WJC: Is Jake Allen....

[robdicks]

the question in the opening thread was "is he to blame?"

answer: yes... u can feel bad for him all you want, and i do as well, but he is to blame for sure as already been stated (in defence of him mind you) he shoul have had at least 2 of the goals, if not 3... its ok though, its a short tournament and things like that happen, but the goaltending matchup of Campbell/Allen was the reason canada lost

when campbell came in it was 3-3

 

[oil slick]

the question in the opening thread was "is he to blame?"

answer: yes... u can feel bad for him all you want, and i do as well, but he is to blame for sure as already been stated (in defence of him mind you) he shoul have had at least 2 of the goals, if not 3... its ok though, its a short tournament and things like that happen, but the goaltending matchup of Campbell/Allen was the reason canada lost

when campbell came in it was 3-3

Persona non grata means an unwelcome person (or a hated or ostracized person), so I don't think the original poster is asking whether he is to blame, but asking whether people will curse when they hear his name. He's obviously the big reason the team lost (along with a great game from USA, and slow defense), but I don't think anyone should hate the guy just because he didn't make the big saves. He's a kid who didn't have a good night.

But I still don't understand the MAF comparisons... MAF was the always a star player... Allen seems much more like Pogge.

 

[GeneralSwell]

Vesa, was that you last night? Felt just like watching every game the Leafs played this year with Toskala in net.

 

[filek]

i am certainly not gonna put the blame on allen, but, for what it's worth, he should have been pulled after letting in those 2 first back to back goals

i mean they are still fragile kids playing in the biggest game they could imagine, not some tough pros, who just gonna shake it off and play out of their minds all of the sudden

now he's gonna have some really hard time and this is gonna haunt him for sure, the thought he let down the hopes of a nation (even if it's not true, i guarantee you he's gonna feel like that). i just hope this won't affect his further career a lot.

and all of that could have been avoided had he been pulled after 2.
and then, we wouldnt have probably lost as well, which makes that coaching decision (or indecision rather) very very questionable and costly

 

[Uhmkay]

Allen did not lose us the game, but he's not a good goalie and I would be shocked if he ever became an NHL regular starter. If we had 'decent' goaltending that game, we'd have won. He's lucky Everle bailed him out.

 

[peicurler91]

Yeah it's not Allen's fault. Don't forget the puck has to get passed 5 other players before it gets to him. He is young, he is learning, his worst game was unfortunately in the gold medal game.

Look at the bright side, we get the Death Pool. Team Canada next year has to play their best to win. Both teams had a fairly easy time in the tournament. The big difference is that the States had the extra game and they had to play more tough games so they were better prepared last night. Congrats to the American team. Looks like we have to wait another year to take the lead over Russia for gold medals.

The U.S deserved the win more than Canada. Thank you to Eberle for being clutch again and making the game much more exciting

 

[v-man]

This was a tournament where all of the goaltenders were decidedly lackluster (the one game by Conz not withstanding), but then again, most of them didn't have to be great to get the wins they need. Going in no one was expecting Allen to be a star, and he wasn't. Personally I would have liked to see a guy like Carrozzi get the chance instead, but HC had plenty of excellent choices to go with and went with who they though was best. Like others have said, this won't impact his career one bit, either he'll fall off the map like Pogge, or he'll get over it and start in the NHL in three/four years time like Mason.

 

[Shwag33]

He didnt come up big when it mattered. It should have been 5-2 in the 3rd, not 5-5. It falls on him and the coach for not getting him out of there when he should have.

If you can take away the soft goals from allen let in, the US should be able to take away the softies let in by lee and the BS penalty that started your 4th and 5th goal? Really it should have been 2-1 US in the third.

 

[Rick Middleton]

Similar to my post on Campbell, let's not go overboard on a players potential after one game. However, this game did expose a flaw in his game, his glove hand is too low, and given his tendency to drop down into the butterfly quickly he's leaving a lot of space up top. That can be worked on. He's still a solid goaltending prospect.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Let's be real here, the goaltending on both teams was borderline terrible. Allen (and Lee) were awful. Campbell played very well, but still gave up two late goals. Jones really can't faulted on what was an excellent shot by Carlson.

 

[WayneSid9987]

He's just a kid. Sure he let in some bad ones but all goalies do. Yes his play throughout the tournament hasn't been spectacular but to say he's the reason Canada lost gold is ludicrous.
I blame the coach, most of the forwards, Allen, and lots of D-Men for this lose.
I knew the game would be close and maybe if Allen stopped some of em it woulda been a different story but we'll never know.
The kid will be fine.

 

[McGuillicuddy]

It's hard to blame a single player for a loss in a team game like hockey. Even the 1986 Edmonton Oilers will tell you to a man that it was not Steve Smith's fault that they lost that game against Calgary. That being said, 2 of the goals Allen let in were embarrassing, and 1 of them was definitely on the weak side. If we get even just slightly above average goaltending then we likely win this game.

In the end, however, the goalie is part of the team, so on this night the USA had the better team and deserved to win.

 

[Dgill]

Whether of age or not, the kid is representing a passionate hockey nation. He played embarrassingly, he failed to make the big save when it counted the most and let down his team and a nation. Never have I ever been so disappointed in a player as I am with Allen in recent memory for international play.

