, and secondly, North American hockey players will also want to go to the Games. With this development of events, the NHL would either have to allow the teams to play part of the season with second line-ups, or even suspend the regular season for almost a month. Both scenarios will entail a tangible blow to the pockets of the league bosses, and sports (overseas, for sure) is primarily a business, and very profitable.
The problem with the absence of players from the NHL has arisen every four years since 1998. Overseas stars arrived at the Olympics in Nagano, as was the case at each subsequent Games, although each time the negotiations were difficult and lengthy. The fans hoped that this time too, everything would be resolved by the world. It didn't work out - in April 2017, the NHL management published a calendar for the Olympic season, which did not imply a break for the Games.
Ovechkin was the first to comment on this. Alexander, who had long expressed his intention to perform at the Olympics, promised to come to Pyeongchang at all costs, but eventually gave up: the fact that a professional hockey player violates his contract is unlikely to increase his chances of a successful career continuation. Kovalchuk acted wisely: in the summer of 2017, when it became clear that NHL players would not go to Korea, Ilya decided not to rush overseas and stayed in the KHL.
SKA is the base club of the national team. Good or bad?
The sign with his assistants had to form the composition, adjusting to the circumstances. But an ordinary fan probably does not understand why the national team consists of 60 percent of the players of the St. Petersburg SKA.
So, SKA finally became the base club of the national team. Is this a surprise? Hardly. Znarok headed the army team back in 2016, and the leaders of the national hockey probably understood why the national team coach agreed to combine. Despite the generous sponsor - clubs from St. Petersburg traditionally support - SKA did not follow the path of its football brother, refusing to buy up all promising Russians in the domestic championship. During the work of Znark, only five players joined the team who were included in the 2018 Olympic team: Pavel Datsyuk and.
Even in the summer, the prospects of the latter were very vague, but after an unsuccessful business trip to the NHL, Shipachev returned to his homeland and managed to convince Znark to take him to Korea. The forward did not score that much (9 goals in 21 matches), but he played well in the game (17 assists). In the current conditions, this was enough to get a place in the squad.
The solid representation of the capital's army team in the national team can hardly be called a surprise. CSKA shows a stable game - over the past three seasons, the team only once failed to reach the final of the conference, and the squad includes performers of caliber and. CSKA's sponsor corresponds to the high status -.
The qualifications of the two residents of Magnitogorsk, diluting the army majority, are hardly in doubt: they are the striker (for the 36-year-old athlete, the Games in Pyeongchang will be his debut) and the goalkeeper
Experts do not see anything wrong with the abundance of players in the national team who are familiar to Znarok - after all, the formation of the squad has always been the prerogative of the coach. And the teamwork of hockey players will certainly give results.
“The coach took a simple path. He believes more in the players of his club, in their capabilities and ability to participate in the tournament. If the team performs successfully, fulfills the plan, then this will only be a plus. After all, the winners are not judged. He fights for the result, does not look to tomorrow. Znarok understands that there will be criticism, misunderstanding. The only thing that interests me is how the composition was determined. If the decision is solely, then Znark will have to bear responsibility alone, "he said in an interview. Olympic champion.
One can agree with Znark's choice or not, one thing is clear: in Pyeongchang, the Russian national team must at least win a medal (and ideally, of course, win). For myself and that guy. For the guy suspended by the IOC, and for the guy left overseas. Americans and Canadians go to the Games with the second, if not the third, line-up. The European teams found themselves in a position similar to that of the Russians. Best chance it may take a long time to get even for previous Olympic failures.
One of these days the regular ice hockey world championship has come to the end.
An idea was born while watching the matches. When the TV camera shows the players walking into the dressing room during the breaks, it's hard not to notice how huge they are. Against the background of coaches, team functionaries, employees ice arena, journalists or just fans, they usually look very impressive.
And I wondered questions. Are hockey players really taller than ordinary people? How does the growth of hockey players change over time compared to ordinary people? Are there consistent cross-country differences?
Data
The IIHF, the organization that hosts the World Ice Hockey Championships, publishes the rosters of the participating teams every year with information on the height and weight of each player. Archive of these data.
I have put together data from all the world championships from 2001 to 2016. The format of data submission changes slightly from year to year, which requires some effort to clean it up. Not knowing how to competently automate the process, I copied all the data manually, which took a little more than 3 hours. The combined dataset was made publicly available.
# load required packages require (dplyr) # data manipulation require (lubridate) # easy manipulations with dates require (ggplot2) # visualization require (ggthemes) # themes for ggplot2 require (cowplot) # nice alignment of the ggplots require (RColorBrewer) # generate color palettes require (texreg) # easy export of regression tables require (xtable) # export a data frame into an html table # download the IIHF data set; if there are some problems, you can download manually # using the stable URL (https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3394735.v2) df<- read.csv("https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/5303173") # color palette brbg11 <- brewer.pal(11,"BrBG")
Are hockey players growing? Rough (Periodic) Comparison
First, let's compare the average height of players across all 16 world championships.
R code. Figure 1. Change in the average height of hockey players at the world championships, 2001-2016.
# mean height by championship df_per<- df %>% group_by (year)%>% summarise (height = mean (height)) gg_period_mean<- ggplot(df_per, aes(x=year,y=height))+ geom_point(size=3,color=brbg11)+ stat_smooth(method="lm",size=1,color=brbg11)+ ylab("height, cm")+ xlab("year of competition")+ scale_x_continuous(breaks=seq(2005,2015,5),labels=seq(2005,2015,5))+ theme_few(base_size = 15)+ theme(panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25)) gg_period_jitter <- ggplot(df, aes(x=year,y=height))+ geom_jitter(size=2,color=brbg11,alpha=.25,width = .75)+ stat_smooth(method="lm",size=1,se=F,color=brbg11)+ ylab("height, cm")+ xlab("year of competition")+ scale_x_continuous(breaks=seq(2005,2015,5),labels=seq(2005,2015,5))+ theme_few(base_size = 15)+ theme(panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25)) gg_period <- plot_grid(gg_period_mean,gg_period_jitter)
The positive trend is obvious. Over a decade and a half, the average height of a hockey player at the World Cup has increased by almost 2 centimeters (left panel). Seemingly insignificant gain against the background of a fairly large variation (right panel). Is it a lot or a little? To answer the question, it is necessary to correctly compare with the population (but more on that closer to the end of the article).
Cohort analysis
A more correct way to study change in height is to compare across birth cohorts. Here we are faced with an interesting nuance - some hockey players have participated in more than one world championship. The question is: should I clean up duplicate entries for the same people? If we are interested in the average height of a hockey player in the championship (as in the picture above), perhaps it makes no sense to clean up. But if we want to trace the change in the growth of hockey players as such, in my opinion, it would be wrong to assign more weight to those players who more regularly get to the world championships. Therefore, for further analysis, I cleared the data from duplicate entries of the same players.
