Random WJC thoughts

Status
Not open for further replies.

Munchausen

Guest
Matt MacInnis said:
11)People are going to use this tournament to reflect upon why Sidney Crosby is not the real deal. They're going to say he should have scored 10 goals and had 15 assists in 6 games. Sidney Crosby did everything he needed to, and everything he was asked to. He did not get as much ice time as he should have, but that's becaues the enormous depth the entire team had. He's still a 17 year old playing against guys who just turned 20, and he still was magic when he was on the ice. He outperformed his "adversary" in all around play when it mattered, and he was good overall. He scored, he generated offence with his playmaking, he was physical, he did a great job backchecking (especially in the offensive zone when opponents were just getting to the blueline) and he hustled back to his own defensive zone.

Well I can understand why some people are sick of the hype around Crosby, I know I'm getting tired of it, but the ones that feel he didn't perform up to what was expected of him in this tournament need to give their biased heads a major shake.

Crosby actually grew on me in this tournament. Aside from Bergeron and Carter, nobody on that team was able to outsmart the opposition like Crosby did. He made players look silly like no other. His finesse play around the boards is fantastic and his stick-handling in close is just something else. Plus you have to admire the fire when he plays, a thing that insures he will not fail and will continue to grow and learn. Add those wheels and strength, and you know he's going to be one hell of a player. Thinking he did all this as a 17yo is even more impressive. Of course, if one bought into the "next Gretzky" thing, I might understand why one would be disapointed.
 

Pepper

Registered User
Aug 30, 2004
14,693
269
Arsi Piispanen needs to get a new personal trainer, the guy is 6'3 and still weighs around 80kg...That's simply not enough compared to other players of his age group in Team Finland.

Time to hit McDonalds... :D
 

Reilly311

Guest
If you take away Ovechkins shiny visor and change his name to Sergie Buttmov and then asked to evaluate who had the better tournament, there will be many (and I mean a lot) of people who would have thought Malkin was better.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Macman

Registered User
May 15, 2004
3,447
408
Reilly311 said:
If you take away Ovechkins shiny visor and change his to Sergie Buttmov and then asked to evaluate who had the better tournament, there will be many (and I mean a lot) of people who would have thought Malkin was better.

I agree completely. I've only seen Ovechkin play six or seven times, but I gotta say I've been somewhat underwhelmed. He's got a great shot and I don't doubt he'll score a lot in the NHL, but he sure doesn't look like the superman he was made out to be. He certainly didn't last night.
 

St.Louis sports fan

Registered User
Mar 1, 2002
631
0
St. Louis
Visit site
Good stuff Vlad. I absolutely Phaneuf--as me and my son were watching the U.S. games we were talking about Canada and IMO I told him Phaneuf will be as good as Scott Stevens. I don't know how much the Preds fans hyped Suter, but from what I saw he is the real deal. In this tourney(haven't seen him in pro or college) he showed the best all around game of any U.S. d-man I can remember. Don't fall asleep on this one, but he will hit, rush the puck, and shoot----he just doesn't go out of his way to force any of those skills on the game.. Like Bryan Berard, for instance, he could skate like the wind but he almost always tried to over rush the puck(at the WJC). Suter patiently let the game dictate what he does and that is what will make a great pro. I din't say hall of famer so don't flame.
 

Hossa

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
9,649
274
Abroad
Visit site
Carl O'Steen said:
You're way too high on Bernier.

If he was worthy of being in the NHL this season, he would have made this team.

Actually, I think he's justified in being high on Bernier. It's one of those situations where unless you're watching Bernier on a regular basis this year, you're not going to realize how good he has been. I've said it, Matt McInnis has said it, numerous others have said it, he's just not the player people think he is. I don't think he'd be in the NHL this year, because "this year" has been the turn-around. But he's defenitely taken several huge steps forward this year, and unless you've watched several Moncton Wildcats games this year, you don't realize this.
 

leafaholix*

Guest
Hossa said:
Actually, I think he's justified in being high on Bernier. It's one of those situations where unless you're watching Bernier on a regular basis this year, you're not going to realize how good he has been. I've said it, Matt McInnis has said it, numerous others have said it, he's just not the player people think he is. I don't think he'd be in the NHL this year, because "this year" has been the turn-around. But he's defenitely taken several huge steps forward this year, and unless you've watched several Moncton Wildcats games this year, you don't realize this.
I think he's a good prospect, but to say he would have been in the NHL this year suggests that one is way too high on a prospect.
 

