Pat Quinn can't handle team Canada

[50 Mission Cap]

Just so I'm perfecty clear here after forcing myself to read all 4 pages of this very original thread.

Pat Quinn is to blame for the lack of performance on the ice because he's responsible for putting a plan together? So who's responsible for it's execution? Oh thats right, the players. And even though they have one of the best systems guy in the world in ken Hitchcock, it's still all Pat Quinns fault.

And Canada hasn't scored a single goal in two games, and generated no offense, yet replacing an offensive d-man with a stay at home defensive d-man would be the way to go? So let's replace our top lines with selke candidates? Make sense? Didn't think so.

I know it's trendy to blame Quinn for everything from Canada's lack of performance to the spread of Avian flu, but let's drop the teenage popularity contest and deal in facts. Lack of performance on the ice is the players fault, plain and simple.

 

[BlueAndWhite]

McCabe's offense just isn't there in this tournament... and he's been getting PP time as well (and Canada had like 7 or 8 PP against the Swiss, where McCabe saw time on all PPs and didn't do anything).

I really wish they kept ice-time statistics because I don't think McCabe is getting close to the ice-time or powerplay time that posters on these boards have been suggesting.

Blake/Pronger and Redden/Richards have been on the point for the majority of the powerplays.

 

[Narnia]

are you saying that Pronger doesn't ever get beat when he's healthy?

we're also not talking about Jarkko Ruutu here beating him, but a very skilled player overall... I know you've said this a few times, but you must think that Pronger never gets beat by anyone if he's healthy?

As far as how much those guys played, it was a coaching decision here (and in this case, you can point fingers at Hitchcock here since he does most of the work with the defense)... my guess is that they wanted their two best guys out as much as possible.

In that game, as much as Pronger and Blake may have been hurt, they were still among the top Canadian dmen, and Koivu beating Pronger on one play doesn't change that... McCabe and Regehr were both not that good, and haven't been in the tournament... Foote was okay, but when you're looking for offense, Blake and Pronger are better options... I'm surprised JBo hasn't played more, and IMO should have, but maybe they didn't want to go with a less experienced guy in a critical situation... and Redden wasn't exactly good in that game either, throwing away the puck a few times, and icing it several times.

And I don't by the tired excuse either... these guys are used to playing 30 mins a game, and Team Canada knew they had Monday off as well, giving them time to rest.

Playing 30 minutes a night when Team Canada plays 4 games in 5 nights is disasterous. Only McCabe and Pronger play more than 26 minutes a night in the NHL.

 

[Caseus]

Al Strachan had some interesting comments about Pat Quinn's coaching at the last Olympics in his book, "Go To The Net - 8 Goals That Changed The Game".

He said Quinn offered no suggestions to his players during the Sweden game other than to wander into the room after the second period and say "Let's play Canadian hockey," before walking out. The players had no idea what he meant or what to do. "Does he want us to goon them?" Fortunately Hitchcock came in and gave them some advice on how to deal with the Swedish attack.

Strachan also said that Quinn hadn't bothered to match Peca against Sundin in the Sweden game, even though Peca has superb checking skills. Gretzky later said "If we play Sweden again, Mr. Sundin will see a lot more of Michael Peca."

I can't comment on what's being said in the dressing room this time, but it certainly doesn't seem like the players have any real idea of what to do. And don't we have Draper and Doane specifically to shut down the other team's best players?