Four Nations-cup

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

Hockey Canada is just too arrogant. Some shame might cause them to wake up.

Team USA had a game plan. The Canadians looked like the Oilers.

 

[soothsayer]

Maybe Canada can take some of those Billions they give away to other countries and fix our hockey program here , and make it affordable for kids to play again

I don't know how you do that now. Hockey sticks are $400 now. Top hockey schools are, like, $30K. It's insane.

 

[McHelpus]

Hockey Canada is just too arrogant. Some shame might cause them to wake up.

Team USA had a game plan. The Canadians looked like the Oilers.

Instead of McDrai it was... McMarner?

 

[BlackDogg]

Not unexpected result.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

USA played the style we used to expect Canada to play. They f***ing battled, tough sons of bitches with skill.

They need to work around McDavid more I think, feels like he’s been an afterthought to these coaches. Also they blew it not picking Hyman. I can see why they didn’t pick Bouchard but they didn’t really have backup for if Makar got injured, which of course he did and now we don’t have that elite offensive dman (well Josh Morrisey is great so idk).

Also Thompson should have been picked, Binnington is alright but the competitions goaltending is too good, there’s a wide gap there.

We can still win this but the arrogance of hockey Canada is making it harder than it has to be. We need some smart younger people to make major changes, it sounds dumb but hockey Canada is actually huge for national pride and we need to fix it. I want to see the Brodeurs and Roy’s in net in 15-20 years.

 

[TB12]

I don't know how you do that now. Hockey sticks are $400 now. Top hockey schools are, like, $30K. It's insane.

It's sad how hockey has priced itself out of most people's hands in this country. Our best athletes are not necessarily even playing hockey growing up anymore. It's become a rich person sport or a "put a second mortgage on your house and hope for the best" sport for much of the middle class. Equipment alone, then you add in the cost of playing AAA or going to an academy and then all the camps/individual work. It's actually sad to see.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

Hockey Canada thinking they're smarter than everyone else in the room like usual.

How do we not have any good goalies though lmao

What I can't understand is why we chose these goalies out of all of them.

The team's picks were announced December 4. If nobody stands out, go by the stat line.

SV%:
1. Gustvsson (.929)
.
.
8. Talbot (.915)
9. Thompson (.913)
,
,
13. Blackwood (.909)

Sorting by GAA gives the same 3 guys.

Moving the time up to today:
2. Thompson (.921)
3. Kuemper (.919) interesting
5. Blackwood (.917)
17. Talbot (.906)

I don't know how Armstrong et al can look at themselves in the face and say that they constructed the best roster possible. But you know with this management group they were likely doomed from the start and will be in 2026 if they don't take this seriously.

Don Sweeny (Bruins, 19th, lol)
Jim Nill (Stars, 3rd, great pick imo)
Julien Brisbois (Lightning, 12th, ok)
Kyle Dubas (Penguins, 25th, haha wtf)
Doug Armstrong (Blues, 24th, *sigh*)

Uh where's Chevaldayoff? McCrimmon? Lol even call up Holland or Jackson. I mean if you're not starting your selection process with the best guys statistically then what are we doing? Surely the guys that have GM'd the best teams in the league over the last 4 seasons know something.

EDIT: actually, f*** all those guys where's Joe Sakic???

 

[Dirk Dangler]

USA played the style we used to expect Canada to play. They f***ing battled, tough sons of bitches with skill.

They need to work around McDavid more I think, feels like he’s been an afterthought to these coaches. Also they blew it not picking Hyman. I can see why they didn’t pick Bouchard but they didn’t really have backup for if Makar got injured, which of course he did and now we don’t have that elite offensive dman (well Josh Morrisey is great so idk).

Also Thompson should have been picked, Binnington is alright but the competitions goaltending is too good, there’s a wide gap there.

We can still win this but the arrogance of hockey Canada is making it harder than it has to be. We need some smart younger people to make major changes, it sounds dumb but hockey Canada is actually huge for national pride and we need to fix it. I want to see the Brodeurs and Roy’s in net in 15-20 years.

We could have had a much tougher lineup without giving up much skill. A Bennet, Horvat, Wilson fourth line would have tilted the physical play our way. Scheifele plays with an edge. Hyman goes to the hard areas. They picked to most vanilla team ever.

 

[OilerFanInLangley]

The Americans just jam up the centre of the ice, I'd give anything to see Bouch rip a slapper into that crowd.

Maybe the reason he isn't there is the NHL doesn't want to see 97mph slapper unleashed into a crowd of $6M/yr platers lol.

 

[OilerFanInLangley]

One more thing... Why do they play McDavid so much when they have so many other quality fwds?
I get that he's good, but he's not really "the elite of elite" when he's that tired. At some point he's a liability.

