Re: Brady Murray...

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leafaholix*

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There was a special feature thing on sportsnet on the kids with Canadian roots playing for team USA.... Zach Parise (Canadian father), Patrick Eaves (born in Calgary, Alberta), and of course Brady Murray (Canadian).

They asked them about playing against their "Canadian counterparts" and Murray response was something like... "I hope Canada realizes that they should have given me the chance to play for them."

What the hell.

Was that not what the selection process was about?

Because he said that he gave Hockey Canada a call to see if he'd make the team and they said that it would difficult, but he'd have to compete for a spot... and then he called USA Hockey and they gave him a roster spot... something he called a "sure thing".

Anyways... that just bugs me... the fact that he chose to play for USA because he wasn't good enough to play for Team Canada.

I don't care if it's his last opportunity to play in the WJC... he just took advantage of the situation and that annoys me. There's an actual American kid out there that should have been selected to play for the team... someone who didn't have a crack at it with another country.
 

chicpea*

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go pierre hedin said:
There's an actual American kid out there that should have been selected to play for the team... someone who didn't have a crack at it with another country.

good point. maybe schremp, for instance ;)
 

Rabid Ranger

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The only people complaining about this issue are Canadians. Why is that? Murray probably wouldn't have made the Canadian team, so what's the big deal? He's welcome on the U.S. side, and nothing's going to change that. Can we please drop this?
 

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go pierre hedin said:
There was a special feature thing on sportsnet on the kids with Canadian roots playing for team USA.... Zach Parise (Canadian father), Patrick Eaves (born in Calgary, Alberta), and of course Brady Murray (Canadian).

They asked them about playing against their "Canadian counterparts" and Murray response was something like... "I hope Canada realizes that they should have given me the chance to play for them."

What the hell.

Was that not what the selection process was about?

Because he said that he gave Hockey Canada a call to see if he'd make the team and they said that it would difficult, but he'd have to compete for a spot... and then he called USA Hockey and they gave him a roster spot... something he called a "sure thing".

Anyways... that just bugs me... the fact that he chose to play for USA because he wasn't good enough to play for Team Canada.

I don't care if it's his last opportunity to play in the WJC... he just took advantage of the situation and that annoys me. There's an actual American kid out there that should have been selected to play for the team... someone who didn't have a crack at it with another country.

I don't mind the fact that Murray is playing for the USA because he does have US Citizenship. He is an American....but the way he went about claiming his spot for Team USA was wrong.

If Murray had any intention to play for Canada, which he did (he went to the summer camp), he should have known that he was not going to be handed a spot on a silver platter like he was for Team USA, who has a very different U20 program than Hockey Canada.

Calling Hockey Canada to "see where he sat" with the U20 team, and most of all to hope that Canada would tell him he would make the team without trying out, was a very selfish move on Murray's part. If he had have simply called to say, "Sorry guys, I have decided to play for Team USA", it would have been fine......but using Hockey Canada's system of selection camps as a reason (I like to call it an excuse) to play for Team USA rubs me the wrong way.
 
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Rabid Ranger said:
Murray probably wouldn't have made the Canadian team, so what's the big deal?

I disagree with that. I think he would have Colliton's spot had he tried out for Team Canada.
 

gb701

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Van said:
Calling Hockey Canada to "see where he sat" with the U20 team, and most of all to hope that Canada would tell him he would make the team without trying out, was a very selfish move on Murray's part.

I don't see the point of this complaining. The kid had options because of his citizenship that others don't have, and wanted to make sure he could play. He gave Canada first shot, and when they wouldn't commit, he went to Plan B who would. What is the problem? I just see it as a kid motivated enough to make sure he gets the chance to play the game.
 

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gb701 said:
He gave Canada first shot, and when they wouldn't commit, he went to Plan B who would. What is the problem?

Hockey Canada never commits to anybody unless you are coming from an NHL team, and even that isn't a guarantee (I'm sure Canada cut one NHL U20 player a few years back). If Brady Murray expected at any time for Hockey Canada to tell him he had a spot on Team Canada before the selection camp, he was out of his mind.

The right thing for Murray to do, would be to simply say that he chose to play for Team USA because he can. For him to say something like, "I hope Canada realizes that they should have given me the chance to play for them."....that makes him even more insane because being invited to the selection camp is Canada's way of giving players a chance to play for them.

Brady Murray did not want a chance to play for Canada, he wanted a guaranteed spot on a team that doesn't guarantee spots for anybody, with the exception of NHL players. That is the problem.
 
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BRADY MURRAY:
Brady Murray could be the ambassador of the World Junior Championship. With ties to Switzerland, Sweden, Canada and the United States, the forward, who currently plays at the University of North Dakota, is proof of just how small the world can be

Much like Alexander Steen, Murray's story starts in Manitoba, Canada where he was born. But soon Brady's father, Andy, was packing the bags for Switzerland where he spent four years coaching in Zug, Kloten and Zurich.

