GDT: Czech Republic/Czechia/El Chechiorono vs U.S.A. @7:30pm PT/ 10:30pm ET/ 4:30am CEST

[TheGreenTBer]

Utter negligence afaic.

In that situation, you put your arm around the player and tell him the truth.

"I know you'd gut it out for us, but I'm sitting you down for the good of the team and your own future."

No kidding.

Imagine getting a severe injury that jeopardizes your earning potential by playing hurt at a f***ing kid's tournament that American hockey fans on average (i.e. not on HF) don't really care about in the first place.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

No kidding.

Imagine getting a severe injury that jeopardizes your earning potential by playing hurt at a f***ing kid's tournament that American hockey fans on average (i.e. not on HF) don't really care about in the first place.

Hughes ain't drawing a paycheck. He's playing for national pride, something Leaman apparently doesn't appreciate. As I said elsewhere, I hope Tom Fitzgerald is giving the potentates at USA Hockey an earful today.

When he's wearing a Devils' jersey that all changes.

Forgot to give @Ginger Papa credit for "El Chechiorono". Cracks me up.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

I am still laughing.

 

[Eggtimer]

I have no idea what they were doing with Hughes. He couldn't even move yet they keep throwing him out there.

It didn’t even seem like their trainers were checking in with hI’m shifts. It was very odd. WTF is the point of a trainer then ? Just hire a teenager to hand the players towels and smelling salts of that’s the case.
Kid was struggling for sure yet not one person would go ask him how his injury / leg / ankle was feeling after shifts. Looked like zero concern at all by trainers , almost like they were oblivious to his injury even. It was a joke.

 

[bossram]

It didn’t even seem like their trainers were checking in with hI’m shifts. It was very odd. WTF is the point of a trainer then ? Just hire a teenager to hand the players towels and smelling salts of that’s the case.
Kid was struggling for sure yet not one person would go ask him how his injury / leg / ankle was feeling after shifts. Looked like zero concern at all by trainers , almost like they were oblivious to his injury even. It was a joke.

Amazing clip with Luke trying (but having great difficulty) to jump over the boards, with a trainer just staring at him. Doesn't even open the gate.

 

[Czechboy]

I am still laughing.

Will you change your name to SuchaneksVengeance?

 

[Czechboy]

@PanniniClaus

I completely misread the Czech tweet I referenced.... Apologies.

It said only 2 nations have ever finished 4th at this tourney and beat the 1 seed in quarters... Swiss and Slovakia... Now us.

Apologies... I wasn't trying to be full of shit.. just misread the czech!

 

[Czechboy]

Ftr... Hats off to the coach... Played backup... Player of the match. Moved sapo to top line .. 19 minutes and a goal.

It's always been the line blender but much more consistent since jalonen took over senior team. Him and Petr (U18 coach) are both there watching as well.

And here is a crazy stat... I know the US is better but Czech this out

Last time at world's we beat them for bronze (may)

Last time at wjc we eliminated them (this thread)

Last time at hlinka we eliminated them too (this summer)

Without googling I will assume they beat the shit out of us at the last U18

Last best on best was a Czech win (world cup 2016)

Most recent world championships ... Czechs in 2010

Most recent best on best championships ... Czechs in 1998

Again... I know the US is better but it's a hell of a stat line! Eg. I think Canada has the edge over us in every single one of those categories.

 

[ORRFForever]

Ftr... Hats off to the coach... Played backup... Player of the match. Moved sapo to top line .. 19 minutes and a goal.

It's always been the line blender but much more consistent since jalonen took over senior team. Him and Petr (U18 coach) are both there watching as well.

And here is a crazy stat... I know the US is better but Czech this out

Last time at world's we beat them for bronze (may)

Last time at wjc we eliminated them (this thread)

Last time at hlinka we eliminated them too (this summer)

Without googling I will assume they beat the shit out of us at the last U18

Last best on best was a Czech win (world cup 2016)

Most recent world championships ... Czechs in 2010

Most recent best on best championships ... Czechs in 1998

Again... I know the US is better but it's a hell of a stat line! Eg. I think Canada has the edge over us in every single one of those categories.

You guys played the PERFECT game last night. If it wasn't for a fluke goal in the 1st, you could have been up 3-0 half way through the 3rd against a heck of an American team.

I have no idea what happened to "Czech hockey" in the last 20 years - losing Slovakian players took its toll, but we all hope for a time when you are a Big Dog, again.

Congrats on last night and a sincere good luck tomorrow.

Deleting my obnoxious post. Let's all be better.

At least you deleted it and apologized.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

It didn’t even seem like their trainers were checking in with hI’m shifts. It was very odd. WTF is the point of a trainer then ? Just hire a teenager to hand the players towels and smelling salts of that’s the case.
Kid was struggling for sure yet not one person would go ask him how his injury / leg / ankle was feeling after shifts. Looked like zero concern at all by trainers , almost like they were oblivious to his injury even. It was a joke.

