Pre-Game Talk: 2018 Olympics, congrats Chris Kelly

[thinkwild]

Finishing 2nd would be a great achievement not considered a Canadians right to expect?

 

[Emerica]

I'm so done with curling. Jesus.

 

[Back in Black]

Can/S.Korea puck drop coming up any second now!

 

[L'Aveuglette]

The fact that the Canadians have managed to score only one goal through more than half the game against KOREA says everything you need to know about the team's quality, and the quality of the hockey in this tournament overall. The only dangerous team is the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and that's only because they have the only real pros on their team.

Screw you NHL. You robbed us of what would have been an amazing experience.

 

[Larionov]

You mean the Russian team that lost their opener to Slovakia? That Russian team? ;-)

This tournament is wide open. Yes, on paper the Russians look to be the most dangerous, but they have a long tradition of choking in international play, and their goaltending looks weak.

Oh, and if you want to blame someone for the fact that the NHL isn't there, save some salt for the IOC. Any partnership involves compromise from both sides, and the IOC clearly didn't value NHL participation enough to be willing to share anything related to hockey. Heck, they wouldn't even let the NHL show Olympic highlights on the NHL broadcast platform. When someone essentially tells you that they don't care if you show up or not, and the business case for showing up was weak to begin with...

 

[Do Make Say Think]

The fact that the Canadians have managed to score only one goal through more than half the game against KOREA says everything you need to know about the team's quality, and the quality of the hockey in this tournament overall. The only dangerous team is the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and that's only because they have the only real pros on their team.

Screw you NHL. You robbed us of what would have been an amazing experience.

The Czechs won 2-1 against S. Korea.

S. Korea's team is pretty good.

 

[Larionov]

Korea's team has six Canadians and one American on it, and is coached by a former NHLer in Jim Paek. The international game has changed - these guys are all in amazing condition, they can all skate, and everyone is coached well to play defensively. No one is going to trade odd man rushes with Canada all day - that's how you get beat 11-1. There are far fewer of those blowouts now. You'll note that the Czechs really had their hands full with the Koreans.

We get the winner of Korea/Finland on Wednesday morning in the quarter finals. I wonder who gets the nod in goal for us? I'd go with Poulin, but my bet is that they use Scrivens...

 

[Ice-Tray]

But, but, the NHL has robbed me of experiences!!! Jesus, the whining has no end to it, it's like a bottomless hole of misery. Grow up.

It's a nice level playing field out there and the hockey is pretty good to watch. Stop worrying about the names on the back of the jerseys and get behind the plate on the front. Canada has been in thick, instead of a bunch of blow outs, and it's made for exciting hockey in my opinion. I think it's great that a whole new group of guys has been given a chance to shine, what a story line for NA, and what an opportunity for the smaller Hockey nations.

 

[Tuna99]

I’m super impressed with the hands of Wolski and Roy looks great, as if he couldn’t be on the 4th line in Ottawa.

It is slower because Chris Kelly doesn’t look slow, he looks just not that fast, and the goaltending is sketchy.

Overall I’m really enjoying the men’s and woman’s hockey.

 

[bert]

The fact that the Canadians have managed to score only one goal through more than half the game against KOREA says everything you need to know about the team's quality, and the quality of the hockey in this tournament overall. The only dangerous team is the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and that's only because they have the only real pros on their team.

Screw you NHL. You robbed us of what would have been an amazing experience.

Canada's teams payrole is 24 million and they aren't real pros. haha ok man. Id take any line on that team over the 4th line the sens dressed last night.

They have over 5500 NHL games experience and over 800 goals.

Kelly to me has been the worst forward on the team, he just isn't dangerous and there is a reason he gets the least ice time of all the centermen.

I am really enjoying the hockey, the desperation and pace of play is great, there is more physicality on the big ice then any sens regular season game ive seen all season. I love teams that are heavy on the cycle, they are playing the Canadian way and its been effective. I wish the sens would cycle the puck, our D probably wouldn't be so tired all the time.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

But, but, the NHL has robbed me of experiences!!! Jesus, the whining has no end to it, it's like a bottomless hole of misery. Grow up.

It's a nice level playing field out there and the hockey is pretty good to watch. Stop worrying about the names on the back of the jerseys and get behind the plate on the front. Canada has been in thick, instead of a bunch of blow outs, and it's made for exciting hockey in my opinion. I think it's great that a whole new group of guys has been given a chance to shine, what a story line for NA, and what an opportunity for the smaller Hockey nations.

I think this is the best thing for hockey as a sport. Instead of Canada being a runaway favorite with Russia, USA, and Sweden battling for the other medals, we finally have a wide open tournament. Seeing "lesser" countries get a few wins and score goals will help generate interest internationally. Hockey desperately needs to find a way to grab the hearts and minds of sports fans around the globe....this Olympics might just do it.

 

[SAK11]

The fact that the Canadians have managed to score only one goal through more than half the game against KOREA says everything you need to know about the team's quality, and the quality of the hockey in this tournament overall. The only dangerous team is the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and that's only because they have the only real pros on their team.

Screw you NHL. You robbed us of what would have been an amazing experience.

