Canadian "Braintrust" should prepare to get roasted...

[Ar-too]

Canada already has a ton of talent. They don’t need guys with a history of not winning, being injured, and not knowing the name of his goalie on the team.

History of not winning: I'm sorry, did Canada miss out on the medals at the World Championships? Did I miss something? Didn't everyone say Nash was the best player for Canada? The team he played for in the Swiss league won it all that year, didn't they?

History of being injured: He's had one injury and it kept him out the beginning of this year... and you can play before you're 100 % if they're sure you won't get hurt worse or hinder your ability to heal.

Not knowing the name of his goalie: What?

 

[therealdeal]

I love how some are so eager to over look the deficiencies in Rick Nash’s all round game and only concentrate on his offence numbers, yet won’t do the same for McCabe. At the end of the day, Canada is going to be playing some power house teams if they want to medal. Taking one dimensional players, one position players in any spot is a huge mistake.

For the record, I don’t think either should be there.



One look at the Jacket’s record with MacLean at the helm, and yet MacLean thinks things are find in Columbus, makes me wonder why anyone could take what he say’s seriously.

Nash is at 100%. He wouldn’t play if he wasn’t.



Couldn’t that be more of an indication of how poorly managed and coached your team is? The Jackets need players, any players. Canada already has a ton of talent. They don’t need guys with a history of not winning, being injured, and not knowing the name of his goalie on the team.

He won the Spengler and the Swiss Championships.

 

[arrbez]

I love how some are so eager to over look the deficiencies in Rick Nash’s all round game and only concentrate on his offence numbers, yet won’t do the same for McCabe. At the end of the day, Canada is going to be playing some power house teams if they want to medal. Taking one dimensional players, one position players in any spot is a huge mistake.

Nash is one of two players on Columbus who have a positive plus/minus. He's not nearly as bad defensively as you'd like people to believe, and his passing has improved since last season as well. Remember, 2 years is an eternity when you're talking about the development of a young player, and he's played a lot of hockey since 2003/04

 

[beerpaul*]

So which center you want to replace with your following choices?

Sakic? Thornton? Richards? Lecavalier?

Savard for Richards.

 

[beerpaul*]

i agree that this line-up is terrible (and was picked a year ago with no relationship to how anyone's playing this year). i'm embarrassed they're going to have the symbol of my home of their jersey -- that hockey lovers and sports fans the world over are going to come away with "the ugly Canadian" image after seeing this team brutuzzi lowlights replayed over & over in every country with a television set.

i hope canada doesn't even get bronze so this nepotists crew doesn't have a hand in 2010 and i can hopefully be proud again of my national team instead of being embarrassed by the worst person in hockey representing my country.

Canada might get lucky and still win Gold because the competition isn't that strong. Russia has a great offense but their defensmen are weak. Sweden has an excellent team on paper, but when it come to crunch time the team never wins the "must win" games. The States are old and have no chance, so the only team Canada has to beat is the Czechs.

 

[The Legend]

Canada might get lucky and still win Gold because the competition isn't that strong. Russia has a great offense but their defensmen are weak. Sweden has an excellent team on paper, but when it come to crunch time the team never wins the "must win" games. The States are old and have no chance, so the only team Canada has to beat is the Czechs.

Canada might get lucky? Am I wrong that they have the best team on paper?

 

[Randall Graves*]

I love how some are so eager to over look the deficiencies in Rick Nash’s all round game and only concentrate on his offence numbers, yet won’t do the same for McCabe. At the end of the day, Canada is going to be playing some power house teams if they want to medal. Taking one dimensional players, one position players in any spot is a huge mistake.

For the record, I don’t think either should be there.



One look at the Jacket’s record with MacLean at the helm, and yet MacLean thinks things are find in Columbus, makes me wonder why anyone could take what he say’s seriously.

Nash is at 100%. He wouldn’t play if he wasn’t.



Couldn’t that be more of an indication of how poorly managed and coached your team is? The Jackets need players, any players. Canada already has a ton of talent. They don’t need guys with a history of not winning, being injured, and not knowing the name of his goalie on the team.

People won't overlook McCabes deficiencies because of who he plays for.

 

[beerpaul*]

Canada might get lucky? Am I wrong that they have the best team on paper?

They could have a better team on paper if they passed on the "old boys club" selections and picked all the top players of TODAY!

 

[DentonFreeman]

Isn't Nash the second leading scorer in the NHL for the month of January? I guess it doesn't matter though because he can't pass right? If you only score goals you're useless to your team apparently, you have to be able to score goals, but a good player can't have more goals than he does assists because assists are more important than goals. We all know teams win games based on who has more assists. Wayne Gretzky and Pat Quinn must be completely clueless when it comes to hockey, what have they ever done to show they know good players from bad or "over rated" ones? They need to get some respected hockey minds putting together the Canadian Olympic team, who the hell is "Wayne Gretzky" anyways?

What's this? He owns every major offensive record in the NHL record books and is considered by most people the greatest hockey player of all time? Really? Wow... And his nick name is the "great one?"

Here are Nash's stats as of last night's game:
GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW GT Shots Pct
18 12 7 19 1 21 3 0 2 0 59 20.3

He sucks. What is he even doing playing hockey in the first place? No game tying goals in 18 games? Only 2 game winning goals? 19 points in 18 games, only the worst players in the league average more than just ONE measly point per game. To be good he needs to average at least 4 or 5 points per game.

