U18: GDT: Hlinka Gretzky Cup Gold Medal and Bronze Medal Games

Junohockeyfan

Registered User
Dec 16, 2018
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Funny how you did not once react to the repeated mentions of the wrongly disallowed Czech goal, the most consequential wrong decision of the game. So perhaps your perception is more selective that you think. On other decisions, yes, I think there were more calls (or non-calls) that we t against Canada. I agree with you on that. And now what? Or rather, so what? Happens all the time, I have seen the Czechs done over many times by incompetent and / or biased refs. But do I keep going on and on about it, especially if my team actually won? No. I’d say the refs were poor / incompetent / biased (sadly very common) and move on.
The refs were poor / incompetent / biased which sadly happened today.

Congrats on winning a silver though. Quite an accomplishment for the Czechs!
 

Old Man Jags

Registered User
Mar 25, 2006
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The refs were poor / incompetent / biased which sadly happened today.

Congrats on winning a silver though. Quite an accomplishment for the Czechs!
That’s true. For me the key thing was not just the result, but also the fact that we got there through no fluke, but through dominant performances (minus Sweden), and deserved to be second. Canada was the best team and deserved to win the tournament, no complaints from me on that, as I said elsewhere they deserve congratulations.

The refs were poor - you have seen what I said on that topic: you and I had some disagreements, but not with respect to the actual performance of the referees, I think nobody who knows the game even a little bit could argue that they covered themselves in glory.
 

Junohockeyfan

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Dec 16, 2018
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That’s true. For me the key thing was not just the result, but also the fact that we got there through no fluke, but through dominant performances (minus Sweden), and deserved to be second. Canada was the best team and deserved to win the tournament, no complaints from me on that, as I said elsewhere they deserve congratulations.

The refs were poor - you have seen what I said on that topic: you and I had some disagreements, but not with respect to the actual performance of the referees, I think nobody who knows the game even a little bit could argue that they covered themselves in glory.
Putting my Canada fanboy hat on, regardless of the result, i was really happy with how the Canadians controlled the play and entered the Czech zone with ease and with the scoring chances they generated. The flip side - their shots were not the best placed. But the Czech goalie got in their heads by the 3rd period - he was stellar. You could see the Canadians were looking for the perfect play rather than just taking the puck to the net and shooting.

I thought it was quite a dominant performance by Canada. And an equally dominant performance by the Czech goalie. Would be curious what the shot totals were.
 

Boss Man Hughes

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Mar 15, 2022
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Funny how you did not once react to the repeated mentions of the wrongly disallowed Czech goal, the most consequential wrong decision of the game. So perhaps your perception is more selective that you think. On other decisions, yes, I think there were more calls (or non-calls) that we t against Canada. I agree with you on that. And now what? Or rather, so what? Happens all the time, I have seen the Czechs done over many times by incompetent and / or biased refs. But do I keep going on and on about it, especially if my team actually won? No. I’d say the refs were poor / incompetent / biased (sadly very common) and move on.
Where was there a wrongly disallowed goal? I didn't see it enter the net. And if the officials didn't (and there is no ability to review) they can't call it. Ignoring penalties is a different matter.
 

Old Man Jags

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Mar 25, 2006
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Putting my Canada fanboy hat on, regardless of the result, i was really happy with how the Canadians controlled the play and entered the Czech zone with ease and with the scoring chances they generated. The flip side - their shots were not the best placed. But the Czech goalie got in their heads by the 3rd period - he was stellar. You could see the Canadians were looking for the perfect play rather than just taking the puck to the net and shooting.

I thought it was quite a dominant performance by Canada. And an equally dominant performance by the Czech goalie. Would be curious what the shot totals were.
Yes, I think that’s a pretty fair assessment. I think there were parts of the game where the situation was fairly even and other parts (more parts) where Canada was fairly dominant (although certainly not crazily so - maybe just call it ‘the clearly better team’ or ‘quietly dominant’.. 😀).

