WC: Who was Nicholson talking about?

hototogisu

Poked the bear!!!!!
Jun 30, 2006
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Montreal, QC
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.

Agreed 100%. All there is to it. On paper, there's no reason why that roster shouldn't at least medal, and it's not unrealistic to expect it to contend for gold either.

I also find it weak for him (or anyone) to insinuate that players whose team made the playoffs (a la Doughty, Subban, etc) are lame for not going. If you want to call out the guys who have been on vacation since the end of the regular season, that's one thing, but the guys who just finished giving their all for their NHL clubs in the playoffs? I don't agree with that.
 

JackSlater

Registered User
Apr 27, 2010
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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.

The point isn't to just have the best team on paper, it's to have close to as strong a team as we can. The players who went were clearly good enough to win, but the team easily could have been better wth different players.

People do have to keep in mind that a few small bounces and Canada would have played Finland in the semis and been guaranteed a medal game. The line between winning and losing is very thin in hockey. A long term trend is one thing, but two years without a medal (especially with the roster last year) isn't something to get worked up about.
 

wej20

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Aug 14, 2008
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Fleury definitely turned down an invite, Letang sounds like he did to.
 

Sanderson

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Sep 10, 2002
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I also find it weak for him (or anyone) to insinuate that players whose team made the playoffs (a la Doughty, Subban, etc) are lame for not going. If you want to call out the guys who have been on vacation since the end of the regular season, that's one thing, but the guys who just finished giving their all for their NHL clubs in the playoffs? I don't agree with that.

Where does he say that?
All he mentions is that a handful of players gave reasons that were a little lame. He didn't say that everyone who didn't want to play had lame reasons or that players who were still in the playoffs right before the tournament started were wrong not to come and play for Canada.

Heck, he doesn't even mention who he's talking about, so how can you blame him for something he didn't do?
You can't just assume that he meant certain players and attack him because of it.
 

puckfan13

Registered User
Jan 18, 2010
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You guys are fools if you think he's pissed at Corey Perry of all people for not coming. That's probably the last person he's mad about for not coming. It's younger guys who expect they have a shot at making the next Olympic team without answering the call. Like Letang, Price, Subban, Marc and Jordan Staal, Benn, Cam Ward.

There's no way if you're under 30, have a contract in hand and relatively healthy that you should be refusing an invitation.
 

Drij

Registered User
Mar 5, 2007
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What's the big deal? Canada didn't send the best team and everyone knows it. Yeah on paper their team looked good, but it wasn't a good team.
 

therealdeal

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Apr 22, 2005
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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.

Yeah I agree, I've been a big Nicholson supporter, but he was downright wrong on this one. The team had more than enough talent to win, except maybe on defense. Burns and Phaneuf played terrible, but they're better players than how they played.

Frankly I thought Canada was dominating Russia, we just had 1 defensive lapse that cost us. Its a one game elimination, sometimes thats all it takes.
 

13 others

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Apr 18, 2007
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Hey Bob maybe you should take some blame too after all you hired an unemployed fat guy to coach the team.
 

Canuck21t

Registered User
Feb 4, 2004
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Montreal, QC
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.
I believe Russians are generally a little more patriotic than Canadians, but the World Championships are not to be used as a measuring stick for the degree of patriotism. It's just a matter of importance in the mind of each country.

Canadians simply don't consider the World Championships as very important so can you really blame the players for not going? I mean when they win the tournament, nobody in the country gets excited so why bother except for having a slight better chance of making the next Olympics? Look how many people are celebrating in Finland. Look how crazy the Russians were in 2008 and 2009. If Canadian fans were as excited about the tournament, you can bet that our players would want to go too. If we look at the big picture, we're all to be blamed for the lack of interest.

This year's team was strong enough to win the tournament, at least on paper. Nicholson should rather question Hockey Canada's country club mentality of hiring old friends instead of the best available coach. Why is Andy Murray working for the Swiss? I suspect Hockey Canada didn't request for his service. With all his success internationally, you'd think he get at least the part of the management during the Olympics. Instead Hitchcock was once again called. It's a good thing Babcock was too good to be ignored.
 

MotorMaster

Registered User
Jan 7, 2009
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Bob Nicholson a few years ago also said players who did or did not play for Canada during the World Hockey Championship it would be taken into account when choosing the Olympic Roster.

Well Martin St.Louis played for like 3 straight years for Canada during the WHC and was 2nd amongst Canadians in points and did not get an invite, while other players who never play for the WHC where put on the Olympic team.
 

Barrie22

Shark fan in hiding
Aug 11, 2009
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Bob Nicholson a few years ago also said players who did or did not play for Canada during the World Hockey Championship it would be taken into account when choosing the Olympic Roster.

