GDT: Germany Vs Canada

[Zaar]

So tired of this age old bs how "the players don't care about this tournament, so we suck". It's one of the more annoying shit that gets around here. Every single player playing for Canada cares a f***ton as they're competitive ice hockey players - not internet posters. They're there picked to represent their country. Use your brain.

As often, Canada takes time to get together as a team. This happens more often than not lately.

I believe you're right regarding the players. Everyeone of them has come to play although they knew that they won't stroll along river Daugava or have nice parties. They knew, they will spend their time in hotel rooms and hockey rinks to represent their country.

But I have to admit, it looks like neither NHL, Hockey Canada nor USA Hockey are anyhow interested in international tournaments.

 

[Peiskos]

Absolutely garbage level Canadian team this year, I know we often joke with “A” team, “B” Team “C” team monikers but this is legitimately way down in the alphabet, straight up H/I level lmao

 

[Peiskos]

Some North American hockey fans are funny. First they say top European leagues are weaker than AHL. Then they send a team of mid-6 NHL players, lose to European teams and then say: Oh we didn't have top NHLers

Lol have you seen the Canadian roster though? They aren’t even mid-6 NHL players.

 

[NyQuil]

This is more like Sweden winning against Germany in soccer, if Germany was missing their top ~8-9 players and Sweden was missing Zlatan.

That would be still be a HUGE deal and giant fiasco for German soccer.

I would love if we were missing the top 8 or 9 players of Canada.

Your analogy is inaccurate.

 

[DoyleG]

Canada's far from the only team at this tournament missing a lot of its top players.

Granted this year's roster is ugly but still is perfectly capable of playing better than this garbage.

I wouldn't even call this team Spengler-quality.

A team like that would've done much better.

 

[garbageteam]

I believe you're right regarding the players. Everyeone of them has come to play although they knew that they won't stroll along river Daugava or have nice parties. They knew, they will spend their time in hotel rooms and hockey rinks to represent their country.

But I have to admit, it looks like neither NHL, Hockey Canada nor USA Hockey are anyhow interested in international tournaments.

Hockey Canada I think does care, but has trouble convincing its massive war chest of what, 400+ Canadian NHLers to care. And the depth isn't all that amazing anyhow. It just gives you more options. Take out the best 14F 8 D and 3G and Canada is no longer the favorites for a medal. They managed to find a few forwards of decent quality but exceptionally poor (by Canada standards) D-corps and way down the list goaltending.

Still, without hyperbole, we are probably looking at an "E" team for forwards and goaltending and like an "H" team for defense this year. Should they be losing to Latvia and Germany and getting routed by the USA? Probably not, but this team is quite a bit worse than the depleted rosters of the other teams.

 

[Edenjung]

Hill and Kuemper and also dipietro are good goalies.

Hill played well in Arizona this year. And Kuemper last year got us into the playoffs.
Dipietro was also playing quiet well in hongcouver.

Also Bunting was good in Arizona and he is playing well on the team.

Don't make them worse then they are.

And don't forget that other top teams are also struggeling.

Finland, USA and Sweden got upset.

 

[Czechboy]

Yes, but the situation is that there are hardly any "best on best" tournaments. Thanks NHL! Next year there is Beijing and what happens after that? Most tournaments year after year will be understaffed. Stronger than ever in the future. I'm tired of pointing out how strong the top 5 or 6 really are. There is no will in NA to international comparisons anyway. So you have to accept it as it is. Then a hockey parallel world will emerge in Europe. It's okay! Maybe a IIHF European Hockey Championship should be introduced?

I'd love it if they brought back the old European championships! I'd watch every game.

 

[ottawarenegader613]

Hill and Kuemper and also dipietro are good goalies.

Hill played well in Arizona this year. And Kuemper last year got us into the playoffs.
Dipietro was also playing quiet well in hongcouver.

Also Bunting was good in Arizona and he is playing well on the team.

Don't make them worse then they are.

And don't forget that other top teams are also struggeling.

Finland, USA and Sweden got upset.

