GDT: Game 14: Canada Vs Germany | 9AM EST 3PM CET

[NyQuil]

I go through the same process when deciding whether to like posts if I think good points are made but I slightly disagree, so no offense is taken.

I would only push back slightly. Canada has a younger team this year, but I think that stat is a misnomer. Aside from Lafrenière, one of a few returners from last year and the 1OA in 2020, all Canada’s draft eligibles are playing smaller roles now or were at some point before injuries and suspensions. The team should be built the opposite way. You fill in their spots in big roles first and then fill out the rest of the lineup with less naturally talented players for the complimentary roles.

I think people underestimate how hard it is for these first time participants at 17 or even 18 to play small roles that they will have never played before on any hockey team they’ve ever played on before. And even last year Lafrenière wasn’t given a huge role. That’s not to say they automatically get big roles over everyone. You need to find big roles for players such as Hayton, Veleno, Cozens, Smith, but the top end 17 and 18 year olds should not be in smaller roles because Canada’s version of grinders has paid their dues.

Well, I wonder how much influence Dale Hunter has on the selection process as well.

He was an offensive contributor for sure but still a grinder.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Kind of an odd statement as Germany looked a lot better against the US than they did against Canada.

Until the Americans broke it open late, they had their hands full.

I didn’t say anything about the Americans. Canada didn’t look good in this game. This isn’t a nationality war on my front. I comment objectively on the hockey I watch in this tournament.

 

[NyQuil]

I didn’t say anything about the Americans. Canada didn’t look good in this game. This isn’t a nationality war on my front. I comment objectively on the hockey I watch in this tournament.

Well, it just seems as if Germany makes all of their opponents look bad for stretches during their games.

At some point, they're just playing good.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Well, I wonder how much influence Dale Hunter has on the selection process as well.

He was an offensive contributor for sure but still a grinder.

It happens every year, so it’s not only Hunter. It’s the way Hockey Canada operates.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Well, it just seems as if Germany makes all of their opponents look bad for stretches during their games.

At some point, they're just playing good.

I gave them credit in the initial post you quoted. I was commenting on all three games Canada has played.

 

[NyQuil]

I gave them credit in the initial post you quoted. I was commenting on all three games Canada has played.

I haven't been impressed with Canada consistently, but I can say that about all of the teams in this pool.

There's a reason why they all had the same record.

No team has really separated themselves yet in my mind with the relatively small sample size of games to date.

 

[Czechboy]

I haven't been impressed with Canada consistently, but I can say that about all of the teams in this pool.

There's a reason why they all had the same record.

No team has really separated themselves yet in my mind with the relatively small sample size of games to date.

The pool is insanely competitve

 

[NyQuil]

The pool is insanely competitve

Every team seems to have some weakness or some stretch of bad play which makes you question putting all of your life savings on them.

 

[Master P]

You're saying that it wouldn't be popular in Canada if we suddenly exploded into 325 million people?

No, I'm saying that increasing the population of a country doesn't automatically make a sport more popular.

 

[NyQuil]

No, I'm saying that increasing the population of a country doesn't automatically make a sport more popular.

It also wouldn't automatically make a sport less popular.

 

[Master P]

It also wouldn't automatically make a sport less popular.

I never said that though.

 

[NyQuil]

I never said that though.

I'm not sure what's happening with this conversation.

 

[AveryStar4Eva]

Glad to see Germany putting on a good performance this tournament. They deserve to be here and next year they will be even better since lots of their best players are 17/18.

 

[Master P]

I'm not sure what's happening with this conversation.

I was talking about hockey popularity and you started talking about population.

 

[SimonEdvinssonAtSix]

You're saying that it wouldn't be popular in Canada if we suddenly exploded into 325 million people?

Canada has a population of, what, 38 million? So if your population suddenly exploded into 325 million that would mean Canada let 287 million people immigrate. Soccer is the most popular sport for the rest of the world so chances are that Hockey would no longer be Canadas #1 sport.

 

[NyQuil]

I was talking about hockey popularity and you started talking about population.

You were saying that if hockey was more popular in the US they would dominate.

And I responded by saying that if Canada had the US population they would dominate.

Canada has a population of, what, 38 million? So if your population suddenly exploded into 325 million that would mean Canada let 287 million people immigrate. Soccer is the most popular sport for the rest of the world so chances are that Hockey would no longer be Canadas #1 sport.

The whole argument is ridiculous.

Soccer is already played by more people in Canada than hockey is anyway.

 

[Master P]

You were saying that if hockey was more popular in the US they would dominate.

And I responded by saying that if Canada had the US population they would dominate.

omg

 

[NyQuil]

omg

Yeah, it’s absurd to think that hockey would get more popular in the US to the point of domination of the sport.

 

[Master P]

Yeah, it’s absurd to think that hockey would get more popular in the US to the point of domination of the sport.

You live in your own little world don't you?

 

[Canada4Gold]

predicting 4-1 Canada

Boom

 

[NyQuil]

You live in your own little world don't you?

A world where 325 million Canadians would probably produce a better hockey team than 35 million Canadians?

Sure.

 

[Master P]

A world where 325 million Canadians would probably produce a better hockey team than 35 million Canadians?

Sure.

Yeah.........sure thing bud.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Yeah.........sure thing bud.

I mean that is a pretty fair statement to make lol

 

[Deen]

Watched the games. States are the cream of the crop this year.

 

[jj cale]

Nothing to disagree with there. Consider the trend line though.

We finally have top-level center depth (Eichel, Matthews, Larkin) that isn't totally eclipsed by Canada's, the percentage of American NHL players continues to grow, and only recently has the WJC team suffered from losing top players to the NHL, as Canada always has.

A lot depends on if a player like Matthews, from a "non-traditional" hockey area turns out to be an anomaly or we see an increasing number of them. The combined population of states where hockey has been popular for decades at least, and which continue to provide the most elite players - Minnesota, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Illinois - isn't much different from Canada's.

I agree with you here.