HF2002 said:
I thought it was more of a whistle than a boo. And please, no more soccer references.
2005 IIHF World U18 Championship
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I thought it was more of a whistle than a boo. And please, no more soccer references.
Rabid Ranger
2 is better than one
policegopher said:
I like Zach Parise alot, but IMO, Kessel has much more star potential. I don't think he'll be as well-rounded as Parise, but he'll be a much more potent offensive threat. It's like picking between Neal Broten and Pat Lafontaine.
policegopher said:
You didn't ask me, so maybe you don't care about my opinion, however I'm confident Kessel is the better prospect by a large margin.
He's the best American prospect I've ever seen (wasn't old enough to remember Modano).
I just caught the third, missed the overtime. In my limited exposure to the game I thought the ref did a rather decent job.
I also thought the Czechs displayed their usual amount of skill and imagination (do all Can-Cze games have to be decided by one goal? overtime? shootout? Talk about evenly matched!).
But. . .
I've been following international hockey since the '72 series (yes, I'm that old). I was in the Forum when the Soviets pasted Canada 8-1 and I was in Copps when Mario got them back in '87. I've seen a lot of hockey and have always admired the Czechs for their skill, heart and the fact that Canada always has a really tough time against them. I even own a Czech club jersey. . .
But. . . the diving was embarassing. Fire the coach. Fire the Association president. Whatever. Czechs have a very proud hockey tradition. Why they ruled the world, unequivocally, only seven years ago!
Their's is a tradition that deserves much better than that, and the kids playing are too young to be fully responsible for that display.
Have a summit, a national soul-searching, whatever, but please all Czechs out there: you deserve much, much better than that.
I also thought the Czechs displayed their usual amount of skill and imagination (do all Can-Cze games have to be decided by one goal? overtime? shootout? Talk about evenly matched!).
But. . .
I've been following international hockey since the '72 series (yes, I'm that old). I was in the Forum when the Soviets pasted Canada 8-1 and I was in Copps when Mario got them back in '87. I've seen a lot of hockey and have always admired the Czechs for their skill, heart and the fact that Canada always has a really tough time against them. I even own a Czech club jersey. . .
But. . . the diving was embarassing. Fire the coach. Fire the Association president. Whatever. Czechs have a very proud hockey tradition. Why they ruled the world, unequivocally, only seven years ago!
Their's is a tradition that deserves much better than that, and the kids playing are too young to be fully responsible for that display.
Have a summit, a national soul-searching, whatever, but please all Czechs out there: you deserve much, much better than that.
An Ape called Yoko said:Yea, you ROCK in soccerSorry, its not really fair to compare like that. Hockey is number one in Canada by a far margine. Its not like that in any other country.
really? how about FInland? the only sport I can think of that can compete with hockey there is Formula one
time said:
I can't stress enough how much the reffing improved after the first period. He really settled down and did an excellent job from the second period onward.
It was great that he called three diving penalties against the Czechs. Other than that he let them play. In the end it was a very good job.
Le Golie said:
Where was that ref when Riberto made his now infamous Montreal playoff dive in 03-04?
Refs called boarding and charging to the dismay of the announcers over the duration of the tournament(that was just a normal check no plenty was needed there)
The US have been a thorn in Canada’s gold quest in junior and the ladies in the new millennium and it is not entirely unfathomable that the US could take the gold in the U18's.
If the US does manage to win the U18's then in theory the Americans could go for the Grand-Slam(Junior, Ladies, U18 and Mens) with the world championships which starts later this month.
Granted that it would not be consecutive wins, rather first time Gold’s(within a few years)
William H Bonney
Registered User
A few thoughts after watching the Canada/Czech game, and some of the morning game too...
- Bourdon has clearly improved his stock. He's Canada's best defenceman and reminds me of Wade Redden in his poise with the puck, although he's a better skater. If nothing else, he's seperated himself from Ryan Parent, in my opinion at least. Letang has also been great, and Mikkelson and Parent are a very solid second pairing.
- Hanzel is significantly more skilled than Bergfors, at least from what I've seen. He appears to have plenty of potential.
- Does Ryan O'Marra remind anybody else of Ryan Getzlaf in style and substance?
- A few Canadian forwards have really surprised me so far, with Richard Clune, Danny Bertram and Tom Pyatt topping the list. If only Taylor Pyatt, as "really fast" as he is, had his brother's effort and tenacity, he'd be a fantastic player.
- The diving on the part of the Czechs, was pretty rediculous. It's at that point where it's not frustrating to watch, but laughable. I laughed at some of it. Yes, every team will embellish certain plays, but when it's that blatant and that consistent, it's hard to respect the team. What drives me nuts is when players pretend to be hurt, and then are on the next shift no difference. One of their players did that about three, if not four times. I'm not a naive idealist who thinks diving can or will ever disappear entirely, but if NHL hockey ever gets to a point where it's that pronounced, I may stop watching it alltogether.
- The referee seemed a bit shellshocked by all of it, the diving, the crowd, the big hits...he just seemed overwhelmed in the first period. He settled down though. It's too bad the referee from the US/Sweden game can't do the Gold Medal game too, because he's Canadian. After watching the quality of the officiating both in the OHL and QMJHL playoffs, and now this, I miss the NHL's refs even more now.
