WC: Who was Nicholson talking about?

[Duke Silver]

"Bob Nicholson believes his organization needs to start looking for ways to avoid a similar fate next year and questioned the commitment of a couple young players that declined invitations here. Without naming names, he indicated that a small handful chose not to come to Europe for reasons that were a "little lame."

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ca...qM5hD7a4ZbGcLOzSFubhYD0QDvgE1VA?docId=6839607

Who, in your opinion, was Bob Nicholson talking about? Anybody uninjured who simply declined the invitation?

Staal's (Jordan, Marc, Eric)?
P.K. Subban?
Cam Ward?
Drew Doughty?

Click to read more...

 

[SeriousFan09]

He wants to blame the non-participants for the fact that Canada sent an NHL roster to the Worlds and couldn't medal? Please. Canada screwed up as it always does, Old-boy club selecting a coach who's unemployed to try and get him another NHL gig instead of going after the best man available.

Eberle, Tavares, Pietreangelo, Skinner nailed to the bench while the guys who were on the ice for GA were out there doing nothing.

 

[BobDobolina]

He wants to blame the non-participants for the fact that Canada sent an NHL roster to the Worlds and couldn't medal? Please. Canada screwed up as it always does, Old-boy club selecting a coach who's unemployed to try and get him another NHL gig instead of going after the best man available.

Eberle, Tavares, Pietreangelo, Skinner nailed to the bench while the guys who were on the ice for GA were out there doing nothing.

So true. 1 minute left in the game, down a goal and who does he put on the ice? Vermette and Evander Kane.

Funny scene when they called the time out, the assistant coach was doing all the talking while Hitch was peeking behind the players to what he was saying.

 

[PaulieVegas]

NHL Radio was discussing this yesterday morning and their thoughts were that Corey Perry was at least one of the guys he was talking about.

 

[FanHabtic*]

He appears to be talking about young players who were given the opportunity to play for Canada at the Olympics (and World Juniors).

I'm thinking Doughty (though not sure if injured), Perry, Getzlaff and possibly Eric Staal. What the team was missing most was veteran support from young players with Olympic experience.

This team was too young to start off and way too inexperienced. And way too many Leafs on the team. That alone poisoned our chances.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

The roster looked like the strongest in the tournament, doubt that was the problem.

 

[Big Phil]

NHL Radio was discussing this yesterday morning and their thoughts were that Corey Perry was at least one of the guys he was talking about.

You would think so, but I doubt it. Perry is an Olympian. He'll make the 2014 team regardless of whether or not he plays in the Worlds again. That's how it goes. Once you've proven yourself as an Olympian you are in and don't have to go anymore.

Tavares and co. are not Olympians, but might be in the future. This will help his chances.

Perry, Doughty, Getzlaf and Eric Staal are all Olympians and don't NEED to come here anymore. They will still be selected in 2014, or 2012 if there is a World Cup.

I would think Subban is a guy he might be refering to. Maybe Cam Ward too.

 

[zorz]

OT: lol, when I saw your thread it came to my mind as the first thing you're asking about this quotation:

 

[magic school bus]

NHL Radio was discussing this yesterday morning and their thoughts were that Corey Perry was at least one of the guys he was talking about.

yeah, i think they'd rather have him on the ice than doing whatever he was doing in Las Vegas.

Perry
Doughty
Ward
Bouwmeester
Benn
Getzlaf
Subban

 

[Tavaresmagicalplay*]

Nicholson was kind of an idiot to open his mouth, seriously it's kind of an insult to the players that were there. They had a very good team and just didn't live up to expectations. Other than that I don't have a pretty big problem with him calling the guys who didn't go out. I think they have a right to not go(regardless of what he thinks hockey canada has done for their career) and heal up but I also think he has a right to call them out for not going if they don't go if only it weren't a big slap in the face to guys that were there.

 

[alcanalz]

How much has Perry done for Canada internationally? If he was one of the players Nicholson was calling out, that's pretty laughable.

I don't like the call-out at all, the team was plenty good enough to win. Maybe don't send a completely washed-up coach in Hitchcock and you'll have a better chance of winning a medal.

 

[DJ Breadman]

Subban and Price both said no, as did cammalleri

 

[bretzky29ca*]

I'm speculating it was Jamie Benn.Nicholson would of been foolish to call out a player from Canada's 2010 "golden"team, as they now have a place in Canadian lore. Benn on the other hand, is a player that you would think has an outside shot at the 2014 olympic team and passing up chances like this will most certainly hinder his chances. Cam Ward is another one that comes to mind.

 

[the word*]

He wants to blame the non-participants for the fact that Canada sent an NHL roster to the Worlds and couldn't medal? Please. Canada screwed up as it always does, Old-boy club selecting a coach who's unemployed to try and get him another NHL gig instead of going after the best man available.

