International tournament goalie performances that rival 1998 Hasek?

[MadLuke]

Probably not, that was a suffocating team.

And they did not face the 1981 soviet team, outside Kane for example who would compete on that squad to be a top 5 american forward ?

Parise could have but got derailled.

alfredsson-Sedins by 2014 that was not great fire power, incredible defense, Lundqvist, etc... good team but nothing special to score goals.

 

[bobholly39]

That one is hard to place

2 goals in 3 games during qualification.

playoff round
2-1
1-0
3-0

0 goal against in 8 Olympics period straits.

Was there ever a better defensive team relative to the competition faced ?

Canada defense was really, really good in 2014. No question.

But - he still faced a lot of shots. 31 in semis, 24 in finals....it's not like some super lopsided game where it was only ~10-15 shots.

I haven't watched the games since 2014 - but I do recall that a lot of the shots were quite difficult ones, with some breakaways, or 2 on 1s...so, he did really have some great games, not just easy ones.

I have no problem putting Hasek 1998 above it. Team strength alone makes the case for Hasek. But I'm not sure about any other better peformances than Price for #2.

 

[MadLuke]

There also a bit of Price making it look natural and easy that could have been going on, the way he moved and controlled rebounds during that peak, he was so much in control all tourney long that maybe he participated into that view of the best defensive performance of all time.

They always had the lead and always looked like they would win but that was because they never gave a bad goal... and we are talking 2-1, 1-0 type of wins, so it could not feel that way with shaky goaltending.

To give an example I had to check, but in my memory Crosby made it a 2-0 game that felt very hard to turn around much sooner than in reality, I thought it was in the first period, it was past the 30:00 minute mark. Early in the morning time-zone difference game that bound to create strange memory of it, but there something probably true about more in control than the score would indicate, which could be all created ad-hoc, bad bounce and puck goes in, same play, same players, etc... and I remember it all differently.

But a bit like 2016 world cup and Canada giving away only 8 goals in 6 games (Price 7 in 5, .957%), it is not just that Canada was particularly good defensively, but that the top competition felt subpar versus the 80s-90s, they did not face a team Canada or Soviets level offense.

 

[Dingo]

I agree about Backstrom, that was stupid. But it's strange to me how often it comes up, almost without fail about 2014. Late prime versions of Sedin and Zetterberg weren't going to suddenly make Sweden anything other than clearly the worse team. Other teams have won and lost tournaments with bigger roster losses.

its not how good those players were then compared to Beliveau or Gretzky, lol.

Its how crucial they were to having any sort of chance.

Iirc, Patrik Berglund became their number one center. Game over.

I disliked Backstrom being removed as it wrecked the gold medal game. The silver lining was that Canada's depth of talent played a huge role, and its doesnt always get to.

We had three centers arguably as good or better than Sedin, Zetterberg and Backstrom also not playing, but still had 4 good centers.

 

[Dingo]

"He did ok" haha, regarding Hasek in 98. Yes, he had a good defensive team in front of him, He absolutely played well, though, Thats just silly.

I will mention Antero Niittymaki in 2006, just because its a feelgood story to me.

As soon as Kipper dropped out I figured they were done. The Finnish coach said, and I use this with kids now, "The player we want is the player who wants to play for us"

Then they built a strong defence in front of him and came within a whisker of Gold, and Niittymaki wins best goalie and tournament MVP.

Pretty badass, and far above his career-proven ability. The product of belief, unity and a positive approach..... maybe Sisu, too..... and probably some good luck, lol.

 

[JackSlater]

its not how good those players were then compared to Beliveau or Gretzky, lol.

Its how crucial they were to having any sort of chance.

Iirc, Patrik Berglund became their number one center. Game over.

I disliked Backstrom being removed as it wrecked the gold medal game. The silver lining was that Canada's depth of talent played a huge role, and its doesnt always get to.

We had three centers arguably as good or better than Sedin, Zetterberg and Backstrom also not playing, but still had 4 good centers.

Countries have won and lost with as much and more talent out, but those three get brought up almost without fail. Specifically in this case, a poster cited that they couldn't rate Price because the 2014 versions of Zetterberg, Sedin, and Backstrom didn't play. It's not Gretzky, Lemieux, and Beliveau sitting out, or even Forsberg and Sundin. They weren't going to light Price up for four, five, or six goals. I also think I recall that Price was somewhat hurt by the end of that tournament and missed a bit of time after the 2014 Olympics.

 

[MadLuke]

Backstrom-Sedin were Top 10 in pts the next season, as people that will point out to Kariya-Sakic missing (or even retired not in the nhl Lemieux) we can have some sympathy.

And there is 2 different conversation, was Canada lucky to win because of injury, did they face great offensive team making shutting them down great accomplishment, if we say 2014 Zetterberg-Sedin-Backstrom were not really great player and yet were in their top 6 before injury, that would be a good argument about the second part.

