Ohhhhh so you think they included him becausee he is a memeber of the Oceanic? Or because of the home town he is from? Or is it because he is drafted by a certain team. If this was the best from Canada, Gauthier wouldn't have been mentioned at all, think of the 95s and 96s from Canada that are atill playing in the NHL.
WJC: 2015 — Canada Roster Talk (Part IV)
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Ohhhhh so you think they included him becausee he is a memeber of the Oceanic? Or because of the home town he is from? Or is it because he is drafted by a certain team. If this was the best from Canada, Gauthier wouldn't have been mentioned at all, think of the 95s and 96s from Canada that are atill playing in the NHL.
It's a best on best tournament. The best junior aged non nhl players are there for every nation.
If this isn't a best on best tournament it sure has a lot of hype for nothing.
I think he made the team because he's a safe francophone and HC like clockwork tends to carry a few token qmjhlers annually.
Prepared to move on from the debate. Especially with you. Nothing but 'tude when I'm trying to have reasonable discussion.
PG Canuck
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- Mar 29, 2010
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True, but if that's the best compliment you can come up with for him...you really have to question why he was selected.
The Zetterberg Era
Ball Hockey Sucks
I think his big body could be very useful against Team USA. I know Canadian fans are upset with his placement, but that does seem a game where Gauthier can bring a lot to the table in my opinion.
Well he can be the extra forward until that game. But canada already has some big bodies, ritchie, virtanen, crouse, paul, who also have skill.
Point has impressed me more in his limited ice time, would rather see him centering the 4th.
I actually dont have an issue if they keep gauthier as the extra forward, dispensing him for the PK or a big faceoff, i just dont think he has shown any chemistry centering that 4th line spot over some others including point right now.
He's useful sure but as an extra forward. Going with him because of a "role" is just plain dumb. If you want him to take face-offs and kill penalties make him the 13th forward. But don't make room for him on the roster because he can win face-offs and kill penalties.
The selection that really grinds my gears though is Ritchie. He has the potential to completely and utterly **** everything up with his lack of discipline. And to take him over a clearly more skilled and much less risky guy in MDC was dumb.
Fabbri-McDavid-Lazar
Domi-Reinhart-Duke
MDC-Petan-Virtanen
Crouse-Paul-Point
Gauthier
4 lines that can score and insurance just in case.
It depends on who makes the most bone headed plays. Murphy was a disaster at times for Canada. Never understood why he was getting so much ice-time..ohh nvm thats right he had his junior coach at his side :shake head
PG Canuck
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Jesus Christ Horburn
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The rosters won't improve until Canada stops guaranteeing spots to returning players, in this year's case Gauthier and Fucale. You don't improve unless you learn from your mistakes.
The other big reason is because if they excluded Gauthier and Fucale, I think they'd have zero representation from the QMJHL, which would be controversial.
The other big reason is because if they excluded Gauthier and Fucale, I think they'd have zero representation from the QMJHL, which would be controversial.
biturbo19
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The problem with keeping Gauthier as the "extra forward", is that you can't get him enough ice time in that role to play the "specialist" part he was ostensibly brought along for. You can't have Gauthier sitting there doing nothing for half a period, then toss him out at a critical moment for a 5 on 3 PK faceoff, or a defensive zone draw in the last minute of the game, one goal lead, extra attacker out...because he's going to be stone cold and completely out of the pace of the game (which is an issue for Gauthier to begin with).
And because Gauthier is so limited offensively, and not particularly versatile...you can't just sprinkle him in for a shift here and there with a bunch of different lines to keep him in the game, as you can with someone like Point for example who can play Center or Wing, on pretty much any line, without looking out of place. You're not going to sub the "13th forward" in for a shift on McDavid's Wing if your spare is Gauthier.
And Gauthier simply isn't the "best option" at this level, for matching up against opponent's top lines. So you've got a "checking line" that you don't really use to "check" top competition consistently.
With the "Men's Team" from the Olympics, our "checking specialists" were key players, guys who played a lot...Toews, Bergeron being the go-to guys for matchups. But also guys who don't look out of place if you want to say, give Bergeron a shift on the top-line wing with Crosby, or 4th line center or anything in between, to keep him in the game. Gauthier is not that.
Now that we're stuck with Gauthier though, i'm not really sure what you do with him, other than just have him spend the majority of the game sitting there twiddling his thumbs as insurance against an injury/misconduct/otherwise unavailable player...move somebody else up the lineup, and slot him in on the 4th line if you have to. Basically handicapping yourself to 12 forwards.
Or...just continue to play him as the "4th line Center" and live with the fact that the line isn't as effective as it could be, and hope that throwing that unit out there cold in a critical situation doesn't burn us too badly. Neither is a particularly attractive option to me.
That "defensive specialist" and "PK ace" role is just such a difficult one for most players to jump into fresh off the bench cold, out of the flow of the game, the legs not really going, etc. You're talking about basically the "toughest minutes" as an assignment, while only playing ~2 actual shifts per period? Disaster waiting to happen imo. It just doesn't work very well at this level, with players used to playing 20+ minutes a night.
The problem with keeping Gauthier as the "extra forward", is that you can't get him enough ice time in that role to play the "specialist" part he was ostensibly brought along for. You can't have Gauthier sitting there doing nothing for half a period, then toss him out at a critical moment for a 5 on 3 PK faceoff, or a defensive zone draw in the last minute of the game, one goal lead, extra attacker out...because he's going to be stone cold and completely out of the pace of the game (which is an issue for Gauthier to begin with).
And because Gauthier is so limited offensively, and not particularly versatile...you can't just sprinkle him in for a shift here and there with a bunch of different lines to keep him in the game, as you can with someone like Point for example who can play Center or Wing, on pretty much any line, without looking out of place. You're not going to sub the "13th forward" in for a shift on McDavid's Wing if your spare is Gauthier.