R code. Preparing data for cohort analysis
# remove double counts dfu_h<- df %>% select (year, name, country, position, birth, cohort, height)%>% spread (year, height) dfu_h $ av.height<- apply(dfu_h[,6:21],1,mean,na.rm=T) dfu_h$times_participated <- apply(!is.na(dfu_h[,6:21]),1,sum) dfu_w <- df %>% select (year, name, country, position, birth, cohort, weight)%>% spread (year, weight) dfu_w $ av.weight<- apply(dfu_w[,6:21],1,mean,na.rm=T) dfu <- left_join(dfu_h %>% select (name, country, position, birth, cohort, av.height, times_participated), dfu_w%>% select (name, country, position, birth, cohort, av.weight), by = c ("name", " country "," position "," birth "," cohort "))%>% mutate (bmi = av.weight / (av.height / 100) ^ 2)
The total number of observations dropped from 6292 to 3333. If a hockey player participated in more than one world championship, I averaged the height and weight data, since the height and (especially) the weight of an individual hockey player could change over time. How many times have hockey players been honored to play for national teams in the world championships? On average, a little less than 2 times.
R code. Figure 2. Histogram of the distribution of hockey players by the number of participation in the World Cup
# frequencies of participation in world championships mean (dfu $ times_participated) df_part<- as.data.frame(table(dfu$times_participated)) gg_times_part <- ggplot(df_part,aes(y=Freq,x=Var1))+ geom_bar(stat="identity",fill=brbg11)+ ylab("# of players")+ xlab("times participated (out of 16 possible)")+ theme_few(base_size = 15)
But there are also unique ones. Let's see which of the players took part in at least 10 world championships. There were 14 such players.
R code. Table 1. Leaders of participation in the world championships
# the leaders of participation in world championships # save the table to html leaders<- dfu %>% filter (times_participated> 9) View (leaders) print (xtable (leaders), type = "html", file = "table_leaders.html")
| name | country | position | birth | cohort | av.height | times_participated | av.weight | bmi | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ovechkin alexander | RUS | F | 1985-09-17 | 1985 | 188.45 | 11 | 98.36 | 27.70 |
| 2 | nielsen daniel | DEN | D | 1980-10-31 | 1980 | 182.27 | 11 | 79.73 | 24.00 |
| 3 | staal kim | DEN | F | 1978-03-10 | 1978 | 182.00 | 10 | 87.80 | 26.51 |
| 4 | green morten | DEN | F | 1981-03-19 | 1981 | 183.00 | 12 | 85.83 | 25.63 |
| 5 | masalskis edgars | LAT | G | 1980-03-31 | 1980 | 176.00 | 12 | 79.17 | 25.56 |
| 6 | ambuhl andres | SUI | F | 1983-09-14 | 1983 | 176.80 | 10 | 83.70 | 26.78 |
| 7 | granak dominik | SVK | D | 1983-06-11 | 1983 | 182.00 | 10 | 79.50 | 24.00 |
| 8 | madsen morten | DEN | F | 1987-01-16 | 1987 | 189.82 | 11 | 86.00 | 23.87 |
| 9 | redlihs mikelis | LAT | F | 1984-07-01 | 1984 | 180.00 | 10 | 80.40 | 24.81 |
| 10 | cipulis martins | LAT | F | 1980-11-29 | 1980 | 180.70 | 10 | 82.10 | 25.14 |
| 11 | holos jonas | NOR | D | 1987-08-27 | 1987 | 180.18 | 11 | 91.36 | 28.14 |
| 12 | bastiansen anders | NOR | F | 1980-10-31 | 1980 | 190.00 | 11 | 93.64 | 25.94 |
| 13 | ask morten | NOR | F | 1980-05-14 | 1980 | 185.00 | 10 | 88.30 | 25.80 |
| 14 | forsberg kristian | NOR | F | 1986-05-05 | 1986 | 184.50 | 10 | 87.50 | 25.70 |
Alexander Ovechkin, 11 times! But here it should be noted that not for all hockey players, in principle, it was possible to participate in all 16 championships: the birth cohort depends (how much the playing career intersected with this particular period of observation), on whether the player's national team participated in all the world championships (see figure 3) and whether the player was consistently in the national team; Finally, there is the NHL, which consistently distracts the best of the best from participating in the world championships.
R code. Figure 3. Participation of national teams in the world ice hockey championships in 2001-2016.
# countries times participated df_cnt_part<- df %>% select (year, country, no)%>% mutate (country = factor (paste (country)))%>% group_by (country, year)%>% summarise (value = sum (as.numeric (no))) %>% mutate (value = 1)%>% ungroup ()%>% mutate (country = factor (country, levels = rev (levels (country))), year = factor (year)) d_cnt_n<- df_cnt_part %>% group_by (country)%>% summarise (n = sum (value)) gg_cnt_part<- ggplot(data = df_cnt_part, aes(x=year,y=country))+ geom_point(color=brbg11,size=7)+ geom_text(data=d_cnt_n,aes(y=country,x=17.5,label=n,color=n),size=7,fontface=2)+ geom_text(data=d_cnt_n,aes(y=country,x=18.5,label=" "),size=7)+ scale_color_gradientn(colours = brbg11)+ xlab(NULL)+ ylab(NULL)+ theme_bw(base_size = 25)+ theme(legend.position="none", axis.text.x = element_text(angle = 90, hjust = 1,vjust=0.5))
Are hockey players growing? Regression analysis
Regression analysis allows you to more correctly answer the question about the change in the height of the players. In this case, the growth of a hockey player depending on the birth cohort is predicted using multinominal linear regression. By including in the specification of the regression model various additional (control) variables, we get the value of the coefficient of most interest to us "all other things being equal". For example, by adding to the explanatory variables, in addition to the birth cohort, the player's position on the field, we get the relationship between height and cohort, cleared of the effect of differences depending on position; by adding countries to the control variables, we get the result cleared of cross-country differences. Of course, if the control variables themselves turn out to be significant, this is also worth paying attention to.
Regression models (especially linear regressions) are very sensitive to outliers (see, for example). Without going deeply into this vast topic, I just removed from the analysis the cohorts for which we have too few representatives.
R code. Removing small cohorts
# remove small cohorts table (dfu $ cohort) dfuc<- dfu %>% filter (cohort<1997,cohort>1963)
Not wanting to cut the data too much, I only removed the cohorts born in 1963, 1997 and 1998, for which we have less than 10 players.
So, the results of ragression analysis. In each subsequent model, I add one variable.
Dependent variable: the growth of the hockey player.
Explaining Variables: 1) birth cohort; 2) + position on the field (comparison with defenders); 3) + country (comparison with Russia).