Beatnik

Registered User
Sep 2, 2002
5,699
0
Québec
Visit site
Reilly311 said:
If you take away Ovechkins shiny visor and change his to Sergie Buttmov and then asked to evaluate who had the better tournament, there will be many (and I mean a lot) of people who would have thought Malkin was better.

I disagree.

My top 5 WJC players.
1-Bergeron
2-Ovechkin
3-Phaneuf
4-Carter
5-Malkin/Crosby
 

ACC1224

Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
Aug 19, 2002
73,092
38,155
Here is a random thought.....would it have been too much to trouble to paint the lines on the ice? looked like a mens league game out there.

also does McGuire get paid by the word?
 

Flames Draft Watcher

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
4,793
0
Calgary
Visit site
Vlad The Impaler said:
If Darryl takes a liking to management, I wouldn't be surprised if he made room for Brent in Calgary.

Darryl has already made it known that he'd like to be only the GM. Certainly Brent Sutter is an option if he'd leave Red Deer, otherwise look for Jim Playfair to take over from Darryl in the next year or two.

And here are my thoughts on the tournament. I only saw the Canada games so that is mostly what I will talk about.

STANDOUTS
Bergeron - I don't think I need to say much about his performance
Crosby - The most special player I've seen at the junior level. Future superstar IMO. Outstanding core strength, skill and determination.
Carter - Amazing skater for his size. Great shot and stickhandling. Looks like a 1st line NHL centre.
Getzlaf - Anybody who doubted his potential should be a convert. Showed as good of a skillset as Carter IMO although he can still make some questionable decisions at times. Has NHL skating, size and skill and should be a dominant powerforward at the next level. Great patience, fantastic vision, very strong and a rifle shot.
Phaneuf - No comment
Weber - Very impressed. Hadn't seen him much heading into the tournament. He reminded me a lot of how Regehr has been playing in the last year. Looks like a dominant shutdown defensive defenseman.
MacArthur - Loved his game. Grit, determination, finesse, skill.
Belle - I'll put him in the standout category because of expectations. He was very solid. Amazing skater and very strong. Looks like he's learning the game. I think he'll be a great #4 guy, perhaps even a #3.
Richards - Heart and soul player. A true Sutter player. He can play in all situations. A winner. May not be a prototypical #1 centre but he might be able to play as #1 in the NHL on some teams.

MET MY EXPECTATIONS
Coburn - Didn't think he was as bad as some seem to think. Fantastic skater for his size. Was quietly effective. Good at moving the puck. The knocks on him are still the same, he needs to develop a mean streak. But so did Regehr at that age and he's ended up fine.
Fraser - Played his role very well. Great PKer, great faceoff man, great hustle and grit.
Ladd - I'm a Ladd fan as well. He showed his game at this tournament. He's not the most flashy guy out there but was great at winning battles along the boards, holding onto the puck and showed some great vision and passing. Good two-way guy as well, had some great PK shifts. He'll be a solid two-way playmaking powerforward in the show, a great complimentary player.
Barker - Played similar to what I've seen of him in the past. Very slick skater and slick player with the puck. Doesn't seem to be dominant defensively at this level yet and he isn't as big or strong as guys like Phaneuf and Weber. Obviously has high potential if he can continue to work on getting a mean streak and adding strength.
Syvret - Quitely effective. He didn't really stand out at either end but sometimes that's a good thing for a defender.
Seabrook - Played well for the most part. Looks like his skating is a tad better than what I've seen in the past. A solid all around defender and a character guy. Should be a fantastic #3 guy, perhaps even a #2.
Glass - The best goalie I've seen in the dub this year (although I haven't seen half of them). He played similar to how I thought he would. He was solid IMO, I think he has NHL upside.

