How Good Was the 1996 World Cup?

[DeadGhost]

They're professionals, playing for their countries. Should be more than enough incentive to "show up and care".

thats kind of a weak answer. by that logic the world championship rosters would be full of studs who are absent from the playoffs every spring/summer.

 

[Vomiting Kermit*]

Fleury springs Steve Yzerman for the breakaway game-winner.

I don't think you're thinking of the right goal. Yzerman won it in OT, but it was on a shot from a bad angle that never should have happened in the first place. The linesman missed an obvious offside call when Canada was coming into the zone. I remember watching the game live and pointing it out as soon as it happened.

I don't recall hearing the Americans say anything about it after the game and I've never heard it brought up by anyone else.

Also, iirc, in the Canada/Russia game, the Russians tied it up late but it got called back after the Russians were caught with too many men on the ice.



Skip to 7:33. The look on Nemchinov's face when he realizes there's too many Russians in the celebration is funny. I think the bench also recognized this and a few came off to try to hide the extra guy.

But yes, the 1996 World Cup was fantastic and had some of the best hockey I've ever seen.

 

[metalan2]

Easily the best tournament I've ever seen. I watched it like it was the cup finals..something I have never done since in international play.

 

[Kratti]

Does anybody know if the SWE-CAN semifinal or the CAN-USA finals are available on a dvd somewhere? Or failing that, somewhere in the internet. Thanks in advance!

 

[YMB29]

I don't think you're thinking of the right goal. Yzerman won it in OT, but it was on a shot from a bad angle that never should have happened in the first place. The linesman missed an obvious offside call when Canada was coming into the zone. I remember watching the game live and pointing it out as soon as it happened.

I don't recall hearing the Americans say anything about it after the game and I've never heard it brought up by anyone else.

Also, iirc, in the Canada/Russia game, the Russians tied it up late but it got called back after the Russians were caught with too many men on the ice.

Skip to 7:33. The look on Nemchinov's face when he realizes there's too many Russians in the celebration is funny. I think the bench also recognized this and a few came off to try to hide the extra guy.

You saw an offside that no one noticed, but you don't see anything wrong with the Russian goal being called back?

 

[Vomiting Kermit*]

You saw an offside that no one noticed, but you don't see anything wrong with the Russian goal being called back?

What?

 

[Big Phil]

You saw an offside that no one noticed, but you don't see anything wrong with the Russian goal being called back?

Well you can't see it on that particular video but I remember watching the game and there was a time when CBC froze the frame and you could clearly see 6 Russians on the ice in the field of play. It wasn't as if one of them was jumping on the bench at that time either. All 6 of them celebrated together, so if that doesn't tell you something..........

 

[Jussi]

Utter shiite from a Finnish perspective. Marko Kiprusoff...

 

[YMB29]

What?

Well you can't see it on that particular video but I remember watching the game and there was a time when CBC froze the frame and you could clearly see 6 Russians on the ice in the field of play. It wasn't as if one of them was jumping on the bench at that time either. All 6 of them celebrated together, so if that doesn't tell you something..........

So they went by how many players were celebrating?
The goal is scored, Canadians complain, the officials count the players celebrating, go to video review, waive the goal off and call a penalty.
You see nothing wrong here?

 

[JackSlater]

So they went by how many players were celebrating?
The goal is scored, Canadians complain, the officials count the players celebrating, go to video review, waive the goal off and call a penalty.
You see nothing wrong here?

He's saying that all six were on the ice and were active participants in the goal.

 

[YMB29]

I understand that there were six on the ice when the goal was scored. I am talking about the way it was called off.

 

[the squared circle]

I don't recall hearing the Americans say anything about it after the game and I've never heard it brought up by anyone else.
.

I clearly remember Ron Wilson complaining after the game (justly), about the offside and he said something like "You can see it on TSN over and over". Naturally, TSN played that interview constantly, haha

 

[begbeee]

I remember that time in Slovakia we regarded as a injustice that every Euro team of that tournament could play at least one game in Euro but Slovakia. I know, I know, small country, bussiness is bussiness and all that stuff...

Second thing I remember there was a quarrel in Slovak hockey federation and coaching team, really dumb people were there at that time.

Third thing is great game against Canada - we lost 2-3, but we go 2 to 1 in the last period and goalie Roman Mega made one of the most impressive goalie performances I´ve ever seen. He really didnt mean nothing in hockey even in Slovakia and I think two years later he played in Poland or Hungary.

But as I see this forum noone from canadians really mention this game, so in result it probably was not such a big game

 

[Theokritos]

The linesman missed an obvious offside call when Canada was coming into the zone...I don't recall hearing the Americans say anything about it after the game and I've never heard it brought up by anyone else.

I clearly remember Ron Wilson complaining after the game (justly), about the offside and he said something like "You can see it on TSN over and over".

Brind'Amour defended the non-call, saying that he wasn't actively involved in the play, and Yzerman joked about the incident - slim excuse by Brind'Amour and not exactly classy by Yzerman. The Americans of course weren't happy. According to Mike Modano: "The guys are all pretty upset. It was one thing when we saw it on the ice, but it was something else when we came back into the video room and took a look at it. It was a tough call for us." Undisclosed voices in the American camp went a bit further and were suggested biased refereeing in favour of the Canadians. They were quoted as saying: "That's just the way it goes for those guys." (Quoted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 12th, 1996)
Good that the Americans went on to win the Series, they deserved it.

