Hockey Canada should be accountable

[NyQuil]

The real problem is right now skills are being coached out of hockey in Canada and elsewhere. When hockey was great to watch was when it was all about scoring more goals than the other team, now it's all about not making mistakes.

I agree that systems-based hockey is happening far too early in youth development.

It’s going to take more than one loss at the WJCs to change anything.

 

[Pouchkine]

I agree that systems-based hockey is happening far too early in youth development.

It’s going to take more than one loss at the WJCs to change anything.

I agree but it's now only 2 titles in 10 tournaments, in the U20 that's a big failure especially with Russia not as great as before either.

 

[NyQuil]

I agree but it's now only 2 titles in 10 tournaments, in the U20 that's a big failure especially with Russia not as great as before either.

Well if it was going to happen it would have happened before last year.

 

[LTIR Trickery]

On a different topic, start marketing the hell out of CIS. This is very good hockey and can compete against Div 1 NCAA teams but you guys are not doing or saying anything about it other than complaining why are our kids going to the States.

Ehhh.

 

[PumpkinBombX]

Whoever saw Evan Bouchard as a top end D needs to get sacked

Really? Not sure which games you watched but he was only on the ice for 2 goals against all tournament. The first, against Russia, his partner, Markus Phillips gets walked, Bouchard is in the right position and Dipietro gets beat on a cross body shot that's hard to save. Did everything right there. On the second, the first Finland goal, again he's in the right spot, blocking any passes, His D partner, Ty Smith is weak in the corner and gets beat, forcing the forward to leave his position, who makes a bad play diving for a poke check. Again Bouchard is in the right spot, blocking any passing plays and Dipietro doesn't track the puck well here and again gets beat by a cross body shot.

So, only on the ice for 2 GA all tourney, neither of which are on him, playing against all the other team's top players.

He was far and away Canada's best D man.
None of this is on any D or goalie for Canada. You're not going to be Finland or Russia scoring 1 goal.
Canada's power play was pretty bad, and i think a big part of it was that the forwards didn't really use the D, and everyone stood still on the perimeter. Really i think that was their problem all tourney, no one went to the dirty areas to score, and Canada was pretty easy to defend against. Against Russia especially, although they got 31 shots, I wouldn't say they had many scoring chances. In TSN's highlight package they pretty much had all the scoring chances since they were so few.

 

[Pookie]

More kids play soccer in Canada and Boys hockey participation is down.

Affordability and the insane practice of playing the same sport year round are the reason hockey participation is down.

Think big picture.

 

[Scouter]

This is what happens when countries trying to develop their national programs hire a bunch of Canadians to run them, and we import players from other countries to play in our major junior leagues. The talent gap will lessen and we won't dominate anymore.

What are you talking about, I don't see Canadians running other nations NP's. Having a couple of imports per team is not hurting the leagues, if it were they would not be here.

 

[Dr Pepper]

More kids play soccer in Canada and Boys hockey participation is down.

Affordability and the insane practice of playing the same sport year round are the reason hockey participation is down.

Think big picture.

Could be a cultural thing as well.

Soccer is exponentially more popular globally than hockey is, and as Canadian families grow more diverse each year, it just means more and more kids are choosing to play a sport they're more familiar with. Also means there are more diverse kids playing hockey, of course, but I still think soccer reigns supreme.

Er, "football", rather.

 

[Whaleafs]

What are you talking about, I don't see Canadians running other nations NP's. Having a couple of imports per team is not hurting the leagues, if it were they would not be here.

Ralph Krueger was the head coach of the Swiss national team for 13 years, you dope. Lmao

Ted Nolan ? Bob Hartley ? Ring any bells ?

 

[Pouchkine]

Ralph Kruger was the head coach of the Swiss national team for 13 years, you dope. Lmao

Swiss never beat Canada at U20 anyway, that's an exception. Russians Americans Swedes Finns are beating us.

The main problem is our coaching is taking skills out of the players's game.

Playing not to lose at home is a travesty.

 

[BigHitter67]

That's what happens when the media pushes the narrative that anything short of a gold medal for Canada is a colossal failure.

Some people just get so bent out of shape over it, it's kind of embarrassing for the rest of us here who know better.

So we have 6 times the pop. and close to 10 x the registered youth players to Finland ..not to mention the resources and $$ we put into our national sport and we shouldn’t be a even a little ‘bent out of shape’ over results like these ? Hmm.. I don’t know about that

 

[Scouter]

Ralph Krueger was the head coach of the Swiss national team for 13 years, you dope. Lmao

Kruger is German, anyway he's only 1 guy and it's in the past.