DISAPPOINTMENTS
Stewart - Didn't show much offensive creativity or playmaking abilities. His shot didn't wow me either. He's a good skater but as others have mentioned it looks like he's a step slower with the weight he's at. Needs to use his size and power even more. I like his NHL potential but he just didn't bring his 'A' game this tourney.
Perry - Started off well but dragged down his line at times later in the tournament. Stickhandling is fantastic and he made some jaw-dropping plays but also disappointed me at times with his decision making in the offensive zone. Needs to work on skating, physical play and defensive play.
Dixon - Played well but disappointed me with his offensive work. Fraser and MacArthur obviously got it done on the PK while Dixon was basically a 4th line grinder and nothing else. Surely there was someone else that could have brought his defensive play and work ethic while being a bit more offensively dynamic.
Dawes - Frankly I thought he flubbed up a lot of plays in the offensive zone. Isn't a dominant skater or the highest end skill guy out there and therefore I question how well his game will translate to the pros. Was neutralized by bigger, physical players a lot of the time. Personally I didn't like seeing him on the PP and he probably would have dropped down the lineup if I were the coach with a guy like MacArthur taking his spot.


I'd caution everybody about writing a guy like Montoya off. I think he's got some development ahead of him but the raw tools are there. Needs some work with a good goalie coach and the Rangers have hired one.

If I were drafting players just from team Canada my top 6 list would look like...

1. Crosby
2. Phaneuf
3. Carter
4. Getzlaf
5. Bergeron
6. Richards
 
Last edited:

X-SHARKIE

Registered User
Hossa said:
Actually, I think he's justified in being high on Bernier. It's one of those situations where unless you're watching Bernier on a regular basis this year, you're not going to realize how good he has been. I've said it, Matt McInnis has said it, numerous others have said it, he's just not the player people think he is. I don't think he'd be in the NHL this year, because "this year" has been the turn-around. But he's defenitely taken several huge steps forward this year, and unless you've watched several Moncton Wildcats games this year, you don't realize this.

Bingo! Mabey I got carried away but Steve Bernier looks like a very mature player that could handle the NHL right now! But I was more in terms of speaking of the 2003's in general, some players like Getzlaf are taking many nights off or having players like Crosby taking there pressure away and have been free coasting.

Not Bernier, the guy has worked his tail off in the half dozen games i've seen and at the Re-max game he really put on a show, even with only one assist you saw what this guy could do.

His defensive game has came along very well, I would now consider his skating a strength of his for his size, he plays so good in the hard traffic areas and has no fear of going there whats so ever.

He's a very underated playmaker and his shot is still lethal.

He's the only player in Moncton who has produced more then a point a game in Larue's system and every time I watched him he scored no more then two points, but I have always came away extremely impressed with him and I can't help but be tickled with his proccess.

People still go back to his 17 year old days were he was just a one dimensional sniper, now he does it all and is really a complete prospect who works very hard and looks to have leadership qualities and who looks ready to contribute...Sharks might have a real gem in this one.

BTW this is coming from a guy who preached for Anthony Stewart pick, even at pick 6th overall I woulnd't have minded taking a shot at him.

Now i'm quite fine with the Bernier pick though :)


Niklas Bergfors looks to be the real deal, this was my first time seeing him and I really liked what I saw, he was timid at first but when the game got going he really was noticeable...He's a great skater with some excellent hands and playmaking ability...excellent all around awareness and he even showed some very good grit.
 

looooob

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
1,885
1
Visit site
Jason MacIsaac said:
Well it all depends on the defensmen you want. Suter is a Wade Reddon type defensmen. Makes excellent fire passes out of the zone, can be used on the PP and be relied upon in the defensive zone.

