Rank the last 4 Olympic Gold Medal teams

[IggyFan12]

Where would you rank the last 4 Olympic Gold Medal winning teams compared to each other? If you put them in a 4 team tournament and had a one game final to decide a winner where do you think each team would rank? The rosters for the teams are:

Josef Beranek
Jan Caloun
Roman Cechmanek
Jiri Dopita
Roman Hamrlik
Dominik Hasek
Milan Hejduk
Jaromir Jagr
Frantisek Kucera
Robert Lang
David Moravec
Pavel Patera
Libor Prochazka
Martin Prochazka
Robert Reichel
Martin Rucinsky
Vladimir Ruzicka-C
Jiri Slegr
Richard Smehlik
Jaroslav Spacek
Martin Straka
Petr Svoboda

(With out Hasek and Injuries to two of Canada's best players (Sakic and Kariya) this team may not of won. Still in a sudden death match up I would not want to face Hasek)

02 Canada

Mario Lemieux-C
Paul Kariya
Ed Jovanovski
Curtis Joseph
Jarome Iginla
Simon Gagné
Chris Pronger
Mike Peca
Owen Nolan
Joe Nieuwendyk
Scott Niedermayer
Adam Foote
Theo Fleury
Martin Brodeur
Eric Brewer
Rob Blake
Ed Belfour
Steve Yzerman-A
Ryan Smyth
Brendan Shanahan
Joe Sakic-A
Al MacInnis
Eric Lindros

(This team was filled with veteran talent and beat the Americans on home soil, and also has more Hall of Fame players than not. Led by the great play of Sakic and Brodeur among others won Canadas first Gold Medal in 50 years)

06 Sweeden

Liv, Stefan
Lundqvist, Henrik
Tellqvist, Mikael
Backman, Christian
Havelid, Niclas
Jonsson, Kenny
Kronwall, Niklas
Nicklas Lidström – A
Ohlund, Mattias
Sundin, Ronnie
Tjarnqvist, Daniel
Daniel Alfredsson – A
Axelsson, P. J.
Forsberg, Peter
Hannula, Mika
Holmstrom, Tomas
Jonsson, Jorgen
Modin, Fredrik
Samuel PÃ¥hlsson
Samuelsson, Mikael
Sedin, Daniel
Sedin, Henrik
Mats Sundin – C
Zetterberg, Henrik

(Sweeden's deepest team, they were able to shake off the shame of 02 and win gold against rival Finland. Strong forwards and great goaltending)

10- Canada

Patrice Bergeron
Dan Boyle
Martin Brodeur
Sidney Crosby
Drew Doughty
Marc-André Fleury
Ryan Getzlaf
Dany Heatley
Jarome Iginla
Duncan Keith
Roberto Luongo
Patrick Marleau
Brenden Morrow
Rick Nash
Scott Niedermayer
Corey Perry
Chris Pronger
Mike Richards
Brent Seabrook
Eric Staal
Joe Thornton
Jonathan Toews
Shea Weber

(Won Gold on home soil, blessed with 2 forward lines of all captains, four strong lines. Fast, willing to hit, had vetern leadership with some of the games best players today.)

To me all 4 teams are amazing good and have a place in History. If this tournament were to be run just 1 time each team would have a shot to win. However if this tournament were to be run 1000 times I think this is the order it would go:

1) 2002 Canada
2) 2010 Canada
3) 2006 Sweeden
4)1998 Czech Republic.

Thoughts?

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[zeus3007*]

02 Canada
Sweden
10 Canada
Czech Republic

Sweden and 02 Canada could be switched though, they were both very, very deep teams.

 

[kmad]

(With out Hasek ... this team may not of won.

You don't say.

 

[begbeee]

This will be:
1. Canada 02
...
4. Czech 98

... and then this will be long long thread about who is better - Sweden 06 or Canada 10.

 

[BraveCanadian]

This will be:
1. Canada 02
...
4. Czech 98

... and then this will be long long thread about who is better - Sweden 06 or Canada 10.