R code. Table 2. Results of regression analysis
# relevel counrty variable to compare with Russia dfuc $ country<- relevel(dfuc$country,ref = "RUS") # regression models m1 <- lm(data = dfuc,av.height~cohort) m2 <- lm(data = dfuc,av.height~cohort+position) m3 <- lm(data = dfuc,av.height~cohort+position+country) # export the models to html htmlreg(list(m1,m2,m3),file = "models_height.html",single.row = T)
| Model 1 | Model 2 | Model 3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Intercept) | -10.17 (27.67) | -18.64 (27.01) | 32.59 (27.00) | |
| cohort | 0.10 (0.01) *** | 0.10 (0.01) *** | 0.08 (0.01) *** | |
| positionF | -2.59 (0.20) *** | -2.59 (0.20) *** | ||
| positionG | -1.96 (0.31) *** | -1.93 (0.30) *** | ||
| countryAUT | -0.94 (0.55) | |||
| countryBLR | -0.95 (0.53) | |||
| countryCAN | 1.13 (0.46) * | |||
| countryCZE | 0.56 (0.49) | |||
| countryDEN | -0.10 (0.56) | |||
| countryFIN | 0.20 (0.50) | |||
| countryFRA | -2.19 (0.69) ** | |||
| countryGER | -0.61 (0.51) | |||
| countryHUN | -0.61 (0.86) | |||
| countryITA | -3.58 (0.61) *** | |||
| countryJPN | -5.24 (0.71) *** | |||
| countryKAZ | -1.16 (0.57) * | |||
| countryLAT | -1.38 (0.55) * | |||
| countryNOR | -1.61 (0.62) ** | |||
| countryPOL | 0.06 (1.12) | |||
| countrySLO | -1.55 (0.58) ** | |||
| countrySUI | -1.80 (0.53) *** | |||
| countrySVK | 1.44 (0.50) ** | |||
| countrySWE | 1.18 (0.48) * | |||
| countryUKR | -1.82 (0.59) ** | |||
| countryUSA | 0.54 (0.45) | |||
| R 2 | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.13 | |
| Adj. R 2 | 0.01 | 0.06 | 0.12 | |
| Num. obs. | 3319 | 3319 | 3319 | |
| RMSE | 5.40 | 5.27 | 5.10 | |
| *** p< 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05 | ||||
Interpreting Models
Model 1... An increase in the cohort by one year corresponds to an increase in the height of hockey players by 0.1 cm. The coefficient is statistically significant, but the model explains only 1% of the variation in the dependent variable. In principle, this is not a problem, since the modeling is of an explanatory nature, the prediction problem is not posed. However, the low coefficient of determination indicates that there must be other variables much better at explaining differences in height between players.
Model 2... Defenders are the tallest players in hockey. Goalkeepers are 2 cm lower, forwards - 2.6 cm. All coefficients are statistically significant. The explained variation in the dependent variable rises to 6%. In this case, the coefficient at the variable birth cohort does not change.
Model 3... The addition of country control variables is interesting for two reasons. First, some of the differences are statistically significant and interesting in and of themselves. For example, Swedes, Slovaks and Canadians are statistically significantly higher than our players. Most of the nations are much shorter than us, the Japanese are as much as 5.2 cm, the Italians - by 3.6 cm, the French - by 2.2 cm (see also Figure 4). Second, introducing control variables for countries significantly reduces the coefficient of the variable birth cohort- up to 0.08. This means that cross-country differences explain some of the differences across birth cohorts. The determination coefficient of the model increases to 13%.
R code. Figure 4. Growth of hockey players by country
# players "height by country gg_av.h_country<- ggplot(dfuc ,aes(x=factor(cohort),y=av.height))+
geom_point(color="grey50",alpha=.25)+
stat_summary(aes(group=country),geom="line",fun.y = mean,size=.5,color="grey50")+
stat_smooth(aes(group=country,color=country),geom="line",size=1)+
#geom_hline(yintercept = mean(height),color="red",size=.5)+
facet_wrap(~country,ncol=4)+
coord_cartesian(ylim = c(170,195))+
scale_x_discrete(labels=paste(seq(1965,1995,10)),breaks=paste(seq(1965,1995,10)))+
theme_few(base_size = 15)+
theme(legend.position="none",
panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25))
The most complete model shows that the growth of hockey players occurs at a rate of 0.08 cm per year. This means an increase of 0.8 cm per decade, or 2.56 cm over 32 years from 1964 to 1996. Note that when the control variables are taken into account, the growth rate of hockey players turns out to be about one and a half times lower than with a more rough analysis of the average values (Figure 1): 0.8 cm per decade versus about 1.2 cm.
Before we finally try to understand how significant the increase in growth turns out to be, I want to draw your attention to another curious point. The introduction of control variables implies fixing the differences between categories at a single slope of the regression line (a single coefficient for the main explanatory variable). This is not always good and may mask significant differences in the tightness of association between the studied variables in the subsamples. So, for example, a separate modeling of the dependence of the growth of players on the role (Figure 5) shows that the relationship is most pronounced for goalkeepers and least noticeable for defenders.
R code. Figure 5. Correlation between height and cohort separately for defenders, forwards and goalkeepers
dfuc_pos<- dfuc levels(dfuc_pos$position) <- c("Defenders","Forwards","Goalkeeprs") gg_pos <- ggplot(dfuc_pos ,aes(x=cohort,y=av.height))+ geom_jitter(aes(color=position),alpha=.5)+ stat_smooth(method = "lm", se = T,color=brbg11,size=1)+ scale_x_continuous(labels=seq(1965,1995,5),breaks=seq(1965,1995,5))+ scale_color_manual(values = brbg11)+ facet_wrap(~position,ncol=3)+ xlab("birth cohort")+ ylab("height, cm")+ theme_few(base_size = 20)+ theme(legend.position="none", panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25))
R code. Table 3. Model 3 separately for subsamples of defenders, forwards and goalkeepers
# separate models for positions m3d<- lm(data = dfuc %>% filter (position == "D"), av.height ~ cohort + country) m3f<- lm(data = dfuc %>% filter (position == "F"), av.height ~ cohort + country) m3g<- lm(data = dfuc %>% filter (position == "G"), av.height ~ cohort + country) htmlreg (list (m3d, m3f, m3g), file = "2016/160500 Hockey players / models_height_pos.html", single.row = T, custom.model.names = c ("Model 3 D", "Model 3 F", "Model 3 G"))
| Model 3 D | Model 3 F | Model 3 G | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Intercept) | 108.45 (46.46) * | 49.32 (36.73) | -295.76 (74.61) *** | |
| cohort | 0.04 (0.02) | 0.07 (0.02) *** | 0.24 (0.04) *** | |
| countryAUT | 0.14 (0.96) | -2.01 (0.75) ** | 0.47 (1.47) | |
| countryBLR | 0.30 (0.87) | -1.53 (0.73) * | -2.73 (1.55) | |
| countryCAN | 1.55 (0.78) * | 0.39 (0.62) | 3.45 (1.26) ** | |
| countryCZE | 0.87 (0.84) | 0.30 (0.67) | 0.63 (1.36) | |
| countryDEN | -0.60 (0.95) | 0.10 (0.75) | -0.19 (1.62) | |
| countryFIN | -0.55 (0.89) | -0.04 (0.67) | 2.40 (1.32) | |
| countryFRA | -3.34 (1.15) ** | -2.06 (0.93) * | 1.39 (2.07) | |
| countryGER | 0.48 (0.85) | -1.40 (0.72) | -0.65 (1.33) | |
| countryHUN | -1.32 (1.47) | -0.70 (1.16) | 0.65 (2.39) | |
| countryITA | -2.08 (1.08) | -4.78 (0.82) *** | -2.02 (1.62) | |
| countryJPN | -4.13 (1.26) ** | -6.52 (0.94) *** | -2.27 (1.98) | |
| countryKAZ | -1.23 (0.95) | -1.82 (0.79) * | 1.79 (1.58) | |
| countryLAT | -0.73 (0.95) | -1.39 (0.75) | -3.42 (1.49) * | |
| countryNOR | -3.25 (1.07) ** | -1.06 (0.85) | -0.10 (1.66) | |
| countryPOL | 0.82 (1.89) | -0.58 (1.55) | 0.37 (2.97) | |
| countrySLO | -1.57 (0.99) | -1.54 (0.79) | -2.25 (1.66) | |
| countrySUI | -1.98 (0.91) * | -2.36 (0.71) *** | 1.12 (1.47) | |
| countrySVK | 2.94 (0.87) *** | 0.81 (0.67) | -0.70 (1.50) | |
| countrySWE | 0.75 (0.81) | 1.24 (0.65) | 1.37 (1.33) | |
| countryUKR | -1.37 (1.01) | -1.77 (0.80) * | -3.71 (1.66) * | |
| countryUSA | 0.76 (0.78) | -0.08 (0.62) | 2.58 (1.26) * | |
| R 2 | 0.09 | 0.10 | 0.24 | |
| Adj. R 2 | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.20 | |
| Num. obs. | 1094 | 1824 | 401 | |
| RMSE | 5.08 | 5.08 | 4.87 | |
| *** p< 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05 | ||||
Separate modeling shows that in cohorts born in 1964-1996, the average height of hockey players who participated in the world championships in 2001-2016 increased at a rate of 0.4 cm per decade for defenders, 0.7 cm for forwards, and (!) 2.4 cm for goalkeepers. For three decades, the average height of goalkeepers has increased by 7 cm!
