Seems like the Czechs look at him as the 'next one'. I wish him another great seaon next season, he really seemed like a very likeable young man during his period in Sweden.
World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team North America
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Seems like the Czechs look at him as the 'next one'. I wish him another great seaon next season, he really seemed like a very likeable young man during his period in Sweden.
leafsfuture
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- Mar 30, 2008
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Agreed.
I hate the non-country teams.... but 100% I am watching the first U-23 team game in full.
Interest will be high, especially since the games are in Toronto
PBandJ
If it didn't happen in the 80's, it didn't happen
Something tells me the people in an uproar at how this violates the sanctity of the game will be perfectly fine with Canada and the US slaughtering South Korea 10-0 in 2018.
Well yeah I'd be fine with that. Atleast it is a true international tournament and how it is supposed to be played. This is not a real world cup or a real international tournament of any kind. 2/6 teams aren't a nation. It's a glorified all-star game.
driveway
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- Feb 13, 2007
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I find it amusing in 2015 that ethnic nationalism (particularly when the vast, vast, vast majority of this nationalism is coming from the citizens of two nations WITHOUT national ethnicities) is considered to be more valuable, more honest, and have more integrity than a tournament which is designed to have the best hockey played. Not to mention that the particular tournament which is held in such high regard is part of the Olympics, perhaps the single large event with the least global integrity (though FIFA does give it a run for its money).
Why the hell does it matter more which nation a person is from? Why does an arbitrary, imaginary line have more significance to a hockey tournament than putting the best players on the ice?
This method gets more of the best players playing on better teams. It creates the likelihood for vastly better hockey. Therefore it is better.
I shall be cheering for the U23's even against Canada.
COME ON YOU KIDS!
Why the hell does it matter more which nation a person is from? Why does an arbitrary, imaginary line have more significance to a hockey tournament than putting the best players on the ice?
This method gets more of the best players playing on better teams. It creates the likelihood for vastly better hockey. Therefore it is better.
I shall be cheering for the U23's even against Canada.
COME ON YOU KIDS!
JackSlater
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What does that have to do with the idiocy of this tournament having non-national teams? Unlike South Korea, I would imagine that Canada would be invited under any system regardless of whether or not it was the host. Likewise, none of the top eight hockey nations are even close to susceptible to getting blown out like South Korea will be.
Ethnicity obviously has nothing to do with this. You're obviously a very modern, free thinker to regard borders as essentially meaningless imaginary lines and I bow down to your vast intellect, but there is one problem - this is being billed as an international tournament. At least your love of seeing the best players in the world thrown together with little to no motivation factor will be satisfied by the all star game this year!
The issue is not the existence of collection teams vs. "true" national teams, it's that those two shouldn't mix. It puts the participants at inequal standing. Others can draw motivation from the same familiar thing they always have, whereas others, well, have to draw it from someplace else... and no one seems to exactly know what it is. The young guys can say (in their cookie cutter responses at least) it's from wanting to beat the old guard, and the euro assortment can... yeah. Who knows.
Personal pride, perhaps? Which would be all and good... 'cept it's still not the same... and this is a team sport.
The bottom line is, you can have collection teams if you want. Or you can have national teams. One or the other, just don't try to cram them into the same event. Because that thing is nothing more but an abomination. If you wanna see what Team Young Gunz can do, don't pit them against Russia. Or Finland. Or Sweden. Pit them against Team Right-handed. Or Team Tall Guys. Or Team Whatever.
Personal pride, perhaps? Which would be all and good... 'cept it's still not the same... and this is a team sport.
The bottom line is, you can have collection teams if you want. Or you can have national teams. One or the other, just don't try to cram them into the same event. Because that thing is nothing more but an abomination. If you wanna see what Team Young Gunz can do, don't pit them against Russia. Or Finland. Or Sweden. Pit them against Team Right-handed. Or Team Tall Guys. Or Team Whatever.
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Somehow there are people who can't seem to wrap their heads around something so self-evident.
They would never tolerate Team Canada in the NHL playoffs or Team Africa under-23 at the FIFA world cup.
