HF Habs: 2025 World Junior Championship Semi-Finals: Saturday, January 4, 3:30 PM & 7:30 PM

[covfefe]

No one should ever go after the players on social media. They are teens and frankly weren't put in a position to win from coaching or management.

Or adults, frankly. 100% of the time, that type of behaviour says more about the commentator than the recipient.

Disappointing result, but the writing was on the wall early on in this tournament.

What will be interesting to watch from here is the fall out at the managerial/operational level.

HC is long overdue for a rinse and this could very well be the start of a major housecleaning.

 

[donghabs98]

McKenna - Catton - Wood
Cristall - Hage - Nadeau
Rehkopf - Ritchie - Sennecke
Cowan - Luchanko - Yager
Misa, Martone

Molendyk - Yakemchuk
Schaefer - Parekh
Dickinson - Bonk
Price, Marrelli

There. You still have your classic bottom 6, just with much better players.
Top 6 is stacked and the 2025s can be worked in depending on who shows up and what the chemistry looks like.
And you have D's that can actually make a play.

I generally don't think armchair GMs are better than most management groups but I genuinely believe that you could pick someone from HF or at a random CHL game and they could choose a better team than Team Canada. The lack of logic and foresight in how this team was selected is just mind boggling.

I understand they had a specific approach they were going for, but to leave so much talent on the table is simply inexcusable.

 

[Miller Time]

I generally don't think armchair GMs are better than most management groups but I genuinely believe that you could pick someone from HF or at a random CHL game and they could choose a better team than Team Canada. The lack of logic and foresight in how this team was selected is just mind boggling.

I understand they had a specific approach they were going for, but to leave so much talent on the table is simply inexcusable.

This.

I feel bad for the kids on the team... They are catching so much undeserved flak. The individual performances really weren't that bad outside a bit of undisciplined penalties (pressure, frustration and youth are a volatile mix).

That so much obvious elite talent was not even given a fair shot at earning a spot is reprehensible. If accountability were to land where it's deserved, more than a few adults should be catching the flak and not get another chance at having input into this process

 

[HabsCowboysOwn]

Gotta love Laughs fans on the main boards mentioning that Cowan is the team's scoring leader as if 3 points in 5 games is something to brag about.

 

[Kimota]

True. But what do you do when you lose Schaefer? You don't replace him with Sawyer Minio...calisse....

You go and get Yakemchuck or Parekh.

Yea the brain power was not strong in this management.

 

[Kimota]

What?!?! Umm. Scotland and Wales are countries. What are you talking about??

Really? A few years ago I exchanged a couple of e-mails with my favorite comic-book writer Mark Millar and he was talking about whishing for Scotland's indepence. The guy is Scotish too.

Also I just read this: Following centuries as an independent nation, in 1707 the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of political union with England.

I mean maybe it's like Westeros in Game of Thrones where it's Seven Kingdoms in one country with one main ruler?

 

[Habs13]

Really? A few years ago I exchanged a couple of e-mails with my favorite comic-book writer Mark Millar and he was talking about whishing for Scotland's indepence. The guy is Scotish too.

Also I just read this: Following centuries as an independent nation, in 1707 the Scottish Parliament voted in favour of political union with England.

I mean maybe it's like Westeros in Game of Thrones where it's Seven Kingdoms in one country with one main ruler?

It's a separate country under British rule. It's complicated. Scotland, Wales and England now get called the United Kingdom, which is weird. Complicated.

If you want; gooogle the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom and it gets even more complicated.

I was born and raised there... and it's still complicated for me too.

 

[Nedved]

I won't blame the Canadian players for this. Management is to blame. Those kids gave it all Gotta love Laughs fans on the main boards mentioning that Cowan is the team's scoring leader as if 3 points in 5 games is something to brag about.

Honestly, I didn’t see an nhl level shot or finish. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s a middle six guy or doesn’t make it. I don’t see a star.

 

[donghabs98]

There's a lot wrong with these two comments. Where's the accountability and more importantly where is the actual coaching? Running practices is seriously the bare minimum a coach should be doing.

 

[Kimota]

It's a separate country under British rule. It's complicated. Scotland, Wales and England now get called the United Kingdom, which is weird. Complicated.

If you want; gooogle the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom and it gets even more complicated.

I was born and raised there... and it's still complicated for me too.

Also I think there's Northern Ireland in this too, right?

 

[domiwroze]

There's a lot wrong with these two comments. Where's the accountability and more importantly where is the actual coaching? Running practices is seriously the bare minimum a coach should be doing.

So his whole plan was to just do ... nothing at all? I could coach Team Canada too i guess then

 

[ChesterNimitz]

Or all these guys are overvalued. Suspect its a bit of both, overvalued and underperformed.

These best on best competitions often expose players.

While some of the forwards who were expected to play important offensive roles came up flat, the defence picked, if you followed these players closely, played as expected. Simply put, we were caught slow on the back end. Both Bonk and Dickenson were slow and clumsy in the defensive zone and after Schaefer went down, other than Molendyk, there was little dynamic speed that was able to defensively close off opposing teams and more importantly, support and provide Team Canada with offence.

We were caught slow on defence, so the poor results were not, at least to this writer, surprising.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

These best on best competitions often expose players.

