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GDT: 4N Hub - 2025 4 Nations Face-Off

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While it’s fun to watch these dream teams play (and actually compete apparently) the tournament won’t shake its gimmicky side as long as not all of the great and good hockey nations are part of it imo.

Russia is the obvious one missing (they have the 4th most NHL players after Canada, USA and Sweden) and then there are also the Czechs, Swiss, Germans and Slovaks who could’ve made some noise.

Politics and contracts/leagues aside a top-8 tournament would be the dream and give the format actual meaning.
 
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LightningStrikes said:
While it’s fun to watch these dream teams play (and actually compete apparently) the tournament won’t shake its gimmicky side as long as not all of the great and good hockey nations are part of it imo.

Russia is the obvious one missing (they have the 4th most NHL players after Canada, USA and Sweden) and then there are also the Czechs, Swiss, Germans and Slovaks who could’ve made some noise.

Politics and contracts/leagues aside a top-8 tournament would be the dream and give the format actual meaning.
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I always sort of saw it as the world junior summer showcase, or U18 5 Nations for grownups.

National team play, but not the highest stakes. That's fine. The Olympics will probably be more prestigious than the WCH for some time.
 
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Felonious Python said:
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They are like 2 defenseman short, otherwise they'd have a team.

I understand what he's saying but these kind of stipulations and obligations is why hockey will never boom. Soccer isn't like this. You can call up someone from a Brazilian league or from Real Madrid, as long as he's eligible nationally as a citizen of that country and is physically willing to go - he can play. The idea that 2 AHL Czech defenseman couldn't get called up for this for their nation's inclusion is just dumb.

The difficulty would've been a 5 team tourney. They've added ROTW teams or regions before so that could've put together Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, etc and you'd have Josi, Drai, Kopi on a team. Like, why be stupid about it? Czech absolutely had players in NA able to play this tourney and I'd say probably put a better showing together than some of whatever Sweden/Finland is doing..
 
Stammertime91 said:
They are like 2 defenseman short, otherwise they'd have a team.

I understand what he's saying but these kind of stipulations and obligations is why hockey will never boom. Soccer isn't like this. You can call up someone from a Brazilian league or from Real Madrid, as long as he's eligible nationally as a citizen of that country and is physically willing to go - he can play. The idea that 2 AHL Czech defenseman couldn't get called up for this for their nation's inclusion is just dumb.

The difficulty would've been a 5 team tourney. They've added ROTW teams or regions before so that could've put together Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, etc and you'd have Josi, Drai, Kopi on a team. Like, why be stupid about it? Czech absolutely had players in NA able to play this tourney and I'd say probably put a better showing together than some of whatever Sweden/Finland is doing..
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I think the solution the NHL is looking for is an agreement with the IIHF to allow players in Europe to play in the WCH. The same type of break they give for the Olympics.

Or, the NHL is prepared to negotiate with leagues and associations themselves, and failing that, top European players will be able to negotiate the breaks into their contracts. The teams that don't allow that will lose out over time on teams that do.
 
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Felonious Python said:
I think the solution the NHL is looking for is an agreement with the IIHF to allow players in Europe to play in the WCH, the same type of break they give for the Olympics.

Or, the NHL is prepared to negotiate with leagues and associations themselves, and failing that, top European players will be able to negotiate the breaks into their contracts. The teams that don't allow that will lose out over time on teams that do.
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Didn’t the NHL say recently they are moving forward without the involvement of the IIHF or something to that effect?
 
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StammerHammer said:
I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times that Cooper got outcoached. In what ways was he outcoached? SeriousP question.
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Serious answer: he has proved (I only saw the full Sweden game) with an Olympic caliber lineup his method of "We will just let the other team have the puck the whole time" is stupid. The obsession with running a sandpaper scheme with a 10 ply toiletpaper lineup knows no limits. Canada does not have the horses he needs for this. I honestly don't know what the hell he and Don Sweeney were thinking and I'm half convinced that the inclusion of Hagel and Cirelli was because they needed at least 2 players that could do what Jon Cooper asked

It could be that he didn't have a ton of input and the GM set up the team and Cooper was told to go out and win with it

I don't have a problem with what he is TRYING to do or the scheme. This would work like a masterpiece with the USA lineup. But I'll be damned if it doesn't like if Coop didn't show up to work and ask a lineup with the likes of McDavid, MacKinnon, Point and a 40 year old Crosby to play rope a dope against Sweden. And in the brief time I watched vs the USA they had no answer for getting physically assaulted every other shift.