It's time to compare these changes with the population averages.
Comparison with the population
The results of the regression analysis record significant cross-country differences. Therefore, it makes sense to compare by country: hockey players of a certain country with the male population of the same country.
To compare the height of ice hockey players with the average male population, I used data from a relevant scientific article (PDF). I copied the data from the article (using the wonderful tabula program) and also posted it in the public domain.
R code. Loading Hatton, T. J., & Bray, B. E. (2010) Data and Preparing for Analysis
# download the data from Hatton, T. J., & Bray, B. E. (2010). # Long run trends in the heights of European men, 19th – 20th centuries. # Economics & Human Biology, 8 (3), 405-413. # http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2010.03.001 # stable URL, copied data (https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3394795.v1) df_hb<- read.csv("https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/5303878") df_hb <- df_hb %>% gather ("country", "h_pop", 2: 16)%>% mutate (period = paste (period))%>% separate (period, c ("t1", "t2"), sep = "/" )%>% transmute (cohort = (as.numeric (t1) + as.numeric (t2)) / 2, country, h_pop) # calculate hockey players "cohort height averages for each country df_hoc<- dfu %>% group_by (country, cohort)%>% summarise (h_hp = mean (av.height))%>% ungroup ()
Unfortunately, the data on the dynamics of population growth intersect with only 8 countries from my hockey dataset: Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden.
R code. Overlapping data
# countries in both data sets both_cnt<- levels(factor(df_hb$country)) both_cnt
R code. Figure 6. Comparison of the dynamics of increase in the growth of the male population and hockey players. Note: green - male population; brown - hockey players.
gg_hoc_vs_pop<- ggplot()+ geom_path(data = df_hb %>% filter (country% in% both_cnt), aes (x = cohort, y = h_pop), color = brbg11, size = 1) + geom_point (data = df_hb%>% filter (country% in% both_cnt), aes (x = cohort, y = h_pop), color = brbg11, size = 2) + geom_point (data = df_hb%>% filter (country% in% both_cnt), aes (x = cohort, y = h_pop), color = "white" , size = 1.5) + geom_point (data = df_hoc%>% filter (country% in% both_cnt), aes (x = cohort, y = h_hp), color = brbg11, size = 2, pch = 18) + stat_smooth (data = df_hoc%>% filter (country% in% both_cnt), aes (x = cohort, y = h_hp), method = "lm", se = F, color = brbg11, size = 1) + facet_wrap (~ country, ncol = 2) + ylab ("height, cm") + xlab ("birth cohort") + theme_few (base_size = 15) + theme (panel.grid = element_line (color = "gray75", size = .25))
In all analyzed countries, hockey players are 2-5 cm taller than statistical men. But this is not surprising - there is a significant selection in sports.
Another thing is remarkable. In the developed countries of the world, a particularly rapid increase in the growth of the male population took place in the first middle of the 20th century. In cohorts born around the 1960s, the height of men approached a plateau and ceased to grow rapidly. The average growth trend of hockey players in all countries (except for some reason Denmark) seems to have continued the suspended long-term trend of the entire male population.
For cohorts of Europeans born in the first half of the 20th century, the rate of increase in average height varied from 1.18 to 1.74 cm per decade, depending on the country (Figure 7). Since the 1960s, this indicator has dropped to the level of 0.15-0.80 in 10 years.
R code. Figure 7. Average dynamics of male population growth
# growth in population df_hb_w<- df_hb %>% spread (cohort, h_pop) names (df_hb_w)<- paste("y",names(df_hb_w)) diffs <- df_hb_w[,3:26]-df_hb_w[,2:25] df_hb_gr<- df_hb_w %>% transmute (country, gr_1961_1980 = unname (apply (diffs [, 22: 24], 1, mean, na.rm = T)) * 2, gr_1901_1960 = unname (apply (diffs [, 9: 21], 1, mean , na.rm = T)) * 2, gr_1856_1900 = unname (apply (diffs [, 1: 8], 1, mean, na.rm = T)) * 2)%>% gather ("period", "average_growth ", 2: 4)%>% filter (country% in% both_cnt)%>% mutate (country = factor (country, levels = rev (levels (factor (country)))), period = factor (period, labels = c ("1856-1900", "1901-1960", "1961-1980"))) gg_hb_growth<- ggplot(df_hb_gr, aes(x=average_growth,y=country))+ geom_point(aes(color=period),size=3)+ scale_color_manual(values = brbg11)+ scale_x_continuous(limits=c(0,2))+ facet_wrap(~period)+ theme_few()+ xlab("average growth in men"s height over 10 years, cm")+ ylab(NULL)+ theme_few(base_size = 20)+ theme(legend.position="none", panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25))
Against the background of a stagnating trend in the population, the increase in the growth of hockey players looks very impressive. And the acceleration among goalkeepers is generally unprecedented.
Don't forget about selection. The divergence of trends in the population and among hockey players is probably indicative of increasing selection - hockey requires more and more growth for a successful career.
Breeding in sports
Looking through the scientific literature on the topic, I came across a remarkable result. It turns out that people born in the first half of the year prevail in professional sports. This is explained by the fact that sports sections, as a rule, form children's teams according to birth cohorts. Thus, those born at the beginning of the year always have a little more time behind them, which is often directly expressed in physical superiority over their peers born at the end of the year. It is easy to check this result on our dataset.