And Gauthier simply isn't the "best option" at this level, for matching up against opponent's top lines. So you've got a "checking line" that you don't really use to "check" top competition consistently.
With the "Men's Team" from the Olympics, our "checking specialists" were key players, guys who played a lot...Toews, Bergeron being the go-to guys for matchups. But also guys who don't look out of place if you want to say, give Bergeron a shift on the top-line wing with Crosby, or 4th line center or anything in between, to keep him in the game. Gauthier is not that.
Now that we're stuck with Gauthier though, i'm not really sure what you do with him, other than just have him spend the majority of the game sitting there twiddling his thumbs as insurance against an injury/misconduct/otherwise unavailable player...move somebody else up the lineup, and slot him in on the 4th line if you have to. Basically handicapping yourself to 12 forwards.
Or...just continue to play him as the "4th line Center" and live with the fact that the line isn't as effective as it could be, and hope that throwing that unit out there cold in a critical situation doesn't burn us too badly. Neither is a particularly attractive option to me.
That "defensive specialist" and "PK ace" role is just such a difficult one for most players to jump into fresh off the bench cold, out of the flow of the game, the legs not really going, etc. You're talking about basically the "toughest minutes" as an assignment, while only playing ~2 actual shifts per period? Disaster waiting to happen imo. It just doesn't work very well at this level, with players used to playing 20+ minutes a night.
100% agree.
Gauthier has no versatility to his game at this tournament level of play. Perhaps with playing so few minutes, he isn't capable of getting into the tempo of the game to even be effective in the very narrow role of faceoffs and PK work either.
So I don't see him as effective in a fourth line role, and he'd be even more useless as a 13th forward because his only sub in ability would be in the bottom 3.
Ed Belfour
Registered User
I actually agree that Gauthier was not the best choice for this team. I feel like there were better options.
That being said, the degree to which some of you are going to crap all over a 19 year old kid is a bit weird to be honest. Is he the best player for the spot? No, he is not. But he is big, great in his own zone, wins draws and kills penalties, and guess what, ain't bad offensively either. I know this is an unpopular opinion, and no he isn't as electric as some of the other guys on the team, but many just put on irrational hatred blinders every time he steps on the ice. He is excellent with the puck down low, he gets in front and wreaks havoc, and he creates space so guys like Virtanen and Crouse can run around and do their thing.
For all of you expecting him to dangle 4 people and score, yeah you're always gonna be complaining. The fact that there is STILL crying about Gauthier being there while Canada is winning these games handily is just ridiculous at this point.
That being said, the degree to which some of you are going to crap all over a 19 year old kid is a bit weird to be honest. Is he the best player for the spot? No, he is not. But he is big, great in his own zone, wins draws and kills penalties, and guess what, ain't bad offensively either. I know this is an unpopular opinion, and no he isn't as electric as some of the other guys on the team, but many just put on irrational hatred blinders every time he steps on the ice. He is excellent with the puck down low, he gets in front and wreaks havoc, and he creates space so guys like Virtanen and Crouse can run around and do their thing.
For all of you expecting him to dangle 4 people and score, yeah you're always gonna be complaining. The fact that there is STILL crying about Gauthier being there while Canada is winning these games handily is just ridiculous at this point.
Winning is great, but they are winning in spite of Gauthier, and it is very apparent how out of his depth Gauthier looks at this level.
I don't think its a matter of people crying about Gauthier being on the team. It's a matter of Team Canada fans being legitimately concerned about what he can bring when the games start to count.
I just want Canada to win. I don't care about what my NHL affiliations are. I hate the politics behind selection and Gauthier isn't the only player I wouldn't select.
Far more troubling to me was there being no competition for the goaltending position. How Tristan Jarry doesn't even get an invite is horrendous. Fucale being handed the reins scares me far more than Gauthier sucking for 8 minutes a game.
It's 90% Canucks fans. They care more about Virtanen's point totals than Team Canada.
They didn't bring Gauthier in to play on a top 3 line. He is there to settle the PK, and play the hard minutes so that the stars can play favourable matchups. Gauthier is a PK specialist, and if he limits a team like USA/Sweden/Russia on the PP then he has done his job. If people think that we're going to win, or lose because of Gauthier then they are morons.
Ed Belfour
Registered User
Exactly. Like I said, I agree that he isn't the best option in terms of offensive skill, but if people are honestly worried that Gauthier and his few tough defensive minutes are going to be the difference between gold or failure, then there is honestly no reasoning with them.
TheGroceryStick
Registered User
Love how every year people get a hard on for hating a certain player. Can't help but think their words are fueled by homerish towards one of their drafted players not getting selected.
Such a shame, great tournament with young players working their butts off and some flakey keyboard warriors ripping on 17-18 yr olds.
Such a shame, great tournament with young players working their butts off and some flakey keyboard warriors ripping on 17-18 yr olds.
If Gauthier went PPG for the tournament, HF would explode. Not counting on it, but I hope he proves everyone wrong.
199991
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- Dec 3, 2012
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Just let him play. I'm so boring to read people that are mad on 1 player because of his born place or the team he is drafted from. Gauthier will help us on different assets of the game, just stop focusing on him and only on what he did wrong. If you are looking at him thinking that he is a french canadian drafted by the Leafs, yep you'll probably notice more mistakes of him. But if you are a bit neutral, you'll probably see that he makes as many mistakes as the others players, guys like Fabbri,Point, Crouse(Where is the hockey sense of this guy???).
Maple Leaf
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- Sep 18, 2009
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Left for a day. Glad to see people are still whining about Gauthier
At least the Virtanen icetime crying is winding down
At least the Virtanen icetime crying is winding down
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