The family returned back to North America and Brady spent much of his elementary years on the east coast in Hershey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was there that he first became acquainted with another hockey family that is associated wtih this year's championship, the Eaves.

Brady, Patrick Eaves and Ben Eaves (a former U.S. National Junior Team member) all started their playing days in Philadelphia while Andy Murray and current U.S. Junior Team coach Mike Eaves were assistant coaches with the Flyers. The two families were fast friends as the boys were shuttled to mite games and practices.

"We were all so young and could barely skate," Murray recalls. "But we were out on the ice all the time and became pretty good friends."

Murray and his Canadian parents moved on from the U.S. and soon found themselves in Winnipeg, where Murray made another close friendship—this time with Alexander Steen. Andy Murray coaching Thomas Steen with the Jets at the time.

"We were good friends while we were in Winnipeg," Murray said. "We were so excited that we could be moving to Berlin together, but then my dad got an offer from Hockey Canada and we stayed while the Steen's left for Germany. I remember I was so upset."

Steen and Murray did not keep in touch once they were in separate countries, but their lives were taking the same path, despite the distance. Steen was making a name for himself as a teenager in Sweden, while Murray was a standout in Canada and the United States—especially with the Minnesota prep school Shattuck St. Mary's where he was reunited with Patrick Eaves. The duo shared a line with current U.S. teammate Zach Parise.

It's been six years since Brady Murray and Alexander Steen saw each other. And despite staying in the same hotel for the last week, today's game will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two since living win Canada together.

"I think he's only two doors down from me in the hotel, but it's crazy we still haven't seen each other." Murray said.

While Steen's choice to play for Sweden was fairly simple, Murray's was a little more complicated. Murray attended the Canadian Camp in the summer, but ultimately chose to play for Team USA, despite his father being the National Team Coach for Team Canada.

"I have ties to both," Murray explains. "I would be proud to play for either country, but it worked out that I am here with the U.S team. I was raised as a Canadian since both of my parents are from there, but I only really lived there for four or five years."

The choice was made easier for Murray when the United States gave him a spot on the roster, while the Canadians were still hesitant.

"I wanted to play at this championship," Murray said. "And with the United States I'm getting that opportunity."

He is also getting the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane with reunions with the Eaves family, Zach Parise and his long-lost Swedish friend Alexander Steen.
 

leafaholix*

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You could have simply posted the link.

No need to copy and paste.
 

Mike8

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Rabid Ranger said:
Murray probably wouldn't have made the Canadian team, so what's the big deal?

I don't like how a player can have 'options' when it comes to playing for their country. Playing in an international tournament should be about representing your country; not showing off individual skills. If Brady Murray feels American, then that's perfectly fine. But he shouldn't have had to make the call to Team Canada first, then turn to the assured spot he had been offered on Team USA after getting an insatisfactory response.

The way Brady Murray went about this leads me to believe his first option was Team Canada but that if he couldn't be assured a spot, he'd go down the list of countries he's eligible to play for. That defeats the purpose of the tournament in my opinion. It also gives him a distinct advantage over other young players in the US and Canada who may not be good enough to make their country's team, but don't have the citizenship to play for a weaker country.
 
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leafaholix*

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We've seen this with a couple of the USA's 2002 Salt Lake City athletes.

Brett Hull and Adam Deadmarsh.

They both weren't good enough at the time to play for Team Canada and decided to take the sure thing and play for Team USA as they had dual citizenship.

Going that route is extremely unfair to someone who may get an invite and manage to shine in selection camp to make the team. Someone who isn't a "sure thing" or a star player.
 

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go pierre hedin said:
Brett Hull and Adam Deadmarsh.

I'm not too familiar with Deadmarsh's situation, but I give Hull a little slack. He tried to make Team Canada, and only turned to the USA after he was rejected by Team Canada. Murray didn't want to try out, he wanted to have his spot given to him, while using his guaranteed Team USA spot as leverage to get it.
 

gb701

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Mike8 said:
Playing in an international tournament should be about representing your country; not showing off individual skills.
Isn't it both?? Half of all of the threads and newspaper stories and commentary on the TV are about the scouting opportunities and NHL draft rankings, etc. etc. Considering that all of these guys are playing for free, who has the right to tell them what it is "about" anyway?

Seriously, if you had more than one way to get there and had an opportunity to play - you would turn it down because of the jersey? I don't think so.
 

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gb701 said:
Mike8 said:
Seriously, if you had more than one way to get there and had an opportunity to play - you would turn it down because of the jersey? I don't think so.

That depends on how much dedication you have for your country. Murray obviously feels enough dedication to Team USA that he was willing to kill any chance he might have had to represent Canada in the future.

Brady Murray is locked up to a USA jersey for the rest of his playing career.
 

Mike8

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gb701 said:
Isn't it both?? Half of all of the threads and newspaper stories and commentary on the TV are about the scouting opportunities and NHL draft rankings, etc. etc. Considering that all of these guys are playing for free, who has the right to tell them what it is "about" anyway?