 

[Otto]

Whoever saw Evan Bouchard as a top end D needs to get sacked

I find the ones who complain the most about this tournament are the ones who only watch Junior Hockey for 10 days out of the year

 

[robertmac43]

I think we are blowing things out of proportion a little bit right now. There are definitely things that Hockey Canada can learn from other nations in terms of growing teens into great hockey players but it's not like the system is coming up with no results.

We won gold last year, lost this year; the make up hockey in an international level is simply more balanced, we are not going to dominate year in and year out anymore.

 

[Dr Pepper]

So we have 6 times the pop. and close to 10 x the registered youth players to Finland ..not to mention the resources and $$ we put into our national sport and we shouldn’t be a even a little ‘bent out of shape’ over results like these ? Hmm.. I don’t know about that

Hey, I get that fans here can get upset whenever the national team loses (WJC's, World Cup, Olympics, IIHF World Championships, etc.). But the narrative that Canada should forever remain champions or the favourites to win, every single year, is tired and wrong.

It's a more level playing field than it's ever been, at least at the WJC or lowest/youngest tourney. And I think that's fantastic. I love it when upsets happen in these tourneys because it reminds us that anything's possible.

No sense getting cranky or all worked up because the team you cheer for didn't win, or that they "deserved" to win because it's "our game".

 

[JackSlater]

Losses are bound to happen but yes Hockey Canada should be held accountable for the general performance over the last several years. Yes Canada has generally been one of the teams in contention, but that's all that Canada has been. That really shouldn't be acceptable for Canada, but I'm not sure at this point that Hockey Canada is motivated to change things as it was in the late 90s.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Of course compared to the other teams Canada was top 3.

My top 3 coming into the tournament:
USA
Finland
Russia

4th would be Canada / Sweden, who both had very weak rosters for what they usually bring.

 

[Thebesthockey]

This is what happens when you have a sports channel like TSN that wind bags the shit out of this tournament and players everyear setting unrealistic expectations and propping up othetwise good , not great , players to unattainable heights

TSN and sports media bears responsability here

 

[Pouchkine]

I think we are blowing things out of proportion a little bit right now. There are definitely things that Hockey Canada can learn from other nations in terms of growing teens into great hockey players but it's not like the system is coming up with no results.

We won gold last year, lost this year; the make up hockey in an international level is simply more balanced, we are not going to dominate year in and year out anymore.

Thing is we should at the U20 level for sure. We still have way more players than other countries but we don't teach skill anymore, we teach kids to not make mistakes and play defensive systems, that's the main problem. Let's not forget 7/10 tournaments were at home as well. Still we won only twice.

 

[HSF]

This is what happens when you have a sports channel like TSN that wind bags the **** out of this tournament and players everyear setting unrealistic expectations and propping up othetwise good , not great , players to unattainable heights

TSN and sports media bears responsability here

ya man it must suck to play for the best hockey nation in the world where your team is always going to be good enough to win gold.

The 'pressure' Canada has is def higher BUT it is also usually has the best roster and skill out of any other nation.

Losing this early is def an underachievement. People can say other nations are catching up sure but Canada should be top 3 easy each year still unless they underperform

 

[Scouter]

My top 3 coming into the tournament:
USA
Finland
Russia

4th would be Canada / Sweden, who both had very weak rosters for what they usually bring.

That's nice, but Canada honestly had the most complete roster, maybe the US, but probably Canada, you can't put Finland there, Russia has nice high end skill, but the low end is low, only maybe slightly better than the Czech's, Czech's certainly better than the Finns coming in terms of highest skill.

 

[rojac]

This is what happens when you have a sports channel like TSN that wind bags the **** out of this tournament and players everyear setting unrealistic expectations and propping up othetwise good , not great , players to unattainable heights

TSN and sports media bears responsability here

So, your point is that Canadian fans are incapable of thinking for themselves and just go along with what the media tells them?

 

[Pouchkine]

That's nice, but Canada honestly had the most complete roster, maybe the US, but probably Canada, you can't put Finland there, Russia has nice high end skill, but the low end is low, only maybe slightly better than the Czech's, Czech's certainly better than the Finns coming in terms of highest skill.

Don't forget the tournament at home once again. It's not just losing, it's losing in front of 17k at home once again.

 

[Whaleafs]

More kids play soccer in Canada and Boys hockey participation is down.

Affordability and the insane practice of playing the same sport year round are the reason hockey participation is down.

Think big picture.

And Finland has a lower population than the GTA.

 

[tfong]

So, your point is that Canadian fans are incapable of thinking for themselves and just go along with what the media tells them?

Yes? Media has an incredible amount of influence on the average person's view of the world after all. It shapes rhetoric and can single handily generate misconceptions that people think as gospel truth (ie immigrants taking all your domestic jobs).