Yet for some reason they think The Leftovers and KiddieSquad fit into a hockey world cup just fine. Bizarre.
JackSlater
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Team Canadian leftovers (comprised of the best Canadians who don't make the playoffs) would make for a more competitive NHL playoffs and would surely have more talent than any eighth overall seed. Woohoo!
From where is that picture comming from? there was info that Pastrnak would be named as any czech representative...Or were those players send there by NHLPA?
leafsfuture
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My team North America:
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Nathan Mackinnon
Brandon Saad - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jonathan Drouin
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sean Couturier - Jack Eichel
Boone Jenner - Conor McDavid - Ryan Strome
Alex Galchenyuk
Seth Jones - Dougie Hamilton
Morgan Rielly - Aaron Ekblad
Ryan Murray - Jacob Trouba
Connor Murphy
John Gibson
Connor Hellebuyck
Malcolm Subban
Canadians:14
Americans: 9
The only way this team is successful is if they bring along as much skill as they can. Hence inclusions of guys like Strome, Huberdeau, RNH, McDavid, Eichel, Gaudreau, Mackinnon. However, any successful team also needs shutdown guys. For North America that burden will fall to 4 guys: RNH, Couturier, Saad and Jenner. Jenner especially is an underrated guy, but will be critical to ensure that our guys don't get rag dolled. I also fully expect Couturier to play the most minutes on the team.
On defence the top 6 are pretty straight forward. Those are the 6 best guys available. The 7th D I chose was Connor Murphy, mainly because he is American, but also because he is one of the more experienced guys available.
Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Nathan Mackinnon
Brandon Saad - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Jonathan Drouin
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sean Couturier - Jack Eichel
Boone Jenner - Conor McDavid - Ryan Strome
Alex Galchenyuk
Seth Jones - Dougie Hamilton
Morgan Rielly - Aaron Ekblad
Ryan Murray - Jacob Trouba
Connor Murphy
John Gibson
Connor Hellebuyck
Malcolm Subban
Canadians:14
Americans: 9
The only way this team is successful is if they bring along as much skill as they can. Hence inclusions of guys like Strome, Huberdeau, RNH, McDavid, Eichel, Gaudreau, Mackinnon. However, any successful team also needs shutdown guys. For North America that burden will fall to 4 guys: RNH, Couturier, Saad and Jenner. Jenner especially is an underrated guy, but will be critical to ensure that our guys don't get rag dolled. I also fully expect Couturier to play the most minutes on the team.
On defence the top 6 are pretty straight forward. Those are the 6 best guys available. The 7th D I chose was Connor Murphy, mainly because he is American, but also because he is one of the more experienced guys available.
So i see your interested in this insane tournament. Tell me and be honest, if this U-23 is down by a goal in the third are you going to have that nervous feeling in your gut?
If they get knocked out of the tournament are you going to be demanding that the team's federation develop or scout better talent?
What is the point if U-23 wins? What are we determining with this wacky format? The Olympics determine the Best national team on the planet. The WC determines the best??????
JackSlater
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He was the only Czech player at the recent press conference. I have no idea how those players were selected.
He projected a roster, he didn't come out and praise the abomination.
In a long-term, I wanna see a tournament like the olympics rather than this. But I can enjoy this too and not be crazy about it. It looks like the NHL just decided they won't ever play at the Olympics and this exact type of a WC is gonna replace it forever. Talk about over-reacting. I can understand if someone doesn't like it. But I can't understand the instant complaining and screaming like little babies.
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It's been stated a number of times already, the screaming and complaining is for the very reason - that the NHL does not get the idea that this should do just fine as the olympic replacement.
Now, if we had, say, Bill Daly on the record stating that "the NHL is still totally committed to the olympic movement", then my sentiments concerning this gong show would pretty much be, "I think it's silly, but sure, have fun".
But since we have Bill Daly stating that the World Cup could possibly act as a the go-to international tournament (instead of the olympics) and on top of that he also envisions some kind of "Ryder Cup" of Hockey, I'm going to take every opportunity I can to lambast him and the rest of the NHL's empty suits about these brainfarts.