R code. Figure 8. Distribution of hockey players by month of birth
# check if there are more players born in earlier months df_month<- df %>% mutate (month = month (birth))%>% mutate (month = factor (month, levels = rev (levels (factor (month))))) gg_month<- ggplot(df_month,aes(x=factor(month)))+ geom_bar(stat="count",fill=brbg11)+ scale_x_discrete(breaks=1:12,labels=month.name)+ xlab("month of birth")+ coord_flip()+ theme_few(base_size = 20)+ theme(legend.position="none", panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25))
Indeed, the distribution is rather strongly biased towards the early months. If you break down the data by decades of birth, you can see with the naked eye that the effect increases with time (Figure 9). Indirectly, this indicates that selection in hockey is becoming tougher.
R code. Figure 9. Distribution of hockey players by months of birth, separately by decades of birth
# facet by decades df_month_dec<- df_month %>% mutate (dec = factor (substr (paste (cohort), 3,3), labels = paste ("born in", c ("1960s", "1970s", "1980s", "1990s")))) gg_month_dec<- ggplot(df_month_dec,aes(x=factor(month)))+ geom_bar(stat="count",fill=brbg11)+ scale_x_discrete(breaks=1:12,labels=month.abb)+ xlab("month of birth")+ facet_wrap(~dec,ncol=2,scales = "free")+ theme_few(base_size = 20)+ theme(legend.position="none", panel.grid=element_line(colour = "grey75",size=.25))
For the future
It will be interesting to see if physical data affects the game statistics of hockey players. I came across an entertaining article published in a very decent scientific journal, in which the authors found a correlation between the ratio of the proportions of a hockey player's face and the average number of penalty minutes per game.
Reproducibility
A complete R script that reproduces the results of my article,.
Used version R-3.2.4
All packages as of 2016-03-14. In case of package incompatibilities, this code will be guaranteed to be reproduced when using the checkpoint package with the corresponding date.
The fans waited with great interest for the publication of the application of the Russian national team for the Olympic Games, but Oleg Znarok kept the coveted list secret until the last, and only on January 25 - two weeks before the opening of the Games. On the other hand, the coaching staff probably had to make some changes to it after it became known that the IOC did not give invitations to the Olympics: Anton Belov, Alexey Bereglazov, Mikhail Naumenkov, Valery Nichushkin, Sergey Plotnikov. However, only the last of the five seemed to be an obvious candidate for a trip to South Korea.
As a result, the final list of Znarka included hockey players from only three KHL clubs, 15 of them representing the St. Petersburg SKA, which the coach of the Russian national team heads concurrently. The full application of 25 people looks like this:
Goalkeepers: Vasily Koshechkin (Metallurg Mg), Ilya Sorokin (CSKA), Igor Shesterkin (SKA);
Defenders: Vyacheslav Voinov, Vladislav Gavrikov, Artyom Zub, Andrey Zubarev, Dinar Khafizullin (all - SKA), Bogdan Kiselevich, Alexey Marchenko, Nikita Nesterov (all - CSKA);
Forwards: Sergey Andronov, Mikhail Grigorenko, Kirill Kaprizov, Ivan Telegin (all - CSKA), Alexander Barabanov, Nikita Gusev, Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kablukov, Sergey Kalinin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Nikolay Prokhorkin, Vadim Shipachev, Sergey Shirokov (all - SKA), Sergey Mozyakin (Metallurg Mg).
At the same time, three hockey players remain in the nearest reserve of the national team and will prepare for the Games together with the team. We are talking about defenders Nikita Tryamkin (Avtomobilist) and Yegor Yakovlev (SKA), as well as striker Vladimir Tkachev (Ak Bars).
“They will be with us at the training camp until the last day. Three matches, anything can happen ", - explained the head of the scouting service of the Russian national team Alexei Zhamnov on the air of the TV channel" Russia 24 ".
As already mentioned, there are only three hockey clubs in the national team: SKA (15 players), CSKA (eight) and Metallurg Magnitogorsk (two). There was no place in the application for any representative of the two best clubs of the Eastern Conference - "Ak Bars" and "Salavat Yulaev". Even Tkachev from Kazan, who ranks third in the KHL sniper race, was only in the reserve three. But SKA striker Alexander Barabanov received an invitation to the Games, having scored only ten goals in the regular league championship.
Until the end, it remained unclear whether 36-year-old Metallurg Magnitogorsk striker Sergei Mozyakin would be included in the application. As a result, Znarok decided that the experience of the two-time world champion of the national team in Pyeongchang would not hurt, especially since in the current composition of the team, only three people had previously played at the Olympic Games: Pavel Datsyuk, Ilya Kovalchuk and Vyacheslav Voinov. Moreover, for Datsyuk and Kovalchuk, the Games in Pyeongchang will be the fifth in their careers. Both made their debuts in 2002 in Salt Lake City, where the Russians won bronze.
“We are all very happy for Mozyakin, who will go to his first Olympics. He earned this right and was absolutely worthy of being called up to the Russian national team. All of Sergei's injuries are left behind, now Mozyakin is undergoing super training, "- quotes the words of the vice-president of Metallurg Magnitogorsk Gennady Velichkin" Championship ".
"We have a good lineup"
The President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR) Vladislav Tretyak called the presented Olympic squad strong.
“We want to win. We really want it, especially since we haven't done it for a long time. We have a good staff, headquarters, it is also important that God help. Luck is also very important, although, of course, the strongest are lucky, ”the functionary emphasized.
Also, the head of the FHR told how the Russian team can become the champion in South Korea.
“From personal experience, I can say that the main conditions for victory will be discipline and team play. Today, success consists of playing in the majority and minority, now the main thing for coaches is to arrange these schemes, then there will be success. Well, my heart ... "Russia in my heart" is a very good slogan that the guys liked. We have a single team, God forbid, to have success with us, we really want to win, "- added Tretyak.
As for the goalkeeper's position, the functionary suggested that Vasily Koshechkin would start the tournament at the base.
“He showed a very strong game at the Channel One Cup, which gives him a chance to start the Olympic tournament at the base. But all goalkeepers have chances, and everything is decided at the last moment, everything will depend on the state of health. We have a good goalkeeper line, and a lot depends on the goalkeeper. His game is 50-60% of success, ”TASS quotes Tretyak.
"Znarok is the head coach, and he is responsible for everything"
For comments on the composition of RT, he turned to the former coach of the Russian national team, Vladimir Plyushchev. , which at one time called hockey players from more than a dozen clubs under the banner of the national team and was surprised by the absence of Tkachev in the Olympic composition.
- Is it fair that 15 out of 25 players at once represent SKA?
- Nothing surprising. At the Eurotour, the coaching staff built the team in exactly the same way. There, too, there were enough hockey players from the St. Petersburg club.
Also on the topic
"Disappointed with the Olympic movement": how the world reacted to the new suspension of Russian athletesThe International Olympic Committee denied access to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang to 34 Russian athletes at once. In this list ...
- Only three clubs are represented in the application of the national team, and Metallurg Magnitogorsk has only two hockey players. Didn't other clubs find people worthy of a trip to the Olympic Games? The leaders of the Eastern Conference "Ak Bars" and "Salavat Yulaev" are not represented at all.
- The principle of the formation of the national team is entirely determined by Oleg Znarok, and it is difficult to comment on anything here. He considered that this option would be optimal for the Olympic Games. Znarok is the head coach, and he is responsible for everything together with his staff. I can only say that when I was in charge of the national team, I called people from 12 clubs at once.