The USA's only loss came at the hands of the defending World hockey champions, Finland. I wouldn't consider that an upset. One other upset was Slovakia beating the Russians earlier that vaulted them into first place in group A, so it seems that the smaller and lesser known hockey nations are starting to become giant killers in this tournament despite the fact that we are in a pandemic year.

 

[Rob]

I will not criticize any of the players. They could have easily turned down the invite like so many other players did.

Having said that will Canada end up in the relegation round?

 

[Antiillafire]

I will not criticize any of the players. They could have easily turned down the invite like so many other players did.

Having said that will Canada end up in the relegation round?

No relegation this year

 

[Peiskos]

Is the no relegation this year due to the pandemic?

 

[Dingo]

its not only Canada being beaten by minnows, but Sweden and Finland, too.

What the hell is going on here?

 

[HungryFrank]

Lol have you seen the Canadian roster though? They aren’t even mid-6 NHL players.

Anderson-Dolan C3
Brown RW2
Bunting LW2
Comtois LW1
Foudy LW3
Hagel RW2
Henrique C2
Paul LW3
Vilardi C2

 

[Eisen]

Seider looked like a seasoned pro out there. Impressive.

He already has 4 pro seasons.

 

[garbageteam]

Yeah calling this Canada a "Z-team" like some posters have is ridiculous. The forward group is a lot of middle sixers. I suspect you could assemble four teams of overall better forward groups from Canada, but still would make this roughly the ~fifth best collection of Canadian forward corps you could put together - definitely QF caliber considering the competition. Goal is also acceptable for this level this year.

It's the D that really badly needs a reinforcement, preferably two.

 

[llwyd]

Well, it seems that Canada's depth is not infinite after all - tbh, it's nice to see all these surprises in the tournament. Obviously Covid has a lot to do with them but still.

 

[Albatros]

He already has 4 pro seasons.

Wasn't he technically still an amateur playing his first four games in 2018/19?

 

[Eisen]

Wasn't he technically still an amateur playing his first four games in 2018/19?

Might be. I don't remember. I wouldn'tbe surprised. It wasn't fair from me to call 17/18 a season either way.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I would love if we were missing the top 8 or 9 players of Canada.

Your analogy is inaccurate.

Very inaccurate.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Is the no relegation this year due to the pandemic?

There is no relegation this time, because division B1* worlds were cancelled

* or what ever the 2nd highest division is called these days

 

[Pavels Dog]

I would love if we were missing the top 8 or 9 players of Canada.

Your analogy is inaccurate.

Nah it isn't. Canada never gets all their best players for the WHC. You still have the best or one of the best rosters on paper. Games just aren't decided on paper and Canada's only excuse for losing is always "well we didn't have this and that player!".

 

[filip85]

Anderson-Dolan C3
Brown RW2
Bunting LW2
Comtois LW1
Foudy LW3
Hagel RW2
Henrique C2
Paul LW3
Vilardi C2

Well, clearly an AHL team compared to Germany seasoned NHL-ers

What is interesting is that these same players would make appearance in thread named "one of 100 team canada's" that would compete for Olympic gold

 

[NyQuil]

Nah it isn't. Canada never gets all their best players for the WHC. You still have the best or one of the best rosters on paper. Games just aren't decided on paper and Canada's only excuse for losing is always "well we didn't have this and that player!".

Not always. In this case, certainly.

Ordinarily I think we have a roster that is suitable to win Gold in every given year. Not this year.

I don't see it as a particularly controversial position.

 

[Maverick41]

Just my two cents:
I don't know about Canada's first two games, but against Germany they played pretty much as well as I would expect with this roster (with a little help from the Germans taking a bunch of stupid and untimely penalties). It's not a good roster for Canada, but they should still be competitive with or better than Germany, and for a large part of the game they were.

If they don't win Gold or don't even medal, you can blame that mostly on the roster.
If they don't make it to the quarters, there are other factors involved on top of the roster. No idea if it would be coaching, lack of motivation, or whatever, but even with this roster Canada should not finish 5th or worse in this group. I mean come on, Germany has two very good prospects, a fringe NHL player, three AHL players, one KHL player and a bunch of DEL guys, many of whom usually play second fiddle to former NHL and AHL guys on their teams.