/sarcasm

Here's an idea for the Nash haters out there: get over it. His performance in the 18 games he's played more than proves he should be on the team. And apparently Doug MacLean was supposed to have built a winning team from day one in the league. Nashvilles record through their first five seasons: 145-206-49-10. They're well below .500 just like the Jackets, why didn't they fire their GM or coach? And how are they doing now in their 7th season? Just providing that as an example of a team sticking with their front office through tough times, expansion teams tend to hit those pretty hard.

 

[shealy04]

With the questionable roster selections of Canada's Olylmpic roster..should Canada not win gold.. all fingers should be pointed at the selection comittee. Rick Nash?...hasn't proven he can return to form from his injury. Kris Draper...11 points this year? There's a lot better 2-way/shut-down forwards out there, that are much more offensively dangerous. Staal, Spezza, Savard, McCabe should all be on this roster.

You're right, Nash should definintly not be on this team...
why would we want our most pure goal scorer in the Olympics????
I'm stumped..

 

[Alpine]

Darn it must be hard for Canada to select an International team and not leave someone off. Other countries wish they had this problem
Let's hope Keith Yandle get so ticked at the US for not even inviting him to WJC camp that he decides to become a naturalized Canadian. So he can be in future Olympics for Canada

 

[futurcorerock]

I'm sorry guys but Rick Nash > Staal, Crosby, and Spezza

None of the youngsters has the NHL success, or the International experience of Nash.

Give it time. Please, go off and see your families and stop with the crusades

 

[Phanuthier*]

I would have left Rick Nash on the Taxi squad - since you're almost guerenteed at least 1 injury to the regular to the forwards, you have more time to evaluate Nash.

I would have left Doan, Draper and Bertuzzi off and included Staal, Spezza and Kariya. Doan isn't good enough to be on the team IMO, there are enough guys who are strong enough defensively that Draper doesn't need to be there, and having Bertuzzi doing some stupid thing - again - is a huge risk.

 

[SammyTheBull]

I would get rid of Lecavalier and St-Louis and replace them with Staal, Spezza.

 

[missinthejets]

I love how some are so eager to over look the deficiencies in Rick Nash’s all round game and only concentrate on his offence numbers, yet won’t do the same for McCabe.

McCabe is a defenceman!!! we're supposed to overlook the fact that he's brutal playing defence because he scores goals??? I don't think so. A defencemans job is to play defence, it's Rick Nash's job to score goals. If Nash were a defenceman who couldn't play good defence he'd be looked at exactly the same as McCabe, but a forward who doesn't play defence is not as big an issue as a defenceman who can't.

 

[gr8haluschak]

McCabe is a defenceman!!! we're supposed to overlook the fact that he's brutal playing defence because he scores goals??? I don't think so. A defencemans job is to play defence, it's Rick Nash's job to score goals. If Nash were a defenceman who couldn't play good defence he'd be looked at exactly the same as McCabe, but a forward who doesn't play defence is not as big an issue as a defenceman who can't.

Exactly

 

[beerpaul*]

First, Savard should not be on Team Canada. Second, Rick Nash so far is having an outstanding year and he isn't 100% healthy yet. If you want those players to be on the team then who do you take off. Who would be a better checking center than Draper? The only thing I would do is get rid of Bertuzzi and put Eric Staal on the team. Bertuzzi is lazy, takes bad penatlies and he is having a terrible year.

Why shouldn't Savard be on Team Canada? Inject Staal for Brute-tuzzi, Savard for Richards/Draper! Where's the problem?

 

[Phanuthier*]

Marc Savard wouldn't be very happy filling up water bottles for Martin St Louis, or getting pop corn for Gretz.

 

[The Boot]

This McCabe bashing is getting a little ridiculous, it's not like we are talking about Andy Delmore here... Before this season i would have agreed that he had no business being on the olympic team or even on the taxi squad but he really has been great for the leafs this season and his defensive blunders have been down to a minimum thus far. People seem to think because he is on the leafs who are not a very good defensive team he is automatically pegged a 1 way player. In the 03-04 playoffs he wasn't too hot in his own zone, i don't have any reason to lie about it, but this season he has really be good in his own zone while playing 28 minutes a night and contributing a lot offensive. I'm not going to claim he is as good as Regehr or Foote in his own zone, no educated hockey fan would. But to say he can't play defense just makes me think either a) the people making these comments have not seen enough of him this season b) or they are biased in some way. For the record i am a Leafs fan but you won't see my spending my time filling these boards with any outrageous pro-leaf hype making claims that Pogge is the best goaltending prospect age 18-22 or any of that nonsense. I honestly believe McCabe has earned the spot on the olympic team without the help of Pat Quinn or any other excuse people seem to come up with as to why he doesn't deserve to be there. He has at the very least had a respectable season in his own end if not a good one, and he has been one of the biggest offensive weapons on the blueline of any team this season, if that doesn't make him belong i don't know what would.

 

[beerpaul*]

Marc Savard wouldn't be very happy filling up water bottles for Martin St Louis, or getting pop corn for Gretz.

You don't think the 6th leading scorer in the NHL would be happy filling up water bottles for the 65th leading scorers in the NHL?