So any english speaking person who learns it well deserves great deal of credit. At age 13, I could pronounce every player on the Russian National hockey time (mainly the UCKA and CCCP teams).
Mainly because the Russians came to North America in early 1976 for a series of exhibition games. The Russians beat most of the major NHL teams, but then the Flyers smacked them, 4-1. Between that, and the famous 1972 series between Team Canada and the Russians (that I read about), I was the only kid in my junior high who could name all the players. How many kids in American can pronounce "Zedla Bilyaletdinov" and "Yuri Lebedev"? Really helped me score chicks in the 7th grade. :)