- How logical is the presence of Sergei Mozyakin on the list? He has scored only 19 goals this season in the KHL.
- Seryozha is a master with a capital letter. If he is attracted for more than just entourage, he can really help, given the absence of the NHL guys. There are no secrets for Mozyakin in hockey, and he knows how to score like no one else.
- Why, in your opinion, is SKA striker Alexander Barabanov on Oleg Znark's list, who scored 10 goals, but Vladimir Tkachev, who is third in the KHL sniper race, was left out?
- Only Znarok should answer this question. Apparently, Tkachev does not fit into his concept. But already at the last stage of the Eurotour everything was clear. Although, of course, Vladimir could have been preferred.
25 hockey players against the IOC lawlessness. They will go to Korea to fight for Russia
Oleg Znarok announced the composition for the Olympics.
Live broadcast of "Russia 24" Vladislav Tretyak and Alexey Zhamnov the composition of the Russian national ice hockey team for the Olympics in Pyeongchang. 25 hockey players included in the application will go to Korea, as well as three reservists - Egor Yakovlev, Nikita Tryamkin and Vladimir Tkachev.
Znarok named the composition of the Russian national team at the OI-2018. Mozyakin is coming! LIVE
25 hockey players who will go to Pyeongchang for Olympic gold.
Goalkeepers
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 36 games, KN - 1.58, OB - 93%
Statistics on the Eurotour: 2 games, KN - 2, OB - 93.4%
The strongest young goalkeeper in the country who has not yet gone overseas. Ilya Sorokin is called to the Islanders, but so far, instead of conquering the NHL, he chose the Olympics and the fight for the Gagarin Cup. The 22-year-old goalkeeper has two world championships and two playoffs as the first number of CSKA. Until recently, it was considered as the first number of the national team at the Games, but Koshechkin's return to the national team intensified competition.
("Metallurgist")
Statistics in the KHL: 38 games, KN - 2.26, OB - 93.1%
Statistics at the Eurotour: 2 games, KN - 0.5, OB - 93.1%
Two Gagarin Cups, world championship medals of all dignity, enormous experience - all this, of course, inspires, but a place at the Olympics does not guarantee. and remained just a well-deserved goalkeeper, if not added this season. When it was hard for “Magnitogorsk”, it was the two-meter-tall gate guard who supported her on his mighty shoulders. Koshechkin first pushed Samsonov into the club, and then, having gone to the Channel One Cup, did the same with Sorokin. Znark needed an experienced goalkeeper for the Olympics, he got it.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 27 games, KN - 1.77, OB - 93%
Statistics at the Eurotour: 1 game, KN - 3.07, OB - 82.4%
Nobody questions the prospects of Igor Shesterkin, but he just can't get out of the shadows. In SKA, the main goalkeeper is still Mikko Koskinen, and in the national team, the St. Petersburg "soldier" is number three every time. This was the case at two World Championships in a row, and it is unlikely that anything will change at the Olympics.
Defenders
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 44 games, 0 + 16, "+21"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 0 + 1
Stronghold of CSKA defense. Assistant to the captain in his club, and at the last World Cup - the best defender of the Russian national team along with Gavrikov. It is noteworthy that he is the only CSKA player to spend more than 20 minutes per game on the ice on average. So far he has not scored this season either for the national team or for the club, but with his attacking potential he can correct this misunderstanding already in Korea.
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 42 games, 3 + 16, "+9"
Euro Tour stats: 5 games, 2 + 2
The most productive CSKA defender with a Russian passport. Almost the only one in the entire defensive line of the Moscow club, which is allowed to take risks. However, if Igor Nikitin gave Nikita Nesterov more freedom, his statistics would look much more impressive. The Chelyabinsk resident did not return from the NHL in the summer for nothing: he is not just going to the Olympics, but will be a key player in the national team in Korea, without whom it is impossible to imagine the majority.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 39 games, 9 + 14, "+4"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 0 + 3
If Nesterov among CSKA defenders is second only to Canadian Mat Robinson, then in SKA - to Swede Patrick Hersley. At the same time, the Russian plays more varied than the representative of Tre Kronur. Voinov is capable of starting an attack with the first pass, and sharply connecting, and from this season he more and more often scores in the style of ... Hersley. Someone will remember the Sochi Olympics and Granlund's race in the quarterfinals, which made Voinov an antihero. However, in Pyeongchang there will be a completely different level, at which Vyacheslav is practically irreplaceable. Especially considering his right grip.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 49 games, 5 + 9, "+20"
Euro Tour statistics: 4 games, 0 + 1
For the first time Znarok called Vladislav Gavrikov to the first team when he returned from the World Cup in Canada as the captain of the youth team. A reliable and physically strong defender ideally matches the model of Oleg Valerievich. The transition to SKA was only a matter of time. In Yaroslavl, in St. Petersburg, in the national team, Gavrikov plays discreetly, not very productively, but almost unmistakably. At the Olympics, he will pair with either Kiselevich or Voinov.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 27 games, 0 + 6, "+12"
Euro Tour statistics: 3 games, 0 + 0
The fact that he missed the Channel One Cup could have embarrassed someone, but those in the know already assured him that he would most likely go to the Olympics. His statistics are not outstanding even against the background of SKA partners. Health also sometimes fails. However, there are not many security defenders in our country. Could press Zubarev Ilya Lyubushkin- a player of similar texture, but in one of the last games for Lokomotiv he was injured.
Dinar Hafizullin (SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 43 games, 4 + 12, "+17"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 1 + 1
This native of Kazan has been in the SKA uniform for the fifth year, but before this season he had only one match for the Russian national team, and even then at the Eurotour. Khafizullin progressed, but could not reserve a place in the national team in any way. It is even strange that Znarok, working with Dinar on a daily basis, did not seem to notice him. The defender goes to Korea in the status of one of the leaders of the defense of his club. Hafizullin is a lightweight, mobile defender who can help an attack, but does not suffer from excessive adventurism.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 35 games, 0 + 5, "+10"
Euro Tour statistics: 1 game, 0 + 0
We might not have found out about this defender, if in 2013 Igor Kravchuk, at that time the head coach of the Russian junior national team, did not take the Khabarovsk resident to the World Championship in Sochi. Four years later, Zub played at the adult world championship, where he struck with his composure. In his native "Amur" he was trusted by the majority, but in SKA and the national team Artyom is aimed primarily at fulfilling his direct duties. At 22, he insures his partners and hardly panics.
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 40 games, 2 + 12, "+8"
Statistics on the Eurotour: 2, 0 + 0
According to his status, Alexei Marchenko should have been guaranteed a place in the Olympic composition of the Russian national team. Not only is he an NHL player in the recent past, but he was not in the last roles at the World Cup. Moreover, at the World Championships in Moscow, Marchenko made the best pair of the tournament together with Zaitsev. Yes, only after returning from overseas, he could not get in shape for a long time. Noticeably getting heavier, Alexei did not always get into CSKA. Recently, he has been receiving more than 20 minutes from Igor Nikitin, which is quite indicative, given that the “army team” coach in the national team is responsible for the defenders. Marchenko is more of a "stay-at-home", but for some reason they decided to play him in the majority at the First Channel Cup.
