Does USA have an answer for the Big 4?

[waitin425]

Canada has 3 of the best 5 players in the league with McDavid, MacKinnon and Makar. The other top 5 players Kuch and Draisatl aren't even in this tournament.

Canada also has Sid - one of the greatest players of all time + current best leader in the game - and still comfortably a current top 10 player in the league.

With a supporting cast of several top NHLer's does the US have an answer to the big 4?

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[JohanFranzenstein]

Yes. The Tkachuk brothers.

 

[Faterson]

That's like saying my Honda is a pretty good match for your Ferrari.

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

That's like saying my Honda is a pretty good match for your Ferrari.

In a race it's no contest.

But the Honda drivers want to have a demolition derby.

 

[f7ben]

There’s this thing called defense and goaltending!! The USA has the better of those. Weird how the Oilers philosophy has been the same as the OP for a decade and it has won them …checks notes…..zero cups!!

 

[waitin425]

There’s this thing called defense and goaltending!! The USA has the better of those. Weird how the Oilers philosophy has been the same as the OP for a decade and it has won them …checks notes…..zero cups!!

Checks notes....

Canadian goaltenders Stanley Cups.....2 (Binnington and Hill)

American goaltenders Stanley Cups....0

Canadian D Stanley Cups.......4 (Makar, Toews, Doughty x 2)

American D Stanley Cups......0

Canadian D Olympic Gold medals....2 (Doughty)

American D Olympic Gold medals....0

 

[ijuka]

Canada has 3 of the best 5 players in the league with McDavid, MacKinnon and Makar. The other top 5 players Kuch and Draisatl aren't even in this tournament.

Canada also has Sid - one of the greatest players of all time + current best leader in the game - and still comfortably a current top 10 player in the league.

With a supporting cast of several top NHLer's does the US have an answer to the big 4?

Have you looked at the goaltenders?

 

[waitin425]

Have you looked at the goaltenders?

See above....proven winners.....PROVEN

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Mackinnon and Makar have Helly in their back pocket.

 

[NyQuil]

Yes. The Tkachuk brothers.

f*** Tkachuk

Tkachuk
Cousins
Hamonic

f*** I hate this team.

f*** Torts. f*** Ovechkin. f*** Chris Ilitch. f*** Priority. f*** Mathieu Joseph. f*** the Tkachuk brothers.

Feel free to add more to the list, I'm sure there's more I'm missing.

I never thought I'd say it, but I hate the Senators more than the Avalanche. Rat fink f***er Tkachuk

I hate Ottawa (Tkachuk and their fans)

 

[JohanFranzenstein]

View attachment 977480

Got my ass ‍

As you canucks love to point out with Marchand, my love for country supercedes my detest for individual players.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

The U.S. is going to have to watch odd man rushes, no doubt. I think Sweden showed you can reasonably contain these guys with solid defensive play and gap control though. It's going to be tough, but doable.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

The U.S. is going to have to watch off man rushes, no doubt. I think Sweden showed you can reasonably contain these guys with solid defensive play and gap control though. It's going to be tough, but doable.

Not taking penalties will be important too I would think.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Top 6 forwards goes to Canada no doubt. But I like the US bottom 6, defense, and goaltending more. It's probably the first time the US national team looks better on paper imo.

 

[SI90]

Now do defense and goaltending

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Checks notes....

Canadian goaltenders Stanley Cups.....2 (Binnington and Hill)

American goaltenders Stanley Cups....0

Canadian D Stanley Cups.......4 (Makar, Toews, Doughty x 2)

American D Stanley Cups......0

Canadian D Olympic Gold medals....2 (Doughty)

American D Olympic Gold medals....0

Yea but it's 2025, Doughty Binnington and Hill are not good. I don't think anyone can seriously argue that Canada has the edge in D and goaltending.

 

[NyQuil]

Yea but it's 2025, Doughty Binnington and Hill are not good. I don't think anyone can seriously argue that Canada has the edge in D and goaltending.

Yes, we knew this a year ago when people started looking at the prospective line-ups.

I don't see what is so controversial about admitting it.

I think the defence thing will solve itself in time (look at the mediocre 2006 Olympic Team Canada defence corps compared with the 2010 Olympic Team Canada defence for example), but the goaltending issue needs some attention at the grassroots level.

 

[Fatass]

Canada has 3 of the best 5 players in the league with McDavid, MacKinnon and Makar. The other top 5 players Kuch and Draisatl aren't even in this tournament.

Canada also has Sid - one of the greatest players of all time + current best leader in the game - and still comfortably a current top 10 player in the league.

With a supporting cast of several top NHLer's does the US have an answer to the big 4?

Is Makar playing? Injured?

 

[NyQuil]

Is Makar playing? Injured?

Cooper thinks he'll play even though he didn't practice.

Flu.

 

[TheBeastCoast]

Yes, we knew this a year ago when people started looking at the prospective line-ups.

I don't see what is so controversial about admitting it.

I think the defence thing will solve itself in time (look at the mediocre 2006 Olympic Team Canada defence corps compared with the 2010 Olympic Team Canada defence for example), but the goaltending issue needs some attention at the grassroots level.

We also actually do have a handful of Canadian goalies playing at an elite level this year. We just didn't take any of them.

 

[waitin425]

Yea but it's 2025, Doughty Binnington and Hill are not good. I don't think anyone can seriously argue that Canada has the edge in D and goaltending.

My response was in regards to a poster who likened Team Canada to the Oilers referencing no Stanley Cups for current Oilers. So.....I pointed our that Team Canada is not the Edmonton Oilers and that we have goaltenders and d men who are proven winners.

Is Makar playing? Injured?

Hopefully

 

[BattleLevel]

We also actually do have a handful of Canadian goalies playing at an elite level this year. We just didn't take any of them.

I’m a little surprised that Montembeault didn’t come down with some sort of injury between the lineup announcements and start of the tournament.

 

[Nikki Potnick]

Their answer to the big 4? Try the rest of the 20 man roster.

 

[SteelCityCannon]

View attachment 977480

Put this post in the hall of fame.

 

[Czechboy]

Top 6 forwards goes to Canada no doub

I'd say it's pretty close to be honest. Put another way, both top 6 forward groups are an A+ to me. Maybe one A+ is better than the other but we're talking small margins IMO. And I'm a Oiler fan who thinks McD is the best player in the world.