Brent Sopel should replace Pronger.

[Narnia]

Wayne Gretzky, coach Pat Quinn and Hockey Canada President Bob Nicholson made the announcement in Calgary on Saturday, May 15. Dany Heatley, the MVP, All-Star forward, Directorate Best Forward and the scoring leader in the 2004 IIHF World Championship in the Czech Republic, was named to Canada's 26-man roster together with goaltender Roberto Luongo, forwards Ryan Smyth (World Championship captain) and Brenden Morrow and defensemen Scott Niedermayer, and Eric Brewer, who were all dominant Canadians in Prague.

http://live82.ihwc.net/english/teams/article.ihwc?team=CAN&aId=1877

 

[degroat*]

I'm by no means a Sopel fan, yet I still think the team would be better off with him than Bouwmeester.

 

[Phanuthier*]

For the last time Brewer was not a pick of Lowe's for the WC!!!!

Gretz said Brewer was considered an automatic given his strong play during the last half of the year, his 2 great World Championship apperances and his Olympics. No one challenged his selection when he was brought up.

Gretz even mentioned he would likely be a top 4 player on the team!! Some Vancouver fans seem to have this huge vendetta against him for some reason. You may not like him, you may not like his selection but he is one of the better young D-men in the world and has given the WC executives no reason to pass him by.

Did any of you guys even watch any of the world championships? Brewer was playing alongside Neidermeyer at times and their play was pretty comparable. And I think Neidermeyer is one of the best in the world. Brewer is going to prove a lot of people wrong in the next few years. Count on it.

I agree, but I still didn't agree with the decision at the time.

However, I wouldn't say it was terrible either. (For the record, I was surprised Gagne made the team as well.)

He was picked based on experiance, his play and experiance at the World Championships, and a stronger ending to the season for the Oilers. I still think there are 1 or 2 players better selected for the team, however, and Brewer is fighting an uphill battle to make the top 6. As of now, Bouwmeester and Brewer sit IMO, and the one with the least potential / most likely to fall down the depth charts is Hannan.

 

[BCCHL inactive]

I'm by no means a Sopel fan, yet I still think the team would be better off with him than Bouwmeester.

You can't be serious.

Jay Bouwmeester was a Top 3 draft pick, he is Florida's best defenceman at 21 years of age, and he was also voted best defenceman at the 2003 World Championships, when he was only 20.

Brent Sopel has accomplished nothing remotely close to what Bouwmeester has, and Sopel is 6 years older than Bouwmeester.

 

[me2]

I don't watch many Vancouver games, so I don't know Sopel too well, but is he comparable to an Aki Berg type player?

Despite Sopel's flaws, that is such a low blow.

 

[me2]

Sopel is also a great open-ice hitter and would intimidate large forwards like Roenick. It would be a mistake NOT to use him.

I think his best asset is to lug the puck from one end to the other beating all 5 opposing skaters then being able skate back through them and do it again. This will thoroughly demoralise opponents.

 

[God Bless Canada]

First of all, tough break losing Pronger. Likely the best all-round defenceman alive today. However, we're still deep enough to get away with it. Niedermayer and Foote are still the first unit, and what a pairing it is. Redden and Jovanovski should be the second pairing. Redden's super steady, while Jovanovski can dominate games unlike any defenceman in the game. I'd put Regher and Brewer out there as the third unit.

Our defenceman depth is far better than in 1996, when Bourque's "non" and a MacInnis injury left us in serious trouble.

Brewer, based on his performance between the 2002 Olys and the 2004 all-star break, did not deserve to be on this team. But he stepped up down the stretch for Edmonton and dominated the Worlds. He comes up big in the clutch, that's why he's there.

Bouwmeester? Not a bad pick, he'd be top four or top six on any other country. But he suffered a bit of a sophomore jinx. I'd have picked Aucoin, for his two-way play, bullet shot and endurance; or McCabe, for his combination of offence, physical play and international experience.

If we see the Bouwmeester who was the best defenceman at the 2003 Worlds, then it's a great move. If we see the Bouwmeester who struggled all last year, well, it won't make a difference anyways, because we'll still have the best defence corps in the tournament.

As for Sopel. Are you out of your Lotus Land mind? I love the Canucks. Love them to death. But Space Mountain Sopel? Sure, if he's on. But if he's off, the guy looks like an ECHL defenceman. He's a nut. Sure he's talented, but he makes more boneheaded plays than anyone in the league. Marian Gaborik should view Sopel as his best friend in hockey, after Sopel's "work" checking Gabby in the 2003 playoffs.

 

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

Can we inject some truth serum into this thread please? Its about five sarcastic posts to every normal one. Losing Pronger is a blow and Boumeester cannot begin to fill his shoes. I'm not sure there are any who can so we'll have to make due. Hannan has now been upgraded , Regehr may be in the regular rotation. Brewer should be decent, he's a good player when focused which is not always the case on his club team. Our goaltending just got that much more important, the D much, much more inexperienced.

 

[blackgold]

What the double HE hockey sticks is going on here? And the criticism of the Oilers players continues. Get off your high horse.

It's actually H-E double hockey sticks, not double H-E hockey sticks. Either way it sounds dumb in print. Just say heck instead.

 

[Youreallygotme]

I don't watch many Vancouver games, so I don't know Sopel too well, but is he comparable to an Aki Berg type player?

