Russia

Maria Sharapova will be included on the Russian tennis team for the 2016 Summer Olympics, even though her status remains uncertain after being banned from all competition.

Dmitriy Rogovitskiy of Reuters noted Thursday that Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev told R-Sport that Sharapova will be among the selections when the rosters are due June 6. She's been provisionally suspended from tennis since March after testing positive for meldonium.  

Sharapova took "full responsibility" for the failed test, which occurred during the Australian Open in January, per Christopher Clarey and Mike Tierney of the New York Times. The five-time major champion stated she didn't know about meldonium's placement on the banned list starting this year and had used the substance since 2006.

"I was getting sick very often," she said. "I had a deficiency in magnesium. I had irregular EKG results, and I had a family history of diabetes and there were signs of diabetes."

Sharapova, who had been dealing with a forearm injury before the suspension, hasn't played an event since the Australian Open, the season's first major. She's currently missing the second Grand Slam tournament, the French Open, where she won titles in 2012 and 2014.

Graham Dunbar of the Associated Press reported last month a final ruling in the case could be delivered in June. It's a projection based on the timeline provided by International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty, who stated the cases typically take two-to-three months.

The timetable could make her eligible for not only the Rio Olympics in August, but also Wimbledon, which begins in late June. It would be ideal for her to get some tournament action under her belt before the Summer Games in order to seriously compete for a medal.

Reuters noted Ekaterina Makarova would get a place on the team alongside Svetlana Kuznetsova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Daria Kasatkina if Sharapova is not cleared.

It was fitting that with their goalie pulled and the puck waiting at the front of the net, Alexander Radulov and the Russians were thrice denied by Finnish goalie Tuukka Rask.

The quarterfinal game ended in a 3-1 Russian loss that cut the host team loose from the Sochi Olympics and advanced Finland to one of Friday's semifinals to play Sweden. No matter what happens there, they will play again Saturday or Sunday for a chance to win a medal.

You felt an uncomfortable sense of betrayal when you looked at Russian Savior Vladimir Putin—the president who has ruled or co-ruled the country for the last 14 years—sulking in his luxury suite as the pride of his nation was worn out by its small Scandinavian neighbor to the northwest.

Putin has made himself the ubiquitous, strange, semi-sinister and unsmiling face of Russia; the first man to take shape in your mind—for good or ill—when you think of an otherwise dynamic country of musicians, writers and athletes. He said before the games that, for his country, hockey is the only medal that really matters.

Russia's concept of global politics and national pride had once again directed all the pressure to its hockey team to stand in for the greatness of the country and—for the third Olympic games in a row—it finished without a medal of any kind.

An impression formed during this tournament commensurate with miserable expectations of the Soviet and Unified Team eras—when Russia sent hardened professionals to play against amateurs and won eight gold medals—which were lousy with pressure, and then just like that, they were finished.

The critical difference now is that every nation uses its professionals, and Russia's skaters in any given Olympics are about as talented as those of any other great hockey nation. It is how they are coached and how they play that makes the difference. 

NBC analyst Mike Milbury did not think Russia felt the pressure of the moment enough.

"[The Russian effort] cost them a hockey game and it should cost them their egos," said Milbury on the post-game broadcast. "I don't think they came together and I never saw the effort from this team."

But far more accurate in terms of narrative than the negative angle of Russia failing is the fact that Finland, once again, has built a superb national hockey team.

Today it was their country of 6.5 million—the 2006 silver and 2010 bronze-medalists—against the mighty 143 million souls of Russian Motherland. For added weight there were the political history—the armies and occupations behind it—and for a setting they had the world's greatest hockey tournament staged deep in the heart of the Russian Realm.

Finland was simply a much better team. Their players sacrificed their bodies to block blast after Russian blast—stopping 14 shots from reaching their goalie in the last two periods alone. Their defense was tough, hitting where they could and disrupting Russia's wonderful offensive players on every quarter of the ice.

Forward Lauri Korpikoski personified that toughness when he took a slap-shot off the side of a skate that clearly hurt him. He limped through the end of his shift and to the bench, but was back on the ice without missing a shift. This was the Finnish team, a hardened bunch of battlers.

"We don't have that problem where we have a first line that has to play 25 minutes a game," said Finnish star Teemu Selanne. "We all accept our roles and know what we have to do and just believe. We know if we outwork the other team we have a good chance to win. Tonight's game was a perfect example."

Rask, the Boston Bruins' magnificent keeper during the NHL season, turned aside 37 of Russia's 38 shots on goal, allowing only one past him during a first period power play.

That Russian goal, its first and last, came at 7:51 of the first period and seemed to portend great feats. It was a beautiful goal executed by its two best players and the crowd at Bolshoy Ice Dome thundered like 1,000 freight trains. 

