Tonight's Canada Exhibition Game

[Don Draper]

Jeez, Perry was very impressive. Reminded me, almost to the Tee of a 19yr old Spezza one on one. Slow skating, incredible hands, moves that work on junior players, strength and reach on the puck. And Spezza was supposed to carry the junior team that year, Perry is fwd 13, i guess this team is pretty deep.

 

[Le Golie]

Just got home from the game. Wow is it a lot of fun to watch real hockey that people actually care about in this city again. Great game.

Canada was completely dominant. Owned the boards, owned the corners and owned the one on one battles. The Finnish goalie played a great game. Too bad we didn't see Rask though, but he sure as heck wouldn't have made an ounce of difference.

Random thoughts....

The Finnish warmup was straaange. Rask did not see one puck for the first 12 minutes. The other guy took every single shot, and then they split the final few minutes. Good thing he didn't get hurt, Rask didn't get any kind of warmup.

Finland looks like a one-line team. Nokolainen - Korpikoski - Tukonen created all the offensive chances the Finns got but Canada ate the other lines for breakfast.

A teammate of Brayden Coburn's in Portland was sitting right beside us ad he and his buddies were razzing him all game. It was pretty funny, Coburn did nothing all game so they had lots of ammo for him.

Crosby and Bergeron are going to have a ton of fun this tournament. They play the game on a different level than everyone else. Wow, you could just see them always reading each other and thinking the same things. They have enough pure skill to make up for the lack of history playing together, they still know exactly where they are going to be.

Phaneuf didn't have a great game, he got schooled in the first period and then kind of faded down the stretch. No real cause for concern though.

 

[nikolai19]

I know that the Canadian team is a priority in this thread but can anyone tell me how Tuokonen looked for Finland?

Just curious from a King's fan POV

 

[Crosbyfan]

Very true. He and Getzlaf have played together before, so there might be some chemistry there(at least I hope so).

Either way, while a guy like Colliton is good defensively, IMO Perry is a much better fit on the offensive line. If I'm completely wrong, then Perry should at least be playing with some other line, and not be the 13th forward. He's way too talented to be the 13th forward.

Sutter may want both Perry's hands and Colliton's wheels available for Bergeron & Crosby. Also Colliton will be used on the PK moreso than Crosby and possibly Bergeron. All 4 seemed to get a fair amount of icetime.

 

[Le Golie]

I know that the Canadian team is a priority in this thread but can anyone tell me how Tuokonen looked for Finland?

Just curious from a King's fan POV

He was good. Creative flare. The whole line was pretty good but they were up against a pretty spectacular defence so they didn't get a ton of chances. Plus they were head to head with the Crosby line all night so they didn't have possession of the puck a ton.

 

[RoyIsALegend*]

Canadian defence looks very impressive, and Jeff Glass seemed comfortable with the limited work-load he experienced.

I am sort of upset that it seems like Anthony Stewart won't have a major role on this club. He's just stuck down the pecking order of wingers this year, unfortunately.

Phaneuf, Dixon, Fraser, and Ladd didn't really impress me.

Came away impressed with Crosby, Bergeron, Richards, Carter, Weber, MacArthur and Perry. Getzlaf was alright.

 

[hockeyfan125]

Mike Richards reminds me alot of Gilbert Brule. Very similar styles.

 

[Eldrick]

Phaneuf, Dixon, Fraser, and Ladd didn't really impress me.

I'll agree Phaneuf had an off game, and Dixon and Ladd weren't great but I really liked what I seen from Fraser. Hard work and was responsible in his own end, even getting on the scoresheet.

Seems like the perfect role player for this team...can't all be scorers.

 

[BIG GIFS]

Mike Richards reminds me alot of Gilbert Brule. Very similar styles.

Reminds you ?

 

[Pepper]

I'm kinda glad that Finland really got trashed tonight, that should serve as a wake-up call for the players and the coach. I'm expecting a lot more from Team Finland when the real games start but apparently they sucked royally last night and they have to understand what it takes to play against the best.

 

[chicpea*]

Came away impressed with Crosby, Bergeron, Richards, Carter, Weber, MacArthur and Perry. Getzlaf was alright.

Add Dawes and I agree 100%. Getlzaf was invisible for portions though.

 

[tritone]

Holy Smokes!!!!! "The Next One!" Crosby was moniarchal out there, this tourney is going to be fun to watch!!!

Richards reminds me of Ron Francis !!! I'm loving this!!

Canada Rocks!!!!

 

[wilka91*]

Boxscore? Recap? ANywhere?

 

[Le Golie]

Boxscore? Recap? ANywhere?

http://www.hockeycanada.ca/e/teams/mens/junior/2005/results/122004_canfin.html

 

[wilka91*]

thanks man

 

[rebedom]

Holy Smokes!!!!! "The Next One!" Crosby was moniarchal out there, this tourney is going to be fun to watch!!!

Richards reminds me of Ron Francis !!! I'm loving this!!

Canada Rocks!!!!

Me too, Richards even looks a bit like Ron Francis.

 

[Macman]

It was like men playing boys. If it wasn't for the Finn goalie and four hit posts, it would have been really ugly. Crosby is a revelation. His acceleration is incredible. He pounces on loose pucks like few I've ever seen. I think we can already pencil in Canada for first in their division and a bye into the semis, which is a little worrisome because the other division seems much stronger on paper and Canada won't be tested until the semis. Last night's game also did nothing toward answering whether or not Canada has the goaltending to go all the way.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

The thing that stood out to me...for those who haven't seen Crosby play since last year (like me), he seems quite a bit faster. He seemed to be the most dynamic skater on the ice by a fair margin.

Sutter's style of rolling over the four lines on shorter shifts seems to be a sound strategy. If Canada can keep up that intensity, it will be a major advantage at such a short tourney. It seemed like Canada got the momentum early and never let up, while the Finns just wanted to slow things down, but were never given the chance. They'll be better than that at the tourney, as Canada's style and the home ice advantage really put them in a tough situation. They never got into a groove.

Hat's off to the Finn goalie who really hung in there, even when the bounces started to turn Canada's way.

 

[pei fan]

I am sort of upset that it seems like Anthony Stewart won't have a major role on this club. He's just stuck down the pecking order of wingers this year, unfortunately.

What? He's playing on the first line.

 

[ChemiseBleuHonnete]

The thing that stood out to me...for those who haven't seen Crosby play since last year (like me), he seems quite a bit faster. He seemed to be the most dynamic skater on the ice by a fair margin.

Since his knee and ankle injury, he's a little bit less faster. It's improving each weeks tho. I'm pretty sure that he'll gain back all his speed before the end of the season. By the way, he's only 17 years old, he's going to be a lot faster than that in the nhl. The guy has a strong work ethic.

 

[allrevvedup25]

After watching Bergeron last night, you can tell he played in the NHL. Nobody on the Finns could stop him, when they tryed to hit him, he flattened them!!! LOVE TO SEE THIS AS A CANADIAN!!!!

 

[TML]

Which line did Ladd play on? How'd he look?

 

[GKJ]

Great...this game means absolutely nothing!

it means something because Mike Richards goal was #10 on ESPN's Top plays.

 

[trahans99]

How did Corey Perry look? I saw bits and pieces of the game but didn't see much of him. I read he played well though. Any thoughts?

 

[Blackshad]

How did Corey Perry look? I saw bits and pieces of the game but didn't see much of him. I read he played well though. Any thoughts?

I didnt know him. He impressed me alot.
Incredible hands