Inevitably, you spoke too soon. Canada won handily, 4-0, and outshot them by 30 shots- 49 to 19.

This type of game happens in hockey every now and then, look no further than the last Olympics when Canada barely beat Latvia, 2-1, even though they were loaded with NHL talent.

The talent level of this tournament is obviously not as good as the last few Olympics, but there is still plenty of skill, with more teams having at least a decent chance at a medal. If you choose to be angry at the NHL for not sending their players, of course you'll find reasons to hate what you're watching. If you watch it with an open mind, I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable. Also, the IOC deserves some of the blame for the players not being there, too.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

The fact that the Canadians have managed to score only one goal through more than half the game against KOREA says everything you need to know about the team's quality, and the quality of the hockey in this tournament overall. The only dangerous team is the Olympic Athletes from Russia, and that's only because they have the only real pros on their team.

Screw you NHL. You robbed us of what would have been an amazing experience.

The Sochi olympics was some of the worst, most boring hockey I have ever watched in my entire life.

On the flip side, Vancouver was some of the best.

I have only watched 2 games but I enjoy watching the hockey so far, it doesn't really bother me that much that NHLers aren't there. I guess the CBA should have been negotiated better.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Inevitably, you spoke too soon. Canada won handily, 4-0, and outshot them by 30 shots- 49 to 19.

This type of game happens in hockey every now and then, look no further than the last Olympics when Canada barely beat Latvia, 2-1, even though they were loaded with NHL talent.

The talent level of this tournament is obviously not as good as the last few Olympics, but there is still plenty of skill, with more teams having at least a decent chance at a medal. If you choose to be angry at the NHL for not sending their players, of course you'll find reasons to hate what you're watching. If you watch it with an open mind, I'm sure you'll find it enjoyable. Also, the IOC deserves some of the blame for the players not being there, too.

I did not speak too soon, it took until 7 or 8 minutes left in the 2nd for them to score their 2nd goal, and Korea was getting just as many chances. The final score doesn't reflect how the game went.

And again, this wasn't Latvia, it was Korea, and they're only in this tournament because they're hosting the darn thing. It's like the Senators barely beating a pee-wee team.

This is not good hockey.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

But, but, the NHL has robbed me of experiences!!! Jesus, the whining has no end to it, it's like a bottomless hole of misery. Grow up.

It's a nice level playing field out there and the hockey is pretty good to watch. Stop worrying about the names on the back of the jerseys and get behind the plate on the front. Canada has been in thick, instead of a bunch of blow outs, and it's made for exciting hockey in my opinion. I think it's great that a whole new group of guys has been given a chance to shine, what a story line for NA, and what an opportunity for the smaller Hockey nations.

I'm willing to bet you haven't even watched most of it, and are just being your usual contrarian, petty self. But seeing as others have chimed in I'll respond.

It's a level playing field because every team is mostly bad. Now, that does make the games closer overall given the lack of talent, I'll give you and everyone else that much. And obviously I'm watching so I'm not completely bored by it, but not seeing the likes of McDavid, Matthews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Karlsson, Kucherov, Malkin etc. etc. playing out there is really sad imo, and the NHL/IOC has indeed robbed hockey fans of an experience. We'll have gone 8 years without a true best-on-best Olympic tournament by the time they get back to it in China. That's inexcusable to me and no matter how interesting it is to see René Bourque score a few goals on an unknown Latvian goalie, it just doesn't quite reach the same peaks of athleticism.

And for a guy who keep telling others to grow up constantly, again, you seem like the epitome of a man-child who feels the need to bring everyone else down in order to prop himself up. Stop thinking because we disagree with you that we're somehow more miserable than you are, ya doink.

 

[Karl Prime]

I'm happy for all the players that they get to participate in the Olympics, but it is disappointing to not see the best players in the world there. It's not just "Canada vs everyone else" with all the NHLers .... they usually have the best and deepest team, but that doesn't mean they'll win. In Sochi they iced a near perfect hockey team ... in Vancouver they won gold in OT.

I know I'd rather be watching Olympic hockey with Crosby, McDavid, Malkin, Karlsson, Hedman, Doughty, Matthews, Kane, Toews, Bergeron, Laine, Kucherov, Stamkos, et al.

 

[Ice-Tray]

I'm willing to bet you haven't even watched most of it, and are just being your usual contrarian, petty self. But seeing as others have chimed in I'll respond.

It's a level playing field because every team is mostly bad. Now, that does make the games closer overall given the lack of talent, I'll give you and everyone else that much. And obviously I'm watching so I'm not completely bored by it, but not seeing the likes of McDavid, Matthews, Crosby, Ovechkin, Karlsson, Kucherov, Malkin etc. etc. playing out there is really sad imo, and the NHL/IOC has indeed robbed hockey fans of an experience. We'll have gone 8 years without a true best-on-best Olympic tournament by the time they get back to it in China. That's inexcusable to me and no matter how interesting it is to see René Bourque score a few goals on an unknown Latvian goalie, it just doesn't quite reach the same peaks of athleticism.