Ilya Kovalchuk had worked free near the goal line and glided backwards, facing the net between the two faceoff circles. Pavel Datsyuk, the great on-ice artist and one of the finest hockey players on earth, sent a sharp pass from near the corner boards directly into Kovalchuk's wheelhouse. He clobbered a one-timer that zipped over Rask's shoulder and into the net, then broke off into a hopping, ecstatic celebration with the crowd.

Alexander Ovechkin, without a doubt an individual marvel of a player, did next to nothing for his country's team in this tournament, and today was an embodiment of all that futility. As the game ended he had one total goal for the tournament. Against Finland he managed three shots on net. In the first period he was blasted into the boards by Olli Jokinen.

"Ovechkin said he liked the pressure and loved all the eyes on him. Well, there are eyes all over the place here in Russia and he hasn't done anything since the first four minutes of the tournament," said Jeremy Roenick, television analyst for NBC. "It will probably be remembered as the biggest failure in Olympic history for Russia."

Finland's first goal, the first period equalizer, was a true sign of things to come. Juhamatti Aaltonen collected the puck from a faceoff in Russia's zone, dangled beautifully along the bottom of the faceoff circle and stick-handled swiftly towards the goal crease in a few deft strides.

He put a sweeping, back-and-forth juke on Russian defenseman Nikita Nikitin and slipped the puck past goalie Semyon Varlamov. It was a 1-1 game—and Finland was just getting warmed up.

National hockey hero Selanne put his country ahead for good with 2:22 left in the first period. The play was set up by teammate Mikael Granlund, who collected the puck at the blue line after it had bounced over a Russian stick and made an end-to-end rush with it.

Granlund's shot on Varlamov bounced back out toward Selanne—the Finnish Flash—who turned on the afterburners to chase down the play and stuffed it in.

On the replay you could see Selanne calmly settle the puck between his skates before kicking it out to his stick and flicking it past the keeper. It was a high-skill goal that took the calm confidence and goal scorer's artistry that has made Selanne a legend both in the NHL and international hockey. 

These games mark Selanne's sixth Olympics, a period of 24 years when he has been the pride of Finland and a truly exquisite hockey player. At 43-years-old Selanne still has incredible speed, enough to blow by the youngest and fastest players of the next generation, and all the skill of a master goal-scoring craftsman that has made him the all-time Olympics points leader at 41.

"The way that he was stick-handling, [we] were sitting up here in awe at just watching him be able to beat guys and get around guys. The absolute hockey IQ that he possesses—he's gonna go down as one of the greatest players of all time," said Roenick post-game.

Now, Selanne has the experience and mindset to go along with all his talent, and he is an immense pleasure to watch. He is also acutely aware that his time on this stage is running thin.

"The whole day I was thinking about that," said Selanne afterwards to analyst Pierre McGuire in the arena tunnel. "It might be my last one, but I told Kimmo Timonen afterwards, 'It's not over yet.' It's a great feeling, this national team has been so important to me. I'm so thankful that we have been able to play for our country, there's nothing better."

Granlund scored Finland's third goal on a power play in the second period. Selanne was directly involved once again. A one-timer that Selanne muffed near the slot had just reached Varlamov, when Granlund got it on his blade and slid it past the Russian goalie at 5:37. 

About eight minutes later, still trailing by two goals, the Russians revealed that a creeping sense of panic had entered their ranks. With a little under seven minutes to play in the period, they changed goalies—pulling Varlamov and replacing him with regular starter Sergei Bobrovsky.

Bobrovsky played an outstanding game the rest of the way. He made two spectacular saves in the third period—sprawling across the goal crease to kick-save a shot on each side—which would have put the game on ice for Finland. His effort was not enough, though, as the Russians failed to score again.

Though they had their chances, for Russia it was either one move too many, one pass too many or a brave Fin throwing his body in front of a hurtling puck. At one point, a gorgeous crossing pass from superstar Evgeni Malkin found Andrei Markov in the slot with a chance to score. Markov chose to pass to Radulov alongside the net but the Fins recovered and spilled Radulov before he could even shoot.

Later in the third period, Malkin was denied by Rask on a powerful, wide-open shot from the slot. Russia was thwarted at every opportunity.

At the end of the second period the Russians led the shots on goal tally 24-17, with many quality scoring chances, but the deep sense of frustration was obvious, as they strode to the locker room trailing Finland 3-1.

"It's a day of infamy for Russia," said Milbury. "They won't live this down for a long time."

Mysteriously, he said being knocked from the Russian Olympic games would not bother some players in the least, insinuating they would retreat to their money and their posh lifestyles and quickly forget anything so frivolous as losing a hockey game. But he cited Datsyuk and Kovalchuk by name, and said that things would be different for them.