Hasek faced team USA-Canada-Russia

Russia scored 7 goals against finland the game before, Canada is always greatish, 1998 USA some of the big name had turned 30 by then and did not had that great of a turney, but it was still 2xHatcher-Leetch-Chelios-Scheinder-Suter passing puck to the Modano-Lafontaine-Roenick-Weight-Hull/LeClair/Guerin/Amonte/Tkachuk that could score.

 

[Dingo]

Countries have won and lost with as much and more talent out, but those three get brought up almost without fail. Specifically in this case, a poster cited that they couldn't rate Price because the 2014 versions of Zetterberg, Sedin, and Backstrom didn't play. It's not Gretzky, Lemieux, and Beliveau sitting out, or even Forsberg and Sundin. They weren't going to light Price up for four, five, or six goals. I also think I recall that Price was somewhat hurt by the end of that tournament and missed a bit of time after the 2014 Olympics.

So, Price had a great tournament. Case closed.


..................



Berglund
Steen
Kruger
Eriksson (winger)

is something that would never get you to a Gold Medal game in the first place.

thats why people bring it up.

Backstrom isnt better than 90s Gretzky. But, when thats what you are left with as a center core, and if 90s Team Canada has Mario, Sakic, Yzerman and Messier... then, actually, Backstrom becomes more essential than Gretzky.

I would have bet on that Team Canada to win 4/5 against Sweden if Sweden had Backstrom and Zetterberg, plus Steen and Berglund. But without those two - there is no way they could ever win.

Its like, to my on topic post in this thread - if Niitymaki was injured in 2006, along with his backup, and they had to put Koivu in net - people would say that the tournament was over, too bad, wish he hadnt got injured, that game was a waste of time, etc. They wouldnt be saying that Niitymaki is Roy or Brodeur, but his value to that team is the difference between having some chance to having no chance.... so, like, infinitely different.

 

[The Panther]

Richter at the 1996 World Cup. That was probably the best hockey he ever played, and he was on a Hall of Fame track at that point.

 

[JackSlater]

So, Price had a great tournament. Case closed.


..................



Berglund
Steen
Kruger
Eriksson (winger)

is something that would never get you to a Gold Medal game in the first place.

thats why people bring it up.

Backstrom isnt better than 90s Gretzky. But, when thats what you are left with as a center core, and if 90s Team Canada has Mario, Sakic, Yzerman and Messier... then, actually, Backstrom becomes more essential than Gretzky.

I would have bet on that Team Canada to win 4/5 against Sweden if Sweden had Backstrom and Zetterberg, plus Steen and Berglund. But without those two - there is no way they could ever win.

Its like, to my on topic post in this thread - if Niitymaki was injured in 2006, along with his backup, and they had to put Koivu in net - people would say that the tournament was over, too bad, wish he hadnt got injured, that game was a waste of time, etc. They wouldnt be saying that Niitymaki is Roy or Brodeur, but his value to that team is the difference between having some chance to having no chance.... so, like, infinitely different.

It isn't worth bringing up every time the 2014 Olympics come up. Other teams have lost finals with bigger losses. Won as well. It is strangely unique to Sweden at the 2014 Olympics, when it very likely made no difference anyway. It is especially strange to bring it up here and state that Price can't be rated because those three, in their 2014 versions, weren't there. I don't even think that Price is an answer to the thread, it is just a strange point to bring up at all.

 

[Michael Farkas]

It's a tiny bit fun with Price...many people that like to evaluate goaltenders have lamented that Carey Price was stuck on a middling-or-so Montreal team for his whole career. It wasn't the worst situation, but it wasn't overly tenable. The level of dominance he could have had if he were in Boston or Nashville or even late career with the Islanders or what have you...

The little bit of time that we saw him outside of Montreal against the top of his class:
2016 World Cup 5-0, 1.47, .957
2014 Olympics 6-0, 0.59, .972
2007 WJCs 6-0, 1.14, .961

17-0, a ~1ish GAA, .960ish save pct. (just eyeballing those numbers).

I get it's a small sample, I get it's Canada...but compared to guys like Dryden, even Brodeur...this was a peerless run.

 

[Dingo]

It's a tiny bit fun with Price...many people that like to evaluate goaltenders have lamented that Carey Price was stuck on a middling-or-so Montreal team for his whole career. It wasn't the worst situation, but it wasn't overly tenable. The level of dominance he could have had if he were in Boston or Nashville or even late career with the Islanders or what have you...

The little bit of time that we saw him outside of Montreal against the top of his class:
2016 World Cup 5-0, 1.47, .957
2014 Olympics 6-0, 0.59, .972
2007 WJCs 6-0, 1.14, .961

17-0, a ~1ish GAA, .960ish save pct. (just eyeballing those numbers).

I get it's a small sample, I get it's Canada...but compared to guys like Dryden, even Brodeur...this was a peerless run.

ya, kinda feast or famine.

Not any time spent on simply 'a GOOD team'

 

[Hallzy]

Antero Niittymaki was pretty incredible in the 06' Olympics after stepping in for Kipper and Lehtonen with 3 shutouts in 6 games while winning MVP