How many fellow Canadians owe Team Canada an apology?

[ChuckFanForever]

Before this tournament started, I knew like many Canadians that we'd be gold medal favourites, but after reading all the countless threads on HFBoards dissecting Yzerman's choices, and how we wouldn't win because the wrong player was selected, etc. And after the games started, how the US was scoring likely crazy while Canada was just barely winning their games (on the scoreboard, they dominated puck possession right from the drop of the puck in the very first game), etc. I'll have to admit, I started to doubt a little too.

I apologize to all the players and the Team Canada brass for even having the slightest doubt! This team dismantled every single team they faced in systemic precision! Many games it took the opposition's goalies playing the games of their lives to keep the score close (apology to Gudlevskis should he go on to become an NHL star in the future )! Those bashing Kunitz, saying he was the weakest link and only deserved to be here because he plays on the same line as Crosby! Even Sid the Kid himself took many a criticism for not scoring. They proved all of us doubters wrong, and in hindsight, WE should have known better. Let's remember this for 2018 (should the NHL participate), but meanwhile let us celebrate this Olympic Gold, for WE ARE CANADIAN AND HOCKEY IS OUR GAME! GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

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[PoutineSp00nZ]

None of them give a **** what any of us think

 

[OttawaRoughRiderFan*]

I do.

 

[CertainAffinity*]

Nobody owes anybody an apology.

Hopefully all the idiots whinging and whining about 'oh, they should have brought Giroux' and 'They should have never brought Kunitz' and 'Why aren't the playing Subban?!' feel as stupid and ashamed as you would expect.

 

[FanHabtic*]

Nucks fans owe Carey Price an apology for ever doubting his awesomeness!!

 

[Llewzaher]

we don't owe them anything ... They are millionaires

 

[Stanley Foobrick]

I think the whining about celebrating enough deserves an apology, other than that all they deserve is a big Thank You. We only question the decision because we care about the game and want to win, even just as fans. Quite frankly if we didn't question their judgement we wouldn't be doing our job and getting involved even as fans.

 

[Pilky01]

Bickering about meaningless details is kind of the point of this site, no?

Canada's depth of talent almost renders the team selection process almost entirely meaningless. On paper, Canada should always win, but games aren't played on paper (they're played by little men in our television sets).

 

[Mathew Barzal]

Nobody owes anybody an apology.

Hopefully all the idiots whinging and whining about 'oh, they should have brought Giroux' and 'They should have never brought Kunitz' and 'Why aren't the playing Subban?!' feel as stupid and ashamed as you would expect.

But those are all valid complaints...

 

[Big Phil]

I was wrong about some player selections. They knew what they were doing. Once the tournament started I never doubted this team once I saw them play. I have a long memory from 2002 and 2010 that things don't necessarily go perfect in the round robin but the important thing is getting better each game, which they did. I never thought they'd win anything but gold once I saw them play. I could see it. There was a lot of impatience on these boards though, a lot of doubt, a lot of people just practically handing the semi final over to the Americans because all of the sudden Phil Kessel looked to be a clutch performer. My reaction was: "He hasn't faced our defense yet."

No, I never doubted them winning.

 

[Mehar]

I admit- i hated the Kunitz selection, and i was on his case the first three games, but he definitely picked up his play the last three games, and scored a great goal in the third period. In the end- they were one of the most dominant teams ever assembled in terms of the way they defended. I am so proud of these guys and what they have done this whole tournament.

In addition, it was great that this team shut up some of the posters in this forum from other countries (especially the Europeans). For the past year- all we heard from them is that Canada could not win on "big ice", their goaltending was "shaky", etc. In the end- Canada showed the world that those comments were not true, played great hockey and absolutely shut down the opposition when needed, to capture the Gold in the end. Great team assembled overall. Great day in Canada. Not so much for the haters of Team Canada, who wanted so much for this team to fail, especially all across Europe and the US. When it is best on best- Canada is still the best. Deal with it!