With Phaneuf you get Stevens without the offense or first break pass. That still leaves you with an excellent defensmen but not close to the Stevens we know.

why is there a perception that Phaneuf brings no offence to the table?

he has a .5 goal per game average this year, and basically a PPG in the WHL, and he's been more or less a PPG player at the last 2 U20s

is he Sergei Gonchar? no. but I see a player with a good shot and respectable passing ability

I know people like to point to Scott Stevens offensive numbers in the 1980s...and while they were good, they weren't in the level of the high end offensive dmen of that era. I think Phaneuf has similar upside relative to the current era than Stevens did (somehow I'm sure this will be construed as a Flames fan saying that Phaneuf is definitely the next Scott Stevens--which I am NOT)
 

Vlad The Impaler

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
12,315
644
Montreal
Flames Draft Watcher said:
Darryl has already made it known that he'd like to be only the GM. Certainly Brent Sutter is an option if he'd leave Red Deer, otherwise look for Jim Playfair to take over from Darryl in the next year or two.

Wow. Did Darryl suggest any time table for that, openly or covertly? I hadn't heard the news and am interested. I have been a big Darryl fan as a coach, was very underrated in San Jose. I hope it's not too quick. If he doesn't get burned out, I'd like to see him remain at least another year or two before he names someone else. But with the good job he is doing as general manager, I'm not too worried.
 

chicpea*

Guest
Here's another random thought: did they really have to play Queen during the celebration? I mean, it's kinda tacky and a bit disrespectful to the losing team, imo. I'm perfectly fine with just a plain celebration. No need to "spice" everything up.
 

chicpea*

Guest
And another random thought: was this our first major tourney w/out the loonie? Or was it hidden somewhere? I'm banking they left it at home this time.
 

looooob

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
1,885
1
Visit site
Vlad The Impaler said:
Wow. Did Darryl suggest any time table for that, openly or covertly? I hadn't heard the news and am interested. I have been a big Darryl fan as a coach, was very underrated in San Jose. I hope it's not too quick. If he doesn't get burned out, I'd like to see him remain at least another year or two before he names someone else. But with the good job he is doing as general manager, I'm not too worried.

he has been VERY open about it. timetable uncertain....perhaps clouded further by the lockout....but one would guess no more than 2 more seasons as coach...maybe one

Jim Playfair is, by all accounts, heir apparent (although Rich Preston appears to be Sutter's right hand man)...Playfair is certainly well spoken, I think he's a good coach(although who knows at the NHL level) and does seem to be on the same page as Darryl Sutter
 

espo*

Guest
Vlad The Impaler said:
Some random WJC thoughts. Feel free to comment, challenge or add yours!

1-That team Canada was unbelievable. We witnessed something special when we combined an unbelievable 2003 draft crop with a NHL lockout, thus ensuring we stuffed this team with NHL level talent.

2-I was fairly confident in our chance because for the first time in many years, I actually respected the coaching and selection process. Brent Sutter had an almost NHL-like roster to work with, and he molded this team to play NHL level hockey. Somewhere down the road, this guy will be a NHL coach. If Darryl takes a liking to management, I wouldn't be surprised if he made room for Brent in Calgary.

3-TSN's coverage was ok. I didn't like the overly dramatic Crosby special. Pierre McGuire did a better job than usual checking his bias at the door but just couldn't anymore in the final game. He was very biased in the final game and made it sound like Canada was rolling over the Russians by keeping very quiet when the Russians knocked a few players on their asses. A glowing example is when Shafigulin made Anthony Stewart look like a little schoolgirl and sent him down. Not a word from Pierre. A little later in the game, Stewart overpowers his man and Pierre jumps up and down about how Stewart is dominating physically :speechles

4-I'm still not completely sold on Malkin but I like him a lot and see much upside. There is work to do there and people who say he is better than Ovechkin are on drugs.

5-As I said in a thread when the Russians taunted USA, taunting and bad sportsmanship does not need to be punished by another team. When you showboat overly like that, you hurt YOURSELF. The Russians were overconfident for this game and simply put, tried to beat NHL-calibre defensemen with junior moves. Needless to say, it rarely worked.

6-Ovechkin tried to do way too much in the final game. The kid is awesome but he tried to play alone. Maybe that has to do with playing with that hack Pestunov, a player I really don't like at all. I can't understand why some clowns are blaming Ovechkin for leaving the game. He was getting pounded all night and took it like a big boy. Phaneuf slammed him fair and square and the kid stayed up. Very impressive physically as far as I'm concerned.

