hototogisu
Poked the bear!!!!!
He was the only unanimous invitee among the goalies though....it says something
Ah is that what was said? Didn't get that from your original post. That's nice to hear if true.
He was the only unanimous invitee among the goalies though....it says something
He was the only unanimous invitee among the goalies though....it says something
I used to have full confidence in him. I must say I'm starting to have some little doubts..
I'm not sure it is "European" goaltending that is superior as it is the Finns.
Rinne, Rask, Niemi, Lethonen & Backstrom!!!! WOW!!!
Russia - Bobrovsky(needs to prove he can sustain a level he set last season), Nabokov & Varlamov, I think Luongo & any two of Crawford, Price or Smith are comparble.
The Swedes - Outside of Lundqvist, they have Lehner, Enroth or Farth. Not really a superior tandem.
USA - Quick, Howard, Anderson or Miller, good but not great!!!
Czechs - Pavelec, Voukon & Neuvirth
Slovacs - Halak & Budaj
Swiss - Hillier & Mayer
Not sure if this has been mentioned, but Elliott Friedman was on the Team1200 this morning and said that Price was a unanimous choice as one of the goalies to be invited to camp.
Seems its only in MTL that he doesn't have unanimity...
Guy has the toughest job in all of hockey IMO.
Yes he needs to be better, especially better then the player he was the last 1/4 of the season. But he also needs to be cut some slack too, he never has any margin for error
Ah is that what was said? Didn't get that from your original post. That's nice to hear if true.
I didn't say he was endorsing Price...it was just a side note to a bunch of comments he was makingFriedman also said that the starting job is Luongos to lose. He also agreed Canada's goaltending has fallen behind the rest of the contending hockey world.
Given the context it was not a ringing endorsement of Price.
I don't get the point of analyzing the depth of goalies for any given team. Who cares who has the best three goalies? Only one goalie plays the games.
Those who are interested in hockey beyond simply the NHL club level? But it's obviously relevant given that at least 20 goalies saw action last Olympics, despite there only being 12 teams. I think every team that made it out of the preliminary round (except maybe Slovakia) asked for at least one game from the backup(s). In 2006, 31 goalies saw action between the 12 teams. 28 goalies among the 12 in 2002. Etc, etc.
And how many goalies saw icetime after the round robins?
That's the only stat that matters.
Let's look at Patrick Roy who is considered to be one of the best ever to play in the NHL, yet had mediocre international hockey stats. It is a different game, thus it is important to see the depth of each & every team in this tournament, IMO.
He played one tournament and posted a .935% and a 1.46.
Right, because pros only played starting that year in Nagano, and because of Canada's depth at the position, a 36 year old Roy wasn't selected in '02 (Belfour, Brodeur, Joseph) - the final Olympics held before Roy's retirement. Canada won, regardless.
He was selected, he just chose not to participate.
I fail to see the relevance. It still doesn't negate the fact you only need one strong goalie to get the job done.
Possibly the best option available (Roy was NHL 1st team all-star in '01/02) didn't play, and yet they won gold.
But the point is, camp invitees are selected before the NHL season even begins, as far as I know, so unless you have a crystal ball telling you who is going to prove the stronger goalie over the coming season, it's important to know that all of your options heading into camp are expected to be at least as good as the options other countries have heading into theirs.
Furthermore, the Olympics are simply a barometer for the "state of the game" that occurs every 4 years. It's of interest to many a hockey fan across the world in the years in between, as well, to discuss who is going to have the stronger pool to choose from at any position leading up to any international tournament.
But YOU don't care, so... ?
My point all along was that what's the difference between determining the better third string goalies such as Crawford vs. Anderson, when neither of these goalies in all likelihood will ever see ice time in a meaningful Olympic game.
Canada's starting goalie as of right now is Luongo. Who, more or less, is on par with any other country's goalie top goalie.
People keep parroting that Canada's goalie 'depth' is so weak. Yet, we still have two premier goalies in the ranks, and one goalie who just won the SC.
Does it really matter at the end of the day? You still haven't proven it does.
This is a lot different than comparing the depth on defense or forward because these players actually play every game, goalies do not.