If your Gretzky, crosby, staal, or spezza

[espo*]

I do like Crosby, but you're reasoning is kinda ******, you say Crosbys gonna be there eventually, but so is Staal and Spezza, they'll be on the team in 2010 as well.

Management team should pick the best player at the time.

They should but he's one of our top players..........what are we gonna do?

 

[Cole Caulifield]

Why not have all 3 ?

Gagne - Thornton - Nash
Heatley - Spezza - Iginla
Richards - Lecavalier - St-Louis
Crosby - Staal - Sakic
Smyth

EDIT :

To answer the inevitable "But where's the grind line?" comment..

We don't need one. When you have that kind of 2-way talent, you don't make yourself weaker for no reason.

Guys like Gagne, Iginla, Richards, Sakic and Smyth can all play the PK. And with the amount of talent there'd be out there it's the other team that'd have to worry about special units.

Are guys like Morrow, Draper, Doan so much better defensively than the guys I named above that it'd be worth having them on the team ?

 

[The Legend]

If Crosby makes the team and the stats stay in roughly the same proportions then do now, then Gretz should be fired. I hate to say it but you can't hand Olympic team jobs to people that arn't the best. Spezza or Staal would both help Canada alot more then Crosby would. Crosby being on the team as a starter (I wouldn't argue with him sitting in the press box for "experiance" would just be total bias. Gretz should be fired if Crosby makes the starting lineup. Simple.

First of all, I think whatever decision Gretzky makes we should trust. Why? Well he has won the last two tournaments for us that we've been in. So don't give me that crock of bs. He knows a lot more than you do. It shouldn't be all about points.

 

[formsoldier*]

I do like Crosby, but you're reasoning is kinda ******, you say Crosbys gonna be there eventually, but so is Staal and Spezza, they'll be on the team in 2010 as well.

Management team should pick the best player at the time.

Good point, although you could've expressed yourself differently.

To clarify; they won't be regarded and referred to as the same way as Crosby is.

In case you've missed it, Crosby is supposed to be Canada's new wünderkid. Spezza and Staal, although superb, elite players, just don't have the same status and probably won't be.

Because this far, Crosby is living up to the hype. He's a rookie .. imagine if an 18-year old could be there to win the Olympics in Torino (OT: I might be going there btw) ...

That would be cool.

 

[senskickass12]

If it came down to one of the three I'd have to pick Spezza for reasons already mentioned. He's tied for the league lead in points and has great chemistry with Heatley.

 

[formsoldier*]

If it came down to one of the three I'd have to pick Spezza for reasons already mentioned. He's tied for the league lead in points and has great chemistry with Heatley.

Now that is a reason I think is eligible (chemistry with Heatley).

However, it's not all definite. Wasn't LeCavalier, St. Louis and Richards suppose to have superb chemistry?

It doesn't necessarily mean that Heatley and Spezza would play together.

 

[Oilerfan120582]

Why not have all 3 ?

Gagne - Thornton - Nash
Heatley - Spezza - Iginla
Richards - Lecavalier - St-Louis
Crosby - Staal - Sakic
Smyth

EDIT :

To answer the inevitable "But where's the grind line?" comment..

We don't need one. When you have that kind of 2-way talent, you don't make yourself weaker for no reason.

Guys like Gagne, Iginla, Richards, Sakic and Smyth can all play the PK. And with the amount of talent there'd be out there it's the other team that'd have to worry about special units.

Are guys like Morrow, Draper, Doan so much better than the guys I named above that it'd be worth having them on the team ?

I agree with this. They have stated that the Olympics will be using NHL rules, thus hopefully reducing obstruction. Combine this with the large ice surface and I think Canada should really emphasize speed and skill.

That said, if I could only pick one guy I would choose Spezza. I think Crosby could play at that level, but Canada has so much depth I'd find it hard to justify putting an 18 year-old on the team unless he was clearly one of the top 12 forwards. A line of Heatley-Spezza-Iginla would be absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Hockeyfan_86]

My opinion...We're arguing about all these guys who should make it, when in the end the only difference is how much we win by!

We kick ***



Take Avery as our 13th fwd

 

[Bandwagoner]

I don't really care who makes it out of the three, but I would really like to see the line of Iginla Sakic Gagne again... For all this talk about chemistry, people are forgetting how good these three played together in Sault Lake.

So if you want Chemistry go with Spezza and Heatley, but maybe put a guy like St. Louis, or Richards, or some Alfredssonesque player on the wing with them, and keep Iggy Sakic Gagne in tact. Then you would have a bit of chemistry.

 

[Cole Caulifield]

I don't really care who makes it out of the three, but I would really like to see the line of Iginla Sakic Gagne again... For all this talk about chemistry, people are forgetting how good these three played together in Sault Lake.

So if you want Chemistry go with Spezza and Heatley, but maybe put a guy like St. Louis, or Richards, or some Alfredssonesque player on the wing with them, and keep Iggy Sakic Gagne in tact. Then you would have a bit of chemistry.

That was 4 years ago.

The new chemistry line is Gagne-Thornton-Nash !

 

[Ice]

It is hard to believe that any of these 3 will not make it and I think room should be made for all of them. But if I had to choose one to leave off I would reluctantly pick Spezza.

 

[PecaFan]

Definitely Spezza. As for the "who would you leave out" argument, I don't buy it at all. Spezza is playing better than pretty much any of the other so called "better" established centres on that team.

I don't believe in giving spots based on past history. What matters is how they're playing *now*.

 

[futurcorerock]

Staal, Spezza >>>> Crosby.

 

[Crosbyfan]

My opinion...We're arguing about all these guys who should make it, when in the end the only difference is how much we win by!