 

[Bgav]

Nucks fans owe Carey Price an apology for ever doubting his awesomeness!!

Not all Canucks fans bud

 

[cujoflutie]

I think some of the media does; they created a crisis that was never there. So 3 of the wins were less than spectacular (Finland, Latvia, USA) and nobody dominated. Bottom line is you don't get points for style and most who knew the sport realized that in the Latvia and American games, canada carried the play, they just couldnt put the game away before the final buzzer.

 

[ChuckFanForever]

Not all Canucks fans bud

The fact that Carey is originally from BC, probably means many Canucks fans like him too (just not as much when he plays against Vancouver ).

 

[Defeatist*]

Nucks fans owe Carey Price an apology for ever doubting his awesomeness!!

I don't owe price an apology because while he was good Canada was so dominant that he never needed to be a difference maker and I think a pylon could have won us Gold.

I think he faced maybe ten quality scoring chances the entire tourney. There were barely any breakaways, 2 on 1, close in chances or sustained zone pressure over the whole tourney.

The only thing now are the habs fans who point to halak/Elliott stats as a product of the blues system are now going to be insufferable hyping up this price performance as something legendary.

I already saw it in the price for MVP thread. They just look at the box scores and stats on paper without really watching the games because price was never in a position to need to be an mvp. They point to the low scoring games as if that somehow meant something. Anyone watching those low scoring games know that those scores were deceiving and were never actually close games as Canada was so dominant that they had the puck all the time and their leads were never in any danger.

My opinion doesn't have to do with Luongo either because pre tournament I said I didn't trust Luongo either in net and thought goaltending was our weakest link. However, post tourney I can say goaltending didn't matter in the end because of how dominant Canada was so it was never much of a factor in our success. Goaltending just needed to not cost us and to that I say price was successful. I just don't think he was a difference maker. Could he be one? Sure but he was never put in a position where he needed to be one so we never found out.

 

[Alfredo Garcia]

I don't owe price an apology because while he was good Canada was so dominant that he never needed to be a difference maker and I think a pylon could have won us Gold.

I think he faced maybe ten quality scoring chances the entire tourney. There were barely any breakaways, 2 on 1, close in chances or sustained zone pressure over the whole tourney.

The only thing now are the habs fans who point to halak/Elliott stats as a product of the blues system are now going to be insufferable hyping up this price performance as something legendary.

I already saw it in the price for MVP thread. They just look at the box scores and stats on paper without really watching the games because price was never in a position to need to be an mvp. They point to the low scoring games as if that somehow meant something. Anyone watching those low scoring games know that those scores were deceiving and were never actually close games as Canada was so dominant that they had the puck all the time and their leads were never in any danger.

My opinion doesn't have to do with Luongo either because pre tournament I said I didn't trust Luongo either in net and thought goaltending was our weakest link. However, post tourney I can say goaltending didn't matter in the end because of how dominant Canada was so it was never much of a factor in our success. Goaltending just needed to not cost us and to that I say price was successful. I just don't think he was a difference maker. Could he be one? Sure but he was never put in a position where he needed to be one so we never found out.

Well said. I wasn't around here before the Olympics (just signed up) and didn't comment but amongst my Canucks friends, I was in the minority saying Price should start. I think Luongo would have been just fine, but I liked the fact that if Price faltered, Luongo's come in in relief before and done well (2010).

My problem is, and Price is one of my favorite goalies, the masses in 2010 who had the attitude the Canada won "in spite of Luongo" and how "any goalie could have won with that team". Now, Price wins and he's considered MVP, all star, amazing, God, etc? He made a few good saves along the way and perhaps his style made things look easier than they were (though the so called "experts" pre-tournament actually said Luongo's style might suit the big ice better?), but don't kid yourself, he wasn't called upon to win any games for Canada! Just don't lose any, much like Luongo in 2010.