I'll stir the pot and say if we are talking about how they actually played and not just how they look on paper:

1. Canada 02
2. Czech 98
3. Canada 10
4. Sweden 06

I think 02 Canada is the only team that could simply overwhelm '98 Hasek to the degree required to beat his team.

Hasek playing the way he did is simply "golden" in single elimination games as he proved in 98. One of the greatest individual performances I've ever seen.

 

[IggyFan12]

In 1998 the shoot-out was foreign to North American players and Coaches(Why no Gretzky Why!) but in 06 and 10 the NHL had shoot-outs which weakens the 98 Czech team IMO.

 

[begbeee]

In 1998 the shoot-out was foreign to North American players and Coaches(Why no Gretzky Why!) but in 06 and 10 the NHL had shoot-outs which weakens the 98 Czech team IMO.

If Canadiens did not know what shootout is, that was definitly not problem of Czechs.

 

[IggyFan12]

Im not saying that. Im just saying that in 1998 almost no Candian hockey players practised the shoot-out but since they put it in the league after the lock-out they have used it and practised it more, and that if the 1998 Czech team had to play the 06 Sweeden or 10 Canada team in a shootout they may not win.

 

[Epsilon]

I think the 2002 Canada team gets overrated in terms of actual performance, based on a great final game against the USA and pasting the luck-has-run-out Belarus team in the semifinals. While in international tournaments it's obviously how you finish that counts in terms of the final standings, when evaluating teams from different tournaments in a historical context I have a hard time giving the top spot to a team that got crushed in its opening game and looked lackluster throughout the entire opening round.

What's funny is that all of these teams in a sense "underperformed" in the preliminary round in hindsight (given that they won their respective tournaments), but I think Canada's loss to Sweden in 2002 was the worst defeat (Canada 2010 lost a highly competitive game to the USA, while Sweden 2006 lost a game at the end of the preliminary round where they didn't appear to be competing hard and some even claim they threw the game to get a more favorable elimination round match).

 

[IggyFan12]

The 2002 Canada team had I think 1 ice time together before that game. As the tournament went on they got better and better. And they didn't really hit full stride until they changed their lines to put Sakic with Gagne and Iginla and put Mario, Kariya and Yzerman as their top line. Their fourth line was Fleury, Shanahan and Nieuwendyk. All 3 have over 1000 points and at least 2 will get in the Hall of Fame while Fleury may one day.

The reason why I think 10 Canada is above 06 Sweeden is depth. A top line of Crosby Iginla Staal and another line of Morrow, Toews and Richards could shut down anyline. Then you got the San Jose 3 one of the best lines in the NHL and a Getzlaf Perry Nash line is very strong.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

02 Canada
10 Canada
06 Sweden
98 Czech

I have Sweden 3rd because the 02 team was better than the 06 team imo. Sundin was in the prime of his career and so was Forsberg, Alfredsson and Lidstrom. 06 wasn't as good, although they did have Lundqvist and Zetterberg who were pretty good at the time.

 

[begbeee]

Im not saying that. Im just saying that in 1998 almost no Candian hockey players practised the shoot-out but since they put it in the league after the lock-out they have used it and practised it more, and that if the 1998 Czech team had to play the 06 Sweeden or 10 Canada team in a shootout they may not win.

I understand your point, but I dont know how it hurts quality of Czech team?
Then you can say when Czechs play in Canada and are defeated it hurts quality of that Canadian team because small ice rink is something strange to europlayers. There is no logic in it.

 

[IggyFan12]

I understand your point, but I dont know how it hurts quality of Czech team?
Then you can say when Czechs play in Canada and are defeated it hurts quality of that Canadian team because small ice rink is something strange to europlayers. There is no logic in it.