We kick ***



Take Avery as our 13th fwd

It is going to come down to 1 game! We need every edge possible. Hopefully we won't be down 1 goal going into the third knowing we left the these gamebreakers at home in hopes that some of the "locks" worked the kinks out of their game in January.

 

[Jack Canuck]

At this point I would probably be looking at Spezza, then Staal, then Crosby. Although is Sid can be brought along as an extra it would be a great learning experience for him and he certainly wouldn't hurt the team.

It is inevitable that Sid will oneday be on the team and probably lead the team, so if we can get him that little extra experience now it may pay off in the years to come.

 

[Kesler Kills Kommies]

Crosby by a mile
but even they are all center, i think you can move one or two to LW or RW

 

[Cole Caulifield]

It is going to come down to 1 game! We need every edge possible. Hopefully we won't be down 1 goal going into the third knowing we left the these gamebreakers at home in hopes that some of the "locks" worked the kinks out of their game in January.

Yup, like what happened last time. We only had Gagne, Thornton and Nash. Heatley was in a funk and the grinders we brought along couldn't do it.

 

[The Hamburglar]

That was 4 years ago.

The new chemistry line is Gagne-Thornton-Nash !

Even if Nash had chemistry with Thornton in the Worlds, he doesn't deserve to be on this team. He's played something like what, two games this year? In 2002, Gretzky's approach was to take the best player available and it worked. There were no Zamuner's on that team. Honestly, Gretz should go with that strategy again....it got Gold last time.

 

[Sting]

The "take Crosby because he'll be on the team eventually and needs the experience" makes no sense. Spezza and Staal are in the same situation. They're also bigger and better players at this point in their careers. They need the experience just as much, because those two will be a huge part of Canada down the road too.

 

[David A. Rainer]

Grow up people. Stop calling each other Pejorative Slured, generally or specifically.

 

[Canuck21t]

Why not have all 3 ?

Gagne - Thornton - Nash
Heatley - Spezza - Iginla
Richards - Lecavalier - St-Louis
Crosby - Staal - Sakic
Smyth

EDIT :

To answer the inevitable "But where's the grind line?" comment..

We don't need one. When you have that kind of 2-way talent, you don't make yourself weaker for no reason.

Guys like Gagne, Iginla, Richards, Sakic and Smyth can all play the PK. And with the amount of talent there'd be out there it's the other team that'd have to worry about special units.

Are guys like Morrow, Draper, Doan so much better defensively than the guys I named above that it'd be worth having them on the team ?

I totally agree. I just don't understand why Canada always has to have a grind line. With the talent we have, we should dictate all the time and it's the other teams that should worry about having a grind line to counter us. Gretzky should just take the best at the moment and right now, all 3 Staal, Spezza and Crosby should be on the team. The likes of Doan, Draper, Malby, Morrow and even Burtuzzi don't deserve to be part of the team. As for Lemieux and Yzerman, their time have past and they should let the next generation take their place. The Olympic is played on a big ice surface so therefore we need all the skill and speed possible. The feet should always move, move, move. One other concern to me is the coaching staff. Can't we have better coaching than old mentality Quinn, Hitcock and Martin? If you ask me, Team Canada has been successful despite them.

 

[Canuck21t]

Even if Nash had chemistry with Thornton in the Worlds, he doesn't deserve to be on this team. He's played something like what, two games this year? In 2002, Gretzky's approach was to take the best player available and it worked. There were no Zamuner's on that team. Honestly, Gretz should go with that strategy again....it got Gold last time.

If that's the case, we shouldn't see Doan, Maltby, Draper and Morrow this time around and that's what I hope for.

 

[Mace_37]

I think that the choice will be determined based on the line that he'd be playing on, if a playmaker is needed I'd pick Spezza. If a sniper would be prefered, I'd choose Staal.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

So many players are going to make it on reputation alone, which is kind of sad. You could make the arguement that Spezza and Staal have been the best Canadian centers in the league this year.

 

[joe_shannon_1983*]

Why not have all 3 ?

Gagne - Thornton - Nash
Heatley - Spezza - Iginla
Richards - Lecavalier - St-Louis
Crosby - Staal - Sakic
Smyth

EDIT :

To answer the inevitable "But where's the grind line?" comment..

We don't need one. When you have that kind of 2-way talent, you don't make yourself weaker for no reason.

Guys like Gagne, Iginla, Richards, Sakic and Smyth can all play the PK. And with the amount of talent there'd be out there it's the other team that'd have to worry about special units.

Are guys like Morrow, Draper, Doan so much better defensively than the guys I named above that it'd be worth having them on the team ?

That team would not be even close to the best team that one could make.

People don't realize that the goal is to make the best team, not necessarily to simply take the best players.

Your team could be improved by adding more experience, adding more wingers, adding more grit, and adding more defensive conscience.

You can't have a team full of all of the same type of player. Taking Crosby, Spezza, and Staal when you have already got Sakic, Richards, and Lecavalier is completely pointless. You would have too many centres playing out of position. This is not to mention Thornton, who will also take a spot at centre.

I have no problem taking ONE of Crosby, Spezza, or Staal. But when you take them all you really weaken your team in my opinion, unless you are ready to take off guys like Lecavalier or Richards, which won't happen.

You don't leave off gritty, experienced, wingers like Bertuzzi or Doan to take a bunch of finesse, inexperienced, centres like Crosby, Spezza, or Staal. Especially when you have already got players who play the exact same role as Crosby, Spezza, and Staal.

In order to make the best team possible, you need to have scorers, playmakers, leadership, experience, grittiness, and everything else. You can't have a bunch of scorers and playmakers, but have no experience or grittiness, and expect to give yourself the best chance to win.