7-Russian needs to clean their hockey a bit and come up with team efforts. Against inferior teams, their individual plays can be pulled off but against a good team, it doesn't work. This roster could and should have provided more opposition to Canada but you just knew how it was going to end. I also question not playing Malkin and Ovechkin together, with a line of Volochenko-Yunkov-Radulov to supplement the offense. In other words, I still think management and coaching in Russia is horrible and needs work.

8-Nashville fans, stop the embarassing and undeserved Ryan Suter chant and start noticing Shafigulin. He may be one of the players least recognized this year as a standout. He was really on another level. Physically up to the challenge, defensively effective, offensively promising. Lots of great moves, very mature. Somewhere between Frolov and Svitov. Kickass find for the Preds. So is Shea Weber for that matter but that is already well known.

9-People, say it with me. Phaneuf is much better than Suter. He's a special prospect. That being said, it was fun to see Panin rock Dion on his ass. How odd that Pierre didn't have anything to say about that :speechles

10-Team Canada was dangerous on so many levels. When players like Bergeron or Crosby didn't provide offense, others became stars and those two became solid two-way players. Many of the forwards were effective taking turns. The defense was unreal. What's even more unreal is Canada could have likely iced another whole D squad better than ANY other country. Scary stuff. This team was on another level.

11-One of the things I have said a couple of times is that I do not like how much weight NHL potential usually plays on Canada selections. I was very happy that they selected the goalies they thought were best and eventually, it paid off. Good move. I hope future years will be even more wide open. I think there are outstanding junior players with little chance to make it in the NHL who would be outstanding for that type of tournament.

12-Mike Richards isn't one of the top 10 prospects in the 2003 draft but when all is said and done, at the end of his career, will be recognized as a top 10 player out of this draft. Philly has to feel great about him and Carter.

13-The 2006 draft looks like it's going to have very interesting top end. And if (highly unprobable) they "mix" together the 2005 and 2006 draft, could rival 2003. Kessel, Frolik... that's nice talent!

14-Why all the Ladd hate? He was quietly effective the whole tournament, and lives up to what I expect of him: an excellent complement player who doesn't leech but instead helps great talents. I think he will be perfect with Staal and hope this combination is tried for a while. He is solid as a rock in the corners and has good vision.

15-Shawn Belle is underrated as a player and a prospect. Was very good last year too and as far as I'm concerned, is progressing very nicely. Very underrated, even by Dallas Star fans. Very high potential, IMO.

16-Volochenko needs a lot of space to work. Looks great when he has room but disappears otherwise. Not sold on him.

17-Was really happy for the Belarus upset! Who doesn't like a good upset? After Canada's gold, this is the event of the tournament for me! Ak-47 played really well and I like his brother.

18-Every year, there's a sad soul to say the Sens "stole" a player. They envision pure ****e like Klepis as the next Martin Havlat. Well, this year it's real. Meszaros is an awesome package of skill with decent physical presence.

19-Teams should think carefully before they draft a goalie in the first round, and even moreso when they draft top 10. Montoya was a huge disappointment. I still like the raw talent but he's got a lot of work ahead of him.

20-Despite being young, Finland was a disappointment for me. Collectively, I thought they often looked lifeless. USA has a whole dropped the ball except for a few players. Fritsche is awesome. Complete player, gives his all and very skilled.

21-USA the second hockey nation in the world right now according to some here? Hmmm... no.

22-Where are all the whiners who complained that team Canada had screwed up by selecting this team? It was a great lineup. Personally, I had no problem with it although I really think Stone should have been there. But it was close enough that I didn't complain about it. This team is really the best I have ever seen at a U20
Always enjoy reading your posts.I don't always agree with every point you make but i rarely (if ever) think any points you make lack credibility. They always show me you watch and know the game and have been for a long time. This post you made here were great closing thoughts.I would have liked you to throw in your two cents on Crosby however.....would have been nice to see what you think about him here.
 

espo*

Guest
Jason MacIsaac said:
I agree....I would rather my center be a great playmaker then a sniper. On the wing Carter could use his straight out speed much better then at center. He could be given the puck at top flight and burn almost any defensmen with his 6`4 frame along with his blazing speed.
Yep,good point there,might be the place for him.
 

espo*

Guest
Jason MacIsaac said:
I thought Colburn was excellent. He doesn't have that mean streak yet but he was solid defensivly for Canada. His shot is underated. I thought it was heavy and effective at times on the PP.
Agree again.....he's been taking heat for no reason.Solid all around tournament for him.He does not tend to rub guys out but he played well positionally well all tourney long and did his job.
 

chicpea*

Guest
Vlad The Impaler said:
Some random WJC thoughts. Feel free to comment, challenge or add yours!....

