OT: Canadian Hockey team announced at 11am today
Yzerman et. al due to announce Team Canada at 11am today.
LINK - http://www.tsn.ca/live/hockeycanada/
Who do you like? My set-up looks like this:
Forward:
Neal Kunitz Crosby Tavares
Perry Getzlaf St. Louis Carter
Stamkos Toews Sharp
Duchene Bergeron Benn
Giroux Marleau Skinner Nash
Defence:
Keith Weber
Bouwmeester Doughty
Pieterangelo Subban
Seabrook Vlasic Hamuis
Goalie:
Luongo Price Smith
Notables left out: Eric Staal, Rick Nash, Jeff Carter, Patrick Marleau, Mike Richards, Chris Kunitz, Logan Couture, Joe Thornton, Taylor Hall, Dan Boyle, Dan Hamuis, Marc-Andre Fleury
What say you hockey fans?
EDIT: ANNOUNCE THE GODDAMN TEAM ALREADY! This makes me as a Canadian so frustrated. Are they so full of themselves that they think we want to wait 30 minutes to hear teh announcement.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:27 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 9:31 AM ^
"...Pavelski threw one in front, Kane a shot off of him, they score! Zach Parise out of a net mouth scramble and the game is tied!"
USA will eliminate Canada this year. Book it.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
We don't necessarily even play them unless its post round robin. Hopefully we don't have to see those guys. I have been waiting for this since the moment Crosby scored in OT some 4 years ago. Nobody is treading on us this year. USA! USA! USA!
January 7th, 2014 at 8:55 PM ^
I'll take that action.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^
For Canada, I would not leave Nash off. Other than that, can't argue.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^
that I don't like Nash, but like Bobby Ryan, if he's not a top 9 forward, I don't think you can take him. Who do you take out?
January 7th, 2014 at 9:55 AM ^
That's a good point. It's the whole fit and creating a team thing versus individual talent. I guess for Canada they have no shortage of scorers. For the US, it had to be hard to ignore Bobby Ryan's production the past few years.
Just by my own eye test though, I think players of the Hossa, Nash (big forwards, great shots), Franzen (ha! I wish) mold are just too good to pass on.
January 7th, 2014 at 4:37 PM ^
Nash proved at the last Olympics that he can excel in a checking role. He is nothing like Bobby Ryan.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:05 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
Nash hasn't been the same player since that concussion he got Boston. I would leave him off.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:34 AM ^
However the outrage from Canada no matter who they pick will be delicious
January 7th, 2014 at 9:50 AM ^
I'm really looking forward to the Olympics hockey games. That is my favorite sport for the winter games.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:53 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 9:57 AM ^
Now that is a good counter argument to my Nash, Hossa, Franzen point above. According to that ESPN article, the US management really stressed the point about speed on the big ice when selecting their team as well, and that hurt Bobby Ryan. It might do the same to Nash for Canada.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:05 AM ^
Ugh, I still can't believe they talked about picking a fast team, and then went and picked Brooks Orpik over Keith Yandle. Orpik skates like he's in a barrel of molasses and he's terrible when he's not running into players and knocking them over on sheer size alone. He's a new-age Derian Hatcher, only less talented.
January 7th, 2014 at 10:26 AM ^
CSB\ I was at a hotel in Des Moines during the Canada-Russia playoff game in the 2010 Olympics, and there were a zillion Canadian Firestone tire dealers (lots of dudes from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, etc.) there on a visit to the Firestone ag tire factory in DSM. Needless to say, the bar at the hotel got dried up (with me helping) while Canada beat the shit out of Russia.
The game was kind of early, as I recall, and so I am not sure how many Canucks ended up at the various strip joints or arrested, but we was all kinds of fucked up. /CSB
January 7th, 2014 at 10:25 AM ^
Any reason you have Tavares on the wing?
January 7th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^
I like Crosby, Toews, Getzlaf, and Bergeron at C and don't really want JT in a 4th line role. As a shooter he can fit nice beside Crosby.
