World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team North America

[xxxx]

This whole Team North America/Team Europe thing is a farce, imo. I mean, are players actually gonna be trying out there?

You think they won't be motivated to beat Russia or Finland, or Canada or the US? Are you crazy? They are NHL players, not HF commenters. This is only in the heads of people who don't have any idea what it is to be a professional player and really love the sport.

Just because *someone* has mixed feelings about this, doesn't necessarily mean players feel the same way.
Just because *someone* can't imagine players like McDavid trying their best against Canada, doesn't mean McDavid won't be motivated and trying his best. Is there a chance the players see the tournament differently than the naysayers here? Yes, of course there is. They have nothing to do with these moaners and groaners, they actually play the league, they know it's a tournament that has a big history, and believe it or not, PLENTY of people care, and care a lot, because this will be possibly one of the best hockey tournaments in the last 20 years with all the best players in the world.

 

[Urbanskog]

You think they won't be motivated to beat Russia or Finland, or Canada or the US? Are you crazy? They are NHL players, not HF commenters.

Indeed. It is always a great honor to play for the country of Europe.

 

[Jussi]

Indeed. It is always a great honor to play for the country of Europe.

Or against your own country because the NHL decided that you can't play for it. Such motivation.

 

[snipes]

Or against your own country because the NHL decided that you can't play for it. Such motivation.

Luckily the NA Young Gunz were placed in a pool with Russia, Sweden, and Finland. There is no way they will finish in the top 2 of their pool and advance to the knockout rounds. The Young Gunz likely go 0-3. I'm still cheering for them though.

Sweden goes undefeated and secures the #1 seed for their pool (those D men), it will be between Russia/Finland for the other spot. Given the Finns recent success over Russia, probably Sweden and Finland advance.

 

[Booster*]

Anyone thinking this team or team europe will not be motivated, probably never played sports at even a semi-competative level...

It´s like an NHL -team, they are bunch of mixed nationalitys too and people get drafted and traded back and forth every year. Any player at this level wants to win otherwise they would never be there, if for nothing else then at least for pure narcissistic pleasure.

You think some 7-year old slovak aspiring hockey star thinks, yeah i would sacrifice my [MOD] to block a shot for their burning passion for arizona coyotes or columbus blue jackets or where ever they are drafted to in the cirkus?

No, yet when they are on that PK-unit defending a 1-goal lead in a first round play-off game 2 a wednesday night they would do just that, for their passion to the sport and their will to win that game for whichever team they happen to be on.

BTW we will all watch WC, many will complain, but never the less still watch...

 

[xxxx]

Indeed. It is always a great honor to play for the country of Europe.

Yes, it is an honor to play at the world cup. Many players with a chance to represent Team Europe have said that.

(Andrei Sekera) "It's a big honor for me to play for Team Europe. There's really a lot of good players. It'll be a lot of fun, and I'll try to enjoy everything. It's kind of weird [to not play for a specific country], but on the other hand, it's the beauty of the team."

(Miroslav Satan, the GM of Team Europe) "It is a new thing, so we don't really know how this is going to work out, but so far we've had really good reaction, strong reaction," Satan said. "Players want to be there. They don't care. They just want to be there and compete and make this work and make this Team Europe as competitive as possible. I hope the outcome will be positive, and we'll have a strong, competitive team that will challenge all of these other good teams."

(Bowman on Team North America U24) I think that's the one thing I've noticed: that these guys want to compete against the best, and they want to be a part of something special like that."

I'm extremely excited. I'm convinced that Team Europe will play some great, intense hockey with a lot of heart.

 

[FiLe]

Yes, it is an honor to play at the world cup. Many players with a chance to represent Team Europe have said that.

Look, we've been over this already. A bunch of cookie cutter statements won't convince us. Most players won't say anything negative on the record.

If you wish to conveniently believe they mean it because it fits your agenda, sure whatever, but don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us.

 

[xxxx]

Look, we've been over this already. A bunch of cookie cutter statements won't convince us. Most players won't say anything negative on the record.

If you wish to conveniently believe they mean it because it fits your agenda, sure whatever, but don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us.