Well Martin St.Louis played for like 3 straight years for Canada during the WHC and was 2nd amongst Canadians in points and did not get an invite, while other players who never play for the WHC where put on the Olympic team.

and who would these guys that never play be?

thornton?
marleau?
loungo?
brodeur?
pronger?
boyle?
neidermyer?
getzlaf?
iginla?
heatley?
nash?

one thing those guys have over say someone like st louis is nhl teams that are usually busy by the time the tournament starts.

out side of those players then you are getting into the doughty's, keiths, seabrooks, fleurys, toews, richards, bergerons, perrys, for who may or may not of played internationally.

perry only went because of getzlaf, bergeron i still don't know why he went.

every player on team canada for the olympics, have played for canada either in the world jr's or world championships when they had the chance.
 

Canuck21t

Registered User
Feb 4, 2004
2,683
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Montreal, QC
and who would these guys that never play be?

thornton?
marleau?
loungo?
brodeur?
pronger?
boyle?
neidermyer?
getzlaf?
iginla?
heatley?
nash?

one thing those guys have over say someone like st louis is nhl teams that are usually busy by the time the tournament starts.

out side of those players then you are getting into the doughty's, keiths, seabrooks, fleurys, toews, richards, bergerons, perrys, for who may or may not of played internationally.

perry only went because of getzlaf, bergeron i still don't know why he went.

every player on team canada for the olympics, have played for canada either in the world jr's or world championships when they had the chance.
Bergeron went because he was dynamite with Crosby at the Worlds in 2006. Their line was so dominant, it was hard not to take notice by Hockey Canada. That's why at the start of the Olympics, they put Bergeron with Crosby, unfortunately it didn't get the same explosion as expected.
 

Nakawick

Minty Fresh
Apr 5, 2010
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Begeron is also right handed and a center who is good at faceoffs, and not a bad player at all. Plus his previous chemistry with Sid at the wjc and wc. He was a solid choice as a 13th forward.

Also, it isn't like we got blown out. The Russians won a game that we could have easily won with a different bounce. We only lost one game. Russia lost 5 games with more of their elite players.
 

Novak Djokovic

#24 and counting... #GOAT
Dec 10, 2006
23,081
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I totally agree with him. If you're not injured (minor aches and bruises don't count) and Hockey Canada asks you to represent Canada, player should have some sense of nationalism and want to play and win the Gold Medal.

Yeah, they had a team that should have won a medal, but guys like Vermette and Methot should not be there. They also faced Russia in the Quarterfinals which is not an easy match-up at all.
 

FrankMTL

Registered User
Jan 6, 2005
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Subban and Price both said no, as did cammalleri

I thought there was a quote in which he specifically singled out players whose teams did not make the playoffs? Maybe I'm wrong...

Edit: Found it.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=365938

"We asked a number of players that didn't make it, that I thought should have been there," stated Nicholson. "They've had great experiences with us at under-18 and national junior team and Olympics and we certainly don't expect players to be there every year, but I think it's a responsibility of players [who] have really benefitted from the program to get over there and play once in a while, especially if they don't make the playoffs."

He seems to be a little dissapointed with a few players who's teams did not make the playoffs...I wonder who he's talking about there.
 

Barrie22

Shark fan in hiding
Aug 11, 2009
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I thought there was a quote in which he specifically singled out players whose teams did not make the playoffs? Maybe I'm wrong...

Edit: Found it.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=365938

"We asked a number of players that didn't make it, that I thought should have been there," stated Nicholson. "They've had great experiences with us at under-18 and national junior team and Olympics and we certainly don't expect players to be there every year, but I think it's a responsibility of players [who] have really benefitted from the program to get over there and play once in a while, especially if they don't make the playoffs."

He seems to be a little dissapointed with a few players who's teams did not make the playoffs...I wonder who he's talking about there.

only players i can really think of are.

iginla
eric staal
zajac

then maybe morrow, richards. other then those players there are no real veteran players who didn't make the playoffs and didn't go.
 

Panopticon

Registered User
Apr 20, 2004
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only players i can really think of are.

iginla
eric staal
zajac

then maybe morrow, richards. other then those players there are no real veteran players who didn't make the playoffs and didn't go.

I don't see where he specifies that he's talking about veterans. He's talking about guys that have played in the WJCs, but now wouldn't come play for the WCs... could easily be a younger player as well.

Also... Zajac was on Team Canada, and I think Iginla and Staal have played for Team Canada enough not to get called out like this.
 

Kimota

ROY DU NORD!!!
Nov 4, 2005
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Oh poor little Nicholson his country club approach did not favor him this time. His little babies refused him.

The advantage of living in a free country is that you can do anything you want and you don't owe anybody anything.

I also don't blame any Habs player. God knows they need their off time with the pressure of playing in that city.
 

FrankMTL

Registered User
Jan 6, 2005
12,120
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Well, it's obvious that the American and Canadian players don't feel the same type of pressure to play in this tournament as the European players..There's many European stars who will ALWAYS accept an invitation to play for their country, regardless of how long their season is. There aren't too many Canadian or American players that I can think of like that off the top of my head.
 

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