How Good Was the 1996 World Cup?

[Vladsky]

More World Cups please

I'd second that.

There will always be not nearly enough time to stage a proper best-of-3 finals in the Olympics, and this is exactly the way the best-on-best tourney should be decided.

 

[jkrx]

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

He is right though and to all outside of Canada this added more fuel to the fire that rules get bent in Canadas favour.

 

[Theokritos]

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

He was. The Americans hoped that he would sign a contract in August and join them afterwards, so they kept a roster spot open for him until August 30th, but then he was finally replaced by Brian Rolston.

He is right though and to all outside of Canada this added more fuel to the fire that rules get bent in Canadas favour.

Another minor controversy has to do with the official roster that Team Canada announced for the 1996 World Cup (recorded on Hockey Canada's website: http://www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/4589/la_id/1.htm). To give you a clear picture, here's the complete roster as named by Hockey Canada:

Goaltenders:
Curtis Joseph, Martin Brodeur, Bill Ranford.

Defensemen:
Rob Blake, Adam Foote, Paul Coffey, Éric Desjardins, Scott Niedermayer, Lyle Odelein, Al MacInnis, Scott Stevens, Doug Bodger (!).

Forwards:
Rod Brind'Amour, Theoren Fleury, Ron Francis, Wayne Gretzky, Vincent Damphousse, Claude Lemieux, Adam Graves, Trevor Linden, Eric Lindros, Mark Messier, Keith Primeau, Joe Sakic, Brendan Shanahan, Pat Verbeek, Steve Yzerman.

Alternates:
Jason Arnott (F), Eric Daze (F), Ed Jovanovski (D).

Doug Bodger? Until I stumpled over the roster on Hockey Canada's website, I was never aware of him being on that roster because he is absolutely never mentioned in context of the World Cup. The reason is simple: he didn't play a single minute. So far so good for Team Canada and so bad for us, who'd love to know how he'd made the roster in the first place and then why he wasn't used after being picked.
The crucial issue here is the replacement for MacInnis, who caught an infection and was released on August 25th. With him gone, Canada still had eight defenseman on the roster: Blake, Foote, Coffey, Desjardins, Niedermayer, Stevens, Odelein and Bodger. Additionally, Jovanovski was ready to step up. Mysteriously though, Odelein and Bodger were scratched while Syvlain Côté (!) was brought in as a reservist. Can't find Sylvain Côte on the offical roster? Right, he isn't there. Granted, he didn't actually play in that game against Russia, but nevertheless: how was he allowed into Team Canada? Why was Team Canada allowed to include a player that was never named to the roster, not even as an Alternate? A minor incident indeed, but it enhanced the impression that two different sets of rules were in use: one for Canada and one for the rest of the world. Hard to disagree with Russian Coach Boris Mikhailov's verdict that "the World Cup is the World Cup, not a Canadian internal matter."
Sylvain Côte went on to play two games for Team Canada in the World Cup. Why not Bodger, why not Jovanovski? Were other teams also allowed to bring in additional players? The whole affair is really dubious.

 

[Paul4587]

Is there anywhere I can find full length games of the finals online?

 

[One Winged Angel]

It's tough for me to say with the 94 cup run and all, but this is arguably the best hockey I've EVER watched. I remember Hockey was still such a mainstay sport at the time. It was getting over the strike, and coming back so strong in the US, and this did everything to help.

I really wish I could get this on video and convert it to a DVD so I could watch this. I would have loved to seen USA/Canada without the injuries/snubs.

Lemieux, Bourque, MacInnis, for the Canadians, Roenick for the US...

Richter's save on that mini-breakaway, laying the stick across the line and making the save... unbelievable.

The Brawls in the exhibition and finals... Canada vs Sweden...

Seeing all the names I loved and grew up watching....

Ugh, I miss early/mid 90's hockey.

 

[ES]

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

I recall that whole Finnish team was mostly build like the tournament would be in bigger rinks. Older Kiprusoff was really a player who was good in Europe but failed in NHL.

 

[hammerwielder]

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

What, yet another conspiracy theory about biased officials doing Canada's bidding? Now that's a surprise.

You concede there were too many men. So I don't think you can even manufacture a conspiracy theory on this one.

Under your reasoning, if Team A scores a goal but the referees don't see it enter the net and the play goes on and the whistle is finally blown two minutes later and Team A complains and they go to video review and count the goal, what, that's a conspiracy too and counting the goal is unjust?

 

[hammerwielder]

Until I stumpled over the roster...

Jozef Stumpled?

 

[YMB29]

What, yet another conspiracy theory about biased officials doing Canada's bidding? Now that's a surprise.

You concede there were too many men. So I don't think you can even manufacture a conspiracy theory on this one.

It was not a conspiracy, just an example of biased officiating in favor of the home team.

Under your reasoning, if Team A scores a goal but the referees don't see it enter the net and the play goes on and the whistle is finally blown two minutes later and Team A complains and they go to video review and count the goal, what, that's a conspiracy too and counting the goal is unjust?

No because that does not go against the rules. If the goal is counted two whistles later then it is a problem.