Well, last year would also indicate that Sakic, Iginla, Thornton, Gagne, Lecavelier, St. Louis, Smyth, Draper, Richards, Healtley, and Doan can't play on international ice. So if we're going by your theory, Canada is screwed with or without Nash.
First of all, Doan played quite well considering his role to start the tournament was as the 13th forward and his main duties were to play a checking/defensive role. And while the other guys weren’t spectacular, none of them were as bad as Nash was. And more then that, all have had careers, and past play, which spoke for themselves as to why they were selected for the team.
Having said that, Smyth and Draper should have been left at home with Nash. But questioning why the others were there is ridiculous.
However, since we know your theory is bung because we have seen him succeed on international ice, we can ignore that fact.
Really, when did he “succeed”?
He certainly didn’t in 2002 with Team Canada on the big ice in the Czech Republic. And of course, he was not only benched, but also demoted to the 13th forward role in 2006 in Italy on big ice.
But more then that, the ONE time you think you’ve seen him “succeed”, he didn’t. He had a decent round robin portion of the tourney, but did nothing when the medal round came around and the play got tougher.
And that is a FACT we can’t ignore.
Well, actually the facts show that last year, despite injury, he was on pace for a 50 goal season, and he also had the best +/- on his team. The stats also show that he was the youngest ever player to win the Rocket Richard, and he had no Joe Thornton centering him that year, I believe he had Andrew Cassels.
OK, this is where you Nash nuthuggers lose all credibility. You throw out random statistics to try and confuse people as to why someone is good or bad.
Stats lie. I’ll prove it to you. This year, Andrew Raycroft tied the franchise record for most wins in a season for the Leafs. That stat would suggest Raycroft must be a fantastic goaltender. But wait, despite having the highest amount of wins in a season for the Leafs, the team did not make the playoffs. So does that mean he is better then all of those who came before him? Hardly.
But not only do stats lie, so do you. You say that Nash was on pace to score 50 goals last year, but an injury prevented him. First of all, injuries are a part of the game. And staying healthy is key to being a dominant player in the sport.
However, lets look into this. In 2005-05, Nash scored 31 goals in 54 games. On that pace, without missing a single game (something Nash has never done), it would result in 47 goals. Sure, 3 short, but still not 50.
Now getting to the Trophy he shared with two other guys. So he finished tied with the highest amount of goals in the league, that’s wonderful. How many assists did he have? Where did he finish in the league for points? Since you brought it up, how was his +/-? Where did the Jackets finish in the standings?
This may fly with others, but it doesn’t with me. Nash won that trophy because the sole intent of the Jackets in the final weeks of the season was to get him that. He hung out at the red line, rarely if ever passed the puck to a teammate in the offensive zone. He never went into a corner to fight for a puck. He didn’t back check. He stood in front of the oppositions net and left his zone early to try and create chances for himself to score.
He had 41 goals, but only finished the year with 57 points. His +/- was absolutely awful. And his team was in the bottom 5 of the league.
Please, spare us the crap, leave the Rocket Trophy out of any discussions about Rick Nash.
I also believe Joe Thornton went cold in the gold medal game,
Hmm. A cold Joe Thornton equaled a cold Rick Nash. Say it ain’t so.
its fairly easy to beat a one line team if you have a good team defense, which the Czechs did.
Which is why Canada should bring team players, not individuals who only care about their own stats.
You're also right that he doesn't deserve another chance. Clearly a 23 year old has already peaked and is incapable of learning anything more.
No, he doesn’t deserve another chance until he elevates his game. Give others a chance who haven’t been a colossal failure or embarrassment to the Team
Since when does the NHL care about Canadian Olympic selections?
Never said the NHL cared about the Canadian Olympic team. I said they care about not embarrassing Wayne Gretzky.
Canadians in general can't play on the big ice by the looks of things.
Except for the 2002 Olympics, the countless World Championships, Spengler Cups, and World Junior Championships. But you’re right, by the look of things, Canada can’t play on the big ice.
And I'm sure Nash finishing 2nd in tournament scoring in 05 is what killed the Canadian hopes. I bet the likes of Thornton, Gagne, Heatley, Smyth, Jovanovski etc. all said 'Well if Nash isn't going to score in the gold medal game, then neither am I.'
Well the fact is, some suggest he had a very good tournament. And yet not only did Canada not win, which I should remind you, is the point of sending teams over there. But Nash was invisible in the games that meant the most.
If Nash scored 4 goals in the Goal Medal game, but Canada lost 5-4, then fine, celebrate his performance. But the fact remains, not only did Canada not win the Gold, Nash disappeared in the Medal round.
Like the fact that the BJs had 57 points in 01-02 (before Nash arrived) and 69, 62, 74 and 73 points in all the years since his arrival?
Further proof stats don’t tell the whole story. Let me explain to some of you.
The year Nash arrived (2002-03), the Jackets had 69 points. That put them third last in the NHL, and last in their conference. 23 points out of a playoff position.
Nash’s second year (2003-04), the year he won that Trophy you talk about, saw the Jackets dropped 7 points from the year before (but wait, Nash scored 41 goals, that must mean something). That put them the 4th worse team in the league, and second worse in their Conference. They were 29 points out of a playoff spot.
Coming out of the labour stoppage (2005-06), the Jackets earned their highest point total in franchise history with 74. But, it only managed to move them up one spot as they were the 5th worse team in the league, and thanks to their divisional cousins, 3rd in their conference. That year, they were 21 points out of a playoff spot.
This year, they had one less point then the year before. This did vault them up the Western standings to 11th. However, they were still 23 points out of a playoff spot.
So, Nash’s best offensive year was actually the same year the team was the furthest away from making the playoffs (kind of lends weight to the statement the team only cared about Nash scoring, not picking up W’s). With Nash, not only have the Jackets never made the Playoffs, they’ve haven’t come within 20 points of getting in.
This year the only other team not to make the playoffs in their history in the NHL, won their division (let’s be honest here, the Heatley/Snyder thing knocked them back a year or two). Another team that came into the league around the same time as Columbus finished this year 3rd overall in the league. The Wild finished the year with 104 points.
Yeah, looks to me the facts show Rick Nash has not made the Jackets any better. And if you look at the other teams that came into the league around the same time as Columbus, it shows that Nash has actually made his team worse.
I'd expect more from a person who dislikes Nash with such passion.
Waiting for you to respond to real stats and actual facts.