The composition of the Russian national team at the Olympics. Erykalov's version vs Panyshev's version
In a month, Oleg Znarok will announce the composition for the Olympics. Our observers staged a battle, naming their versions of the composition of the Russian national team.
Forwards
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 37 games, 8 + 27, "+7"
Statistics on the Eurotour: -
Like four years ago, Pavd Datsyuk's participation in the Olympics was questionable. Back in Sochi, he literally rode on one leg, but even not in the best condition, he became one of those who cannot be thrown a stone. In order for the Wizard to play in Pyeongchang, he was given sick leave and generally used in a sparing mode. It is significant that Datsyuk did not play a single match at the Eurotour. But whether he will be able to lead the national team as well as in Sochi is a big question. After the shock start of the season for SKA, Pavel went into the shadows.
Thank you for not pressing Datsyuk. What composition will Znarok scrape together for the Olympics
Contrary to the mayhem of the IOC.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 53 games, 31 + 32, "+12"
Eurotour statistics: 2 games, 0 + 0
Together with Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, the current KHL scorer, will also go to Pyeongchang. Four years ago, they were not yet teammates, but they were already playing enough in one link. The third in this combination was Alexander Radulov, who now makes a rustle in the NHL. It is not yet clear who will take his place at the upcoming Olympics. In order for the link with Datsyuk and Kovalchuk to be truly striking, an equal partner must play with them. There is simply no such thing in Znark's deck. As there is no Plotnikov, who played for a long time with Pavel and Ilya in the club.
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 41 games, 3 + 5, "+5"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 0 + 0
The CSKA captain is not even included in the top twenty most productive defenders of his team. Perhaps - the player who is revealed in the national team? But here, too, his statistics are depressing: not a single point in five games at the Eurotour. However, don't look at the numbers. Andronov is a fighter to look for. Perhaps this is the best power center forward in the country. Moreover, he is able not only to restrain the shock links, but also to dictate the pace.
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 44 games, 7 + 7, "+12"
Euro Tour statistics: 4 games, 0 + 1
The power pair of forwards Andronov-Telegin is not spilling water. They support both CSKA and the Russian national team. Ivan acts a little more efficiently than Sergei, but globally their functions on the ice coincide. Telegin also stood out at the World Cup for his punching speed, resembling a crazy electric train, and at the Olympics, he will even more than keep up with him.
Nikita Gusev (SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 53 games, 22 + 40, "+25"
Euro Tour stats: 5 games, 1 + 6
The second scorer of not only SKA, but of the entire KHL championship, as well as the Russian national team in the current Eurotour draw. But in terms of creativity and entertainment, Gusev has no equal. He was already accustomed to the leadership burden in the club, and at the World Championships in Cologne he tried his hand at the international level. And he passed this test successfully. Nikita is one of those from whom we will expect goals, assists, and, if possible, a simple thrill from the game in Pyeongchang.
Sergey Kalinin (SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 49 games, 15 + 16, "+26"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 3 + 1
Omich won gold at the World Championship back in 2014. We all know Sergei Kalinin as a Znark man. However, after returning from the NHL, he appeared as a more versatile hockey player. Kalinin can play both in the center and on the edge. He is equally comfortable among destroyers and surrounded by stars. Sergei is one of the candidates for a seat next to Datsyuk and Kovalchuk. Really surprising is its performance. 15 goals for SKA and three for the national team are the statistics of a real sniper, not a simple hard worker.
Vadim Shipachev (SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 21 games, 9 + 16 points, "+11"
Eurotrip statistics: 2 games, 0 + 1
At the Channel One Cup, Shipachev let Znarka and his partners down with a stupid removal to the end of the game. On the eve of the Olympics, he did not play for SKA as brightly as, say, in early December or before leaving for the NHL. However, the reality is that even in an imperfect form, Shipachev is the second, if not the first, center of the Russian national team in Korea. When he just left Vegas, there was talk that Vadim had already closed his way to the Olympics. In reality, no one dared to abandon a dispatcher of this level.
Kirill Kaprizov (CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 46 games, 15 + 25, "+22"
Euro Tour statistics: 5 games, 2 + 0
Kirill Kaprizov cannot score in nine games in a row for CSKA. In the last 16 games he has just one goal. He could have interrupted the black streak in Kazan, but his goal against Ak Bars was canceled. As it turned out, by mistake. All this called into question the participation of Kaprizov at the Olympics. However, even without scoring, he continues to gain points and benefit the team. In the end, Kirill is still CSKA's top scorer. In the national team, despite his age, he must form the second striking link together with Gusev.
(CSKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 45 games, 10 + 13, "+15"
Euro Tour stats: 5 games, 4 + 3
Like Shalunov, he is a versatile person. Only to his current role did he come from the other side. All his life, the Khabarovsk resident played in the center of the attack, but during this season he was transferred to the flank. And for the first time it worked just in the national team. Once in the role of the winger, he scored a hat-trick! In order to center at the highest level, Grigorenko lacks toughness and defensive skills. But the striker, who exchanged the NHL for CSKA in the offseason, has no problems with the technical equipment. He is good both at playing along and at finishing the moments.
("Metallurgist")
Statistics in the KHL: 42 games, 19 + 23, "-1"
Euro Tour statistics: 3 games, 0 + 3
The main intrigue of the squad is revealed! still going to the Olympics. Four years ago, when the captain of Magnitka was at the peak of his career, he heard the verdict from Zinetula Bilyaletdinov. "He won't make it to the gate!" - blurted out the head coach of that team. The znarok did not become like his predecessor, although it must be understood that the Olympics with and without NHL players are completely different tournaments. Against the background of the Swedes, Finns and Czechs, with whom Mozyakin regularly plays in the KHL, he is still a formidable force. The 36-year-old debutant of the Olympic Games has no health problems, he healed his injury. The only question is in the role that Znarok has prepared for him.
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 45 games, 10 + 12, "+17"
Statistics on the Eurotour: 3, 0 + 0
If Lyubushkin's injury blocked his way to Korea, then Barabanov, who has not played for SKA since January 9, was included in the final application. Apparently, his recovery has reached the home stretch. This season the motor forward is playing a little less brightly than last, but the 23-year-old striker already has a World Cup under his belt. In Cologne, he played in a squad with the destroyers, but is able not to spoil the weather next to the masters. In many ways, the right winger Barabanov got to the Olympics due to the fact that the IOC did not allow Nichushkin and Plotnikov, his direct competitors.
The znarok already knew everything. Four hockey players were not invited to the Olympics
We got to the hockey players. Is there anything threatening Znark himself?
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 48 games, 19 + 22, "+25"
Euro Tour statistics: 3 games, 0 + 1
It seemed that the head coach would be faced with a choice between Sergei Shirokov and Sergei Mozyakin. However, both go to Korea. Apparently, Znarok plans to use his SKA ward not on the left, but on the right flank. Fortunately, Shirokov's universalism allows. The two-time world champion has a great club season, but when he comes to the national team, he dissolves. How will it be at the first Olympics for him?
