David Poile

[Bringer of Jollity]

For all the smarty pants out there.....

Who do you leave off of your top 6 RW for Bobby Ryan. All the bottom sixers have pk roles.

Do you leave off Kane or Kessel? Only 2 spots for RW who are on the ice to score and only score. No pk duty. and GO.


I understand why he was left off. that does not mean I think those quotes should have ever made it out of those GM convos.

Probably not, but this is also one of those times where, as an athlete, you go the diplomatic route no matter how you really feel:

"Those are some tough comments to hear. I think my play this year has shown that I've grown as a player and I think I'll only continue to get better. Sure, it's tough, I mean, there isn't a player in the league who doesn't want to play for their country. I'll just keep working hard and leave no doubt that I should be on the team next time around. I'll be rooting for the team no matter what, and if there's an injury and I get the call, there's no hard feelings and I'll do my best to represent Team USA."

His reaction, and stuff like not taking Burke's phone calls, is understandable, but immature, and I'd be wary of picking him up at this point even if a guy like Parise is injured.

 

[MarkMM]

For all the smarty pants out there.....

Who do you leave off of your top 6 RW for Bobby Ryan. All the bottom sixers have pk roles.

Do you leave off Kane or Kessel? Only 2 spots for RW who are on the ice to score and only score. No pk duty. and GO.


I understand why he was left off. that does not mean I think those quotes should have ever made it out of those GM convos.

Wheeler is the one I'd lean towards leaving out, my thinking pretty much mirrors this:

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-o...ns-olympic-snub-a-risky-decision-for-team-usa

I'm not pretending it's an easy decision and I understand the selection arguments which aren't without merit, but I don't think those who think Ryan should be on should be dismissed.

Ryan has done his duty serving the US in WC's which some stars don't make the time for, and he's been a consistent offensive threat on the wider ice-surface. He's been a consistent offensive threat, period, less so Wheeler. There seems to be some consideration of Wheeler's strong play of late, my point being that when it came to goalies and defense, it was "body of work" over "trending", and I worry the body of work of Ryan should have won the day. Balance and roles yes, but there are already plenty of balanced players on the team, Ryan was a rarity they should've made room for.

I do see the need for balance, but I personally don't think they should be so absolute about it, having one scorer of the bottom four plus two spares isn't exactly throwing out all balance, and if the US top two wingers struggle/get injured, having Ryan is a weapon you just can't replace. Easier to turn Kesler into a checking winger IMO if need-be than Oshie into a scoring threat.

I know Wheeler has more versatility, but I think Ryan is more irreplaceable, if that makes sense.

 

[INDhockeyfan]

People act like the guys that they chose 4th liners for the team. Almost all of them are top 6 players. They can all score and some were chosen for special teams. When Team Canada is chosen we will see the Canadians doing the same thing about whoever was left off. If Bobby Ryan says no to being a replacement for a injured player then that proves they were right in not choosing him.

 

[triggrman]

After reading the espn article it let's you know how Poile works. He doesn't make rash decisions for sure, nor does he trust his own judgement. He comes off as an okey doke in that article.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Wheeler is the one I'd lean towards leaving out, my thinking pretty much mirrors this:

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-o...ns-olympic-snub-a-risky-decision-for-team-usa

I'm not pretending it's an easy decision and I understand the selection arguments which aren't without merit, but I don't think those who think Ryan should be on should be dismissed.

Ryan has done his duty serving the US in WC's which some stars don't make the time for, and he's been a consistent offensive threat on the wider ice-surface. He's been a consistent offensive threat, period, less so Wheeler. There seems to be some consideration of Wheeler's strong play of late, my point being that when it came to goalies and defense, it was "body of work" over "trending", and I worry the body of work of Ryan should have won the day. Balance and roles yes, but there are already plenty of balanced players on the team, Ryan was a rarity they should've made room for.

I do see the need for balance, but I personally don't think they should be so absolute about it, having one scorer of the bottom four plus two spares isn't exactly throwing out all balance, and if the US top two wingers struggle/get injured, having Ryan is a weapon you just can't replace. Easier to turn Kesler into a checking winger IMO if need-be than Oshie into a scoring threat.

I know Wheeler has more versatility, but I think Ryan is more irreplaceable, if that makes sense.

Wheeler is filling the role of 13th/14th forward and probably won't get much action except for injury or a specific match up. Do you see Ryan gratefully accepting a role that has him setting in the press box more than actually playing?

 

[MarkMM]

Wheeler is filling the role of 13th/14th forward and probably won't get much action except for injury or a specific match up. Do you see Ryan gratefully accepting a role that has him setting in the press box more than actually playing?

Truthfully, I don't know, but I would rather take the chance and bring him and sit him but have him there if you need him. All the players can score, but not like Ryan, and I don't think Ryan is horrible defensively.

This makes a decent case that including him doesn't suddenly make a bottom two-line defensively liable, but rather provides a more versatile mix to the team.

http://m.bleacherreport.com/article...snub-embarrassing-on-many-levels-for-team-usa

Look, I don't think Poile and co were off their rockers, but I would personally have taken Ryan, that's all. The quotes and stuff, now that's lunacy bringing in reporters into what should have been a respectfully private dialogue. Dumb on Hockey USA or whomever allowed that, I don't even blame Burke or Poile for that.

 

[INDhockeyfan]

After reading the espn article it let's you know how Poile works. He doesn't make rash decisions for sure, nor does he trust his own judgement. He comes off as an okey doke in that article.

Kevin Allen of USA Today was the other reporter who "embedded" at the meetings and you should read his articles about the process. He pretty much says the same as Burnside but doesn't use the juicy quotes from Burke. It tells you that they didn't have to use those quotes

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2014/01/01/how-olympic-hockey-team-was-picked/4279829/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...m-usa-olympic-team-selection-process/4296863/

This is what he said about Poile

2. Poile can run my company: When you see Nashville Predators general manager David Poile manage a meeting, you have an even better understanding of why he has been an NHL general manager for three decades. If he wasn't in charge of a hockey team, he would be a revered CEO in some other arena. He commands without alienating. He's respectful of everyone's opinions, and masterful at keeping the room focused and energized. If a debate wasn't strong enough, he would ask a question to stir the embers. "Let's go around the room, and see where we are," he would say. If a debate had run its course, Poile knew when to change topics.

 

[MarkMM]

One other aside on how Ryan is handling things, when Mikael Samuelson was left off Team Sweden, his answer to a reporter was "They can go ***** themselves", haha...and that was without any quotes from the GM!