2010 World Championship

Host Cities: Cologne and Mannheim, Germany
May 7-23, 2010
RESULT: SILVER MEDAL

In the aftermath of the Winter Olympics, the IIHF World Championship predictably attracted significantly less elite players than usual. Russia was the only major national team to not have a single invited player refuse to participate. A whole set of players was unable to play due to injury, but most of Russia’s Olympians returned, making Russia the automatic favourite to win the championship for a third straight time. Former NHL enforcer Andrei Nazarov joined Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin on the coaching team. Despite the ultra-talented roster and strong team atmosphere, Russia did not dominate their opponents as expected, saving their limited energy. With Evgeni Nabokov and Ilya Bryzgalov each safeguarding Russia’s net all the way to the gold medal in 2008 and 2009, this year it was 22-year old Semyon Varlamov’s turn. Room was also made for other younger players like Nikolai Kulemin, Dmitry Kulikov, and Artem Anisimov, all of whom are likely to be part of the 2014 Olympic team. The additions of Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk (both of whom were busy in the Stanley Cup finals the previous two years) to captain Ilya Kovalchuk’s line led to some of the greatest chemistry and wizardry seen in the national team’s recent history. Russia’s best efforts came against the two most physical teams – Finland and Canada. While beating an outmatched Canadian team was no consolation for the quarterfinal loss in Vancouver, the victory meant that Russia sent Canada home for the third straight year at the WC. After barely eliminating Germany in the semifinal by a late but brilliant Datsyuk goal, Russia entered the gold medal final as a tired team that was continually frustrated by the Czechs from the very first shift (in which the Czechs opened scoring). A goal by Datsyuk was waived off as it came after time ran out in the first period. Russia’s discpline problems, including Alexei Emelin’s match-penalty hit on Jaromir Jagr, were untimely, as was the team’s inability to solve goaltender Tomas Vokoun. The team never gave up and in the tense last minute of the game, Datsyuk (who else?) one-timed Kovalchuk’s pass into the Czech net. It was too little and too late to save the game. Veterans Jagr and Sergei Fedorov, as well as Anisimov, were all injured in the match. The Czechs won their first gold since 2005, while Russia settled for its first silver since 2002. Datsyuk was named the tournament’s best forward and Malkin joined him on the media all-star team.

Game 1: Russia 3 – Slovakia 1
Goals: Afinogenov (Kozlov, Kulemin), Ovechkin (Fedorov), Kozlov (Tereshchenko) – Majesky (Bartovic)
Shots: Russia 34 – Slovakia 33
Saves: Koshechkin 32 – Budaj 31
PIM: Russia 8 – Slovakia 8

Game 2: Russia 4 – Kazakhstan 1
Goals: Ovechkin (Semin, Fedorov), Kovalchuk (Semin), Semin, Grebeshkov (Afinogenov, Kulemin) – Dudarev (Shafranov)
Shots: Russia 29 – Kazakhstan 19
Saves: Eremenko 18 – Eremeev 25
PIM: Russia 6 – Kazakhstan 10

Game 3: Russia 3 – Belarus 1
Goals: Mozyakin (Sushinsky, Nikulin), Ovechkin (Fedorov), Anisimov (Mozyakin, Atyushov) – Kalyuzhny (Ugarov, Denisov)
Shots: Russia 38 – Belarus 20
Saves: Varlamov 19 – Mezin 35
PIM: Russia 6 – Belarus 8

Game 4: Russia 3 – Germany 2
Goals: Kovalchuk (Frolov, Emelin), Kulemin (Afinogenov, Kozlov), Ovechkin (Semin) – Barta (Kreutzer, Felski)
Shots: Russia 36 – Germany 34
Saves: Varlamov 32 – Kotschnew 33
PIM: Russia 8 – Germany 8

Game 5: Russia 6 – Denmark 1
Goals: Datsyuk (Kovalchuk, Malkin), Ovechkin (Fedorov, Atyushov), Malkin (Kovalchuk, Datsyuk), Datsyuk (Malkin, Kovalchuk), Kulemin (Afinogenov, Anisimov) – Christensen (Regin, Green)
Shots: Russia 32 – Denmark 31
Saves: Koshechkin 30 – Andersen 26
PIM: Russia 12 – Denmark 10

Game 6: Russia 5 – Finland 0
Goals: Fedorov (Semin, Ovechkin), Malkin (Kovalchuk, Gonchar), Kulemin (Afinogenov, Anisimov), Emelin (Kovalchuk), Afinogenov (Kulikov)
Shots: Russia 35 – Finland 36
Saves: Varlamov 36 – Vehanen 30
PIM: Russia 22 – Finland 32

Quarterfinal: Russia 5 – Canada 2
Goals: Afinogenov (Kulikov, Atyushov), Datsyuk (Gonchar, Kovalchuk), Malkin (Kalinin, Kovalchuk), Fedorov (Atyushov), Malkin (Kovalchuk, Nikulin) – Tavares (Burns), Duchene (Cumiskey, Myers)
Shots: Russia 30 – Canada 27
Saves: Varlamov 25 – Mason 25
PIM: Russia 30 – Canada 48

Semifinal: Russia 2 – Germany 1
Goals: Malkin (Gonchar, Kovalchuk), Datsyuk – Goc (Schutz, Ehrhoff)
Shots: Russia 32 – Germany 27
Saves: Koshechkin 26 – Zepp 30
PIM: Russia 31 – Germany 8

Final: Russia 1 – Czech Republic 2
Goals: Datsyuk (Kovalchuk, Gonchar) – Klepis (Jagr), Rolinek (Rachunek)
Shots: Russia 36 – Czech Republic 25
Saves: Varlamov 23 – Vokoun 35
PIM: Russia 31 – Czech Republic 10

Roster:

Player	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
D #5 Ilya Nikulin	9	0	2	2	2
D #7 Dmitry Kalinin	9	0	1	1	0
D #22 Konstantin Korneev	9	0	0	0	2
D #27 Vitali Atyushov	9	0	4	4	4
D #37 Denis Grebeshkov	9	1	0	1	0
D #43 Dmitry Kulikov	9	0	2	2	8
D #55 Sergei Gonchar	5	0	4	4	0
D #74 Alexei Emelin	9	1	1	2	33
F #8 Alexander Ovechkin (A)	9	5	1	6	4
F #10 Sergei Mozyakin	4	1	1	2	0
F #11 Evgeni Malkin	5	5	2	7	10
F #13 Pavel Datsyuk	6	6	1	7	0
F #23 Alexei Tereshchenko	9	0	1	1	4
F #24 Alexander Frolov	8	0	1	1	2
F #28 Alexander Semin	8	1	4	5	12
F #29 Sergei Fedorov (A)	9	2	4	6	12
F #33 Maxim Sushinsky	5	0	1	1	8
F #41 Nikolai Kulemin	9	3	2	5	25
F #42 Artem Anisimov	9	1	2	3	6
F #52 Viktor Kozlov	9	1	2	3	2
F #61 Maxim Afinogenov	9	3	4	7	18
F #71 Ilya Kovalchuk (C)	9	2	10	12	2
Goaltender	GP	W	L	GAA	Save %	SO
G #1 Alexander Eremenko	1	1	0	1.00	94.7	0
G #40 Semyon Varlamov	5	4	1	1.41	95.1	1
G #83 Vasili Koshechkin	3	3	0	1.00	96.7	0