I dont watch many leaf games, But I'd say he's a bit more comparable to Tomas Kaberle. Kaberle sometimes doesnt seem to care in his own end. Sopel, while trying his damndest, his only defensive stradegy seems to be scrambling, pokechecking, sometimes being the second goaltender.

Down at the other end, which vancouver is at quite a bit luckily for him, He does some nice things like picking corners, nice stickhandling moves, and some great passes.

As for Berg, I'm gonna compare him to Malik, but give Malik a bit more skating credit :lol

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

Seriously, though, Bouwmeester? It's like team management has a hate-on for Morris...why did Gretzky even trade for him?!

 

[Bubbles]

We really need a sarcasm alarm in the corner of our posts...activated only with "true" sarcasm... :lol

To be serious, Sopel is far from being a steady NHL defenseman. Offensively, he's a top two defenseman. Defensively, well, he should be plying his trade in the ECHL. If you watch Canucks hockey games, EVERY single time he tries to switch from skating backwards to forwards ( like when a forward is coming into the zone ) he trips. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

 

[Waveburner]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH

Seriously, though, Bouwmeester? It's like team management has a hate-on for Morris...why did Gretzky even trade for him?!

Good point. While I am not a Morris fan by any stretch, he is clearly a better player now then Bouwmesster. As are McCabe, Aucoin, and Stuart.

Sopel? I think the sarcasm was pretty obvious, especially after his 2nd post about Sopel being a great "open ice hitter". Can you get any more sarcastic than that?

 

[Waveburner]

And, while the sarcam is obvious, ripping in "ECHL" comments on Sopel's D abilities just makes you look like a Pejorative Slur. You don't play 20 minutes a night against the best in the NHL and come out on the 'plus' side by being ECHL material. Unless your partner is Bobby Orr I suppose.

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Hell, Sopel would've been a better choice than Bouwmeester

 

[Bubbles]

And, while the sarcam is obvious, ripping in "ECHL" comments on Sopel's D abilities just makes you look like a Pejorative Slur. You don't play 20 minutes a night against the best in the NHL and come out on the 'plus' side by being ECHL material. Unless your partner is Bobby Orr I suppose.

Thanks for the "Pejorative Slur" comment. It makes your posts so much more insightful and witty.

 

[Waveburner]

Thanks for the "Pejorative Slur" comment. It makes your posts so much more insightful and witty.

Maybe you should think before calling someone's D abilities ECHL calibre? Just an idea...

Or does exageration enhance your arguments?

 

[Bubbles]

Maybe you should think before calling someone's D abilities ECHL calibre? Just an idea...

Or does exageration enhance your arguments?

Sorry to have pushed your Sopel button...everyone has an opinion. No need to call names.

 

[Waveburner]

Sorry to have pushed your Sopel button...everyone has an opinion. No need to call names.

Actually, I couldn't care less how you feel about him. However referring to a d-man who plays 23 minutes a night against the other teams best line every single game as "ECHL calibre" defensively is quite a bold statement. One that defies hockey logic actually. If Sopel was really that bad, how does he post a positive plus-minus? Are you insinuating that any ECHL d-man could be plopped next to Ohlund and post similar statistics? Like I said, very bold statement. However, you are certainly free to have that opinion. Certainly makes my life easier knowing not to debate hockey with you.

 

[SopelFan*]

Sure Sopel may struggle at times. But ECHL Defenseman? I don't think so... I'd say almost any team in the NHL would like to have him.

 

[hockeyfan125]

Sure Sopel may struggle at times. But ECHL Defenseman? I don't think so... I'd say almost any team in the NHL would like to have him.

every nhl team would want sopel
an average defensively, great offensively, young dman.

 

[mkc2]

Sopel on Team Canada?? Give me a break... he is not a bad defenceman but he is not good enough to make the Canadian team. I think Aucoin should be picked!

 

[SopelFan*]

Sopel on Team Canada?? Give me a break... he is not a bad defenceman but he is not good enough to make the Canadian team. I think Aucoin should be picked!

http://www.sarcasmdetector.com/downloads

 

[McThome]

Lets put it this way. Jovo on the international stage gets questioned about his "ability" to make bone-headed/costly/untimely mistakes...... He RARELY is talked about in that sense though in Vancouver because Sopel is there.

Defensively:
ECHL? No. Average NHL? no. in the second last fifth of Dmen in the league defensively? Safe to say probably.

Argueing about +/- can be VERY misleading...... MA Bergeron was like a +15 or something, but he was that because he played with one of Staios or Ulanov, not because he's good defensively (and he saw lots of minutes against top six forwards, becuase he was always used when our scoring lines where out, and with Edmontons lack of a big gun - most teams match up top lines with us).

 

[degroat*]

You can't be serious.

Jay Bouwmeester was a Top 3 draft pick, he is Florida's best defenceman at 21 years of age, and he was also voted best defenceman at the 2003 World Championships, when he was only 20.

Brent Sopel has accomplished nothing remotely close to what Bouwmeester has, and Sopel is 6 years older than Bouwmeester.

Hey... if you want Bouwmeester that's fine by me and every other non-Canadian. He's got great potential, there's no doubt about that... but that potential isn't going to win you games in three weeks. Sopel at this point in time is a better defenseman than Bouwmeester.

... and that's coming from someone that thinks Sopel is about as overrated as it gets.