 

[foshizzle]

One more thing... Why do they play McDavid so much when they have so many other quality fwds?
I get that he's good, but he's not really "the elite of elite" when he's that tired. At some point he's a liability.

You can’t be serious

 

[foshizzle]

d

For sure, I was beating this drum for most of the season. Still believe he would be an amazing fit and as I've posted I'd drop him into the Nugent Hopkins slot on PP1 to give an elite right shot shooter option with elite processor and puck poise. Utilize him as well on the PP puck carry as an option to move opposition stacking the blueline against sole McDavid puck transportation. Add the EV puck support for Line 2 & 3, it would be a force to give Draisaitl an elite puck moving d-man option.

A couple challenges. His salary can only be retained 2x so Penguins would have to eat maximum or flip him to what I'd likely see as Columbus who have open retention slots and might benefit from carrying money to hit the upcoming inflationary cap jump (especially as actual dollars remaining are lower than his cap hit). Chicago has two expiring retention slots but likely reserve to flip their own big money, long-term guy, Jones. In theory the Oil could try to include a salary like Arvy in a deal but a $4 million 7 goal winger is probably a hard sell.

Definitely an intriguing player with potential to be an x-factor for the Oil. Feels low likelihood though.

Agree with everything you said here

It's tough to generate offence in a best-on-best situation when your D are incapable of doing anything besides rimming the puck around the boards when they get it in the O zone.

That’s what the Oilers would look like with no Bouchard

 

[foshizzle]

I mean, they picked the entire lightning second line.

I can't help but think there a number of guys who would have made a big difference in a game like this that were left at home though.

Wilson. Hyman. McCann. Kadri. Schenn. ROR. Couturier. Bouchard.

Thompson...

They picked way too many players from the weak eastern conference

 

[bellagiobob]

I mistakenly thought X couldn't get anymore toxic than it was before the game. Apparently I was wrong. I'm starting to think that Idiocracy wasn't meant to be a comedy.

 

[bellagiobob]

Pretty sad when the two replacement D were our best two blueliners.

 

[syz]

That’s what the Oilers would look like with no Bouchard

It's what they did look like for a bit post-Klefbom and it was annoying as hell.

 

[foshizzle]

It's what they did look like for a bit post-Klefbom and it was annoying as hell.

Exactly…

 

[Oilhawks]

Pretty sad when the two replacement D were our best two blueliners.

Bad GMs are bad and they should feel bad

 

[syz]

It sounds as though Harley will still be eligible to play if Makar comes back, though if true it will still depend on the coaching staff not scratching him.

 

[FlameChampion]

Similar game by Connor as the first one. Shot out of a cannon the first ten minutes, then slowly downhill from there. Sort of like how this game went, great start, then turned into a boring muck fest the last two periods.

Maybe hes getting to the age where his minutes need reducing (at least consistently- with the odd game more minutes). Like 20 per game

 

[Jarvi]

If he’s not getting touches it means he’s not finding open ice.

No. He can be a defensive presence and netfront guy/triggerman while Connor/Sid work their magic in the ozone. Kinda like how Hyman doesnt get near the touches he normally would when he is playing with McDrai and Bouch on the ice. He'll forecheck, work on the boards and as soon as he gets the puck, off to Leon/Connor/Bouchard it goes. Look at Stone's goal in game 1, disrupts play in the dzone then gets the puck right to Crosby who pushes the D back to find an open Stone at the other end.

Do I mean he will literally never touch the puck? Obviously not, don't be pedantic. But if your on a line with 2 goats, your probably not gonna be the one carrying the puck or making plays. But the other stuff in a game? Stone is maybe our best forward at those things.

 

[Fourier]

d


Agree with everything you said here


That’s what the Oilers would look like with no Bouchard

It should be 100% clear that a high end offensive defenseman is a key to driving offense vs a very good team. If you don't have that option it is so much easier to shut down even top end forwards.

 

[DaGap]

Problem is they brought a team Designed for IIHF rules and International Ice....

 

[Whoshattenkirkshoes]

I mean, they picked the entire lightning second line.

I can't help but think there a number of guys who would have made a big difference in a game like this that were left at home though.

Wilson. Hyman. McCann. Kadri. Schenn. ROR. Couturier. Bouchard.

Thompson...

The Tampa line and Bennett were some of there better players tonight. They weren't really the problem.

TBH there was such a lack of chemistry that caused over passing that maybe we would have been better off with more combos and players that know each other. Leaving Hyman off was pretty odd.........

 

[MoontoScott]

It's sad how hockey has priced itself out of most people's hands in this country. Our best athletes are not necessarily even playing hockey growing up anymore. It's become a rich person sport or a "put a second mortgage on your house and hope for the best" sport for much of the middle class. Equipment alone, then you add in the cost of playing AAA or going to an academy and then all the camps/individual work. It's actually sad to see.

Are sticks really 400 dollars now??