America WJC

[stockwizard*]

Dude - I'm as Canadian as they come, but you are a bit out to lunch. If the US played hockey as much as they do the other three sports, they would absolutely crush us. Hell they're halfway decent with virtually noone playing it.

There are way more Americans playing hockey than you think. To say they would crush us is rediculous. Already they have the second most amount of rinks in the world.

 

[stockwizard*]

I agree that Boxing is the toughest sport followed by hockey. Hockey is the toughest team sport.

 

[stockwizard*]

It will probably depend on Sidney Crosby. He is at the point that he can take over a tournament and dominate it. On the other hand, Phil Kessel probably isn't far behind in that respect. But I wouldn't be surprised to see Nickerson out there keeping a watchful eye on young Phil.

Who is this Nickerson? No matter.
Canadian players play with no fear. I am pretty sure they will be taking runs at Kessel whether this Nickerson is out there or not.

 

[Oilers Chick]

My two cents on Nickerson making the team....

I agree with funkymoses on why Matt likely won't make the team. Also, I'll add that while he's an intimidating presence out there, Matt's also got to learn to keep his temper under control. I can't even begin to tell you all how many times this past season he got penalized for "popping his cork" and letting his emotions get the best of him.

 

[db23]

Nickerson is the only player available who can go out on the ice without embarrassing the team and be an intimidating presence at the same time. I could see Jack Johnson playing ahead of Jeff Likens because he is much more of a physical presence and at least as talented, but Nickerson will be there unless he breaks a leg. A defense with Nickerson, Johnson, Thelen, Suter, Lewis and Hunwick should be able to handle the big Canadian forwards reasonably. All of them are over 200 pounds with the possible exception of Suter, and he plays pretty tough. Jeff Likesn and Jimmy Sharrow would just get steamrolled out there.

 

[HabLover]

Canada may indeed have the best team on paper but as so many of us have said for so long, the game isn't played on paper.

The U.S. has a very good chance of repeating their Gold medal performance and I would be disappointed and down right shocked if they did not at least finish with the bronze.

I am not trying to be a "homer" but the U.S. has an asset that has thus far escaped Canada. The U.S. can come together as a TEAM far easier and quicker than Canada could ever hope to. The vast majority of the players on the U.S. squad will know one another on a unique basis that can only come from the bonds created by playing for a team.

Canada is a better collection of individual talent but individuals will never beat a team.

Ummmm....you talk like none of the Canadian players have never played with one another on the same team?? How about I explain something to you.....

Let's start with the 12 possible returning players from last year's WJC that played together for Team Canada. Of those 12, Seabrook, Belle, Coburn and Phaneuf have all played U17 and U18 together as many as 3 times. You can also include Mike Green, Patrick Coulombe and Alexandre Picard into that mix if any of them make the team, as they have all won U18 gold with the above four. Going further, if Schultz and Rogers make the team, they are obviously very familiar with each other as they play together in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen. As well, Cam Barker and Mark Fistric have played with Rogers and O'Neill at the U18 Jr. World Cup.

Now as far as the forwards go....Anthony Stewart, Nigel Dawes, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Stephen Dixon, Sidney Crosby, Jeremy Colliton, Brent Burns and Jeff Carter all played together last year at the WJC. Ok, now let's take this a little further....Stewart, Dawes, Richards, Getzlaf, Carter, Dixon and Colliton have all won U18 gold together at one time and for some of them twice. Now if guys like Steve Bernier and Marc-Antoine Pouliot(who both have 2 U18 gold medals to their credit), Corey Perry, Dany Roussin, BJ Crombeen, Stefan Meyer, Colin Fraser and last but not least, Nathan Horton make Team Canada, they have all won U18 together at one time or another. Throw in guys like Eric Fehr, Ryan Stone and Nathan Saunders who went to camp for the U18, but didn't make the final 8 Nations roster of Canada, but obviously are familiar with alot of the players who made that team. Now many these players also played in the U17 tourney together against top international competition. I believe Team Pacific which included Seabrook, Belle, Meyer and co. lost the gold medal game to the USA in that particular U17 tourney(2002 I believe??). Going even a little further....other guys who have a chance to make Team Canada at the 2005 WJC, like Kyle Chipchura, Wojtek Wolski and several of the 1986 born D-men have all played on the U18 team with Sidney Crosby. From there, they have all played with or against each other at the Canada Winter Games in 2003.

As far as the goalies go, well.....Devan Dubnyk has played with all of the 1986 born players that have a chance to make the 2005 WJC team and Sidney Crosby at the Jr. World Cup last summer. Ryan Munce and Rejean Beauchemin won gold with Seabrook, Belle, Pouliot, Getzlaf, etc. at the U18 Worlds in 2003. Munce was named Top Goaltender at that tourney.