I would really want to know what is the reasoning why you do not believe them. That it fits your agenda I guess?

 

[FiLe]

I would really want to know what is the reasoning why you do not believe them.

When players put on their national jerseys, they play for the pride of their nation and for the entertainment of their fans.

The collection teams represent no nation and don't have natural fans. Ask any fan from Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark or wherever, if they will cheer for Team Leftovers in absence of their own national team, the answer most give you is, no they won't. There won't be a group of vocal fans from a player's own country in the arena, cheering them on. No matter what a player says when a mike is stuffed under his nose, there's no way he won't feel weirded out by a situation like that, and would prefer his own national crest to whatever they're making him wear. (In fact, if you read carefully, Sekera actually says the very thing.) But he's not going to say it out loud too harshly for a simple reason: To not slight those who put the bread on his table.

Simple fact is, sportspeople don't always mean what they say. (Neither do most other public figures.) If you don't believe me, please talk to any sports journalist off the record if you get the chance, they will you it's exactly so.

 

[xxxx]

The collection teams represent no nation and don't have natural fans. Ask any fan from Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark or wherever, if they will cheer for Team Leftovers in absence of their own national team, the answer most give you is, no they won't. There won't be a group of vocal fans from a player's own country in the arena, cheering them on.

This is players we talk about, not fans. I also wonder where you get the certainity that fans from Denmark won't cheer for a team that might have their 4 best players? But that's a different topic.

No matter what a player says when a mike is stuffed under his nose, there's no way he won't feel weirded out by a situation like that, and would prefer his own national crest to whatever they're making him wear. (In fact, if you read carefully, Sekera actually says the very thing.)

Again, you are mixing two things. Whether he would prefer his own country or not has nothing to do with whether he's gonna put his best on the line or not, and be honored to play for that team or not. Yeah, Sekera said that. And he also said that it's an honor to play for Team Europe, but I guess we will give this statement no validity because it doesn't fit your agenda.

But he's not going to say it out loud too harshly for a simple reason: To not slight those who put the bread on his table.

Let me ask you a question. How do you know that? You said 'If you wish to conveniently believe they mean it because it fits your agenda, sure whatever, but don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us.' I can turn it around and say the same about you because you are doing exactly the same. You are assuming something which you have no chance to know whether it's actually true or pure lie, but you are clearly presenting it as almost a fact. Maybe look in the mirror and don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us

 

[Canuckistani]

Luckily the NA Young Gunz were placed in a pool with Russia, Sweden, and Finland.

And they were placed there precisely to avoid the horrible optics of having these poor kids suit up against their own country.

Which tells you all you need to know about what a stupid idea the team is.

The fact that its even a possibility for McDavid and Matthews to play against their own national team, a few months after playing for the right team at the WHC, should make any fan vomit.

 

[1Gold Standard]

And they were placed there precisely to avoid the horrible optics of having these poor kids suit up against their own country.

Which tells you all you need to know about what a stupid idea the team is.

The fact that its even a possibility for McDavid and Matthews to play against their own national team, a few months after playing for the right team at the WHC, should make any fan vomit.

McDavid should claim he suffered a twisted ankle in summer training and skip on this pre-season gimmicky nonsense. Bigger fish to fry does one Connor McJesus have.

 

[wej20]

Anyone thinking this team or team europe will not be motivated, probably never played sports at even a semi-competative level...

It´s like an NHL -team, they are bunch of mixed nationalitys too and people get drafted and traded back and forth every year. Any player at this level wants to win otherwise they would never be there, if for nothing else then at least for pure narcissistic pleasure.

You think some 7-year old slovak aspiring hockey star thinks, yeah i would sacrifice my [MOD] to block a shot for their burning passion for arizona coyotes or columbus blue jackets or where ever they are drafted to in the cirkus?

No, yet when they are on that PK-unit defending a 1-goal lead in a first round play-off game 2 a wednesday night they would do just that, for their passion to the sport and their will to win that game for whichever team they happen to be on.

BTW we will all watch WC, many will complain, but never the less still watch...