Why would the NHL ever be "fully committed" to the Olympic or IIHF?
They have their own league to run and their own interests to protect and they "rightly" do so.
I have a feeling the NA U23 and rest of Europe are going to do impressively well and this upsets some people here who for some archaic reason would rather have much weaker "national" teams here.
It is going to be extremely embarrassing for South Korea when and if Canada, the US and Sweden decide to go full out on them in the next Olympics, heck even the weak sisters of the top 6 teams, and there is quite a real gap, will be easily double digit winners unless they decide to take their feet off the pedal.
No offense to south Korea but they are ranked 23 in the world right now, most every AHL and alot of junior CHL teams would be cleaning up on them in Korea.
Bejing is going to be an even bigger gap.
Actually I hope they don't take their feet off the pedal as south Korea hold the largest margin of victory in any victory in the sport when their U18 team, alot of which might make up that Olympic team, beat up on Thailand 92-0 in 1998.
There's yet another idea no one will give a crap about.
Canadian hockey fans couldn't care less about Team North America vs Team Europe. It's Team Canada or nothing.
leafsfuture
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Let me ask you something....
Were you not wondering in 2006 what Crosby would look like at the Olympics?
Were you not wondering in 2010 how Stamkos would look with the best of the best?
I'm not thrilled with this format no. I don't see how anyone can be. That being said, I am interested to see how the McDavid's and Mackinnon's look. Because lets be honest, as much as everyone is saying these guys would be on Canada if they were eligible, the truth is they wouldn't, no not even McDavid
Because most of the fans want to see them go. And most of the players want to go.
Only people who don't want to see them go are a bunch of greedy suits who already have more money than they could ever spend in the world, and yet are looking to gather even more.
Many players expected to be in key roles in Team Leftovers have already stated that they don't feel the same heart playing for this joke of a team as they do when they don the jerseys of their countries.
As for the YoungGunz, well, guess we'll just have to wait and see how much of a crap they bother to give. And how much crap the audience at large gives about them.
The olympic tournament features twelve teams, not eight. Among them will also be Slovakia and Switzerland. And they will be about as competitive as they've ever been, and their games won't end in blowouts. They might even manage to win some of the "Big Six" teams, further solidfying the sentiment as to why they should have belonged to this tournament as well instead of these two mickey mouse abominations only complete tools seem to find a good idea.
Besides, it's already known that South Korea will play in a group together with Canada, the Czech Rep and Switzerland - so it's highly unlikely they'll ever face USA or Sweden. Unless you're actually suggesting they'll advance from the group? At which stage, you're contradicting yourself pretty badly. Shows what you know.
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JackSlater
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No need for quotation marks, Switzerland and Slovakia have legitimate national teams. The reason people want national teams has already been laid out for you - this is supposed to be (according even to your leaders at the NHL) an international tournament. International means between nations. Pretty simple.
Who cares about South Korea? They aren't under consideration for this tournament, and if they get beat down at the Olympics it's fine, considering they are all fully functioning adults. You seem to blindly accept the NHL premise that the European Leftovers and Young Gunz prevent blowouts, even though it is pretty easy to prove that Slovakia and Switzerland are not particularly susceptible to being blown out. Good to see that some people will buy whatever the NHL sells at least.
Depending on how they do this year I could see either MacKinnon or McDavid making it as a thirteenth forward. Canada has focused more on skating since 2006, and they are also likely reluctant to have another situation like Crosby in 2006. I would also think that if Canada was picked following the whole 2006 season, Crosby would have made it as he picked up his scoring in the second half.
I have that feeling too. I can't really wait for people here to be disappointed that those players will actually seem to be taking that tournament seriously
nothing else will satisfy me that much, really. no offence.No need to call them my leaders here is there?
Olympics used to mean "amateur", things change get twisted for whatever means governing bodies want.
This is an NHL sponsored tournament using the big 6 and then 2 "other teams" to make it more competitive and to sell tickets as well.