Dejardins will not be coaching next year as well, I got a strong feeling about that.

 

[McGuillicuddy]

He played embarrassingly, he failed to make the big save when it counted the most and let down his team and a nation.

He didn't need to make the big save. We only needed him to make the average saves .

 

[Stephen]

I didn't say he was immune to criticism. But being personally angry with a 19 year old for his performance in a game is ridiculous in my eyes. His age has everything to do with it because your anger is generated by expectations, which ought to be generated by his age.

I just don't think the age argument works when he's supposed to be playing goal for one of the best teams in the tournament and is one of the older players in the tournament. He's 19, but he's also playing against 17 and 18 year olds, so he should be a veteran in these situations.

 

[nucks2win]

Don't really blame him. Every player has bad games. I remember how Luongo and Brodeur ended their seasons just last year. Roy getting lit up by Detroit, and the way Fleury ended this same tournament a few years back - it happens to the best, so I'm not going to pin it on a 19 year old. What I blame here is a coach - he needs to recognize who's ready and who's not, when your guy just doesn't have it. This team seemed to have very little chemistry to begin with, and I also lay that on him as well, so maybe I'm not the best guy to ask.

 

[liverpoolfcjr]

he played TERRIBLE imo.
first 2 goals pretty routine fotr he most part his glove speed was CLEARLY not there as he couldnt catch.

cant remmeber 3rd goal.

4th goal the defenseman played it perfectly he gave the shooter no chance to shoot so allen SHOULD HAVE anticipated that the only option was to pass.

5th goal needs no explanation.

its one thing to play good, and its another to play good when it matters.

 

[Crosbyfan]

Yeah. He's the goat. More a reflection on the game than anything else, but that's how it goes.

 

[Hooch314]

He didnt come up big when it mattered. It should have been 5-2 in the 3rd, not 5-5. It falls on him and the coach for not getting him out of there when he should have.

So 3 of the US goals were lucky and shouldn't have gone in, but none of Canada's goals were lucky? Got it.


I mean did you watch the game? Lee was worse than Allen before he was pulled.

 

[Hooch314]

Allen did not lose us the game, but he's not a good goalie and I would be shocked if he ever became an NHL regular starter. If we had 'decent' goaltending that game, we'd have won. He's lucky Everle bailed him out.

Not a good goalie? How many goalies at 19 years of age were ready to play in the NHL? We have no clue what he will become. And why do you guys seem to believe that Canada was the only team with weak goaltending. Did you see the goals Lee let in? Why do you always have to look at it only one way? I know that some Canadien fans see this and I don't mean to call you out but come on.

he played TERRIBLE imo.
first 2 goals pretty routine fotr he most part his glove speed was CLEARLY not there as he couldnt catch.

cant remmeber 3rd goal.

4th goal the defenseman played it perfectly he gave the shooter no chance to shoot so allen SHOULD HAVE anticipated that the only option was to pass.

5th goal needs no explanation.

its one thing to play good, and its another to play good when it matters.

You never played goalie I assume. First thing they teach you when you say you want to play goalie is that on an odd man rush you take the shooter, if there is a pass, it is the defenders job to block it. You never anticipate a pass. Your man is the guy with the puck.

 

[Statsy]

One bad game does not make a career. Like someone said earlier, he will be his own harshest critic for this. And though people think he will shake it off in a few days the fact is that he was humiliated at a young age on a huge stage in the biggest game of his life. Sadly, he will take this performance to his grave.

He can thank Eberle for taking him off the hook somewhat, as we did get into a position to win the game after his departure. We probably don't score those last two goals without the pressure of being down late in the game.

I do think it was the Desjardins' fault for not pulling him earlier, but in Canada we get spoiled by good goaltending in tournaments like these. I am sure after each goal he thought that would be the last one, but give credit to Dean Blais for reading the situation better.

Out of curiosity, does anybody remember the last time a Canadian goalie was replaced mid-game in this tourney?

 

[Equinox]

I'm kind of repeating everyone elses assessment, but he definitely wasn't up to the task. He should have been pulled earlier. Canada seemed shellshocked when the US seemed to be able to score at will. I feel he may have a hard time forgetting about this one.

Ultimately Canada was out-coached and out-played. USA had a very cohesive team this year, and they fully deserved to win.

It's been mentioned, but Canada hasn't exactly been handed the past 5 Gold Medals, they had to overcome some huge obstacles in those years too and perhaps gotten quite lucky in several wins. This year just wasn't their year.

 

[Raging Bull]

He had a terrible game, it happens. I'd say what happened to Fleury was worse and he seems to have gotten over it pretty well.

 

[Mihairokov]

The last time I saw Jake Allen play in person was when he started for the QMJHL-All-Stars against the Russian selects last year when they played here. The Q lost the game Allen started, and it was the only game out of six that Russia won on that tour. Allen played an atrocious game.

It didn't surprise me that he lost this gold medal game. What surprised me was his being picked to Team Canada.

 

[nitz]

I don't understand why there are so many people defending him. I always try and keep a level head and have an objective look at everything (AKA - not blow my lid right away) and holy **** was Allen ever terrible in this tournament.

The lack of quality goaltending that Canada has turned out in the last 5 years or so is a bit worrying.