While some of the forwards who were expected to play important offensive roles came up flat, the defence picked, if you followed these players closely, played as expected. Simply put, we were caught slow on the back end. Both Bonk and Dickenson were slow and clumsy in the defensive zone and after Schaefer went down, other than Molendyk, there was little dynamic speed that was able to defensively close off opposing teams and more importantly, support and provide Team Canada with offence.

We were caught slow on defence, so the poor results were not, at least to this writer, surprising.

Again .......you always attribute everything to skating and are almost always wrong. Neither Bonk or Dickinson are slow especially Dickinson who is a very good skater. The reason that Canada is eliminated is not the defensive game as that was easily our strongest area, it was scoring and the failure to maintain O-zone pressure and the lack of prime scoring chances from a group that was offensively sabotaged by the adult diaper wearing selection committee and the spineless coach that they chose to lead their poor selections.

The issue with this team had absolutely nothing to do with speed and had everything to do with a team that had mediocrity preached into their mindsets with a passive play style after having mediocrity bred into them by ultra conservative personnel choices. The brainless dinosaurs who selected this team just can't grasp that this is a best on best tournament and players who they relied offensively on were either too young or just not offensively gifted enough to produce at this level. Leaving Sennecke off was unacceptable and at least one if not both of Parekh and Yakemchuck should have been there. There were others as well that should have been there but this is the problem with hockey in Canada as too much responsibility is given to dinosaurs who are entirely out of touch with the game.

Only when their survival was on the line in the third did they finally break through Cameron's creative shackles and actually play with some offensive flair. Unfortunately it proved to be too late which gave an opportunity for incompetent officiating to sink a team that should never have been in that situation to begin with.

After the last two performances it is clear that widespread changes need to be made but I am not confident that there is anyone with the vision to competently do so at the helm.

 

[Habs13]

Also I think there's Northern Ireland in this too, right?

And Jersey, Guernsey, Iles Of Wright, Iles Of Man...

 

[Vachon23]

 

[Habs Halifax]

I generally don't think armchair GMs are better than most management groups but I genuinely believe that you could pick someone from HF or at a random CHL game and they could choose a better team than Team Canada. The lack of logic and foresight in how this team was selected is just mind boggling.

I understand they had a specific approach they were going for, but to leave so much talent on the table is simply inexcusable.

What ever happened to having some of our skilled guys play different roles? That is basically the strength to team Canada. Some centers play wing and some talented players play bottom 6 roles and welcome the challenge. Remember, these skilled players have a high IQ in most cases and can comprehend assigned roles.

This roster lacked shooters. We had lots of shots but in the chest of the goalie or missed the net. When you build a roster and go for size/skating and team D, you need some game changer shooters in the mix. Look at what Laine provided for us. This part is usually overlooked IMO. Guys that can shoot the puck and pick corners are required just as much as the big boys that skate well and can play D.

Teams who select a strong D first roster are typically teams who lack talent to choose from and they are forced to. Hockey Canada needs a reset and a complete system review. It's time and it goes deeper than the selection of this roster. Better to be proactive than reactive but I bet you they will be reactive because they don't think anything is broken.

Seems like the style of so many mangers I see these days. They choose the person who says yes to what they say, and the person who knows the most and gets the most done but said no, is ignored. Manager ego is a problem and it's getting worse IMO.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

There's a lot wrong with these two comments. Where's the accountability and more importantly where is the actual coaching? Running practices is seriously the bare minimum a coach should be doing.

Exhausted from what exactly? The kids all play CHL hockey & play or practice hockey every day or are traveling. It's something they're used, too. You didn't hear this from last year's team, and they were playing in Finland with time change.

Spending nights with puck bunnies?

 

[MarkovsKnee]

He needs to shut up. Everything that comes out of his mouth is seriously stupid.

He also said he has no regrets. GTFO, you sound like such an arrogant prick.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Exhausted from what exactly? The kids all play CHL hockey & play or practice hockey every day or are traveling. It's something they're used, too. You didn't hear this from last year's team, and they were playing in Finland with time change.

Spending nights with puck bunnies?

The other teams had jet lag and came from other time zones and countries.. we were at home.

 

[Habs Halifax]

He needs to shut up. Everything that comes out of his mouth is seriously stupid.

He also said he has no regrets. GTFO, you sound like such an arrogant prick.

If he says anything, he needs to take all responsibility for failure. His reply should be "I did not get this team in the right spot to get the best results. This is on me". Otherwise, keep his mouth shut (I agree)

 

[Jack Spider]

i’ll always have a grudge on hockey qc and canada. We shoot top corner from the red line.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Cheering for Finland now. Rimpinen has been outstanding for them.

 

[CHwest]

Discipline. The coach whines he cannot bench players because it is such a short tournament. You take your best players, you role four lines, you give whichever line that is rolling in a game the most ice time, you bench undisciplined players. This constant trying to be the smartest team at the tournament and trying to build checking lines etc. is stupid. The NHL would not do that save for the salary cap. Play your best, bench the undisciplined, and quit with the I am so smart bs.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

Even though I like them both, I kinda wish we had taken a chance on Adam Jecho in the third round last year, instead of either Koivu or Sawyer. A guy that big who can both skate AND shoot is a real nice piece to develop. Oh well, can't draft them all, sadly.

 

[417]

He needs to shut up. Everything that comes out of his mouth is seriously stupid.

He also said he has no regrets. GTFO, you sound like such an arrogant prick.

Dude has the energy of a mortician, I can’t imagine him trying to motivate the troops to win a game lol