It doesnt hurt the quality of the Czech team it just makes the quality of the other teams higher. The Czech team was a very great team and had an amazing Hasek in net. But when the shoot-out came up very few of the players had practised the shootout before. If in say 2010 the Czechs played Canada in a shoot-out again then every player would of had experience in the shoot out and coaches are included. I dont mean to take anything away from the 1998 Czech team they were a great team and I have no problem admitting that.

 

[Zine]

Based on performance and results, I don't know how you can not go with '98 Czechs.
Sure they relied on Hasek and a team system, but they were the only team that, start to finish, showed any level of consistency, handedly defeated the teams they were supposed to, and came away with the gold medal.

Its ironic that the 4 gold medal winners weren't what you'd call truly dominant teams though.

 

[zorz]

98 czech team maybe doesn't look as strongest team today, but hockey 12 years ago was very different and the tournament wasn't played in nothern america on the small ice. I think guys like Moravec, Martin Prochazka, Patera, Reichel etc. who aren't known so much around the world were perfect for hockey 10 years ago. And it was confirmed by their other post-98 successes. Btw. any talks like they may not win if ...anything... are unfair. It's not like Canada was better and lost only due to shoot-out.

 

[quoipourquoi]

I have Sweden 3rd because the 02 team was better than the 06 team imo. Sundin was in the prime of his career and so was Forsberg, Alfredsson and Lidstrom.

Forsberg didn't play for Sweden in 2002.


1998 Czech Republic
2002 Canada
2010 Canada
2006 Sweden

 

[Merya]

Finland 2006 was better TEAM than any of the above. Damn Swedish luck.

 

[IggyFan12]

Finland 2006 was better TEAM than any of the above. Damn Swedish luck.

Having Kipper in net probably would of helped as well, even though Nittymaki played amazing and was named MVP Kipper was the best goalie in the world at that time.

 

[begbeee]

Finland 2006 was better TEAM than any of the above. Damn Swedish luck.

****! We were best! Damn Czechs luck! If we did not get them in quarterfinal we would won it!

 

[JackSlater]

In terms of talent:
Canada 2002
Canada 2010
Sweden 2006
Czech 1998

In terms of how well they actually played:
Czech 1998
Canada 2002
Canada 2010
Sweden 2006

The gap between the teams in terms of how they actually performed is pretty small, since none of the teams dominated their respective tournaments.

 

[begbeee]

In terms of talent:
Canada 2002
Canada 2010
Sweden 2006
Czech 1998

In terms of how well they actually played:
Czech 1998
Canada 2002
Canada 2010
Sweden 2006

The gap between the teams in terms of how they actually performed is pretty small, since none of the teams dominated their respective tournaments.

It seems that Sweden just sux
Meh, we all know they just tanked..

 

[Up the Irons]

I'll stir the pot and say if we are talking about how they actually played and not just how they look on paper:

1. Canada 02
2. Czech 98
3. Canada 10
4. Sweden 06

I think 02 Canada is the only team that could simply overwhelm '98 Hasek to the degree required to beat his team.

Hasek playing the way he did is simply "golden" in single elimination games as he proved in 98. One of the greatest individual performances I've ever seen.

this. Hasek gave us the most dominant goaltending performance in history. though I might juxtapose 3. Canada 10 with 4. Sweden 06.

 

[VMBM]

Finland 2006 was better TEAM than any of the above. Damn Swedish luck.

Except that Sweden genuinely dominated that gold medal game.

Russia destroys Sweden (in the preliminary round), Finland handles Russia easily (semi-final), and yet: Sweden dominates Finland in the final. Go figure. Styles make games?

 

[begbeee]

Except that Sweden genuinely dominated that gold medal game.

Russia destroys Sweden (in the preliminary round), Finland handles Russia easily (semi-final), and yet: Sweden dominates Finland in the final. Go figure. Styles make games?

You forgot about awesome Swedish performance against Slovakia in round robin game, where defeated team would play against Swiss. One of the best tank performance in hockey.

 

[Joe Sakic]

02 Canada
Sweden
10 Canada
Czech