Seriously, if you had more than one way to get there and had an opportunity to play - you would turn it down because of the jersey? I don't think so.

It is both, but it's not exclusively about showing off your skills, and that's what Brady Murray's doing.

The point remains that he's using an advantage that few others have, and in the process it degrades the purpose of the tournament.
 

Crosbyfan

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Mike8 said:
It is both, but it's not exclusively about showing off your skills, and that's what Brady Murray's doing.

The point remains that he's using an advantage that few others have, and in the process it degrades the purpose of the tournament.

Dual citizenship advantages/disadvantages are not unique to hockey.He's kind of forced to make a "nationalist" decision and play against one of his counrties. I say good luck to him,,, "in the bronze medal game".
 

punchy1

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This is an interesting topic. I am amazed at the way some are offended by this but I am not a Canadian so I wouldn't know. It sure seems that some posters might be allowing thier hatered for other countries effect thier views of this situation but maybe not.

Amazing really.
 
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punchy1

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Oh, and USA vs Canada in the GOLD MEDAL GAME is a lock! I CAN'T WAIT! that will be a dandy of a game.

Cheers.
 

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punchy1 said:
He is a talented player with dual citizenship who had his choice, is this one of those jelousy issues that people are all bunched up over because someone else has an opportunity that they don't?

I don't see it I suppose.

And if that was all there was to it, we would be fine with it.

However, Murray wanted to play for Canada, but wanted to be guaranteed a spot before the selection camp...something that Hockey Canada doesn't do for anybody.
 

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punchy1 said:
Oh, and USA vs Canada in the GOLD MEDAL GAME is a lock! I CAN'T WAIT!

Last I checked, there is still a semi-final game to be played.

Don't ever count out Finland at home.
 

leafaholix*

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Not so fast.

USA still has to go up against Hannu Toivonen and the Finns.
 

punchy1

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It is curious as to why he made his decisions. I wonder what we all would have done and which of us truly know all of the facts in this case.

I would bet that we are all going by what the media told us and not what the truth is.
 
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leafaholix*

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Did you not understand the initial post?

He tried out at Canada's camp in the summer... and 2 weeks prior to the Canadian roster being announced, he called Hockey Canada to see if he was a lock for the team.

Hockey Canada said they would not promise him anything... so he then called up USA Hockey and was given a "guarenteed spot".

His first option was to play for Team Canada... after seeing that his chances were as good as Corey Perry's, Jeremy Colliton's, Maxime Talbot's, Stephen Dixon's, etc... he decided to take advantage of his dual citizenship and play for Team USA.

If he were to tell Hockey Canada that he wanted to play for USA before taking up a summer development camp spot... I could respect that. But the guy took up a spot from someone who would give it 100% and take that chance to dawn the red and white.
 

chicpea*

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hmmm. my grandparents are Ukranian. I know I could've made that team. ;)
 

Mike8

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punchy1 said:
I am amazed at the way Canadians are reacting to this issue. He looks like he easily would have made the team over players like Dixon and Colliton.

That isn't the issue here. But have you ever heard of roles? Brady Murray likely wouldn't be competing with these playes for roles on the team. Colliton is strictly a penalty killer who sees little ES time. Not a position Murray would compete for.

punchy1 said:
Even then, the kid wanted to be sure to play in the tourney. He *might* have made team Canada and he *would* make team USA. We don't know if there aren't politics at work here that are behind the scenes that made Murray feel he wouldn't get a fair shot or if it were simply the fact that Team Canada has a giant of a roster and he didn't like the chances of being a small player having to fight for his spot.

If you lot were kids and in his spot I highly doubt that you would stay seated on your high horses and that you too would have gone where you knew you could get on. He has the talent to play for both teams, he had the promise to play for USA. Why is it a bad thing? He is a talented player with dual citizenship who had his choice, is this one of those jelousy issues that people are all bunched up over because someone else has an opportunity that they don't?

I don't see it I suppose.

It has nothing to do with jealousy. It has everything to do with belittling the entire point of this tournament. The WJC is a tournament to allow countries to show the talent they produce, and see where they stand on the international scale. It's not a place for players to pick and choose who they want to play for. If Brady Murray feels American, then he had no business ever being a part of Canada's camp. He never should have called Team Canada to see if he could be assured a spot. He should have been in with the US from the get-go.

If the US didn't assure him a spot, then he'd likely move on to the next country where he's a citizen. It makes a mockery to the purpose of this tournament entirely. He's using options that few other players have; not for nationalistic reasons, or to show gratitude for the training he's had from his country, but strictly for selfish intentions. I'm sure loads of players would want to show off their individual talents in this tournament, so should they go out and buy a Ukrainian passport?

I don't particularly care about Brady Murray or his snide remarks about showing Canadian officials they were wrong in not assuring him a spot, but I'd hate to see this become a common event with international tournaments.
 
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