Eberle, Tavares, Pietreangelo, Skinner nailed to the bench while the guys who were on the ice for GA were out there doing nothing.

This... we should have all known it was going to happen before it did and we should have all known we were going to lose before we actually lost.

No need to mention names because we all know who they are. The coach and the players. We should have easily medaled with the group that was there. Some of the prime time guys, who were just reliving their past failures from WC tournaments, should have been given secondary roles.

The whole thing justs sickens me.

 

[sepHF]

It really bothers me when players pass up invitations to play internationally. It seems like Canadians just don't care -- look at Russia... their players instantly hop on a plane and come over EVEN if they're injured just because they love their country so much. Would be nice if our Canadian players could be even half as patriotic as the Russians.

 

[Nakawick]

It really bothers me when players pass up invitations to play internationally. It seems like Canadians just don't care -- look at Russia... their players instantly hop on a plane and come over EVEN if they're injured just because they love their country so much. Would be nice if our Canadian players could be even half as patriotic as the Russians.

They are just as patriotic as Russians, but the World Championships does not mean as much to them as the Olympic team, the world juniors or a World Cup. In Russia it means a lot more. The USA and Sweden had a lot of declines as well.

 

[Malreg]

Subban and Price both said no, as did cammalleri

Subban was injured near the end of Game 7 against Boston, and no goalie has played as many games as Price has this year(after the end of the 1st round), he deserved some rest.

Not sure about Cammalleri.

I would be more upset towards the players that didn't make the playoffs and did not go. Cam Ward, Eric Staal, Brodeur, Brad Richards, Iginla...

 

[observerspb*]

And that popular in Canada. Lacrosse or hockey?

 

[BLONG7]

Nicholson is an idiot...way out of line...

 

[PaulieVegas]

You would think so, but I doubt it. Perry is an Olympian. He'll make the 2014 team regardless of whether or not he plays in the Worlds again. That's how it goes. Once you've proven yourself as an Olympian you are in and don't have to go anymore.

Tavares and co. are not Olympians, but might be in the future. This will help his chances.

Perry, Doughty, Getzlaf and Eric Staal are all Olympians and don't NEED to come here anymore. They will still be selected in 2014, or 2012 if there is a World Cup.

I would think Subban is a guy he might be refering to. Maybe Cam Ward too.

I don't disagree, I think they singled out Perry because he played in the Worlds last year after having been in the Olympics, but this year said he was too burned out. They weren't criticizing him, they were just speculating that he seemed a likely candidate for being one of the guys Nicholson was referring to.

I actually commend Nicholson, I wish Brian Burke or David Poile or someone in the USA brass would call out the American guys who turned down invitations. I have no problem with the top guys like Kane, Parise, or Miller who have nothing to prove saying no. But when the guys who are on the bubble for 2014 are turning down invitations (and for reasons that Nicholson would deem "lame"), they deserve to be called out. Umberger wants to finish college, Foligno and Bogosian want to focus on the next NHL season, Booth and E. Johnson pretend to be injured...come on guys, put on the jersey and go play.

 

[CrosbyCrosby*]

All I gotta say is Eberle was on the wrong side of the bench during the timeout, and I knew as soon as I heard who was coaching that this team would be trouble. Never forget the choke of 2008. Canada dominating the game but they decide to sit on their lead instead of push for more goals?

 

[IME]

I don't understand why people are giving established olympians a free pass (and assuming Nicholson isn't referring to them).

I think the whole point of Nicholson's comments were that some Canadians thought they were too good for the tournament, like it was beneath them. Just because you played in the Olympics, suddenly another international opportunity isn't "worthy" of your talent?

Whether he's right or not is one thing, but I believe his comments are directed at the younger guys, olympians or not.

 

[Tavaresmagicalplay*]

How much has Perry done for Canada internationally? If he was one of the players Nicholson was calling out, that's pretty laughable.

I don't like the call-out at all, the team was plenty good enough to win. Maybe don't send a completely washed-up coach in Hitchcock and you'll have a better chance of winning a medal.

The world juniors did wonders for Corey Perrys career. Everybody knows that.

 

[R S]

So true. 1 minute left in the game, down a goal and who does he put on the ice? Vermette and Evander Kane.

Funny scene when they called the time out, the assistant coach was doing all the talking while Hitch was peeking behind the players to what he was saying.

To me fair, more often than not, it's the assistant coach who is the one designing the plays and such during a final minute time out.

 

[leafsfuture]

I am not 100% sure about this, but I have heard a couple times that Subban only said no to Canada because he couldnt get clearance from his team in time.

And Nicholson is just wrong. Canada on paper still had the best team. Canada's problem was that we also had the worst coach. Plain and simple.

And the players should take some credit for scoring one goal on a non-NHL goalie.