Czech Republic's final roster

[benji]

Suprised Bulis isn't there, after the solid year he had.

 

[Macman]

One thing to keep in mind about Havlat. He stunk the joint out in the NHL playoffs last year as well. Maybe his early success has gone to his head.

 

[Twist and Shout]

This team has what it takes to win it all. Happy to see Prucha make the team

 

[Shareefruck]

Who cares if Havlat played poorly he is the second most talented player after Jagr in the camp. You dont cut guys like that you bring them along until there game turns around. Thats like Nash having a bad year then Canada not picking him its stupid.

Bad example. If Nash had a bad year, I wouldn't want him on the team either. Canada has enough depth to warrant that type of a move.

Czechs on the othere hand need Havlat. He's one of their few gamebreakers.

However, I still like this lineup alot. They might not have Canada's depth, but most of their players have been playing and I can't seem to find a single weakness in their lineup.

 

[HipCzech]

Sucks that Elias and Havlat won't be playing (whatever the reasons), because those two have scored some timely goals in recent tournaments. But I think the team will still be very competitive. DO TO HO!

 

[sensens]

I think they did well by kicking Havlat out. This tourney is for players who are good NOW, not for players who will be good in a month/year/decade...
The coach picks the best squad now to win, he doesnt pick players on the basis of talent or what they have done.

If Havlat's been playing poorly (and it seems that he has been), then absolutely he shouldn't be there. I'm not particularly enamoured with Havlat's general game face, so hopefully this is a message to him to step it up a bit.

 

[Levitate]

Czechs on the othere hand need Havlat. He's one of their few gamebreakers.

i dunno...havlat is slick and all but I think it's a good idea to put in guys like Hemsky and Prucha who have been playing very well of late if havlat isn't playing well...no point in having a game breaker if he isn't playing well enough to break games. Hemsky and Prucha are both very skilled players in their own right and can definatly contribute...not as skilled as havlat but I think they're good additions to the team

 

[Hemsky4PM]

i dunno...havlat is slick and all but I think it's a good idea to put in guys like Hemsky and Prucha who have been playing very well of late if havlat isn't playing well...no point in having a game breaker if he isn't playing well enough to break games. Hemsky and Prucha are both very skilled players in their own right and can definatly contribute...not as skilled as havlat but I think they're good additions to the team

Agreed. The Czechs will have some great chemistry with this team. Remember that Hemsky and Prucha played a big part in Pardubice's championship this season (same goes for Prospal and Dvorak in Ceske Budovice). They filled in well when Hejduk and co weren't 100%. Havlat will be around for a lot of years and continue the get international experience, but if the coach sees a lack of commitment from him why not send the message not so he won't take these opportunities for granted in the future?

 

[Ola]

I saw game two against Finland on Sunday and Havlat defenitly had the same syndrome some other NHLers in Europe have had this year. Best described Havlat played the same style as Jaromir Jagr did for the Penguins a few years ago, without the skills to back it up.

Its really tough for a skilled player to make it in the NHL, which means that the skilled players that do make it not always are the most skilled players but players with allot of skill who can take the physical wear like Havlat. They come to Europe thinking that they are a notch better then everyone else and plays like it. Forgetting what made them successful in the NHL. And that isn't enough, after awhile they don't produce and on top of it all lose their confidence which is A&Ö for a hockey player...

On the Chechz team, they look great. Guys like Varada, Vasicek and Cajanék will give them a physical aspect and a better balanced team. Vyborny, Rucinsky, Dvorak and Straka's constant skating on a big international ice surface drives defensemens nuts + the amount of pure snipers on the team gaurantees that if they manage to keep game close as they always do someone will come through and score the important goals.

The World Championships could turn out to a east-state fest. A really talented Slovak team. A really physical strong russian team with a ton of skill and a Chechz team playing by the book...

 

[Ola]

Anyone know why Jagr and Hemsky didn't play against Canada?

 

[john g]

As a Penguins fan -- does anyone know if Milan Kraft was invited and cut or just not invited?

thanks in advance

 

[Fists of Fuhry]

Does anyone know why Havlat is still listed on the Czech team's official roster? I thought he was cut????

 

[HF2002]

Here's the roster for the Czech team from the IIHF website:

Roster

Havlat is there, although there are 28 names listed. Go figure.