GDT: Quarterfinal • May 12 • Russia 2, Canada 1 • Part II

[NyQuil]

But ye, that was just a small knock on Nash. I think he is a great player, and looked his part against Russia today. no sarcasm

I thought he was pretty poor today actually.

He's usually one of Canada's best WC players.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

Hitchcock can't beat Russia.

Overall a pretty boring game. The better team won though.

Hitchcock has the attention span of a wet dishcloth. The look on his fat face at the end of the game was priceless. Kinda like...


"Uhhh.. wait... you mean it's over?"

 

[llwyd]

I disagree. The large ice surface takes away the intensity of the game. Even though the rosters might have better players than rosters in the NHL. It's boring hockey. And the whistling.

This is a matter of taste - for me the miniscule NHL rinks really diminish the space for the very best players to show their skills. Yes, there is more intensity but it makes often for confused and disorganized play. And this is when we talk about the matches at their best (the play-offs). A lazy mid-season NHL match is awful to watch with their endless commercial breaks and silent, bored crowds (too busy getting hamburgers and beer). At their best the WC on big ice is the best hockey you can get without having the best national teams meeting (on big ice).

 

[Roamin]

Best-on-best, and small rinks. Nothing else is for real. In other words, once every 8+ years, or never again.

Hmmm Canada doesn't want to defend its claim to hockey anywhere else?
Only where it suits them better?

 

[Fulcrum]

I disagree. The large ice surface takes away the intensity of the game. Even though the rosters might have better players than rosters in the NHL. It's boring hockey. And the whistling.

It's boring to you. Some others prefer the combination/possession hockey that it brings, my self including.

 

[NyQuil]

Best-on-best, and small rinks. Nothing else is for real. In other words, once every 8+ years.

I respect all best-on-best tournaments equally.

For the Olympics, it's easiest to count 1998 onwards since NHLers were available.

So, the Czechs and Swedes certainly won their fair share of best-on-best Olympic tournaments.

I also count Canada Cups and World Cups, but I know a lot of Europeans don't. Still, the Russians deserves props for 1981, and the US for 1996.

I don't think even Europeans think the World Championships are as important as Olympic Gold.

Swedish fans were certainly trumpeting how they were the best team in the world for 4 years after 2006. Finnish fans were very impressed with the World Cup in 2004 until they lost in the finals.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

Best-on-best, and small rinks. Nothing else is for real. In other words, once every 8+ years, or never again.

That is correct. We invented the game. You should play on our rinks.

 

[Dosing]

Looks like losing on purpose worked out for you guys.

?

 

[NyQuil]

?

Hey, I'm cheering for the Swedes now.

Not sure where all this hostility is coming from.

I guess if you can't beat Canada, you can always jump on the Russian bandwagon.

 

[Eugene85]

I just want to say thanks Canada for that game. Canadians had a very good team but we were better.

 

[NyQuil]

I just want to say thanks Canada for that game. Canadians had a very good team but we were better.

Indeed.

 

[TonsofPuppies*]

Hmmm Canada doesn't want to defend its claim to hockey anywhere else?
Only where it suits them better?

You guys have never won anything in your entire history. You are the masters of the being runner-ups. I guess you could say the Fins lack FINNISH.

 

[Rob]

Lets be honest here. Who wasn't "lame" in 2006? We were shutout by Switzerland.

I like to sum up 2006 like this. We took Todd Bertuzzi over Sidney Crosby.

 

[Fulcrum]

Best-on-best, and small rinks. Nothing else is for real. In other words, once every 8+ years, or never again.

Ah thank you! I almost thought that those 4 games in 1972 that I thought were played on International sized rinks were real. Imagine if they were real?

Come on..

 

[Mara]

You guys have never won anything in your entire history. You are the masters of the being runner-ups. I guess you could say the Fins lack FINNISH.

Nah, Finland just plays better than should be possible, and someone then sends us back to earth when it really matters.

 

[Roamin]

You guys have never won anything in your entire history. You are the masters of the being runner-ups. I guess you could say the Fins lack FINISH.

Yo homes, just cuz I sport a fancy Jarkko avatar doesn't mean I'm from Finland.
Take it easy, ese!

 

[jore]

That is shocking as I didn't think much of Russian coaching (Haven't for a while)

The coach is terrible. Power play was absolutely horrible in this game. Line combinations haven't worked in the whole tournament, Kovaltsuk got his first goal tonight and Ovechkin is still without points. Russia won because of individual skill, despite the coaching that didn't get a thing right tonight.

 

[Roamin]

---->

Ask any racer, any real racer. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning's winning.

 

[Hennessy]

Hitchcock can't beat Russia.

Overall a pretty boring game. The better team won though.

You thought that game was boring? I had zero stake in the outcome and it was end-to-end excitement. Transitioning, north-south play, tense moments, blood. It had it all.

 

[Klaus]

Thread title needs fixing

 

[llwyd]

You thought that game was boring? I had zero stake in the outcome and it was end-to-end excitement. Transitioning, north-south play, tense moments, blood. It had it all.

Really? I almost fell asleep during the 2nd period - never seen this many sloppy passes or low intensity in a Canada-Russia game. The first 10 minutes were good and then the quality vanished.

 

[NyQuil]

The penalties sapped a lot of the 1st period energy out in the 2nd period.

 

[Fulcrum]

Ye a lot of Russians are quiet fed up of coaching as well. Imagine this roster with better coaching. I think Canadians would've been rocking back and forth, with a blank stare in a cold shower after that...

 

[llwyd]

You guys have never won anything in your entire history. You are the masters of the being runner-ups. I guess you could say the Fins lack FINNISH.

But, but, that's not nice! And Canada is supposed to be the capital of nice - so, therefore you are not a real Canadian!

 

[Yakushev72]

Congrats to Russia, a close game but a well-deserved win. As posted in another thread, this is their best year in hockey probably in a long time. It's unfortunate though that even if they swept to 4 straight years of victories in all these categories, it'd still all pale in comparison to the Olympics. They're going to need a really strong showing at Sochi to expunge those demons.

Demons are easy to exorcise. In 2006, the Canadian Olympic team, with mostly the same players who played in Vancouver, got shut out by the Russians and eliminated in the quarterfinals, 2-0. At the next Olympics, the Canadians exorcised their demons. The Russian team will be highly motivated in Sochi.