OK, now obviously I agree with your statement that Canada has the better collection of individual talent than the USA, that is so obvious, but now can you explain to me where the USA has the advantage of, 'coming together as a TEAM far easier than Canada could ever hope to' or how the Americans know each other on such a 'unique' basis and have specials 'bonds' from playing together on a team????

What will Canada do throwing all of these strangers to together come December?? Is Canadian Hockey at a disadvantage?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Ummmm....you talk like none of the Canadian players have never played with one another on the same team?? How about I explain something to you.....

Let's start with the 12 possible returning players from last year's WJC that played together for Team Canada. Of those 12, Seabrook, Belle, Coburn and Phaneuf have all played U17 and U18 together as many as 3 times. You can also include Mike Green, Patrick Coulombe and Alexandre Picard into that mix if any of them make the team, as they have all won U18 gold with the above four. Going further, if Schultz and Rogers make the team, they are obviously very familiar with each other as they play together in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen. As well, Cam Barker and Mark Fistric have played with Rogers and O'Neill at the U18 Jr. World Cup.

Now as far as the forwards go....Anthony Stewart, Nigel Dawes, Mike Richards, Ryan Getzlaf, Stephen Dixon, Sidney Crosby, Jeremy Colliton, Brent Burns and Jeff Carter all played together last year at the WJC. Ok, now let's take this a little further....Stewart, Dawes, Richards, Getzlaf, Carter, Dixon and Colliton have all won U18 gold together at one time and for some of them twice. Now if guys like Steve Bernier and Marc-Antoine Pouliot(who both have 2 U18 gold medals to their credit), Corey Perry, Dany Roussin, BJ Crombeen, Stefan Meyer, Colin Fraser and last but not least, Nathan Horton make Team Canada, they have all won U18 together at one time or another. Throw in guys like Eric Fehr, Ryan Stone and Nathan Saunders who went to camp for the U18, but didn't make the final 8 Nations roster of Canada, but obviously are familiar with alot of the players who made that team. Now many these players also played in the U17 tourney together against top international competition. I believe Team Pacific which included Seabrook, Belle, Meyer and co. lost the gold medal game to the USA in that particular U17 tourney(2002 I believe??). Going even a little further....other guys who have a chance to make Team Canada at the 2005 WJC, like Kyle Chipchura, Wojtek Wolski and several of the 1986 born D-men have all played on the U18 team with Sidney Crosby. From there, they have all played with or against each other at the Canada Winter Games in 2003.

As far as the goalies go, well.....Devan Dubnyk has played with all of the 1986 born players that have a chance to make the 2005 WJC team and Sidney Crosby at the Jr. World Cup last summer. Ryan Munce and Rejean Beauchemin won gold with Seabrook, Belle, Pouliot, Getzlaf, etc. at the U18 Worlds in 2003. Munce was named Top Goaltender at that tourney.

OK, now obviously I agree with your statement that Canada has the better collection of individual talent than the USA, that is so obvious, but now can you explain to me where the USA has the advantage of, 'coming together as a TEAM far easier than Canada could ever hope to' or how the Americans know each other on such a 'unique' basis and have specials 'bonds' from playing together on a team????

What will Canada do throwing all of these strangers to together come December?? Is Canadian Hockey at a disadvantage?

The simple answer is many of the U.S. players have played together on USNTDP teams prior to playing in college or juniors.

 

[ktownhockey]

Canada may indeed have the best team on paper but as so many of us have said for so long, the game isn't played on paper.

The U.S. has a very good chance of repeating their Gold medal performance and I would be disappointed and down right shocked if they did not at least finish with the bronze.

I am not trying to be a "homer" but the U.S. has an asset that has thus far escaped Canada. The U.S. can come together as a TEAM far easier and quicker than Canada could ever hope to. The vast majority of the players on the U.S. squad will know one another on a unique basis that can only come from the bonds created by playing for a team.

Canada is a better collection of individual talent but individuals will never beat a team.

Are you serious? Iam not bias in the least, but the USA is does not have a strong squad going into this tournment. Their old and the next generation of USA hockey stars couldn't come sooner.

 

[db23]

Uuuuhhh....we're talking about junior hockey here, ktown. World Cup is three doors down to the left.....

 

[ktownhockey]

Uuuuhhh....we're talking about junior hockey here, ktown. World Cup is three doors down to the left.....

Yeah I'am aware of that... but it says this in this thread... so i replied to it? take it easy

 

[Bure9*]

Exactly. Most of the country's top athletes are attracted to three sports, none of which are hockey.