As for the rest of the team and the apologies to Team Canada? F-that! I look at it this way. I thought Duchene should have played more, I thought Subban should have been in for Hamhuis AND I thought a sniper like Taylor Hall and even Claude Giroux might have looked nice on this team. Sure, Canada won gold, but who's to say that my lineup (sans Rick Nash and Chris Kunitz), wouldn't have won the same gold and perhaps more convincingly with more goals scored???

 

[Canuckgirl]

Nucks fans owe Carey Price an apology for ever doubting his awesomeness!!

I live in Vancouver. My favourite teams are the Canucks (when they are being the "good" Canucks & not the "bad" Canucks they have been lately), the Habs (since they won back in the 1980's) & the Chicago Blackhawks (since watching them win the Stanley Cup last year).

I was happy Lu played in the 2010 Olympics at home in front of the hometown crowd. Now I love the guy but he also gives me an ulcer to watch!! Price really impressed with his calm zen like manner. So grounded! I fell in love him as a goalie! I think he is awesome!!

Lu is from Montreal & plays for Vancouver. Price is from BC & plays for Montreal! Love them both!!

Are you saying Canuck fans only?! The title says fellow "Canadians"?!

 

[Defeatist*]

My problem is, and Price is one of my favorite goalies, the masses in 2010 who had the attitude the Canada won "in spite of Luongo" and how "any goalie could have won with that team". Now, Price wins and he's considered MVP, all star, amazing, God, etc? He made a few good saves along the way and perhaps his style made things look easier than they were (though the so called "experts" pre-tournament actually said Luongo's style might suit the big ice better?), but don't kid yourself, he wasn't called upon to win any games for Canada! Just don't lose any, much like Luongo in 2010.

Agreed. No one gave luongo any credit in 2010, but if that team was as dominant as this 2014 team and if any goalie could have won gold in 2010, well then brodeur wouldn't have been pulled in the first place.

If you watched the 2010 games, you'll see that canada wasn't nearly as dominant and teams put up much more of a fight. Just look at the two USA games. They're night and day. The 2010 game was back and forth with chances for both sides. The 2014 game was completely one sided in canada's favour. I actually saw price fans argue he was a difference maker in that game, when price never faced more than 5 quality chances in that game. I was like are we watching the same game? It's not just my opinion either.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...nsive-machine-olympic-win-215043454--nhl.html

In 60 minutes, the Americans were transformed from a team that had utilized the larger ice surface in Sochi into one that looked offensively uncreative. You can count on one hand the number of quality chances the U.S. had against Carey Price; you can count on one finger the number of long passes that connected from their defensive zone to the attacking zone: Kevin Shattenkirk hitting Patrick Kane on a three-zone pass in the second period.

3. Nothing In Front Of Price

Carey Price made 31 saves, but was quick to credit his defense for making many of them easy.

“That defensive group in front of me played very well,” he said. “They’re very good at boxing guys out and let me have my eyes. Our forwards backchecked really hard tonight. I think that was the difference.”

This really was the difference in the game. The Americans had amassed 20 goals in the tournament with speed, playing chip-and-chase against lesser foes. But Canada’s blue line wouldn’t allow them any time to set up a cycle, nor would they allow any time to set up in front of Price.

“I think it was maybe a little too perimeter and not much traffic in front of their net,” said David Backes. “Kudos to them for keeping us to the outside, but we’ve got to find ways to get to the inside and make things happens. There was not enough of that tonight. As a result, we don’t get any goals and you can’t win when you don’t score.”

No kidding. The Canadians simply didn’t allow the U.S. offense a sniff all night. The game was 1-0; the margin of victory felt much larger.

“They managed the puck pretty well and played a real suffocating style of defense. We didn’t battle through it in quite the ways we needed to to have success. The result is no second and third chances that we’ve been scoring on earlier,” said Backes.

Brooks Orpik said after the game that the U.S. didn’t alter its game plan.

“We wanted to push the pace. I think you just got to credit them. They got great players and their game plan was really good. They clogged up the neutral zone really well,” he said. “A lot of teams sit back on the big ice. They didn't sit back, that's for sure."

