Roenick: The Old guard deserves one more chance for US Olympic team

[Puckhead]

Agree,it's time to let most of those guys go.Bring a fast,young team and let the chips fall where they may................that's there best chance and best way to get ready for the future.

The US has little to no chance at a medal, let alone a gold one. I think they have to make a statement and go with the youth, so that they will be battle tested for the next World Cup and later the Olympics in 2010. They have some nice young talent, but if they bury them and go with the old boys, they will be setting their team back even further. This is about winning on the world stage, not about giving JR one final kick at the can, out of respect. He hasn't played well enough, and doesn't deserve a spot. They have a lot of experience and leadership that deserves to go. Weight, Guerin, Modano, and even Chelios, who at almost 44 yrs old, is a monster.

 

[Transported Upstater]

I think the U.S. roster will be a bit more veteran laden than I thought, but that might not be such a bad thing. Guys like Amonte are actually playing well and want to make the team. If Roenick is playing at a high level, why not take him?

Because Roenick is most certainly NOT playing at a high level.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

The US has little to no chance at a medal, let alone a gold one. I think they have to make a statement and go with the youth, so that they will be battle tested for the next World Cup and later the Olympics in 2010. They have some nice young talent, but if they bury them and go with the old boys, they will be setting their team back even further. This is about winning on the world stage, not about giving JR one final kick at the can, out of respect. He hasn't played well enough, and doesn't deserve a spot. They have a lot of experience and leadership that deserves to go. Weight, Guerin, Modano, and even Chelios, who at almost 44 yrs old, is a monster.

I disagree. While I would agree the U.S. isn't a favorite for gold, I think a medal is within reach. The U.S. looked like garbage in the World Cup and was within a strong third period of the championship game. I think the team in Turin will be a better mix and better coached. I also think almost every other nation has question marks, which also leads to unpredictability.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Because Roenick is most certainly NOT playing at a high level.

Right. I was just asking the question. IMO, Roenick shouldn't and won't be on the team. If you noticed in his comments today (in an interview with Denis Potvin and Dave Strader) he changed his tune on demanding to be on the team and was much more gracious about the possibility of being left off.

 

[ILuvLA]

Given the way he's played this year and with all of his excuses as to why he's played that wya, There's NO WAY that Roenick should be on the team.

 

[matthew94]

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight

 

[Rabid Ranger]

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight

Which is what it should be. All of these guys are great players and will serve an important role on the team. As a sidenote, has anyone been paying attention to Tkachuk lately? He's been a beast. It will be a big boost to have him playing at a high level going into the Olympics.

 

[sunb]

What is the old guard?

Tkachuk - Weight - Roenick
Amonte - Modano - Guerin
Leclair

Chelio - Leetch

 

[CREW99AW]

I just saw the teaser on the SCORE (in Canada). Jeremy Roenick will on at 8pm PST (11pm EST), and the clip in the teaser had him saying that players like Chelios, him, Amonte should be on the Olympic team.

ugh!No interest at all in the old guard getting one last harrah.The old guard sucked in the 2004 World Cup.That was their harrah.

I think the US youngsters played pretty well in the last World Hockey Championship.Add Weight and Madano,but fill the rest of the roster with the youngsters.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

ugh!No interest at all in the old guard getting one last harrah.The old guard sucked in the 2004 World Cup.That was their harrah.

I think the US youngsters played pretty well in the last World Hockey Championship.Add Weight and Madano,but fill the rest of the roster with the youngsters.

It's already been confirmed that Roenick and Chelios are not on the short list. They won't be on the team.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I think you'll see a mixture. I think Tkachuk, Modano and Weight will be there. They've played well enough to be there. Roenick and Amonte I don't see there. Guerin has struggled. LeClair is a toss-up, likely would be a fourth liner or a 13th forward, and I think the U.S. is better off having a young player in that role.

If I had to guess on Team USA right now, I'd say

G: Esche and Miller are locks. Graheme has likely supplanted DiPietro for No. 3. Conklin has a nice international portfolio, but the U.S. has better options.
D: Schneider and Leetch will continue to represent the old guard. Mara and Rafalski are also locks. The rest of the corps is up in the air. Liles, Leopold, Martin, Ballard (don't rule this sparkplug out) and Suter are young and talented and at least two of them will be there. Corvo and Carney would look good in a defensive role. Berard's a liability at 5-on-5 and not likely to be there. Hatcher's slow, and would be a disaster on international ice with a carry-over of the obstruction crackdown. Not the star-studded blue line that won the 1996 World Cup, but not as bad as you might otherwise think.
F: Modano, Weight and Tkachuk will be the guaranteed holdovers. But this is a crap shoot. Conroy is a lock. Gomez hasn't produced this year, but expect him to play. Gionta could be dynamite on international ice. Quietly leading U.S.-born forwards in scoring. Rolston, Blake, York, Langenbrunner and Cole have a good shot. Young guys like Bochenski, Brown and Connolly shouldn't be ruled out. Don't let Arnason's numbers fool you; he has not played well this year. Drury is one of the top 13 scoring forwards, but he had a terrible start to the year. I don't think he was too good in the last Olys, either.

