Without NHL, Russia emerges as favorite for gold
Russia, OAR, ROC — whatever the name, now that the NHL is out of the Beijing Olympics, the Russians will be the favorites for the gold medal.
After the NHL withdrew from the Games on Wednesday to save a league schedule ravaged by virus outbreaks on numerous teams, Europe-based players are set to dominate the Olympic men’s tournament.
That puts the Russians, competing in Beijing as ROC (for Russian Olympic Committee), in a strong position to defend the gold medal it won in 2018 under the Olympic Athletes from Russia name. The name changes were required as part of Russia’s sanctions for doping-related issues across multiple Olympic sports.
Just as it was four years ago, the Kontinental Hockey League remains the strongest league outside the NHL. Russia has used the bigspending SKA St. Petersburg and CSKA Moscow clubs to keep some talented younger Russians at home when they might otherwise have moved to North America.
The Russian roster will be less familiar to North American fans than the 2018 lineup led by Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk, who haven’t officially retired but haven’t played this season.
Kovalchuk may be in Beijing in a manager role for the Russian Hockey Federation. Some 2018 gold medalists are now in the NHL, including Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov, Ottawa Senators defenseman Artem Zub and two of the three goaltenders: the New York Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin and Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin.
Expect center Vadim Shipachyov, briefly of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18, to star for the ROC. He has 21 goals and 36 assists in 40 games in the KHL this season for Dynamo Moscow.
Experienced forward Mikhail Grigorenko is available because he moved back to Russia this season after spending 2020-21 with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and former New Jersey Devils wing Nikita Gusev also likely will make the roster.
Former Los Angeles Kings defenseman Slava Voynov hasn’t played in the NHL since a 2014 domestic violence arrest and subsequent suspension, but he also is considered key to Russia’s plans.