Think the Young Guns will have more motivation than Team Europe.

 

[FiLe]

Let me ask you a question. How do you know that? You said 'If you wish to conveniently believe they mean it because it fits your agenda, sure whatever, but don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us.' I can turn it around and say the same about you because you are doing exactly the same. You are assuming something which you have no chance to know whether it's actually true or pure lie, but you are clearly presenting it as almost a fact. Maybe look in the mirror and don't try to feed that crow to the rest of us.

Look, I'm only "feeding you the crow" because you specifically asked me to. I would have stayed silent about my reasons to believe what I believe otherwise.

No one asked you to post cookie-cutter statements and make claims they're true. What I specifically said was, "if you wish to believe them, sure whatever, but don't give the rest of us a dose of the same", as in: You stay in your corner with your inanities, and I stay in mine with my own. Because it's a futile exercise for one side to convince the other by posting those quotes.

I'm kicking the same can of worms than you, yes, but you're still hypocrite if you're pointing a finger at me and laughing at me for kicking it, because I'm simply trying to get it out of my own zone because you kicked it here and I want nothing to do with it.

 

[Jussi]

Think the Young Guins will have more motivation than Team Europe.

Why?

 

[KidLine93]

Why?

I wonder if players are motivated in the playoffs when they have to play for san Jose but grew up in LA

Or play for the Penguins but grew up in philly

Or play for the Oilers but grew up in Calgary

 

[Canuckistani]

I wonder if players are motivated in the playoffs when they have to play for san Jose but grew up in LA

Or play for the Penguins but grew up in philly

Or play for the Oilers but grew up in Calgary

The NHL is their job.

National teams are supposed to be one's nation, and certainly not against your own nation.

 

[Curufinwe]

Interested to here takes on the additional 7 players to be named Friday...

Drouin-McDavid-Mackinnon
Gaudreau-Monahan-Eichel
Larkin-Galchenyuk-Saad
Miller-Couturier-Scheifele
Matthews

Rielly-Ekblad
R. Murray-Jones
Gostibehere-Parayko
Trouba

M. Murray
Gibson
Hellebuyck

Looks like a very strong team.

 

[Cowumbus]

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/1...p-hockey-team-north-america-roster-projection



Drouin
Scheifele
Fabbri
Matthews

Hamilton
Gostisbehere
Parayko

Final 7 for craig custance

Not gonna be mad about it. But if true, I really don't see how Boone Jenner isn't on this team. 30 Goal scorer, and just played for team canada. Ideal bottom 6 C /Winger for this team.

Jenner > Fabbri and Drouin rn

 

[xxxx]

Not gonna be mad about it. But if true, I really don't see how Boone Jenner isn't on this team. 30 Goal scorer, and just played for team canada. Ideal bottom 6 C /Winger for this team.

Jenner > Fabbri and Drouin rn

There's plenty of good forwards though....

you have the youngsters in Drouin/Matthews/Fabbri/Reinhart/Domi/Trocheck....and the experienced guys like Huberdeau/Jenner/Scheifele/Nugent-Hopkins/Galchenyuk....

 

[wej20]

Why?

Because how many of them will have experienced a major international competition like this?

 

[JackSlater]

Because how many of them will have experienced a major international competition like this?

If you are playing on a non-national team, how can the competition be "international"?

 

[djdub]

Not sure how Mathews can be on this team over RNH....

That seems ludicrous to me

 

[nilan30]

So is participation mandatory if you're named to a team? I would think if a player is named and doesn't feel like he would be motivated, he just wouldn't play in it. If he joins the team he probably has enough "give a crap" to try while on the ice.

 

[86Habs]

Not sure how Mathews can be on this team over RNH....

That seems ludicrous to me

Matthews over a lot of guys would be ludicrous. Alas, this tournament is a marketing gimmick for the NHL and nothing more, and they probably think they can sell good ol' Arizona boy, #1 draft pick Auston Matthews to the U.S. audience a lot easier than a Jenner, Fabbri or Drouin. I would expect the management team in charge of the U24s to be feeling the NHL's front office breathing down their neck this afternoon...