I need to drop this topic, but it really sticks in my craw.

TSN and every HFB poster recognized the situation more clearly than the USA Hockey staff behind the bench. Again, shameful behavior. The USA head trainer has been with the team forever, btw. Maybe it's time to cut ties.

 

[majormajor]

I have no idea what happened to "Czech hockey" in the last 20 years - losing Slovakian players took its toll, but we all hope for a time when you are a Big Dog, again.

The divorce with Slovakia had little to do with it. Hockey in both countries collapsed for the same reason. In the 90s transition to capitalism, youth sport funding was cut. As you know, hockey is an expensive sport and it is a lot easier to get the kids playing if the government is paying for it. A generation of kids stopped playing, that's why you saw very few elite Czechs and Slovaks emerge after about 2003.

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

On a positive note ...

These WJC GDT threads have improved over the years. For the most part, everyone hopes their squad takes gold, of course, but nobody is actively cheering against anyone. Good to see.

For my part, Go USA!, but let's enjoy some fiercely competitive hockey among U20s who take it way more seriously than we should. We'll all be cheering for some trans-national subset of them as they make their NHL rosters anyway.

 

[ORRFForever]

The divorce with Slovakia had little to do with it. Hockey in both countries collapsed for the same reason. In the 90s transition to capitalism, youth sport funding was cut. As you know, hockey is an expensive sport and it is a lot easier to get the kids playing if the government is paying for it. A generation of kids stopped playing, that's why you saw very few elite Czechs and Slovaks emerge after about 2003.

I did not know that. Thanks!

 

[PanniniClaus]

@PanniniClaus

I completely misread the Czech tweet I referenced.... Apologies.

It said only 2 nations have ever finished 4th at this tourney and beat the 1 seed in quarters... Swiss and Slovakia... Now us.

Apologies... I wasn't trying to be full of shit.. just misread the czech!

No worries.. i knew it wasn't something that happened often.

 

[MrazeksVengeance]

Will you change your name to SuchaneksVengeance?

STARVING, FORLORN AND FORGOTTEN.
TIRED BUT NOT ON YOUR OWN.

PERUN GAVE THE THING THEY CAN’T REPEL
RIGHT ARM OF THE CZECH WORLD THAT WILL SENT THEM TO HELL
IT’S ALL YOU CRAVE, SO DRINK YOUR PILSNER URQUELL
AND LEARN THAT ALL YOU NEED NOW IS TO HAVE A GOALIE WHO PLAYS REALLY FU^KING WELL.

 

[ORRFForever]

I know posters are saying how uncommon it is for the 4th seed to beat the 1st but...

They only expanded to 4 teams per division making the playoffs in the last couple(?) years so...

 

[RBbandit]

I did not know that. Thanks!

Just a small addition. Youth hockey development in Czechoslovakia before the velvet revolution was kind of similar to what the US has right now (centralized and highly competitive and unfortunately later abolished) and what most people in the West do not get is that in the former Soviet block every athlete has extra motivation to be in the elite level/national team. It was for most people the only way to travel to Western Europe or North America and earn some extra money. I remember some interview with former NHLer Bobby Holik (NJ, NYR) when he said that when his dad (WC gold medalist in 1972 Jaroslav Holik) wasn't happy with his training attitude he took him one day just before 6 am in front of the local factory when all the people came to the shift and said. If you won't work hard enough, you will end up like them for the rest of your life

 

[PanniniClaus]

I know posters are saying how uncommon it is for the 4th seed to beat the 1st but...

They only expanded to 4 teams per division making the playoffs in the last couple(?) years so...

That's not actually true. That was the format that started in 1996 or 97 (when they went away from single round robin). They then flipped it to top 3 which and relegated 2 teams which virtually everyone hated... I can't recall when it started and switched back but i'd say there would be something like 30 games where 1st played 4th and we have 3, 4 seeds winning.

If anyone wants to do the research, feel free - lol

 

[ORRFForever]

That's not actually true. That was the format that started in 1996 or 97 (when they went away from single round robin). They then flipped it to top 3 which and relegated 2 teams which virtually everyone hated... I can't recall when it started and switched back but i'd say there would be something like 30 games where 1st played 4th and we have 3, 4 seeds winning.

If anyone wants to do the research, feel free - lol

But, before 96 or 97, wasn't it a tournament without a playoff? Everyone played everyone and the team with the most points won.

 

[vegarover]

Or 2006.

We tied Latvia and beat Kazakhstan 4-1. And then lost 4 straight, including to Finland in the QFs.

You should have played harder then. How the heck did you make the Olympic team to begin with!?