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Team Canada announces Sochi line-up


jammer2

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   Just a few hours away from announcing the team, thought I might as well start a topic, who ever gets left off will create quite a stir.

 

 My Team Canada emphasizes speed and skill, so I want 3 specific young stars to crack the final roster....Giroux (play of late gets him back in the picture), Benn and Duchene should all make it. They are to skilled and fast to not be part of the team, I don't know who gets left off, but please accommodate these 3 speedsters!!

 

 Oh, and just thought I'd mention, this team can still make changes, up till a few hours before the first team Canada game, leaving room to slice suspended or injured players.

 

 

 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=440570

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I gotta admit, I look at the names they are kicking around, then I look at every other team, and think-"how is anyone going to challenge Canada".   I know they don't play games on paper, but Canada's potential roster is just ridiculous.  

 

Thoughts on Carter?  I'm hearing he's a bubble pick.

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@jammer2

 

Our D is definately the best there is. I think our depth at forward is pretty awesome, though the US is icing some great talent (along with Russia, Sweden etc). Goaltending is a big ? on a lot of teams this year. Canada has good goaltending, not great. But some once formidable names like Quick, Lundquist, Rinne aren't what they once were either. Miller has played well this year, but has also proven easily rattled previously in his career.

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I've said before that I really don't care much about Olympic hockey.  But aside from that, it's kind of a shame that a country can't ice more than one team.  I mean, you can "field" more than one toboggan team, right?  More than one figure skater can compete in the freestyle or whatever the hell they call it.   Why can't you ice two teams and end up with Gold and Bronze or whatever?

 

I know other countries couldn't possibly be that deep, which is likely the reason, but a B team from the US would be competitive (not medal-placing) and Canada could actually ice a second team that could challenge.  So why not?

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G-

Roberto Luongo

Carey Price

Mike Smith

 

D

Bouwmeester

Drew Doughty

Dan Hamhuis

Duncan Keith

Alex Pietrangelo

PK Subban

Marc-Edourd Vlasic

Shea Weber

 

FW

Jamie Benn

Patrice Bergeron

Jeff Carter

Sidney Crosby

Matt Duchene

Ryan Getzlaf

Chris Kunitz

Patrick Marleau

Rick Nash

Corey Perry

Patrick Sharp

Steven Stamkos

John Tavares

Jonathan Toews

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Kunitz needs to get on his knees and suck Crosby harder.    He really has no business there.

 

Other than that, no issues.  I'm not a fan at all of Nash, though.

 

It's a good roster I guess, but up front I'd switch out Kunitz and Nash for Couture and Lucic or Giroux.  But it's okay.  I'm a little surprised about Carter but not greatly.

 

I might have reached for Crawford over Smith, but not enough to argue it.

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@brelic  I knew G was on the bubble, but thought he would make this team, disappointing....but his start to the season was so horrific, he has no one to blame but himself. This is not really the type of team to crack coming from behind. To many consistently great players here to leapfrog players at the last moment. 

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@ruxpin   I'm thinking one of the reasons why Team Canada included Knuitz was the reasoning that Crosby was really hard to match up with players in Vancouver, he was paired with many players and never showed any chemistry with them....despite getting the winning goal and all. Crosby's success will have a big part of any Gold, so catering to him may not be the worst thought process, as painful as that is to admit.

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@jammer2

 

I hope Canada wins gold...but I've seen enough catering toward Sidney Crosby to last a lifetime.

 

Haven't we all?

 

Sidney Crosby is the best player on the planet, sure, but annoyingly so.

 

 

Anyway, looks like a good team. Goaltending situation should be interesting - battle between Price and Luongo I guess, with Price probably ending up on top. I'm not sold on Smith but Canada isn't as deep on goaltending as other positions anymore.

Edited by Commander Clueless
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I was slightly surprised, but not surprised that Suban made team Canada. With all the fire power that they have at forward, I thought that they would try to keep it solid on defense on the back line.  Suban seems to be a little too much of a loose cannon(pun intended) that may get out of position too often on the bigger surface.  I think his PP effectiveness may be nullified if the games are called loosely and there are few power plays.

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@nossagog  I'm thinking P.K will be a pp specialist. He has that rare ability to break a game open with a stunning 200 foot jaunt up the ice. Probably  has the best shot of any d-man on team Canada, which is saying a lot. As I've said all along, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Just to much talent to not include him. His defensive shortcomings are not as bad as his rep, and he has worked very hard to eliminate them, although I did see a brutal giveaway just last week, these moments are far and few between. He fights so hard for puck possession, outworks most opponents by a country mile.

