Hasek and Elias leave Turin

[Leo Naphta]

I think it's the result most sens fans wanted (myself included). Many of us were hoping he would back out of the Olympics all together and rest considering the amount of games he'd been playing leading up to the Olympic break. Batman may have a little overenthusiastic with the news but it's a sentiment shared by many. It's because of appreciation for him and his importance to our team that he made the comment.

Cheering because someone is injuried is always classless, no matter what the reason is. If he happens to play for your own team doesn't make things any better, quite the contrary.

 

[Skrymir]

Cheering because someone is injured is always classless, no matter what the reason is. If he happens to play for your own team doesn't make things any better, quite the contrary.

He's not cheering because he got hurt... frankly all of us here are worried that the injury is more serious than we're being led to believe. His "Yessssss" was more a sigh of relief that he wouldn't be in a position were he could injure himself more. I know I'm relieved that he's coming back and not staying in Turin. Does that make me 'classless' as well?

 

[5minsforfighting]

Hey.. they still have Vokoun

 

[Leo Naphta]

I know I'm relieved that he's coming back and not staying in Turin. Does that make me 'classless' as well?

Being relieved is different than cheering, so not automatically.

But still, I do find it odd that you guys are pleased that your own goaltender is out of the tournament. Surely it would have been better to hear that the injury wasn't worse than that he could play tomorrow even from Ottawa's standpoint.

 

[Nihilism]

Great news for Canada
Bad news for the Czechs

 

[gobolt7]

Great news for Canada

Really? Regardless of the Olympics, it appears that most of the people in Ottawa are pretty upset about this.

 

[Skrymir]

Being relieved is different than cheering, so not automatically.

But still, I do find it odd that you guys are pleased that your own goaltender is out of the tournament. Surely it would have been better to hear that the injury wasn't worse than that he could play tomorrow even from Ottawa's standpoint.

The fact of the matter is that e is injured and I'd rather he comes back and can be evaluated and rehabbed by the teams staff. If he wasn't injured I would wish him all the best (except against Canada), but that's not the case, so I'm glad he's headed back to Ottawa.

 

[khy206]

I don't think losing Hasek is a major problem for the Czechs. It still wasn't clear who was going to start in the medal round for the Czech's, this simply makes the decision for them. Elias is a major loss though.

There are two reasons why losing Hasek is a big problem for the Czechs.

First, Vokoun has to play every single game from now on. He played every single night for Nashville with heavy workload, now he has to play for his country without rest. You know how tight the schedule is.

Second, now they don't have any insurance. What if Vokoun struggles? Are you gonna pull him and put Hnilicka in net? What if he injures?

As a Sens fan, I'm glad that Hasek is out of Torino cause it can minimize the time for his recovery, though.

 

[therealdeal]

Tough break for the Czechs.

 

[Phil333]

Hasek shouldn't have been named to the team in the 1st place. He's way too old, and overrated.

Yeah, how's his old and overrated play working out for the Sens so far? Yeah, that's what I thought.

 

[God Bless Canada]

In 1998 and, to a lesser extent in 2002, the loss of Hasek would have been a fatal blow for the Czechs. Not anymore. Vokoun is every bit as tough to beat as Hasek. You can make a valid case for both being in the top 5 among NHL goalies. The Czechs will be every bit as tough to beat in the medal round. Now if Vokoun goes down....

Elias is a big blow. I've long maintained that he's the best all-round LW in the league. He's a threat offensively every time he's on the ice, but he's also a fine defensive player who can be used in any situation. He's a proven winner, too, with two Stanley Cup rings. Kotalik is a fine player in his own right, he's been scoring goals with Buffalo all year, but he's nowhere near Elias' calibre.

I said before the tournament that the Czechs are the biggest threat to Canada. Despite these injuries, and the loss to the Swiss, I still think they're still the biggest threat. I still don't think they'll revert to the volatile Czechs we used to know and love so much.