Canada is poorly built on defense and in net and the rest of the offense wants to play globetrotters
 
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AlwaysSunnyInTampa said:
Serious answer: he has proved (I only saw the full Sweden game) with an Olympic caliber lineup his method of "We will just let the other team have the puck the whole time" is stupid. The obsession with running a sandpaper scheme with a 10 ply toiletpaper lineup knows no limits. Canada does not have the horses he needs for this. I honestly don't know what the hell he and Don Sweeney were thinking and I'm half convinced that the inclusion of Hagel and Cirelli was because they needed at least 2 players that could do what Jon Cooper asked

It could be that he didn't have a ton of input and the GM set up the team and Cooper was told to go out and win with it

I don't have a problem with what he is TRYING to do or the scheme. This would work like a masterpiece with the USA lineup. But I'll be damned if it doesn't like if Coop didn't show up to work and ask a lineup with the likes of McDavid, MacKinnon, Point and a 40 year old Crosby to play rope a dope against Sweden. And in the brief time I watched vs the USA they had no answer for getting physically assaulted every other shift.

Canada is poorly built on defense and in net and the rest of the offense wants to play globetrotters
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Even with short tournaments, there are usually pre-tournament games. It might be more effective to just bully everyone for some quick wins, as any loss is so devastating.
 
StammerHammer said:
I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times that Cooper got outcoached. In what ways was he outcoached? Serious question.
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When Canada loses in international competition, people need to blame the coach and usually one or two players. What actually takes place in the game is irrelevant.
 
AlwaysSunnyInTampa said:
Serious answer: he has proved (I only saw the full Sweden game) with an Olympic caliber lineup his method of "We will just let the other team have the puck the whole time" is stupid. The obsession with running a sandpaper scheme with a 10 ply toiletpaper lineup knows no limits. Canada does not have the horses he needs for this. I honestly don't know what the hell he and Don Sweeney were thinking and I'm half convinced that the inclusion of Hagel and Cirelli was because they needed at least 2 players that could do what Jon Cooper asked

It could be that he didn't have a ton of input and the GM set up the team and Cooper was told to go out and win with it

I don't have a problem with what he is TRYING to do or the scheme. This would work like a masterpiece with the USA lineup. But I'll be damned if it doesn't like if Coop didn't show up to work and ask a lineup with the likes of McDavid, MacKinnon, Point and a 40 year old Crosby to play rope a dope against Sweden. And in the brief time I watched vs the USA they had no answer for getting physically assaulted every other shift.

Canada is poorly built on defense and in net and the rest of the offense wants to play globetrotters
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It was a textbook tight checking game. Cooper didn't coach Binnington to let in an unacceptable goal, nor did he have anything to do with Crosby gifting the US #2 which also should have been saved. The US team literally accomplished nothing all game without the help of 2 egregious mistakes.

None of the goals had anything to do with coaching (I guess you could argue the decision to start Binnington is on Cooper), both teams were basically shut down by the other.

If Canada won, Sullivan would be taking the same heat and it would be equally as dumb.
 
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It's bewildering that Hagel, Cirelli, & Coop are getting so much heat for being included/the coaching despite the fact that the stars were completely MIA in the biggest game of the series so far.

Reinhart, Crosby, MacK, Marner were terrible last night
 
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I've never been a Charlie McAvoy fan, because Boston. But I'm joining the club now after watching him lay out McDavid out multiple times. Not that I have anything against McDavid, I just don't think that's easy to do.
 
OffBy1 said:
I've never been a Charlie McAvoy fan, because Boston. But I'm joining the club now after watching him lay out McDavid out multiple times. Not that I have anything against McDavid, I just don't think that's easy to do.
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McDavid got funneled into that big hit. I actually like McAvoy despite the Boston connection, but I wouldn’t shower him with too much praise in this instance.
 
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