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@nossagog  I'm thinking P.K will be a pp specialist. He has that rare ability to break a game open with a stunning 200 foot jaunt up the ice. Probably  has the best shot of any d-man on team Canada, which is saying a lot. As I've said all along, the positives far outweigh the negatives. Just to much talent to not include him. His defensive shortcomings are not as bad as his rep, and he has worked very hard to eliminate them, although I did see a brutal giveaway just last week, these moments are far and few between. He fights so hard for puck possession, outworks most opponents by a country mile.

  Yeah, I think he's dressed as the 7th defenseman for PP and if they are behind late in games and you want the extra offense.   Maybe 10 minutes a game.   I can't imagine a scenario where he's left off that roster.  I just really think he's played himself onto it.  I just don't think Babcock will ice him on a regular pair.

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It's crazy that Martin St. Louis is not on Canada's team. 

 

He can be relied upon to score.  He brings drive and leadership.   He can win games.

 

Leaving him off the squad sends a message to the younger players.  That message is that character, espirit and team loyalty mean nothing. 

 

Another example of the idiocy created when decisions are made by committees. 

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It's crazy that Martin St. Louis is not on Canada's team. 

 

He can be relied upon to score.  He brings drive and leadership.   He can win games.

 

Leaving him off the squad sends a message to the younger players.  That message is that character, espirit and team loyalty mean nothing. 

 

Another example of the idiocy created when decisions are made by committees. 

 

 When you factor in service to Canada, a plethora of international experience, his ability to play all 3 forward positions (not that would ever need a center on this team, just say'in), ability to kill penalties and play on a top pp, the fact he is one of the better skaters in the entire world, how smart he is and how cunning his hockey sense is, his outright tenacity, his play in big games, the fact he is a great player on the GM's home team (so he sees him more than anyone else), and his stunningly dominant stats for his entire career, the awesome leadership he has shown throughout his career...a shining example of a team player if there ever was one....this is by far the most glaring omission IMHO. I'm really wondering if Stevie was overly tough on St.Louis during the selection process in a vain attempt to not seem like he's playing favorites.

 

  AND....don't know if this is fair, or even part of the the process....but this is also St.Louis's last kick at the can, the last and final time he could play for Team Canada...that counts for something to me, considering all the sacrifices he has made to accommodate Canada throughout his playing career....wow, this one is baffling. Imagine how awkward it will be when Martin sees Stevie the first time after rejecting him.....wow, this is a horrible move...what a miscarriage of justice!!!

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  AND....don't know if this is fair, or even part of the the process....but this is also St.Louis's last kick at the can, the last and final time he could play for Team Canada...that counts for something to me, considering all the sacrifices he has made to accommodate Canada throughout his playing career....wow, this one is baffling. Imagine how awkward it will be when Martin sees Stevie the first time after rejecting him.....wow, this is a horrible move...what a miscarriage of justice!!!

 

I'm 10000 times more upset that MSL isn't on the squad than Giroux being left off. Age is one reason, but MSL's production remains at a high level.

 

You mean Crosby/Kunitz and Getzlaf/Perry were "important" to keep together but Stamkos/MSL isn't?

 

Nonsense.

 

If anything, I'm rooting harder against Canada for this decision.

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I'm 10000 times more upset that MSL isn't on the squad than Giroux being left off. Age is one reason, but MSL's production remains at a high level.

 

You mean Crosby/Kunitz and Getzlaf/Perry were "important" to keep together but Stamkos/MSL isn't?

 

Nonsense.

 

If anything, I'm rooting harder against Canada for this decision.

 

B-b-b-b-but there is no correlation between Stamkos and MSL!

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B-b-b-b-but there is no correlation between Stamkos and MSL!

 

In fact, you'll note that I'm defending the Kunitz decision based on his experience as a LW with two of Team Canada's centers.

 

The question of whether players have "chemistry" built in with their linemates was an important consideration in the structure of the team.

 

You can go back to explaining how point-per-game seasons and 30-goal efforts are "meh" in the NHL now.

 

:D

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In fact, you'll note that I'm defending the Kunitz decision based on his experience as a LW with two of Team Canada's centers.

 

The question of whether players have "chemistry" built in with their linemates was an important consideration in the structure of the team.

 

You can go back to explaining how point-per-game seasons and 30-goal efforts are "meh" in the NHL now.

 

:D

 

Pens fans are used to Mario, Jagr and Crosby.  30 goal seasons are "meh" to us. ;)

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