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WC: General Talk '14 — Finland

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Sleeptalker*

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Is there any Finland Sherlock Holmes out there to put things straight?

Oder was?
 
rduck1

rduck1

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Dec 26, 2013
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Finland
FiLe said:
So, what IS confirmed now is that Määttä is healthy and still wants to play. No reason to cork the champagne yet, but... I like where this is going.
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Indeed, the big mystery now is what caused him to prefer Memorial Cup. Is it that he very much liked his time in the CHL and wants to play there again, or does he have some objection to playing in the WHC?

What an intriguing series of events this is turning out to be :laugh: .


In other news: Koivu and Granlund are not going.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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rduck1 said:
Indeed, the big mystery now is what caused him to prefer Memorial Cup. Is it that he very much liked his time in the CHL and wants to play there again, or does he have some objection to playing in the WHC?
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I don't actually wonder at all that he would have preferred it to the WHC. Keep in mind that statistically, it is the most difficult trophy to attain in hockey. 60 clubs are battling for it, and you have a very brief window (ages 16-20) to be eligible. The fact that there is only one player in the world who has won the Memorial Cup and is also a member of the Triple Gold Club, Scott Niedermayer, should tell you something about how rare of an honor it is.

It would have been Määttä's last chance, not to mention the London team is considered one of the favorites even without him. He'll have a fair handful of chances to win a World Championship over the next two decades even if he hadn't/isn't going to join this year. Not to mention that I don't exactly see us as favorites, even with him on the team.

Besides, after the olympics he has nothing left to prove on this level either. I hope he shows, but don't blame him at all that WHC this year was second choice.
 

Sleeptalker*

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FiLe said:
I don't actually wonder at all that he would have preferred it to the WHC. Keep in mind that statistically, it is the most difficult trophy to attain in hockey. 60 clubs are battling for it, and you have a very brief window (ages 16-20) to be eligible. The fact that there is only one player in the world who has won the Memorial Cup and is also a member of the Triple Gold Club, Scott Niedermayer, should tell you something about how rare of an honor it is.

It would have been Määttä's last chance, not to mention the London team is considered one of the favorites even without him. He'll have a fair handful of chances to win a World Championship over the next two decades even if he hadn't/isn't going to join this year. Not to mention that I don't exactly see us as favorites, even with him on the team.

Besides, after the olympics he has nothing left to prove on this level either. I hope he shows, but don't blame him at all that WHC this year was second choice.
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Mumbo Jambo.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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McCafferty said:
Mumbo Jambo.
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Hey, I want to see the kid in this team as much as the next man, they friggin' need him, but I can also see why Määttä might have his priorities elsewhere.

So loosen the Karjala Cap a little, not everything revolves around this tournament.
 
rduck1

rduck1

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Dec 26, 2013
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FiLe said:
Hey, I want to see the kid in this team as much as the next man, they friggin' need him, but I can also see why Määttä might have his priorities elsewhere.

So loosen the Karjala Cap a little, not everything revolves around this tournament.
Click to expand...

Yep, the Memorial Cup is a brilliant tournament, and I don't blame him one bit for wanting to go. My pondering was more about whether he has some objection or dislike of the WHC, as that would seem like the only reason to not come now.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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EverybodyLovesRay said:
So where does it say that Määttä preferred memorial cup over whc?
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Well, yeah, could be it was the Pen's preference...

But if it was Määttä's, I doubt he has any aversion towards the NT. It's just the fact that the time to hoist the Memorial Cup would have been now, one can always come back and try to win the WHC at another point of his career. Not really more complicated than that.
 

Finnswiss

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Apr 28, 2013
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To the Finns:

Risking to annoy you because you have talked about the roster intensively already before the beginning ot the tournament:

I wonder why so many players who won the Karjala Cup last year are not in the squad of this WHC. I mean some of them are surely at least as good or better than some who play now at the WHC.
 
rduck1

rduck1

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Dec 26, 2013
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Dismas said:
To the Finns:

Risking to annoy you because you have talked about the roster intensively already before the beginning ot the tournament:

I wonder why so many players who won the Karjala Cup last year are not in the squad of this WHC. I mean some of them are surely at least as good or better than some who play now at the WHC.
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As is usually the case at the end of the season, injuries depleted out ranks greatly before the tournament begun. There were also some who declined. Then there were some who were not chosen. You can find many kinds of opinions on the selections starting from page 22 of this topic(post 547).
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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Yeah, the long season tends to wear down some players. Also, the Karjala Cup roster was unusually stacked because it essentially was the main audition to Sochi for those playing in Europe.

Some made it, some don't, but it's understandable that the turnover rate for this tournament is a little less because it's not the main event of the season. Some are injured, and some just don't find the inspiration due to missing the big thing.

Not that I'm complaining - while more skill is always good, it's not really ideal if a player feels like he's just going through the motions rather than having real interest to the secondary event.

I expect far more interest next year. Not only because it's not an olympic year, but there'll also be a new coach and the players will be wanting to establish themselves under his eyes.
 
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obv

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Jan 25, 2014
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Imaginationland
I love Komarov on the top lines even if it has not been working, but with Haulas addition i like that we get much needed speed and hands.
For the people that have not seen him play...hes awesome.
 
Periwinkle

Periwinkle

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Apr 3, 2014
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Slightly off-topic, but brutal couple of days for Finnish SC hopes. Bruins, Wild, Pens all knocked out. Only Raanta as a back-up goalie moving forward. Go Ducks...
 

Snowsii

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Jan 6, 2014
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rduck1 said:
Probably not, though I suspect many of us would likely to see the second line in the form of Haula-Jokinen-Salomäki.
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Isnt Haula a center? So putting him as a second line center would be better (IMO) and Jokinen to third line center.
 

Gaps

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Oct 3, 2012
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Dismas said:
To the Finns:

Risking to annoy you because you have talked about the roster intensively already before the beginning ot the tournament:

I wonder why so many players who won the Karjala Cup last year are not in the squad of this WHC. I mean some of them are surely at least as good or better than some who play now at the WHC.
Click to expand...

Some are legitimately injured, some obviously wanted to start their summer vacations already. The list for both cases is quite long. What we here have been more upset about is the coach leaving out better (and healthy and willing) players in favor of his 'role' players. Now we have too many stone-handed grinders.
 

Gaps

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Oct 3, 2012
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If we're to believe Kurri, there were more motivated participants than we had spots left. Unfortunately not all were healthy and allowed to go.
 

FiLe

Mr. Know-It-Nothing
Oct 9, 2009
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They added T.Sallinen, so that's the final confirmation for Määttä not coming. Wirtanen is out with an "upper-body injury".

Let's hope we don't lose any d-men.
 
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