 

[Canuckgirl]

Agreed. No one gave luongo any credit in 2010, but if that team was as dominant as this 2014 team and if any goalie could have won gold in 2010, well then brodeur wouldn't have been pulled in the first place.

If you watched the 2010 games, you'll see that canada wasn't nearly as dominant and teams put up much more of a fight. Just look at the two USA games. They're night and day. The 2010 game was back and forth with chances for both sides. The 2014 game was completely one sided in canada's favour. I actually saw price fans argue he was a difference maker in that game, when price never faced more than 5 quality chances in that game. I was like are we watching the same game? It's not just my opinion either.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-p...nsive-machine-olympic-win-215043454--nhl.html

I agree Lu may give me fits as a Canucks fan, but during the 2010 Olympics he was solid. Maybe it is a personality thing. I think Price did make key saves when needed. I kind of agree with both points. I think Lu suited team Canada 2010 & Price suits team Canada 2014. Lu came up really big in 2010. I just think personality wise Lu suited Vancouver 2010 & Price suited Sochi 2014 better. Style wise. Personality wise. Both are great. Like comparing apples & oranges.

 

[Mr Positive]

*raises hand*

Hey, Carter and Kunitz did alright. At any rate, I always said that Canada wasn't playing right and they proved me wrong but I also said that with such elite talent to pick from any problem could be fixed internally. The only issue was if the team could solve those problems in time.

 

[chaos4]

Dear Team Canada,

I am sorry that I doubted you, forgive me, I was wrong to despair.

 

[Rancourt Fist Pump]

The fact that Carey is originally from BC, probably means many Canucks fans like him too (just not as much when he plays against Vancouver ).

Milan Lucic says hi

God help Carey if he ever decides to get a mean poutine while in Van

 

[Ari91]

The fact that Carey is originally from BC, probably means many Canucks fans like him too (just not as much when he plays against Vancouver ).

I wouldn't have known that Price was from BC if I hadn't read his bio. The guy is hardcore Alberta pride. I'm guessing that's where his family is originally from.

Thought he was great in the tournament. I hadn't seen the first two round robin games in full but from the bits I saw, I had preferred Luongo's performance but there was no question after his Finland performance that Price had earned the net. I don't think the team could have made it any easier for him but you can't underestimate the focus needed to make timely saves, especially in games where you're going stretches of time with nothing to do but watch the play at the opposite end of the ice. When it's all or nothing, you either rise to the challenge or your crumble under pressure. Price did the former.

Not sure I really owe them an apology. I never doubted their potential to repeat, I just didn't feel like a gold medal win was completely assured. They played great and their D was amazing all tournament long but the team hadn't faced the fire power that the US and Sweden were showing up with in the tournament (and Canada wasn't providing a lot of their own) so it did make me worry.

 

[McBaevid]

The team did what it was expected to do, there were still better players that were left off for worse ones

 

[me2]

Before this tournament started, I knew like many Canadians that we'd be gold medal favourites, but after reading all the countless threads on HFBoards dissecting Yzerman's choices, and how we wouldn't win because the wrong player was selected, etc. And after the games started, how the US was scoring likely crazy while Canada was just barely winning their games (on the scoreboard, they dominated puck possession right from the drop of the puck in the very first game), etc. I'll have to admit, I started to doubt a little too.

I apologize to all the players and the Team Canada brass for even having the slightest doubt! This team dismantled every single team they faced in systemic precision! Many games it took the opposition's goalies playing the games of their lives to keep the score close (apology to Gudlevskis should he go on to become an NHL star in the future )! Those bashing Kunitz, saying he was the weakest link and only deserved to be here because he plays on the same line as Crosby! Even Sid the Kid himself took many a criticism for not scoring. They proved all of us doubters wrong, and in hindsight, WE should have known better. Let's remember this for 2018 (should the NHL participate), but meanwhile let us celebrate this Olympic Gold, for WE ARE CANADIAN AND HOCKEY IS OUR GAME! GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kunitz was crap.