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WC: 2015 — Team USA

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SanDogBrewin said:
Any chance Oshie, Backes or Shattenkirk say yes if the Blues get eliminated tonight ?
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Oshie and Shattenkirk might go if invited. I highly doubt Backes will since in march he posted a photo of him and his wife on twitter saying she is pregnant and was 26 weeks which is 6 1/2 months at the time the photo was taken so that means she is due sometime in may .
 
leafsgirl12 said:
Oshie and Shattenkirk might go if invited. I highly doubt Backes will since in march he posted a photo of him and his wife on twitter saying she is pregnant and was 26 weeks which is 6 1/2 months at the time the photo was taken so that means she is due sometime in may .
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Oshie has a toddler so he wouldn't play.

Stastny/Shatternkirk would be the likely targets.
 
therealdeal said:
I think there is a bit of a causal feedback loop. The US can't get their best players to go because their best players won't go. You don't want to be the loan guy on a bad team. I don't think that the players think they can win, so they don't want to go over and have a bad tournament and be called a bad team, etc. I think what's important for the team building is getting a couple of really good guys right at the start, then other good players want to be a part of it.

Either way, the USA is always my second favourite team in this tourney because they play a good underdog role.
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I hear what you're saying, but this isn't 1980, we're arguably (key word: arguably) the #2 hockey country in the world right now based on talent, depth, and recent results at all levels. We shouldn't be playing the "underdog" role anymore.

It used to be that North American players didn't care about this tournament. Now, maybe it's just American players that don't care.
 
scotian1 said:
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been added though.
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And that's good, but Canada--another country who supposedly doesn't care about this tournament--got a proven NHL goalie that was the #3 on the Sochi roster (Mike Smith) to commit. Meanwhile, despite Jon Quick, Cory Schneider, Alex Stalock, and others not making the playoffs, USA's goalies are the Jets' backup and the goalie for Yale.
 
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Frank Booth said:
World Cup and Olympic tournament participation should be tied to the World Championships. Until USA Hockey grows a pair and mandates this the U.S. Team will always be third rate at this tournament.
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I don't know if we can go that route. For all I know, a lot of our very best may be willing to forego playing in best-on-best tournaments if given an ultimatum that they also have to commit to the Worlds. Assuming Patrick Kane was available to play on the Worlds, would we want to exclude him from the Olys if he turned down the Worlds?

I think it should be taken into consideration, not not necessarily be a deciding factor. That may at least convince the "bubble" players to commit to the Worlds. If two guys come down to a tie on all levels, pick the one that hasn't consistently turned down the Worlds. Maybe the Dustin Byflugien's and RJ Umberger's of the world might start accepting invites.

To be fair to the players though, USA Hockey hasn't always rewarded guys for playing in the World's either. All of Jack Johnson's past decisions to play in the Worlds didn't get him to Sochi. Same for Erik Johnson playing in 2013. Not saying they should have been picked for Sochi anyway, but it sends the message that playing in the Worlds does not always help your chances of making a best-on-best roster.
 
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I think solution could be quite easy.

To get possibility to play for USA at Olympics each player should play at least one WC in four year period, assuming his NHL team has finnished with season after regular season or after his team was beaten in first round of PO and player received invitation to join NT. This would guaranteed strong USA team every year and wouldn't demand to much commitment from players.
 
PaulieVegas said:
I don't know if we can go that route. For all I know, a lot of our very best may be willing to forego playing in best-on-best tournaments if given an ultimatum that they also have to commit to the Worlds. Assuming Patrick Kane was available to play on the Worlds, would we want to exclude him from the Olys if he turned down the Worlds?

I think it should be taken into consideration, not not necessarily be a deciding factor. That may at least convince the "bubble" players to commit to the Worlds. If two guys come down to a tie on all levels, pick the one that hasn't consistently turned down the Worlds. Maybe the Dustin Byflugien's and RJ Umberger's of the world might start accepting invites.

To be fair to the players though, USA Hockey hasn't always rewarded guys for playing in the World's either. All of Jack Johnson's past decisions to play in the Worlds didn't get him to Sochi. Same for Erik Johnson playing in 2013. Not saying they should have been picked for Sochi anyway, but it sends the message that playing in the Worlds does not always help your chances of making a best-on-best roster.
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Kane turned down an invite a few years back and spent the time instead working on his alcoholism. It made me sick to my stomach to see him playing for Team USA in Sochi.
 
