Vanflyer Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 A well deserved CONGRATS to our American posters and Team USA....they deserved to win. We stunk...in every faucet of the game...just awful. If you can't break out of your own zone efficiently, everything else suffers. USA outworked us, won the puck battles, they 100% deserve to be in the finals.I would not say stunk- I would flip it to say dominated. Canada did not execute at all- and there is a reason for that. I will not gloat here, but on TSN I will. So many Canadians poo poo the USA hockey program and talent. How they could do that after USA lost 2-1 to them is beyond me. On paper, Team Canada was vastly superior to USA, but in team play, USA has demonstrated a team concept better than Team Canada. End of story. This game was not Subban was not the fault for this loss (it could have easily been 4-0 after the first). This game was about a team game and a well executed game plan. Four straight years- no gold for Team Canada. My Canadian side hopes they rethink how they approach this tournament and how they select players / coaches. The best individual players combined do not always equate into the best team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 4, 2013 Author Share Posted January 4, 2013 Good to read some opinions about an actual game for a change, regardless of who won or lost. I think the US team did outplay our friends north of the border, but agree that Gibson played very well too. I think if he had a mediocre game though the US team still wins, but more to the tune of 5-3 perhaps or similar. The defense is a big reason on that US squad and as someone noted, the forwards play bigger than their stats indicate. Was good just to watch a game again to be honest. I haven't made it to any of the Wilkes-Barre Pens games four hours away, and with my kids hockey schedule I haven't even made it to Wheeling to see the ECHL Nailers play. Can't wait for tomorrow morning's gold medal game against the Swedes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I thought at least four of the reasons had to do with Wisconsin Badger Jake McCabe (twice), Boston College's John Gaudreau, Harvard(!?)'s Jim Vesey chasing Belleville's Subban and then Gaudreau racking up another on Binnington (who plays for the AWESOMELY named Owen Sound Attack which I believe was a finishing move of a member of Alpha Flight - but I digest)In fact, seems like there's a whole roster of Junior guys hoping they can come home with the copper. Er, Bronze.Good luck with that. .It was a full team effort that beat Canada. I'm just saying Gibson has been a rock in net. He's already got top goalie of the tournament wrapped up. When you have a guy like that playing behind you, your team tends to elevate their play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 I would not say stunk- I would flip it to say dominated. Canada did not execute at all- and there is a reason for that. I will not gloat here, but on TSN I will. So many Canadians poo poo the USA hockey program and talent. How they could do that after USA lost 2-1 to them is beyond me. On paper, Team Canada was vastly superior to USA, but in team play, USA has demonstrated a team concept better than Team Canada. End of story. This game was not Subban was not the fault for this loss (it could have easily been 4-0 after the first). This game was about a team game and a well executed game plan. Four straight years- no gold for Team Canada. My Canadian side hopes they rethink how they approach this tournament and how they select players / coaches. The best individual players combined do not always equate into the best team. OK, what? Canada has medaled 14 years in a row. The US, with their superior team formula, ended up 7th last year. SEVENTH! That's some formula. Want to know what the best formula is? Have the best goalie. It's the reason Canada won gold 5 times in a row...twice! It's the reason LA finally won a cup. The US has the best goalie in this tournament. They've still lost more games than Canada has. I'm not taking anything away from them, but their formula already lost once to Canada and once to Russia. They're 1-2 against the big boys. That's hardly dominating a tournament. Is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 St. Louis has about 30 lbs on Gaudreau.Yeah I should said was. When Marty was Gaudreau's age, I betchya they were closer to the same weight. Marty wasn't born with those tree trunks he has for legs The irony is that Marty wasn't drafted but Gaudreau was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Roo is 3 inches taller than St Louis, but lighter. Small guys can make it. It mostly has to do with their leg strength conditioning. Briere comes to mind as well. Kariya, adnaseum.Yeah I know. They get passed over though still, and I understand why. I agree, legs are important, and grit. I don't consider Giroux "small" - he's almost 6' but he always played big, even in junior. And even he got passed over, by the entire OHL - because he didn't project to 6'2" - when you're shorter than 5'8" though, you've got a big hill to climb. Look at Fleury (9th round? 