LucaBrasil
Registered User
So well deserved boys. I love it. Congratulations! 
WC: 2024 Czech team in Prague!
- Thread starter Czechboy
- Start date
Probably, also dont expect we gonna be that stacked next year also. Great chance to bring out the young guns to show what they are made of. We will go after a gold, no home tournament, no pressure. Perfect oppurtunity to give chance to a younger squad.
Pasta and his gold medal winning goal... that is the best hockey experience for me (unfortunately only in TV). I can hardly remember anything close to this (2010...), that was such an explosion, such a relieve. I would pay a lot to experience it in-person yesterday, too bad. That was so intense and with Voracek's emotions! This team was like machine in the play-offs, incredible. Basically during the whole final game I felt like there's no way we are losing today.
Czechboy
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Not losing once in regulation had me somewhat confident. I REALLY trusted Dostal. While I didn't think we had a good D, they did a tremendous job of minimizing chances and getting the puck going the other way.
Czechboy
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The stacked thing is funny. Our team didn't get stacked till long after you and I bitched about the original squad. It got stacked when Pasta/Zacha/Necas arrived. They essentially replaced Kondelik, Vozelnik and Felk (inadvertently). It also got younger at that moment.
So I do expect a similar squad to next year.. just without Pasta/Necas/Zacha.lol
If we play like this I don't see why we shouldn't be strong contenders in following years. This year was above-average when it comes to quality of rosters, everyone except for Finnland were stacked. With the team we had this year and the way we played we would win like 7 out of last 10 championships.
Last year we would win without losing a single point and conceding like 6 goals in total lol
Czechboy
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You can’t beat him for efficiency. Not many players manage to walk away with a world championship medal for a little over 4 minutes of play.
Actually I am pleased for him. Training by himself throughout the tournament after being cut, and basically assuming that he would not get to play… it must have been such an amazing experience for him!
Except that in 2022, the team looked TERRIBLE before Pasta arrived and lost against Austria for the first time in history. This year, the team looked incomparably better than in 2022 before the star arrivals.
Czechboy
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We will never know, and I agree the team looked great in first 6 games, but how do you think we would've finished without those 3 showing up?
Can't stress enough.. bless them for showing up.
No doubt much less likely to have won without them. My point was more that under Kari, the problem was more structural than dependent on who showed up - I am pretty sure that the exact same team as played the group games in 2022 would have looked better under Rulik. In some ways, Pasta putting in a gala performance for the bronze in 2022 papered over the bigger problems with Kari’s system as applied to a Czech team.
That said, we should also remain fair and say that the home advantage played a part in the Czech team’s performances this year. I doubt they would have found within themselves that extra energy and commitment in Tampere.
Czechboy
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I also hope it's clear I'm not arguing Jalonen was better than Rulik. At least not for us.
My fav thing here (and again, the reinforcements made this possible) is that we FINALLY had a Top 9 that wanted possession and tried to score.
So when some were critical that Pasta wasn't scoring (NOT ME) I kept saying that Pasta hits the ice with Zacha/Palat - the other team counters with their top guys and that line exhausts the shit out of them.lol
Then line 2 steps on and it's a great line. Maybe they have a good matchup for them too!
The line 3 (Cervus and friends) comes on to a much nicer matchup.
By far my fav thing! This is why I love depth even when they don't all score. Eg. my Oilers come out with line 1 and it's molten.. best I've ever seen.. then a big wet fart till line 1 is back on.lol
Jersey Fan 12
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Where did you see that Stezka is heading back to Europe? Kraken have a logjam with a healthy Driedger in net for their AHL team but Ales Stezka put up decent numbers when given the chance to play.
Thought either Seattle would re-sign him or other clubs would take notice.
Czechboy
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No official signing for Brno though (which is what it says).
I was disapointed he was returning to Europe after a pretty decent debut in AHL but it is unconfirmed for now.
Hope he stays.. put up good numbers.
Jersey Fan 12
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Didn't realize until after I posted - Kraken signed two goalies since the season ended. Unless Driedger or Grubauer are headed elsewhere, don't know if there is any room for Ales with Seattle.
FinPanda
Barkov Stanley cup champ!
Finland was swapped to the Stockholm group by the Swedes, Switzerland on the Czech group now instead
Czechboy
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Canada and Sweden quarter loom large for our countries. Don't like it one bit.lol
Czechboy
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And hope we play US on day 1.lol north American teams start slow.
Czechboy
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Some great news as Rulik is back. I obviously questioned him hard and was wrong.
Smid for U20 team is 'ok' news. I always worry when guys with minimal coaching experience (but a name) join Junior squads. In this case, it's also a hard working Dman who may value the Cech/Koci mold more than the Gavlas/Jiricek mold. But I could be getting ahead of myself. Quite excited for our next TWO U20 team and hope nothing messes with it.lol