Since when does height make you a good athlete?

 

[Postman]

Since when does height make you a good athlete?

It doesn't, but most of US's top athletes in other sports are usually bigger than average (5'11''), which is around what a lot of America's top hockey prospects are (Parise, O'Sullivan, Schremp, Eaves, Higgins... to name a few).

 

[db23]

Yeah I'am aware of that... but it says this in this thread... so i replied to it? take it easy

I'm wondering how you came to the conclusion that the players on this year's U.S. WJC team could be "getting too old'?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Are you serious? Iam not bias in the least, but the USA is does not have a strong squad going into this tournment. Their old and the next generation of USA hockey stars couldn't come sooner.

Define old. Early to mid-thirties? If so, we're all doomed.

 

[Ajacied]

Fistric is American no? Any chance of him and Nickerson teaming up to form some kind of bruise pairing? A slow one, but fearsome and intimidating one nonetheless..

 

[db23]

Fistric is American no? Any chance of him and Nickerson teaming up to form some kind of bruise pairing? A slow one, but fearsome and intimidating one nonetheless..

Ouch!

 

[Postman]

Fistric is American no? Any chance of him and Nickerson teaming up to form some kind of bruise pairing? A slow one, but fearsome and intimidating one nonetheless..

Fristic is not American.

The U.S. team doesn't need to dress guys like Nickerson just because they're big and mean. Canada's physical play is always overhyped before a US-Canada meeting, but it isn't always as much of a factor as its played up to be (last year the U.S. physically dominated early on, for example).

The U.S. needs to ice their best team possible, regardless. If Nickerson is one of the better players available, then he should make it based on that. Not just based on the fact that he's big and mean.

 

[Bure9*]

It doesn't, but most of US's top athletes in other sports are usually bigger than average (5'11''), which is around what a lot of America's top hockey prospects are (Parise, O'Sullivan, Schremp, Eaves, Higgins... to name a few).

Height is a necessity in sports like Basketball and Football, not really in hockey.

 

[William H Bonney]

Height is a necessity in sports like Basketball and Football, not really in hockey.

Basketball yes.

In football, it's over-analyzed like it is in hockey.

Listen, he's not saying that Mike Modano, or Brian Leetch aren't amazing atheletes. What he's saying that is the majority of kids growing up with any athletic ability don't even come close to attempting to play hockey. USA hockey gets a select few, in the hockey hotbeds, but it's not even remotely close to the amount of kids blessed with athletic ability that are playing football, or baseball, or basketball, and so on.

 

[Postman]

Basketball yes.

In football, it's over-analyzed like it is in hockey.

Listen, he's not saying that Mike Modano, or Brian Leetch aren't amazing atheletes. What he's saying that is the majority of kids growing up with any athletic ability don't even come close to attempting to play hockey. USA hockey gets a select few, in the hockey hotbeds, but it's not even remotely close to the amount of kids blessed with athletic ability that are playing football, or baseball, or basketball, and so on.

Exactly.

 

[stockwizard*]

Height is a necessity in sports like Basketball and Football, not really in hockey.

See Postman, I told you no one knows what the hell you are talking about.

 

[William H Bonney]

See Postman, I told you no one knows what the hell you are talking about.

Read my post above there adolescent.

 

[stockwizard*]

Read my post above there adolescent.

I already read it. You make about as much sense as Postman.

The only adolescent is the one that resorts to name calling.

Everyone knows not as many kids in the U.S. play hockey. Are you guys coming up with something original here?

You people keep on trying to imply that the kids with any talent gravitate towards some other sport.

That is why a lot of people have a problem with it. Understand?

 

[William H Bonney]

I already read it. You make about as much sense as Postman.

The only adolescent is the one that resorts to name calling.

Everyone knows not as many kids in the U.S. play hockey. Are you guys coming up with something original here?

You people keep on trying to imply that the kids with any talent gravitate towards some other sport.

That is why a lot of people have a problem with it. Understand?

Step 1: Slap yourself.
Step 2: Grab a dictionary.
Step 3: Don't interpret logical information illogically to fit your case.
Step 4: The fourth line of your little rant is correct.

 

[stockwizard*]

Step 1: Slap yourself.
Step 2: Grab a dictionary.
Step 3: Don't interpret logical information illogically to fit your case.
Step 4: The fourth line of your little rant is correct.

:lol "the kids with any talent gravitate towards some other sport" that is what I said.
Postman in a previous post just said this is not what he was trying to imply, so which is it?

You guys aren't even on the same wavelength.

If you do believe this, you have no clue.