"A loss like this lasts a lifetime. Some of those guys will be walking down the street in their hometown 10 years from now and wince at the memory of this one." 

Finland executed with a cool ease over three periods—calmly breaking the aggressive Russian forecheck, playing intelligently with the puck and never taking any foolish chances. They all sacrificed their bodies when it was called for, and did every little thing there is to do in a hockey game in order to win. 

This Nordic country, which counts hockey as its national sport, has earned its place in the semifinals. It is another chance—perhaps the last—to watch the Great Selanne play. For a hockey fan, the entire prospect is one to relish. 

It was heartbreak for Russia on Wednesday as their men's hockey team fell to Finland by a score of 3-1 at the Bolshoy Ice Dome.

The Russians energized the partisan crowd early with a power-play goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, but Finland answered back quickly. Juhamatti Aaltonen, Teemu Selanne and Mikael Granlund built a 3-1 lead by the midpoint of the game, leading Russia to replace starting goaltender Semyon Varlamov with Sergei Bobrovsky as they tried to mount a comeback.

There was plenty of push from the Russians in the late stages, but netminder Tuukka Rask was up to the task, ultimately stopping 37 of 38 shots.

For the second straight Olympics, Russia fails to advance past the quarterfinals.

Finland will face Sweden in the semifinal on Friday.

Final Score: Finland 3 - Russia 1

Team Russia dismantled Team Norway 4-0 Tuesday afternoon to advance to the quarterfinals vs. Finland, but the host nation’s biggest star, Alex Ovechkin, has been continuing to struggle in Sochi.

The Capitals’ goal scorer has been under a lot of pressure lately with his recent slump. With Team Finland up next for the Russians, Ovechkin is going to have to show up sooner rather than later. Here are five takeaways from Ovi’s performance against Norway:

 1. His goal-scoring drought has now reached three games.

His only goal of the Olympics was back in the prelims against Slovenia, along with only one assist and a +2 plus/minus. This kind of performance is not expected of someone who is considered the world’s top goal scorer.

In an interview with the New York Daily News' Filip Bondy, Ovechkin stated that his own stats do not compare to the end goal for Russia.

"It's not about personal statistics," Ovechkin said. "We're here to win gold medal."

Some players have different roles than others. Russians like Slava Voynov are expected to get into the dirty areas of the ice, while players like Ovechkin are out there to put up as many points as possible. So far, he has not been doing his job.

Ovechkin must prove to his teammates, his coach and himself why he was chosen to Team Russia for his skills, not just his name.

2. Finland is not Norway.

Norway only had one NHL skater on its roster (Mats Zuccarello), and he did not even play in the matchup vs. the Russians. Ovechkin could not muster up a single point against a group of non-NHLers, which should worry Russian fans. The team's next opponent, Finland, has a wide variety of NHL talent that has a quality chance to pull out an upset.

Ovechkin will compete with the likes of veterans Teemu Selanne and Sami Salo, along with having to face one of the world’s top goaltender, Tuukka Rask, in net. Ovi has to realize that even if it does get past Finland, the competition for Russia will only get faster and tougher, so he has to prove himself in what is going to be a pivotal matchup.

In a one-on-one interview with RMNB's Ian Oland, Ovechkin explains that Team Russia's matchup with Finland is going to be a battle.

"It's going to be a fight to the death," Ovechkin said. "Tomorrow is war, and we are ready for war."

3. He must use his teammates to his advantage.

This may seem obvious (since hockey is a team game), but Ovechkin cannot listen to his critics who expect multi-goal games from him.

Ovechkin has only one assist in Sochi so far, and that says a lot when it comes to how he is playing. He may be trying to do everything himself, but he can’t. He is playing with some of the top talent in the world, and he must find them on the ice if he is looking to improve his game.

Individual performances can only get teams so far. No. 8 will have to build better chemistry with his linemates if he hopes to emerge as a leader for Team Russia.

4. His legacy may be on the line.

Before the Sochi games began, people wondered whether it was gold medal or bust for Team Russia. Others speculated whether gold would help contribute to Ovechkin’s legacy.

The winger is already a three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner, a Calder Memorial Trophy winner and an Art Ross Trophy winner, but the 28-year-old has not won a Stanley Cup or an Olympic medal.

To win a gold medal, it will not just be up to Ovechkin but the entire Russian squad. The thing is, to build your legacy, you’re going to have to contribute something to your team, and Ovi has not been offering up a whole lot for the Russians.

Sure, he is still in his prime—but the clock is ticking.

5. He is going to have to live up to the expectations bestowed upon him.

Ovechkin was expected to carry Russia to the gold because he is one of, if not the top active Russian hockey player. It is a lot of pressure. There is no doubt about that. However, he knew that coming into Sochi.

