On its face, Canada's 1-8 record versus Russia/U.S.S.R/Unified Team in men's Olympic hockey does not look good for the country playing at home in tonight's quarter-final
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History on Canada's side for game against Russia
- February 24, 2010 2:53 PM |
- By Erin Valois
Story provided by
By Jeremy Sandler, National Post
On its face, Canada's 1-8 record versus Russia/U.S.S.R/Unified Team in men's Olympic hockey does not look good for the country playing at home in tonight's quarter-final.
Back in 2006, it was of course a 2-0 quarter-finals loss to the Russians that eliminated Canada from medal contention in Turin and stretched to eight games a losing streak that began in 2008.
But aside from the last Olympics, most of those meetings were between Red Army teams stacked with the best players the Soviet Union had to offer taking on a Canadian group missing almost all NHL-calibre talent.
Russia also beat Canada in the past two World Championship finals in a tournament that matched the best players not occupied by the NHL playoffs who were also willing to play for the national teams.
However, as it ended up in the famed 1972 Summit Series, recent best-on-best meetings swing the ledger in Canada's favour.
Since 1984, there have been Canada Cup tournaments, two World Cups of Hockey and three Olympic Games that included NHL players.
In those eight tournaments, Canada holds a 5-3-2 record in head-to-head match-ups with their arch-rivals, including a 3-2 record in medal-round play.
2006 Olympic quarter-finals
Russia 2 Canada 0
2004 World Cup of Hockey round robin
Canada 3 Russia 1
1996 World Cup of Hockey round robin
Canada 5 Russia 3
1991 Canada Cup round robin
Canada 3 U.S.S.R 3
1987 Canada Cup round robin
Canada 3 U.S.S.R 3
1987 Canada Cup best of three finals
U.S.S.R. 6 Canada 5 (OT)
Canada 6 U.S.S.R 5 (2OT)
Canada 6 U.S.S.R 5
1984 Canada Cup round robin
U.S.S.R 6 Canada 3
1984 Canada Cup semi-finals
Canada 3 U.S.S.R 2 (OT)
About the Author
- Bruce Arthur Bruce Arthur is the National Post's national sports columnist. A Vancouver native, he has been with the Post since 2001, and a columnist since 2005. He is covering his second Olympics, after the 2008 Games in Beijing. He expects these Games to be slightly less propagandistic, and for China to win slightly fewer medals.
- Joe O'Connor Joe O'Connor is a roving sports feature writer with an open-ended beat. He joined the National Post in 2002, and has spent the past seven years bouncing from sport to sport, offering fresh perspectives and delivering unique stories wherever he goes. Whether it has been getting Don Cherry to open up about his love life; George Chuvalo to talk about heartbreaking loss; or racing down the side of a mountain with former Crazy Canuck, Dave Irwin, the veteran Postie chases a story wherever it leads. Before joining the newspaper he was a two-time silver medalist at the National Magazine Awards. Vancouver will be his first Olympics.
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