- Canada is in tough against the States for Sunday. The US team is not only more talented squad, but it plays more like a team. It is not hard to see how beneficial it is to play as a group all season long. Oh, and that Kessel kid, he is pretty good too.
- Bourdon has clearly improved his stock. He's Canada's best defenceman and reminds me of Wade Redden in his poise with the puck, although he's a better skater. If nothing else, he's seperated himself from Ryan Parent, in my opinion at least. Letang has also been great, and Mikkelson and Parent are a very solid second pairing.
- Hanzel is significantly more skilled than Bergfors, at least from what I've seen. He appears to have plenty of potential.
- Does Ryan O'Marra remind anybody else of Ryan Getzlaf in style and substance?
- A few Canadian forwards have really surprised me so far, with Richard Clune, Danny Bertram and Tom Pyatt topping the list. If only Taylor Pyatt, as "really fast" as he is, had his brother's effort and tenacity, he'd be a fantastic player.
- The diving on the part of the Czechs, was pretty rediculous. It's at that point where it's not frustrating to watch, but laughable. I laughed at some of it. Yes, every team will embellish certain plays, but when it's that blatant and that consistent, it's hard to respect the team. What drives me nuts is when players pretend to be hurt, and then are on the next shift no difference. One of their players did that about three, if not four times. I'm not a naive idealist who thinks diving can or will ever disappear entirely, but if NHL hockey ever gets to a point where it's that pronounced, I may stop watching it alltogether.
- The referee seemed a bit shellshocked by all of it, the diving, the crowd, the big hits...he just seemed overwhelmed in the first period. He settled down though. It's too bad the referee from the US/Sweden game can't do the Gold Medal game too, because he's Canadian. After watching the quality of the officiating both in the OHL and QMJHL playoffs, and now this, I miss the NHL's refs even more now.
- Canada is in tough against the States for Sunday. The US team is not only more talented squad, but it plays more like a team. It is not hard to see how beneficial it is to play as a group all season long. Oh, and that Kessel kid, he is pretty good too.
Hossa said:
I believe it was both pospicil [sp?] and kana (the turtle fellow). Oh, and Hanzal did it twice as well.
time said:
Time, it's on again tonight at 11:30 est on TSN. If you get the chance just watch the first period - it was a remarkable piece of hockey in itself.
I'll be taping this game, letting it round out the tape of Canada vs Russia at Grand Forks and Jennifer Jones' final end at the Scott Tournament of Hearts.
That's what I call a trifecta.
Hossa said:
Good post/recap.
I agree Bourdon really improved his stock. However, I don't know how much stock GM's put into these types of tournaments. If they do regard them as more important than the regular season, than clearly he is on the rise. He is playing a very strong game, finishing his checks, looks good offensively etc...I'm really liking his play in this tournament.
I'd say Hanzel's size helps him, but I really like Bergfors' skill set. I don't know who too chose between the two. Granted I haven't seen much of them, but Hanzel does seem to possess quite a bit of offensive skill. Although him ducking from a hit didn't sit too well with me. Nonetheless, that takes absolutely nothing away from the fact that he is big, strong and very skilled.
I'd put Hobson on the list as well. He's had a good tournament. I've liked Hobson's play and Bertram's as well. Lawrence, Clutterbuck, Clune have been exceptional in terms of effort, but I don't know what kind of offensive creativity they bring other than bodychecking. Still they're playing very strong, but again, they aren't showing much puck skills in the tournament.
Yellowhorn and Brassard haven't been getting much icetime, but I've liked how they played when they did get playing time.
Oh yeah, the diving was brutal, but Canada dove as well, not nearly as much, but you could tell a few times they let themselves fall.
The Canada-USA game should be a beauty. Two teams who like to play physical it will be great to watch. I wish we could have sent over more prospects, but oh well, it will be an amazing game to watch. I can't wait for that game. I think Canada's defence will be able to neutralize Kessel' line. Not saying for sure, but I think they are strong/fast enough to give them a very hard time, especially down low.
FLYLine27*
BUCH
Chipchura said:What are Kessel's height and weight? Somewhere around 5-10, 170 pounds I suppose?
Hell no, hes 6"0, 185 pounds. Hes a BEAST!!!!
You guys are right - Kuscheda is by far the worst - but he didn't really get going until the third period - and then it was like he was making up for lost time.
Seachd
Registered User
- Mar 16, 2002
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Hossa said:
Personally, I see it the other way around. Bergfors was a lot better than I expected him to be. Hanzal was noticeable, but while he has more size, I think Bergfors is more talented.
I'll admit I haven't seen any games in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, or Germany, but I don't think that matters - Czech fans have got to be the most annoying on Earth. Why do they "boo" every little hit? It's like they're booing their own player for being stupid enough to keep his head down.
Quiet Robert said:
Since Bourdon plays on a fairly weak team in the Q,I think scouts will be quite
interested on how he does when surrounded with better players.He was quite
highly touted at the first of the year based on his raw physical skills and attributes.
His game struggled early on but he's peaking at the right time so I think his stock
is going up or at the very least it's been higher than we thought and is holding.
Latendresse is another player who's stock is rising.I have said all along that he
would not fall at all like the rankings were showing and I have said I would bet
money he goes top ten.Top five is not out of the question if a power forward is
what those teams are looking for.
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