 

[Theokritos]

I remember that time in Slovakia we regarded as a injustice that every Euro team of that tournament could play at least one game in Euro but Slovakia. I know, I know, small country, bussiness is bussiness and all that stuff

Russia had no home game either.

But as I see this forum noone from canadians really mention this game, so in result it probably was not such a big game

It was the first time that Slovakia participated in a "best-on-best" tournament, so it had not yet established its reputation, while the Americans and the Russian were already fierce rivals of the Canadians. They Slovakians simply weren't considered contenders in 1996, and with I guess with justification: they weren't there yet. So the game vs. Canadaa wasn't and isn't considered a big game, even though the Sovakians acquited themselves well.

 

[jcbio11]

World Cup was always a joke. Glad we have the Olympics in its place now.

 

[McGuillicuddy]

World Cup was always a joke. Glad we have the Olympics in its place now.

Perhaps the best thing the Olympics has brought is that we finally have a best-on-best tournament that Europeans and Russians won't dismissed as rigged/biased/etc. (real or imagined). But there is NO substitute for the awesomeness of a best of 3 final you get in the Canada/World Cup. If the Olympics could (but it never will) go to a best of 3 final then I'd say we finally have the perfect tournament.

 

[Big Phil]

So they went by how many players were celebrating?
The goal is scored, Canadians complain, the officials count the players celebrating, go to video review, waive the goal off and call a penalty.
You see nothing wrong here?

It was unorthodox, it wasn't the clean type of call we expect. But you do want to get it right don't you? Imagine if that goal stood and the Russians won, wouldn't it be easy to complain about that? Either way, the better team won that game.

Brind'Amour defended the non-call, saying that he wasn't actively involved in the play, and Yzerman joked about the incident - slim excuse by Brind'Amour and not exactly classy by Yzerman. The Americans of course weren't happy. According to Mike Modano: "The guys are all pretty upset. It was one thing when we saw it on the ice, but it was something else when we came back into the video room and took a look at it. It was a tough call for us." Undisclosed voices in the American camp went a bit further and were suggested biased refereeing in favour of the Canadians. They were quoted as saying: "That's just the way it goes for those guys." (Quoted from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 12th, 1996)
Good that the Americans went on to win the Series, they deserved it.

Oh yeah it was a flubbed offside call. Canada caught a break. Not like it matters, but they outplayed the Americans that game and especially into overtime. I have no idea how Richter let that goal in, I mean that was one of the softest goals at a crucial time in the history of hockey. The Yanks won so it doesn't matter anymore, but these calls happen. Hey, look at Brett Hull's alleged high stick on the tying goal in Game 3. That could easily have been called off too.

 

[Vomiting Kermit*]

So they went by how many players were celebrating?
The goal is scored, Canadians complain, the officials count the players celebrating, go to video review, waive the goal off and call a penalty.
You see nothing wrong here?

I was laughing at the look on Nemchinov's face, not how or why the goal was called back.

 

[Mr Kanadensisk]

No matter whether or not people were fans of the World Cup Team Canada cared deeply about this tournament and for the Americans to beat them 3 out of 4 times is one of the greatest international accomplishments of all time.

 

[Your old Jofa helmet]

Best international tournament for me. I've watched some of the videos and it brought so many memories back. The games were so intense and entertaining. Goals, fights, hard hits and so much drama...

USA were great. So many great players just in their primes. And they did not even have Roenick. But Modano, Tkachuk, Leetch, Weight, Amonte, Leclaire, Guerin, Hull... are you kidding me?

But for me Sundin was the best player in the tournament. Well, best field player as Richter was fantastic. But Mats was just flat dominant. See his goal against Finns, it's like he did not even try. They were so great together with Forsberg, pure poetry. Forsberg's goal that same very game is, probably, the most memorable goal for me. I was in complete awe. I remember I shouted and woke up my entire family.

I will always be a big fan of World Cup just because I was able to see WorldCup 96

 

[YMB29]

It was unorthodox, it wasn't the clean type of call we expect. But you do want to get it right don't you? Imagine if that goal stood and the Russians won, wouldn't it be easy to complain about that? Either way, the better team won that game.

Canada was not the better team. That game was about even.
Yes one would want the officials to get it right, but not only for one team and without breaking the rules.
The goal was scored and the linesmen missed the call, so it was too late. Secondly, too many men on a goal is not a reviewable situation and video review cannot be used to call such a penalty.
It is like there were different rules and standards just for Canada...
This is a clear example of biased officiating in an international tournament.

 

[Rob]

Game 1.

- Surprising how few Canadian fans are there. Probably won't see that happen again.

- If Canada had lost the game Desjardines would have been the scapegoat.

- How did Yzerman's shot go in?

Game 2.

- Suprised how weak Canada played.

- USA was by far the better team.

Game 3.

- Canada's best game of the tournament (for 55 min)

- Richter was unbelievable

- Montreal fans were too depressed to riot after the game.


P.S - Does anyone remember why Roenick didn't play? Was he an unsigned free agent at the time?

 

[Rob]

Canada was not the better team. That game was about even.
Yes one would want the officials to get it right, but not only for one team and without breaking the rules.
The goal was scored and the linesmen missed the call, so it was too late. Secondly, too many men on a goal is not a reviewable situation and video review cannot be used to call such a penalty.
It is like there were different rules and standards just for Canada...
This is a clear example of biased officiating in an international tournament.

There were 6 men on the ice and they got caught. Stop embarrassing your countrymen.

 

[Your old Jofa helmet]

If people hold a grudge 15 years after, it obviously shows they cared a lot)

More World Cups please