Here are the world rankings as of May 2015, which somehow suggest a closeness or competitive nature between the top 10 teams when we know that really isn't true.
2015 Men's World Ranking
1 Canada 3690
2 Russia 3675
3 Sweden 3630
4 Finland 3575
5 USA 3540
6 Czech Republic 3495
7 Switzerland 3235
8 Slovakia 3160
9 Belarus 3075
10 Latvia 3015
south Korea needs to be on the map for those that don't care about this tournament right?
Furthermore if people don't care about this tournament why keep reposting the same I don't like it over and over?
Would somehow including the Swiss and Slovaks over the Team Europe and NA U23 make for better hockey and/or more competition or heck more sales because after all this is a product and commodity here.
The answer is a pretty obvious one right?
This is an NHL tournament in an NHL market, why not try to make it a success both on and off the ice?
It's not the Olympics and it's not the WHC either, people that don't like or are so offended by this tournament can go support those ones if they wish right?
Yes McDavid most likely makes Team Canada, making the gap between them and the rest of the world even larger.
JackSlater
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Can't think of any other reason for why someone would buy exactly what they're selling hook, line and sinker.
The amateur sham was terrible, and luckily the Olympics made a positive change. Unfortunately, the NHL is moving toward making a blatantly idiotic change. You seem to not grasp this, so to repeat myself - change is not the problem, but idiotic change is.
There is no evidence that this change will make the tournament more competitive regardless of how many times you parrot the NHL and claim so.
Why are you posting IIHF world rankings that seem to contradict your point? The IIHF rankings are garbage.
What does that even mean?
Not to speak for anyone other than myself, but this is a place for discussion, and I happen to hate that the NHL is ruining a once great tournament so idiotically. When people attempt to defend that idiocy by mindlessly parroting the NHL, I feel compelled to discuss said idiocy.
I don't know if you actually read, but it has already stated multiple times that yes, including actual national teams (who have a system, experience and motivation) can lead to more competition, since those teams are already competitive. As far as sales, I couldn't care less about sales, since I don't blindly follow whatever the NHL tells me is good. I don't judge a tournament by how profitable it is for the organizer. I fail to see how including two joke gimmick teams just to fit in Kopitar and a bunch of not quite elite young players will make any significant additional money (the tickets will sell well because it's hockey in Toronto) but really, I couldn't care less.
This is idiocy. The tournament has already been a success. Making stupid changes doesn't miraculously make it more successful. The brand of this tournament will be somewhat hurt in Europe (look at the unanimity of European posters here) at least among the few who are aware of it. It will be ignored in the United States, as per usual. It will sell tickets and draw an audience in Canada, but it would regardless of those idiotic changes because Canadians will tune in for hockey when the option exists. The only real change in Canada is people wondering about this strange (idiotic) new format.
How lucky for me that supporting other tournaments and hating this tournament are not mutually exclusive. Additionally, as has once again been laid out for you repeatedly, the success of this tournament could directly impact the Olympic tournament as stated by Daly himself, thus greatly limiting my opportunity to support that tournament.
Theokritos
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- Apr 6, 2010
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Why restrict it to Canadians? The best NHL players (all nations) who don't make the playoffs should form a Team Leftover that competes in the playoffs. More competition, more quality. And if they win the Stanley Cup, even better. I mean who is backward enough to still think in those archaic categories separating different "cities" and different "teams"? Let's get rid of that.
JackSlater
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Why restrict it to Canadians? The best NHL players (all nations) who don't make the playoffs should form a Team Leftover that competes in the playoffs. More competition, more quality. And if they win the Stanley Cup, even better. I mean who is backward enough to still think in those archaic categories separating different "cities" and different "teams"? Let's get rid of that.
In addition to the additional competition, I think fans would be excited by having a pseudo national team in an event that is not for national teams. It's change so by default it's good, and it would surely earn the NHL much more money as fans clamour to see these much more competitive teams. Think about it, if ten different teams contribute to an NHL leftover team and they win, that's ten fanbases that are sure to celebrate their new champion.
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