(SKA)
Statistics in the KHL: 46 games, 16 + 17, "+25"
Statistics on the Eurotour: -
Along with Datsyuk, he is a rare Olympian who went to Korea without having played a single match at the Eurotour this season. But if the SKA veteran missed the stages for health reasons, then his young colleague did not play more than the Olympic team. However, it is he who goes to the Olympics, and not Vladimir Tkachev or Maxim Shalunova. Prokhorkin never played at the world championships, and his club statistics are worse than those of the Kazan or Chelyabinsk, but the registration predetermined this choice. In fairness, Nikolai is a talented guy, and his bond with Gusev at the start of the season looked quite promising.
Russian hockey fans have finally waited - the Russian national team on Wednesday, February 14, will play its first match at the Olympic tournament in Pyeongchang. The rival of our hockey players will be the team of Slovakia.
In Group B, in addition to Russia and Slovakia, teams from the USA and Slovenia will also play, and it is possible that Craig Ramsey's wards will finish the group stage in second place. Still, the Americans were not particularly impressed by the recently held German Cup, and the Slovaks are quite capable of beating the overseas national team.
As a result of the National Hockey League's refusal to release its players to the Olympic Games in Korea, the hockey tournament looks, on the one hand, very unpredictable, and on the other, less spectacular.
On paper, the Russian squad appears to be the strongest in the tournament,
And if you poll the fans, the overwhelming majority will expect only gold from the Russians. The last time our country won the Olympic Games was 26 years ago - 1992. By the way, also under the Olympic flag. True, then at the award ceremony the "Patriotic Song" by Mikhail Glinka, which remained the anthem of Russia until 2000, sounded.
In French Albertville, the situation was exactly the opposite. Then the Russians were not considered favorites, and many experts predicted the overthrow of the kings of Olympic hockey in recent decades. This was explained by the fact that many of our stars had already left for the NHL, and, as you know, the North American League began to let its hockey players go to the Olympic Games only since 1998.
The composition of the national team was recruited with difficulty and from those who remained in the country. But, in spite of everything, the Russians celebrated the victory in the Olympic tournament.
26 years later, Russia comes to the Olympics as the undisputed favorite of the Games. For the first time since 1994, the Olympic tournament will be held without active NHL players, and in this scenario, the composition of the national team greatly surpasses all others. By the way, former NHL stars, who are still remembered overseas, will play in the Russian national team.
First of all, we are talking about Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, who spent many years in the strongest league on the planet. Our superstars are really well remembered in the USA and Canada, and the American media giant ESPN made a number of compliments towards the hockey players.
"A player with a great shot and a dream of Olympic gold, Kovalchuk should become the leader of the Russian national team. He is ready to play consistently in the top echelon and can become the strength of this team. He has great statistics in the KHL, and he is considering returning to the NHL.
If you missed Pavel Datsyuk's game, this is your last chance to see the wizard on North American television.
The 39-year-old forward and potential Hall of Fame member will be captain of the Russian national team. He still has the skill, "says a post about hockey on the ESPN website.
The opening match of the tournament with the Slovaks cannot be called an easy walk, since this will be the first official game of the Russians in this line-up. Prior to this, Oleg Znark's charges held a number of friendly matches with Belarus, Moscow “Spartak” and South Korea. Moreover, the game with the hosts of the Olympics took place after the opening ceremony of the Games, and the Russians defeated the Koreans with a score of 8: 1.
It is clear that with the upcoming rival, such a removal of the body most likely will not happen, however, today's Slovakia can hardly be called the leading hockey power. Many remember the Slovaks' entry into the semifinals of the Vancouver Olympic Games, but that was already eight years ago. Since then, the level of hockey in this country has been declining, although it still remains the popular and most popular game.
This was also stated by the general manager of the Slovak national team, Miroslav Shatan, a former NHL star.
He noted that the national team of the country in the current times can hardly pose a great danger to Russia in its current composition, but expressed the hope that the players of Slovakia will be able to surprise.
Hockey players of the Russian national team are not going to underestimate the importance of the opening match and try not to pay attention to the status of favorites.
Forward Ivan Telegin shared his expectations from the Olympic tournament.
“On paper, anyone can be a favorite. The most important thing is what will happen on the ice. Then let's talk about favorites.
All the guys in the team are comfortable playing with each other, everyone knows each other. We play together in clubs, played in the national team at different tournaments, so the mutual understanding is good, "- the glory of the Olympic Channel hockey player quotes.
The head coach of the Slovak national team, Craig Ramsey, said that his players would definitely not be afraid of the Russians.
The composition of the Russian national ice hockey team at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyecheng
| № | Player | Amplua | Age | Growth | Weight |
| 83 | Vasily Vladimirovich Koshechkin | goalkeeper | 27.03.1983 | 200 | 110 |
| 31 | Ilya I. Sorokin | goalkeeper | 04.08.1995 | 188 | 80 |
| 30 | Igor Olegovich Shesterkin | goalkeeper | 30.12.1995 | 185 | 83 |
| 26 | Vyacheslav Leonidovich Voinov | defender | 15.01.1990 | 182 | 84 |
| 4 | Vladislav Andreevich Gavrikov | defender | 21.11.1995 | 190 | 97 |
| 2 | Artyom Valerievich Tooth | defender | 03.10.1995 | 188 | 90 |
| 28 | Andrey Sergeevich Zubarev | defender | 03.03.1987 | 185 | 101 |
| 55 | Bogdan A. Kiselevich | defender | 14.02.1990 | 184 | 94 |
| 53 | Alexey Igorevich Marchenko | defender | 02.01.1992 | 189 | 93 |
| 89 | Nikita Danilovich Nesterov | defender | 28.03.1993 | 181 | 90 |
| 44 | Egor Konstantinovich Yakovlev | defender | 17.09.1991 | 182 | 87 |
| 11 | Sergey Vladimirovich Andronov | forward | 19.07.1989 | 189 | 96 |
| 94 | Alexander Dmitrievich Barabanov | forward | 17.06.1994 | 179 | 89 |
| 25 | Mikhail Olegovich Grigorenko | forward | 16.05.1994 | 190 | 83 |
| 97 | Nikita Andreevich Gusev | forward | 08.07.1992 | 180 | 82 |
| 13 | Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk | forward | 20.07.1978 | 182 | 86 |
| 29 | Ilya Andreevich Kablukov | forward | 18.01.1988 | 189 | 88 |
| 21 | Sergey Pavlovich Kalinin | forward | 17.03.1991 | 190 | 100 |
| 77 | Kirill Olegovich Kaprizov | forward | 26.04.1997 | 178 | 87 |
| 71 | Ilya Valerievich Kovalchuk | forward | 15.04.1983 | 190 | 103 |
| 10 | Sergey Valerievich Mozyakin | forward | 30.03.1981 | 180 | 86 |
| 74 | Nikolay Nikolaevich Prokhorkin | forward | 17.09.1993 | 189 | 91 |
| 7 | Ivan Alekseevich Telegin | forward | 28.02.1992 | 193 | 90 |
| 87 | Vadim Alexandrovich Shipachev | forward | 12.03.1987 | 185 | 86 |
| 52 | Sergey Sergeevich Shirokov | forward | 10.03.1986 | 179 | 89 |
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