It was not a game where I felt we were going to get blown away if the goalie didn’t play his best game ever (which has otherwise often been the case at the junior level).

I feel that finally we try to play a more attacking game with more guts, rather than trying to play defence and hope for the best. In terms of individual quality and sheer breadth of talent, we will never or only very rarely be in a position to match Canada (just look at how many young people play in Canada vs the Czech Republic, and how much better the Canadian system is set up to support juniors at every level). Given all that, I am pleased with how our boys acquitted themselves.
 

Old Man Jags

Registered User
Mar 25, 2006
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Grass is done. Church in an hour.

Have a nice long weekend, OMJ. :)


Yes. 3 on 3 until someone wins but, again, teams seem to have found a way to take a lot of the excitement out of 3 on 3. Today's O.T. was a bore.
Have a good one, looking forward to the next international tournament. Always a decent bunch in this comments section.
 

ORRFForever

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Oct 29, 2018
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Have a good one, looking forward to the next international tournament. Always a decent bunch in this comments section.
Yup. Unlike most forums, we have a good group here.

**

I watched the game and, while the refs did tilt the ice in Czechia's favour, it was no worse than what we usually get in Europe from IIHF refs.

The best team won Gold, the 2nd best team won Silver and the 3rd best team won Bronze - just the way it should be.
 

FourQuarters

Registered User
Mar 31, 2022
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When the tournament was held in North America, there were complaints about hockey's lack of international influence, the poor development of international hockey, and the low attendance of European teams at matches. When the tournament was held in Europe, there were complaints that the tournament was too "cheap", the facilities were not good enough and the referees were unfair.
This is not the best way to promote international hockey.
It's a summer tournament, the most important thing is that the boys get together, have a good time, show their best and also keep learning from the game. In that respect, I think it was a perfect tournament.
The enthusiasm of the fans in particular has impressed me and made me want to plan a trip to watch the tournament when it returns to the Czech and Slovakia in the future. The fans, the players and the staff have all contributed to this incredible week.
 

Joe Zanussi

Registered User
Jul 15, 2011
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Lol. Never been so happy not to be involved in the GMG after reading this thread. Enjoy, Boys!
 

Deep Blue Metallic

Bo knows hockey.
Mar 5, 2021
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Seeing lots of silly pissing matches on HF today. The hockey dog days of summer are truly upon us.

Congrats to Canada on Gold and Czechia for continuing their resurgence.
 
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MeHateHe

Registered User
Dec 24, 2006
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Only losers blame losses on referees. Winners find a way to win. If anyone thinks a referee respected enough to be selected for an internationally televised tournament would throw away his reputation by being obviously biased, well, you need to get out more.

The purpose of neutral officials is partly to reduce the likelihood of influence and partly to lessen the disparity that comes when one country’s style is favoured over the other’s. Both of those factors are anachronistic now. Hockey is played and officiated more or less the same everywhere under IIHF rules now. Referees do what they’re told by tournament supervisors - if they don’t, they stop getting games. So the fact that this game has one or two Czech referees means nothing.

Specifically, the penalty called in OT was legit. The trip that Button was whining about was not worth calling in OT. The puck changed hands, sure, but in an inconsequential place. The trip that led to a penalty would have led to an odd-man rush and a very good scoring opportunity. That was the difference.

I thought the Czechs got away with too many hooks. I disagreed with how they called the post-play scrums. But those are usually a result of how supervisors instruct referees. No referee goes into a game expecting to call everything. They tend to focus on the things the bosses emphasize. Inexperienced refs (relatively speaking) will often miss things that they’re not looking for - if they’re only focused on their emphasized fouls. That will usually benefit one team over the other if one team doesn’t play that way. For example, if a team tries to use sticks to tie up their opponents and that’s what the refs are keying on, that team is going to the box and pay the price against, say, a team that is more interested in pushing the envelope physically.

