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The "Lazy Russian" Fallacy |
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As a Canadian I do feel it very trying to defend Russian players but after listening to all the instantaneous garbage spat about them I really have to take a stand. The idea of the Russian player has been cemented in peoples minds perhaps longer than they could care think about. You know, the easy “Highly talented, enigmatic, difficult, lazy players.” I would like to intercede in this belief and show that it is humans and thus players whom are lazy and not one race of players.
The moniker of “skill” seems to follow foreign players and Russians in particular around like a disease, when one describes a Canadian player one often mentions hard work and determination, when one describes a Russian they mention extreme skill and inconsistency.
The fallacy starts with the idea that Russian players have this added level of talent (Often their draft status), this is not so. The fact remains that the NHL like any smart league looks to draft players who in the end will be good players in their league and above all else will have a future in their league. Wasting picks on somebody with an unlikely future in the league is stupid and impractical.
The “Russian Factor” we have all heard of it. What it is, is the idea that due to Russian players having an attachment to home only those who would profit from leaving would be likely to do so therefore to draft unlikely candidates is unprofitable. The Russians drafted often then are the most highly skilled players of their countrymen, whether they have other attributes are often ignored as talent takes precedent when dealing with Russians it seems. Like many players who are highly skilled, unless one is an Ovechkin/Crosby etc. The fact is it is an upward climb to become an NHLer.
When you read a list of draft eligible Canadians versus a list of draft eligible Russians you would be extremely surprised at the almost identical numbers of players involved and yet nobody ever notices the “Hard working” Russian players. In Canada the grinding power forward is emulated and loved, the two-way player always high in prestige and the 3rd line stalwart always remembered. In Russia it is the finesse and skilled game that takes on a persona of its own likening itself to the way soccer fans enjoy the “Beautiful Game.” Yet in the end if I could describe the KHL as a league I would say it is a Defensive League, one in which shows the importance of two-way play over serious offensive ability.
The fallacy becomes a constant in that North American audiences only ever meet the “Most talented” Russian players, which like all non-franchise players are what they are 2nd line inconsistent players. The fact is players like Michael Ryder, Phil Kessel, Alexander Semin, Nikolai Zherdev, Guillaume Latendresse, Beniot Pouliot, James Sheppard, Wojtek Wolski, and a host of others regardless of nationality are the same player, whether you think they have extra talent or hidden superstar gear is irrelevant, they are all in various degrees of skill, inconsistent players who have periods of dominance.
I have watched a lot of KHL and MHL hockey and have seen a ton of players that have gone undrafted and will likely stay that way that would be a player would could become a 3rd liner some day. The reason they are not drafted is simple, why use a pick on somebody who one day could become a 3rd/4th liner (Something GMs do all the time with North American Players) when it would take years to get him to develop, he would need time to adjust to the new ice surface, he would need to learn English, he would need to be persuaded that relocating while being paid the same amount of money is good and that a chance to play on a bottom line in the NHL is better than playing say in the top-6 of the KHL. An NHL GM knows that it is much easier to draft a CHL or USDP player to fit that role as they would take very little convincing and investment.
In conclusion what people see for the most part in America is the quintessential “Talent” of the country of Russia. That is why there are so few Russians in the NHL today and why there are so many questions of “heart.”
I really wish this easy label of calling Russians lazy can come to an end and start by becoming the label of calling lazy players lazy regardless of where they are from. Every team has it’s lazy player and while the most media hyped are Russian the majority are not when actually looked at with an un-skewed eye (Only 32 Russians played at least one game in the NHL last year out of 978 players).
Thanks for reading.
Follow me on Twitter @AdamFrenchReal
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