7th maybe, of his 2nd year of eligibility) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Yeah I should said was. When Marty was Gaudreau's age, I betchya they were closer to the same weight. Marty wasn't born with those tree trunks he has for legs The irony is that Marty wasn't drafted but Gaudreau was.Not sure Gaudreau would have been drafted in 1997 (when St. Louis was finally passed over). His size was a real question in "the old NHL" even with St. Louis "emerging" prior to the lockout.Major Junior teams also overlooked the diminutive St. Louis at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 Not sure Gaudreau would have been drafted in 1997Not a chance. So that's progress I guess: 4th round.Going back to 1987 and Theo Fleury. Passed on by everyone over 9 rounds in his draft year, only to go late 8th round the next.A 5'6" little ball of hate: what was not to like? Ironically same team, CGY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocker Posted January 4, 2013 Share Posted January 4, 2013 "His size was a real question"Yeah, but them Vermonters are tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 OK, what? Canada has medaled 14 years in a row. The US, with their superior team formula, ended up 7th last year. SEVENTH! That's some formula.Want to know what the best formula is? Have the best goalie. It's the reason Canada won gold 5 times in a row...twice! It's the reason LA finally won a cup. The US has the best goalie in this tournament. They've still lost more games than Canada has. I'm not taking anything away from them, but their formula already lost once to Canada and once to Russia. They're 1-2 against the big boys. That's hardly dominating a tournament. Is it?Okay- perhaps a bit cocky. I think my point was more that the USA Hockey program has improved vastly in the last 10 years (3 golds in the last 7). You have to play the games- but on paper Canada was the vastly superior team over every other team in the tournament. I think Canadas coaching selection was questionable and it is clear that Housley was the top coach in this tournament. That said, my half american blood gets irked at my Canadian compatriots for always pissing on American hockey. I mean of the original six NHL teams, FOUR were american teams. At the end of the day, congrats to ALL of the kids that played in this tournament. It was great to watch great hockey by players that play for the love of the sport, the crest on the front not the name on the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 @Vanflyer I think most Canadians admit (at least of the ones I know) that the US has become our #1 competition. Heck, I think we know it better than most Americans do. I still HATE Russia more, but that's because of previous hockey history, the style they play and they aren't our neighbour. When Canada is eliminated, I cheer for the US. I would NEVER cheer for Russia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 @flyercanuck Same here, I was rooting for the US once we got ousted. Let's keep the Gold on this side of the pond was stated many times before, during and after this tourny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Same here, I was rooting for the US once we got ousted. Let's keep the Gold on this side of the pond was stated many times before, during and after this tourny.You have to give credit where credit is due (despite pond, etc.). USA's game was allot of fun to watch. I thought their team selection process and coaching selection were top notch- and it showed. Many if not all Canadians are eating allot of crow after poo pooing Seth Jones comments about "we are the team to beat". I want 21 skaters on my team that think and say that 7 days a week and twice on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 @Vanflyer They were fun to watch. A nice dynamic game they played...and for the whole 60 mins most of the time. That and having Gibson made them unbeatable when it mattered. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanflyer Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 That and having Gibson made them unbeatable when it mattered.2nd round (39th overall) pick in 2011 <sigh>. Thats right, we did not have a 2nd round pick that year (thanks Carcillo!!!). Not that it would have mattered as our pick was 56th that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 2nd round (39th overall) pick in 2011 <sigh>. Thats right, we did not have a 2nd round pick that year (thanks Carcillo!!!). Not that it would have mattered as our pick was 56th that year.What I love about Gibson is his high school coaches down the road here never gave him a chance... and then he goes and gets tournament goalie mvp.... gotta love when a kid shows his detractors up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingsallday Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Love it when the USA gets one over Canada, beat them at there own game really, there always going on that its there sport its there sport but then we go on and just kill em off! This Juniors victory sort of mirrors this one in the 1996 world cup of Hockey, totally unexcpected, in there face.WE ARE TEAM USA! <3 <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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