I saw a lot, in what I saw on YouTube, of referees calling some types of fouls - a lot of tripping for some reason - and missing/ignoring other types. I think it was substandard. But good teams adapt. Canada needed to be smarter, and in those times when they weren’t, they had to play through it.

And fans who think any referee gives a rat’s ass who wins an U-18 hockey game in August, you need to get your tin foil hat resized.
 

Pavel Buchnevich

Drury and Laviolette Must Go
Dec 8, 2013
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I know Spence has a great reputation and had some clutch plays in this tournament, but I think he's a little overrated. He's very fast, relentless, and has some puck skills, but I think his hockey sense and playmaking is lacking to be a true top level prospect. Could certainly be a first rounder, but I think he's talked about so much right now because he's a good prospect that'll likely be a mid/late first rounder or early second round pick and we are going to see him an extra year in these prime hockey tournaments than the early birthdays in his draft.
 

pgfan66

Registered User
Jun 26, 2019
1,211
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Brock didn't mention him on the players to watch. I expect he will be on people's radar now even if he is small for a centre.

Ridiculous penalty call on Canada. How does Dickenson get the only penalties.
He also hasn’t really played center in a long time. Always on Benak’s wing, on the national team and with both the U17 and U20 teams in Plzen.
 

Macman

Registered User
May 15, 2004
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Where was there a wrongly disallowed goal? I didn't see it enter the net. And if the officials didn't (and there is no ability to review) they can't call it. Ignoring penalties is a different matter.
It definitely entered the net but it was clearly after the whistle.
 

Barrsy

Registered User
May 14, 2017
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But best on bests in Canada with Canadian refs are okay? Right?

Or 80 percent of world Juniors in Canada or a border town.

Or the fact that this tourney used to only be in Czech and Slovakia and the name Gretzky was added to it and it it is now split between Canada and Czech and Slovakia.


Also... One of the refs was Canadian. One was Czech. Not sure how you are missing that detail. No idea where the third ref was from... I'm guessing not Czech though...

It was a glorious final... Almost went to double OT
.. you won gold and have done nothing but complain.

Also... Find me one NHL playoff thread where both fanbase aren't bitching about the refs. Or world Junior thread. Or world championships thread.
The reffing was horrific and borderline corrupt. Odd you cant acknowledge that.
 
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Jersey Fan 12

Positive Vibes
Nov 20, 2006
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Go cry into your knickers. If the refs are so biased rather than just incompetent, why did they not give the second Czech goal? The refs at these tournaments are always poor (see IIHF tournaments) and the Czechs had their more than fair share of decisions go against them. Always a poor luck to cry about the refs affecting the outcome. Part of the deal: the refs are shocking
2-2 game headed OT and a thread filled with comments about the officials and not the players on the ice.

This js why HF gets the reputation it has.
 
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Jersey Fan 12

Positive Vibes
Nov 20, 2006
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Before I say anything else...

One of the refs was from

Thunder Bay...
Which is in Ontario...
Which is a province...
In Canada
Why is it any time a game is close Canadian fans whine about the refs?

Don't remember the same type of whining after the Lias Andersson game in the World Juniors?

Selective amnesia?
 
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ORRFForever

Registered User
Oct 29, 2018
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Why is it any time a game is close Canadian fans whine about the refs?

Don't remember the same type of whining after the Lias Andersson game in the World Juniors?

Selective amnesia?
Americans beef about IIHF refs, too.

Canadian and American hockey players / fans prefer refs put the whistles away - unless something is blatant and cannot be overlooked, let them play.
 

Czechboy

Easy schedules rule!
Apr 15, 2018
22,996
19,023
Attempt to drive from Windsor to Calgary for the NHL Draft ended in Thunder Bay (true story).

That place isn't near anywhere.
Lol... Been a few times. Sleeping giant is a great brewery... The Terry Fox exhibit is nice. Otherwise... Not my kind of town at all lol.
 

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