Americans are known as very patriotic about their country but when we talking about USA national icehockey team then things are getting nasty...
 
Frank Booth said:
Kane turned down an invite a few years back and spent the time instead working on his alcoholism. It made me sick to my stomach to see him playing for Team USA in Sochi.
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kane was never a alcholic yes there is photos of him partying but that doesn't mean he was a alcholic and kane has changed since then he has a serious gf and there is no recent photos of him partying. it isn't right for people to judge others on stuff they did in the past.
 
PaulieVegas said:
And that's good, but Canada--another country who supposedly doesn't care about this tournament--got a proven NHL goalie that was the #3 on the Sochi roster (Mike Smith) to commit. Meanwhile, despite Jon Quick, Cory Schneider, Alex Stalock, and others not making the playoffs, USA's goalies are the Jets' backup and the goalie for Yale.
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We can't compare ourselves to Hockey Canada. It's not realistic. Despite all of the talk of USAH "catching up" (which is usually propagated by the Canadian press), we still have a long, long road to go in terms of matching Hockey Canada's, depth, and most importantly hockey culture.

Team USA is probably tops for this tournament when it comes to apathy and player rejections but Canada isn't too far behind. It's their depth that allows them to still get great players. And it's their depth that allows them to use declined invites against a player when it comes to the Olympics/World Cup. I'd love for USAH to use that threat more often but it's not realistic beyond the fringe players for our best squads anyway.

We also can't compare ourselves to any of the other countries for this tournament (even if our pool of players is more talented and/or deeper) because those countries and their players grew up loving this tournament and wanting to play in it. It's not apple-to-apples and that's not even considering the fact that most of these squads actually prepare with training camps, are more adept to the big ice, etc.

likid said:
I think solution could be quite easy.

To get possibility to play for USA at Olympics each player should play at least one WC in four year period, assuming his NHL team has finnished with season after regular season or after his team was beaten in first round of PO and player received invitation to join NT. This would guaranteed strong USA team every year and wouldn't demand to much commitment from players.
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I would be in favor of this being implemented with other exceptions (i.e. injury, special circumstances like a newborn, etc.)
 
We have four spots left for the squad, 1 of which is a goalie spot. Ideally we need to add two talented forwards and one d-man, which is tough because it may mean one of Jones/Shattenkirk stays home if they both want to play.

Let's say the following players are available and want to play. Who do you take as our last three skaters?

Seth Jones, Craig Smith (RFA), Colin Wilson (RFA), Paul Stastny, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tyler Johnson

We could have shots at the following after game 7 in Washington: John Carlson, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson (RFA), Anders Lee (RFA). Okposo has a young child though so I doubt he plays.
 
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leafsgirl12 said:
kane was never a alcholic yes there is photos of him partying but that doesn't mean he was a alcholic and kane has changed since then he has a serious gf and there is no recent photos of him partying. it isn't right for people to judge others on stuff they did in the past.
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He may not be an "alcholic" but his actions during the first Stanley Cup parade and those pictures that showed up of his passed out on the ground and with his face planted on the table are signs of an alcoholic. So you can't possibly say he has never had an issue with drinking. The facts show otherwise. And having a "gf" means nothing. Are you saying that there has never been a drunk that had a girlfriend? Absurd. My opinion, the guy should never be allowed to represent the U.S. again. Say no once without a legitimate reason, lose the privilege forever.
 
William H Bonney said:
We have four spots left for the squad, 1 of which is a goalie spot. Ideally we need to add two talented forwards and one d-man, which is tough because it may mean one of Jones/Shattenkirk stays home if they both want to play.

Let's say the following players are available and want to play. Who do you take as our last three skaters?

Seth Jones, Craig Smith (RFA), Colin Wilson (RFA), Paul Stastny, Kevin Shattenkirk, Tyler Johnson

We could have shots at the following after game 7 in Washington: John Carlson, Kyle Okposo, Brock Nelson (RFA), Anders Lee (RFA). Okposo has a young child though so I doubt he plays.
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I would love Karlson but the US already have Krug and Gardiner. Seth Jones, Craig Smith and Tyler Johnson would be sweet. Those would be my last 3 in.
 
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