Though he has not lived up to the expectations so far, he can still salvage the respect of his fellow Russians with a big performance against Finland on Wednesday. If he can do that, he will gain an air of confidence that can propel him and his team to their first gold medal since 1988.

American Bode Miller broke down at the finish line of the men's Super G on Sunday.

The most decorated alpine skier in U.S. history, Miller provided an emotional moment after winning a bronze medal in the event, increasing his career medal total to six and providing viewers with possibly the most heart-wrenching story of this Olympic Games.

Miller spent time since the 2010 Torino Olympics dealing with a high-profile custody battle and grieving after the death of his brother Chelone Miller, who had hoped to make the Olympic snowboard team before suffering a fatal seizure last year.

On top of the tragedy, Miller suffered a serious knee injury in 2012, causing him to contemplate retirement. After his knee responded well to physical therapy, though, America's most decorated alpine skier returned to compete at Sochi with his brother's death still weighing heavily on his mind.

With the third-place finish, Miller became the oldest alpine skier to win an Olympic medal and the first American skier to medal in three different games. 

Alongside Miller, American Andrew Weibrecht finished in second place in the event, giving the American team, who had claimed just one medal before Sunday's Super G, a significant lift as it heads into the slalom events.

Here is what Twitter is saying about Miller and his emotional reaction to his medal-winning performance during the Super-G:

Russia's men's Olympic hockey team boasts top-notch talent and has the power of crowd support on their side in Sochi—this makes them a legitimate threat for the gold medal.

Playing in Group A with the likes of Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States, the Russians are potent enough offensively to blow past their opponents. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov will provide stability in net, but if he can't, the team always has Sergei Bobrovsky to turn back on.

While the defense is the team's lone weakness, it is still strong enough to hold the relatively big leads that the offense will create. The amount of firepower this team has is simply too good to be let down by a defense that might allow two to three goals per contest.

It's hard to pinpoint just a few top performers from such a stacked roster, but here are the three athletes that I predict will fare best in Sochi.

Alex Ovechkin, Forward

Alex Ovechkin will undoubtedly be the offensive catalyst for the Russians. He is one of the top players in the NHL, and there's no reason to believe that he'll underperform against international competition. Especially given how motivated he'll probably be.

Following Russia's 2010 loss in Vancouver, Ovechkin was a wreck. He alienated his Washington Capitals teammates following the loss and was rather immature in handling the media. Of course, he was just 24 at the time. Having matured since then, the expectations are high. Igor Rabiner of championat.com had this to say regarding Ovechkin (via The Washington Post):

Maybe he wasn't psychologically ready for that kind of disaster. He didn't behave too well, and he received a lot of criticism in the media. But he is much more mature now, in his comments, and he is more deep in his interviews. And of course, he is at the top of his form now.

A player who was a superstar, who got in a professional crisis and came back from it is more mature than a young guy just starting out. That’s why I’m saying it will be his Olympics—Ovechkin’s moment.

Ovechkin is once again having a stellar campaign for the Capitals. He leads the NHL in shots (298), goals (40), power play goals (15) and goals at even strength (25). I fully expect him to continue his dominance in 2013-14 and be a force for Russia.

Slava Voynov, Defense

The Russians are hoping that their defense will be greater than the sums of its parts, because there really aren't any individual players that stand out at first glance. One guy with the chance to really break out is Slava Voynov, however.

Voynov has played well this season on the Los Angeles Kings' blue line, though it remains to be seen if he'll be able to take on a leadership role for this unit. The 24-year-old is only in his third NHL season, but he's shown the ability to play very well at times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmTYBvhGByY

He owns a career plus-minus of plus-17, and that type of impact cannot be overlooked. He's consistent enough that his teams play well when he's on the ice. He has 19 assists through 59 games this season, tying a career-high he set in 2012-13. His ability to set up the offense after making defensive stops will go a long way for the team's efficiency.

Look for this to be Voynov's coming out party.

Ilya Kovalchuk, Forward

Ilya Kovalchuk, the former Atlanta Thrashers and New Jersey Devils star, is currently tearing it up in the KHL for SKA Saint Petersburg. He has 40 points (16 goals) in 44 games and is "really enjoying" his time in the KHL.

Russia will heavily lean on Kovalchuk as a secondary scoring option. His familiarity with KHL players will give him the advantage over his Russian teammates of the NHL, and that's something that will help him to put up points in Sochi.

Before leaving for the KHL, Kovalchuk posted 417 goals and 399 assists from 2001-2013. He was one of the premier forwards in the NHL that proved entirely too difficult for the Devils to replace. He's had success at every level of his career, and the 2014 Olympics will be no different.

He's a veteran Olympian that has both the experience and motivation to perform on the biggest stage. In front of Team Russia's home crowd, Kovalchuk will not disappoint. 

Follow me on Twitter: @kennydejohn