Great post Mr. Vladimir. And I agree with nearly everything - especially the play of Shafigulin. The few times I had a chance to see him I thought he was more impressive than Malkin, but like I said, I didn't see the whole of Russia's tournament. For some reason I expeceted more from Yunkov though - I guess it was the final games of the ADT Challenge or whatever they call it - he really impressed me there.

As for your call on Pierre (I can't believe I'm defending him) but he really did have a few things to say about that Panin hit on Phaneuf. It just took him a few seconds because I believe he was quite literally in shock. He went on to say that it was a good clean hit and that Panin plays like Kasparitis (though, that kind of throws the good clean hit comment ha). Mind you, in typical fashion, Phaneuf getting clocked became yet another opportunity to say how fantastic he is. "You see that! He gets right back up. AWESOME!" Which is true - he did, in fact, get up.
 

Flames Draft Watcher

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
4,793
0
Calgary
Visit site
Vlad The Impaler said:
Wow. Did Darryl suggest any time table for that, openly or covertly? I hadn't heard the news and am interested. I have been a big Darryl fan as a coach, was very underrated in San Jose. I hope it's not too quick. If he doesn't get burned out, I'd like to see him remain at least another year or two before he names someone else. But with the good job he is doing as general manager, I'm not too worried.

He hasn't really said when but from everything I've heard it sounds like he's planning to do it within the next year or two.

He talks A LOT about wanting to scout himself, about being able to watch our players on the farm and the players for the upcoming draft. Frankly I thought he might have stepped down from the coaching position as early as this season. Of course with no CBA there's no reason to announce or make such a move.
 

Gags1288

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
4,359
0
Visit site
Jason MacIsaac said:
I agree....I would rather my center be a great playmaker then a sniper. On the wing Carter could use his straight out speed much better then at center. He could be given the puck at top flight and burn almost any defensmen with his 6`4 frame along with his blazing speed.
That's an interesting thought and I think that there's a good chance he enters the NHL on the wing, possibly on the right side with Knuble on the left and Handzus at Center. In the future, a Gagne-Richards-Carter line could be scary to face with it's tenacity, speed, and skill.

However, Clarke has a fascination with finding big centers and that's where I think the flyers brass invisions him for the future.
 

Puckhead

Registered User
Jun 13, 2004
703
0
Behind you!!!
Go Flames Go said:
Pierre is bad and very biased. I sent TSN a email during the playoffs to fire him because I couldnt stand to watch TSN and his constant Flames bias and love affair with french players.

Dion Phanuef was a beast, I cannot wait to see him wearing our jersey and hammering the opposition and firing thoose rifles into the net. Shea Webber was underated and he deserved to be named to the all start team with Phanuef. Nashville fans should be happy to have him, he might turn out to be better then Suter.
Your email thoughts to TSN, as you may have guessed fell on deaf ears or was immediately deleted. McGuire is not going anywhere, he has a sweet gig, he loves his job, and while I would have to agree that there are times where he is way over the top, he is unique, and has a real zest for the game. I love his enthusiasm, and his knowledge of the game.

As far as Weber being better than Suter, forget it. They have different styles, but they will compliment eachother very well, and Nashville has some really exciting prospects in their system. David Poile should be very happy with the job he and his scouts have been able to do. Shafigulin, Radulov, Weber, and Suter, very nice!!!
 

octopi

Registered User
Dec 29, 2004
31,547
4
Vlad The Impaler said:
Some random WJC thoughts. Feel free to comment, challenge or add yours!

1-That team Canada was unbelievable. We witnessed something special when we combined an unbelievable 2003 draft crop with a NHL lockout, thus ensuring we stuffed this team with NHL level talent.