And for a guy who keep telling others to grow up constantly, again, you seem like the epitome of a man-child who feels the need to bring everyone else down in order to prop himself up. Stop thinking because we disagree with you that we're somehow more miserable than you are, ya doink.

Dude, your world is painted black, everything sucks to you, every post you make is attacking or complaining about something. I'm not a contrarian poster, I just don't agree with your whiny shtick, and there is no 'we' it's just you.

I watch the olympics, watching curling right now, the hockey has been fun to watch, and the skills have been surprisingly good! I don't need to see Malkin to feel like I'm enjoying myself. You're shockingly unhappy about it all, but there's no one to convince here, it's Olympic hockey, it's Canada's team, and most people are able to enjoy it without feeling disgusted by the whole thing, or angry at the NHL for stealing an awesome time from them.

The whole thing is ridiculous, I bet you're able to find a way to be angry at clouds for stealing a sunny day from you. Give it a rest, pick up a hobby.

 

[SAK11]

I did not speak too soon, it took until 7 or 8 minutes left in the 2nd for them to score their 2nd goal, and Korea was getting just as many chances. The final score doesn't reflect how the game went.

And again, this wasn't Latvia, it was Korea, and they're only in this tournament because they're hosting the darn thing. It's like the Senators barely beating a pee-wee team.

This is not good hockey.

You did indeed speak too soon. This isn't basketball where a superior team will almost automatically dominate from start to finish- a goalie can be an equalizer, even if only for half a game [or a full game, like the example I gave in Latvia only losing 2-1 to a stacked Canadian team 4 years ago].
Canada, despite controlling the play [outshooting Korea 18-5 in the 1st period], was only up 1 half way through the game so you made your post. In the 2nd half of the game, they managed to solve the goalie and the game ended 4-0. Inevitably, it wasn't close- Canada outshot South Korea by 30 and didn't give up a goal. But because it was only 1-0 when you made your post, you're making it seem as though this was a game that Canada barely won. Comparing this to Ottawa barely beating a peewee team is absolutely ludicrous, although you're probably well aware of that. What you might not be aware of is that this wasn't a South Korean team of born and raised South Koreans. Pretty well all their top players are imported Canadians, something they started working on years ago after winning the bid to host these Olympics. That's not to say that they are a good team, relative to Team Canada, but the comparison to a peewee team is absurd. Unfortunately, it's easy to stay too proud on an internet forum, so you made the comparison that you did and will likely stick to it. Oh well.

 

[Larionov]

I think people would probably accept that this tournament is being played at an AHL level at least. Has anyone here ever played with a guy who made it the AHL? If so, I will guarantee the guy was the best player on your Bantam or Midget team by a country mile. Heck, guys in the ECHL were mostly king studs throughout their minor hockey careers, and likely through junior also.

I hate to play this card, but unless you've played the game at a competitive level you have no clue how good the level of play is here. (And no, I was never even close to being that good - got as high as Midget A and no further.) Are the best 50 players in the world there? No, but most of the guys between 700 and 900 are, and if you've ever been on the ice with one of the guys in that category you'll know how ridiculously talented they are. I've only skated with a handful of those guys in pickup games here and there over the years, and they are on such a different level than everyone else it's crazy.

 

[DrEasy]

What's the percentage of Canadian players in the NHL? 50%? So that's like our top 300 players who were not eligible? How about the US? Probably about a 150 players? And then probably about 50 or so Swedes and Russians?
The Russians should have the advantage just because so many of their top players choose not to play in the NHL. It would be amazing if Canada did well without their top 300 players. Even a Bronze medal would be a good result IMO.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I'm happy for all the players that they get to participate in the Olympics, but it is disappointing to not see the best players in the world there. It's not just "Canada vs everyone else" with all the NHLers .... they usually have the best and deepest team, but that doesn't mean they'll win. In Sochi they iced a near perfect hockey team ... in Vancouver they won gold in OT.

I know I'd rather be watching Olympic hockey with Crosby, McDavid, Malkin, Karlsson, Hedman, Doughty, Matthews, Kane, Toews, Bergeron, Laine, Kucherov, Stamkos, et al.

Seriously. I could of set up a lawnchair in the blue paint and played in net for Canada in Sochi, and come home with a gold medal. While it was super high level hockey, it was also the worst hockey to watch as a fan. Having the most talented players in the world play a "safe" game is a great way to turn millions of people off the sport.

Contrast that to the Flyers-Rangers game today. Imho, the best game of the year. So much back and forth action, lots of skating, some great passing and wide-open play, lots of goals, some good hits, and a few fights. Like watching NHL hockey in the 1980s again. I was tired as hell and could barely keep my eyes open, but the game was so much fun, I was up for all of it. You want to get potential fans excited about a new sport...show them that game. And it was two poor-to-average teams with little star power.

 

[Back in Black]

Canada Mens next game is Wednesday 7:00 AM

 

[Back in Black]

Canada Mens next game is Wednesday 7:00 AM

We play the Finns...

 

[Back in Black]

Woo-Hoo, Canada defeats the Finns 1-0 in a nail biter QF!

 

[Senateurs]

We should make an offer to Poulin. We need goaltending Baaad.