January 7th, 2014 at 10:28 AM ^
Also, for what it's worth, here's the Official TSN Projections:
Goaltenders:
Carey Price, Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith
Defence:
(Left) - (Right)
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Alex Pietrangelo
Dan Boyle (R) - P.K. Subban
Forwards:
(Left Wing - Centre - Right Wing)
Logan Couture - Sidney Crosby - Steven Stamkos
Jamie Benn - Jonathan Toews - Corey Perry
Matt Duchene - Ryan Getzlaf - Claude Giroux
January 7th, 2014 at 10:34 AM ^
It's amazing how much better the US is than Canada when it comes to goalies. The US has Miller, Quick, Howard, Schneider, Bishop, etc. Granted, all you need is one and Price may just that.
January 7th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
be thrilled about Quick, Howard or Schnieder as a #1. Miller could steal the whole thing the way he is playing right now though.
January 7th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
That kind of feels a little too much "what have you done for me lately?" at least in regards to Quick. I'm sure the injury doesn't help but the guy has a 94% save percentage between the last 2 playoff seasons combined. Meanwhile, the Canadian goalies have been some of the most high variance goalies out there, especially Luongo and Fleury. Maybe it's just me, but I feel much more confident with the group of US goalies than the Canadian ones.
January 7th, 2014 at 10:54 AM ^
seasons Quick is .902 and .909. Not exaclty a world beater. Don't get me wrong, good goalie, but I don't see his as a marked improvement over the Canadian goalies as you suggest.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
As wood said, Quick's SV% over the past two playoff's has been .946 over 20 games in '12, and .934 over 18 games in '13.
Price has played 4 playoff games the past two years, SV% of .894. Luongo: .904 over 5 games, Smith posted a .944 in the '12 playoffs over 16 games.
Quick seems to have a distinct statistical advantage when it counts.
January 7th, 2014 at 5:50 PM ^
He also has a way better team in front of him than Price does.
January 7th, 2014 at 9:06 PM ^
I cannot believe you included Jimmy Howard in this mix of "much better" US goalies. Srsly.
Nice player but far from exceptional. I guess his one all star appearance and four games in 2007-2008 to get his name on the cup is credibility enough?
January 7th, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
Luongo, Smith, Price no surprise
January 7th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
Defence: Bouwmeester, Doughty, Hamhuis, Keith, Pietrangelo, Subban, Vlasic, Weber
January 7th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^
Sorry to see Seabrook left off, he's had a good year, but I can't really argue with any of these picks over him
January 7th, 2014 at 9:10 PM ^
People around here seem to be questioning Subban over Seabrook.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
Forwards: Benn, Bergeron, Carter, Crosby, Duchene, Getzlaf, Kunitz, Marleau, Nash, Perry, Sharp, Stamkos, Tavares, Toews
January 7th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
I hate Cindy Crosby.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
Man, Canada really buying into the theory that it's so hard to play with Crosby that only Kunitz can do it.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:47 AM ^
As much as I hate Crosby he is so good that he got Kunitz on the Olympic team, which is absurd. Kunitz is a 50/60 point guy playing with one of the best. Imagine a line with stamkos tavares and Crosby.
January 7th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
10 Wings in the Olympics, by my count. Plus Kindl should have made the Czech team.
I wonder if any team has more than 10 olympians.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:39 PM ^
Ten Chicago Blackhawks will represent their countries in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, next month.
Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were named to Team Canada on Tuesday, completing the selection process for Olympic rosters.
Earlier Tuesday, Marian Hossa and Michal Handzus were named to the Team Slovakia roster. Also, the Hawks' Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marcus Kruger named to Sweden's Olympic hockey roster
They join the previously named Patrick Kane (Team USA) and Michal Rozsival (Czech Republic).
Goaltender Corey Crawford and defenseman Brent Seabrook were candidates to make Team Canada but were not among those chosen.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
Looks like the Blues also have 10. Plus 1 prospect.