WJC: the favorite

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Roughneck

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Reilly311 said:
How anyone can call Canada the favorites with unexperienced goaltending baffles me. It's not like team USA doesn't have anyone returning from last years team.

Lets see, in Halifax, Fleury and LeNeveu never saw any WJC time and Fleury was 18. The year before that, Leclaire and Michaud had no experience. Look at Al Montoya, he wasn't even supposed to be the starter for team USA.

And team USA was hardly better than Canada last year, all of Canada's best players are returning, the US can't match the depth. Canada will probably be leaving off players that were on last years team. Seeing as Parise and Wisniewski are gone, the US lost far more valuble players than Canada did.
 

Postman

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Brock said:
The depth is going to be asanine.

Really? It's gonna be so bad, that it will resemble an ass? I mean, I realize Horton is ugly as sin and Crosby's mouth looks like a bear trap, but you don't have to cut on everybody else.

Brock said:
No other country will be cutting top 10 selections from their team.
Wheeler likely won't make the USA squad. So uh, there.... *****.

EDIT: For any mods... this is a friendly jab at Brock.
 

Roughneck

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TORRUS said:
What a stupid way of thinking... Have you ever heard of a word ''team''?! Obviously not!

Well, from last year's "team", Canada has its best line returning, its 4 best defensemen returning, have all be to the same selection camps a couple of times now, are very familiar with eacher etc. etc.

You could have team France or Italy play, live and practice with eachother for a couple years and they wouldn't beat a Canadian lineup of its best players if they were picked and flown in a day before the game. Canada's advantage this year is that the team, stacked with the best players available, that are returning players and that are all familiar with eachother.
 

HabLover

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Roughneck said:
Canada is the favorite no doubt. 4 returning defensemen, added to it Cam Barker, Brent Burns and likely Shea Weber, there is more experience and leadership on Canada's backline than in most teams entire lineup.

Canada could very well have the 3 best lines of the tournament because most of the forwards are returning (all the skilled ones to boot). Dawes--Richards--Stewart will be reunited, Crosby could be playing with Nathan Horton and/or Patrice Bergeron, Getzlaf and Carter could see an even more skilled winger to play with them. THen the amount of grinders, role players and other skilled players the team has to choose from is unmatched by anybody.

Inexperienced goaltending is the only place anybody can point to as a weakness. But it isn't like Canada has never gone into the WJCs with non-returning goalies.


Mike Green instead of Brent Burns. Put Burns back up front with with Getzlaf and Carter.

That would make it an all WHL backend. Start with Phaneuf, Seabrook, Coburn, Belle and then add Weber, Green and Barker. A guy like Dany Syvret could make it as well, if any of Weber, Green or Barker choke at camp.
 

TORRUS

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Roughneck said:
You could have team France or Italy play, live and practice with eachother for a couple years and they wouldn't beat a Canadian lineup of its best players if they were picked and flown in a day before the game. Canada's advantage this year is that the team, stacked with the best players available, that are returning players and that are all familiar with eachother.

Yes offcourse, Italy or France. But not in case when you play against Russians, US, Czechs or Finns!
 

Reilly311

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Roughneck said:
Lets see, in Halifax, Fleury and LeNeveu never saw any WJC time and Fleury was 18. The year before that, Leclaire and Michaud had no experience.

..and how many gold medals did they win? :lol
 

HabLover

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X-SHARKIE said:
Do you think Steve Bernier has a shot?

With the lockout and if Burns, Horton and Bergeron are made available, I would say Bernier is in tough to even get a camp invite in December, never mind make the team!
 

Kasparov*

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X-SHARKIE said:
Do you think that Wild, Panthers, Bruins respectfully want there top prospects to go play in the WJC's instead of the the AHL?

Yes
 

loadie

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Reilly311 said:
..and how many gold medals did they win? :lol

Dude, all I can say is Thank God your country has won all of one gold medal in the history of the tournament, albeit on a flukey goal, or you would probably be really obnoxious. :shakehead The simple part of this is that Canada can ice a team of more Jr. aged players that have played in the NHL that weren't available last year than other countries. If the goaltending is only above average and not great, it shouldn't matter as much as last year. Russia will have an awesome team and the Americans will have a solid team also, but none will compare to the Canadians. Of course, this could all change if the NHL starts up before the tournament starts, not only for Canada, but for other countries as well.
 

Vic Rattlehead*

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loadie said:
Dude, all I can say is Thank God your country has won all of one gold medal in the history of the tournament, albeit on a flukey goal, or you would probably be really obnoxious. :shakehead The simple part of this is that Canada can ice a team of more Jr. aged players that have played in the NHL that weren't available last year than other countries. If the goaltending is only above average and not great, it shouldn't matter as much as last year. Russia will have an awesome team and the Americans will have a solid team also, but none will compare to the Canadians. Of course, this could all change if the NHL starts up before the tournament starts, not only for Canada, but for other countries as well.
The Americans are going to run after you. :joker:
 

espo*

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Reilly311 said:
Canada doesn't care about anything other than gold which they haven't won since 97. (I think) Winning a bronze medal isn't an accomplishment.

How anyone can call Canada the favorites with unexperienced goaltending baffles me. It's not like team USA doesn't have anyone returning from last years team.
Yeah they do but not like Canada and Canada was better then the U.S last year but lost because of goaltending really(and we were supposed to be solid there but we were'nt as Fleury sucked pretty much all tournament long) It will certainly be no cakewalk but when you consider that Canada's skaters were better then the U.S last year(and the U.S was supposed to be the juggernaut last year but whenthe games began it was clear they only had one good line)then it's hard not to put Canada as the favourite going in regardless of the goaltending situation.Who knows, this year they may get then goaltending though they are'nt big name guys,goaltendings funny like that.They will certainly have the forwards and defense.The .U.S will be strong but everyone's in tough against Canada this year for sure,they'll have a monster team for sure with the same guys who were so good last year being one year older and better.
 

HabLover

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cyclops said:
We're waiting,certainly nothing to be afraid of that's for sure.

I think it's quite obvious Canada is by far the strongest team on paper. Will all that amount to a gold medal??....who knows. If the guys don't blend together and create some chemistry all of that talent could go for not! With most of the guys having played together last year and also at U18 and U17 tourneys, hopefully that won't be a problem for Canada. The 1985 age group for Canada has 2 gold medals to their credit at the U18 Eight Nations tourney and the U18 IIHF World Championships. I do believe they lost the U17 final in 2002? to the USA National U17 club, but that was a regional team for Canada(Team Pacific?) and I believe they took silver and bronze.
 
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