Keep in mind that the U.S. at the World Cup was within one goal of reaching the final, despite breaking in new goalies and a rash of injuries on the blue line. While there will be more growing pains as the transition continues, they'll still be good enough to reach the playoffs, and in a series of best-of-ones, anything can happen.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I think you'll see a mixture. I think Tkachuk, Modano and Weight will be there. They've played well enough to be there. Roenick and Amonte I don't see there. Guerin has struggled. LeClair is a toss-up, likely would be a fourth liner or a 13th forward, and I think the U.S. is better off having a young player in that role.

If I had to guess on Team USA right now, I'd say

G: Esche and Miller are locks. Graheme has likely supplanted DiPietro for No. 3. Conklin has a nice international portfolio, but the U.S. has better options.
D: Schneider and Leetch will continue to represent the old guard. Mara and Rafalski are also locks. The rest of the corps is up in the air. Liles, Leopold, Martin, Ballard (don't rule this sparkplug out) and Suter are young and talented and at least two of them will be there. Corvo and Carney would look good in a defensive role. Berard's a liability at 5-on-5 and not likely to be there. Hatcher's slow, and would be a disaster on international ice with a carry-over of the obstruction crackdown. Not the star-studded blue line that won the 1996 World Cup, but not as bad as you might otherwise think.
F: Modano, Weight and Tkachuk will be the guaranteed holdovers. But this is a crap shoot. Conroy is a lock. Gomez hasn't produced this year, but expect him to play. Gionta could be dynamite on international ice. Quietly leading U.S.-born forwards in scoring. Rolston, Blake, York, Langenbrunner and Cole have a good shot. Young guys like Bochenski, Brown and Connolly shouldn't be ruled out. Don't let Arnason's numbers fool you; he has not played well this year. Drury is one of the top 13 scoring forwards, but he had a terrible start to the year. I don't think he was too good in the last Olys, either.

Keep in mind that the U.S. at the World Cup was within one goal of reaching the final, despite breaking in new goalies and a rash of injuries on the blue line. While there will be more growing pains as the transition continues, they'll still be good enough to reach the playoffs, and in a series of best-of-ones, anything can happen.

I think you have a pretty good handle on the dynamics of the U.S. team, although I'd like to clear up a few things.

* Goaltending: If there is a lock, it's DiPietro. He's been great this year and starred in the World Championships. It will be him, Esche/Grahame, and Miller.

* Defense: I think the locks are Leetch, Schneider, Miller, Rafalski, and Liles. The other two spots will come down to Hedican, Leopold, Martin, Gleason, Mara, Martin, and Ballard.

* Forward: Modano, Weight, Gomez, and Conroy are locked in at center. I also think Knuble, Cole, Tkachuk, Parrish, Rolston, Blake, Guerin, Gionta are locks on the wings.

 

[wildone26*]

I would be shocked if Dipietro is not the #1 goalie for the U.S. Esche has been dissapointing this year IMO, but will probably be back up anyway. Miller is injured right now, who knows what the U.S will make of him, but they probably send him to get experience for the future, I find he has potential but is slightly overrated at this point personally.

 

[Moon Man*]

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight

Argh!

Connolly!

 

[WVP]

Argh!

Connolly!

I think you've finally crossed the line, Newfie.

 

[steafo]

According to a radio report, Roenick said that if he is not on the US Olympic team, he will try to land a gig with NBC during the games, and if it comes to that, he will be "Go Canada Go!" But he does not want it to come to that!

I think that pretty much sums up the guys character right there. If he had been playing anywhere near what he used to be capable of there would be no question that he would be on the team. Let him get the gig with NBC we all know he would be a better commentater than a hockey player. As long as he can stop talking about himself.

 

[God Bless Canada]

I think you have a pretty good handle on the dynamics of the U.S. team, although I'd like to clear up a few things.

* Goaltending: If there is a lock, it's DiPietro. He's been great this year and starred in the World Championships. It will be him, Esche/Grahame, and Miller.

* Defense: I think the locks are Leetch, Schneider, Miller, Rafalski, and Liles. The other two spots will come down to Hedican, Leopold, Martin, Gleason, Mara, Martin, and Ballard.

* Forward: Modano, Weight, Gomez, and Conroy are locked in at center. I also think Knuble, Cole, Tkachuk, Parrish, Rolston, Blake, Guerin, Gionta are locks on the wings.

It sounds like Waddell will pick 8 defencemen and 12 forwards. If you're right, those will be the 12 forwards. I forgot about Knuble (he is from Ontario, after all, but plays for the U.S.) I don't think Parrish is a lock, and I definitely don't think Guerin is a lock. Based on his play this year, I think it's time to cut the chord with Guerin and play Brown. I think Langenbrunner should be there ahead of Parrish, since Langenbrunner has consistently proven himself to be a money player.

As for defence, Miller's a solid, sturdy defenceman. But is this the time to use him? With the eight-defenceman setup, it means they'll probably take Miller. Martin was terrific at the World Cup, was likely the best defenceman for the U.S. at that tournament. I think he has to be there. Mara's a talented young PP QB, although he isn't much defensively, and in an 8-defenceman system, it might hurt his chances because he has to take a regular shift. (You can now cross off Berard's name for any consideration). Leopold, Ballard and Gleason will vie for the other one or two spots. I don't see Hedican in the mix.

 

[DutchShamrock]

Well, forget about Tkachuk playing wing with Roenick (Tkachuk out 4-6 weeks with broken knuckle). Team USA should take the best Americans as of the deadline day. Right now I do not feel that Roenick or Chelios are a part of that group.