3-TSN's coverage was ok. I didn't like the overly dramatic Crosby special. Pierre McGuire did a better job than usual checking his bias at the door but just couldn't anymore in the final game. He was very biased in the final game and made it sound like Canada was rolling over the Russians by keeping very quiet when the Russians knocked a few players on their asses. A glowing example is when Shafigulin made Anthony Stewart look like a little schoolgirl and sent him down. Not a word from Pierre. A little later in the game, Stewart overpowers his man and Pierre jumps up and down about how Stewart is dominating physically :speechles

4-I'm still not completely sold on Malkin but I like him a lot and see much upside. There is work to do there and people who say he is better than Ovechkin are on drugs.

5-As I said in a thread when the Russians taunted USA, taunting and bad sportsmanship does not need to be punished by another team. When you showboat overly like that, you hurt YOURSELF. The Russians were overconfident for this game and simply put, tried to beat NHL-calibre defensemen with junior moves. Needless to say, it rarely worked.

6-Ovechkin tried to do way too much in the final game. The kid is awesome but he tried to play alone. Maybe that has to do with playing with that hack Pestunov, a player I really don't like at all. I can't understand why some clowns are blaming Ovechkin for leaving the game. He was getting pounded all night and took it like a big boy. Phaneuf slammed him fair and square and the kid stayed up. Very impressive physically as far as I'm concerned.

7-Russian needs to clean their hockey a bit and come up with team efforts. Against inferior teams, their individual plays can be pulled off but against a good team, it doesn't work. This roster could and should have provided more opposition to Canada but you just knew how it was going to end. I also question not playing Malkin and Ovechkin together, with a line of Volochenko-Yunkov-Radulov to supplement the offense. In other words, I still think management and coaching in Russia is horrible and needs work.



10-Team Canada was dangerous on so many levels. When players like Bergeron or Crosby didn't provide offense, others became stars and those two became solid two-way players. Many of the forwards were effective taking turns. The defense was unreal. What's even more unreal is Canada could have likely iced another whole D squad better than ANY other country. Scary stuff. This team was on another level.

17-Was really happy for the Belarus upset! Who doesn't like a good upset? After Canada's gold, this is the event of the tournament for me! Ak-47 played really well and I like his brother.

19-Teams should think carefully before they draft a goalie in the first round, and even moreso when they draft top 10. Montoya was a huge disappointment. I still like the raw talent but he's got a lot of work ahead of him.

20-Despite being young, Finland was a disappointment for me. Collectively, I thought they often looked lifeless. USA has a whole dropped the ball except for a few players. Fritsche is awesome. Complete player, gives his all and very skilled.

21-USA the second hockey nation in the world right now according to some here? Hmmm... no.

Heres my by numbers reply:

1. I don't think these kids are all NHL level, but they were obviously very talented and promising

3. TSN is homerific. I thought they ripped Ovechkin needlessly. I didn't see him taunting other teams at all. He had something going
with the fans, but so what.

4. Malkin may not be as good as Ovechkin, but he passes more.

5. Taunting needs to be gone, but I think there was a lot of overreaction to it. I think a big part of the loss was a couple of bad goals. Russia would have had a glimmer of hope if not for that.

6. Ovechkin tried to do way too much by himself in the last game. He must've been offside 4 or 5 times because he kept tying to one man out deke the Canadians . Needs to pass more when he's doing low percentage plays like that.

7. Russia definatly needs better coaching or something.

10. Canada was clearly the deepest team.

17. Belarus upset was one of the best things I have ever witnessed. To think I almost didn't watch the game because I thought the Americans would hammer them.

19. Obviously, Montoya has a lot of work ahead of him, just like every other kid in the tournament. Announcers thought his poor play was due to injury and lack of work ethic

20. Finland beat Sweden twice though. If any nation is a disappointment, its Sweden, they used to produce some of the most talented guys on earth, but a change in their system has ruined hockey for the younger guys.

21. Exactly how is the USA the second hockey nation in the world?
Russia, Sweden, Czech Republic all could compete for that title.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->