2014 Sochi Olympics Hockey Preview: Russia

Well before the NHL even committed to allowing their players to participate in the Sochi Olympics, Russian players like Alexander Ovechkin were adamant about representing their country on the world’s biggest stage. Fast forward and the Russians have to be considered a favorite to win with firepower like Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk up front and the team playing in front of their home crowd.

In addition, the team sports the likes of Alexander Semin, Alexander Radulov, Andrei Markov and Fedor Tyutin. This is a team built to put offensive pressure on the opposition, and a team full of players who know what it takes to win.

If anything, the potential issue for the Russians is having too many players who want the puck and want to score. They will need to put aside personal accolades and play as a team if they intend to make it to the gold medal game in Sochi. Captain Pavel Datsyuk is one of the best players in the world, and as a strong leader, he will be a big factor in helping this team mesh on the ice.

Here’s the full roster for the Russian Olympic men’s hockey team:

Forwards

A. Anisimov
P. Datsyuk
I. Kovalchuk
N. Kulemin
E. Malkin
V. Nichushkin
A. Ovechkin
A. Popov
A. Radulov
A. Semin
A. Svitov
V. Tarasenko
A. Tereschenko
V. Tikhonov

Defense

A. Belov
S. Voynov
A. Emelin
A. Markov
Y. Medvedev
N. Nikitin
I. Nikulin
F. Tyutin

Goalies

S. Bobrovsky
S. Varlamov
A. Eremenko

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