WJC: Performance, Not Result, Stands out in Canada’s World Junior Opener
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I wonder who the heck wrote this article. There's no credit in defeating a team like Slovakia even less so when the score is lopsided. When it comes to junior hockey, Canada is in a class of its own. They had this game won after the first period. In a men's tournament maybe it might have been more a fight, but this is nothing to be joyous about. Even against top European teams Canada have had an advantage in the past. Lets look at their last 5 Gold medals and their opponents
2005 against Russia (6-1)
2006 against Russia (5-0)
2007 against Russia (4-2)
2008 against Sweden (2-1)
2009 against Sweden (5-1)
Canada tends to ice a better team compared to most f the euros. Naturally they have a bigger pool of players to chose from. Am I complaining no, but when you're playing a team who you can beat any day of the week (Slovakia, Germany, Norway, etc) its a different feeling as opposed to a hard fought victory. Heck Prior '96 the tournament was strictly round robin play so you win 5 games, gold is pretty much in your back pocket.
I really think the Canadian media needs to lay off on the team. Anytime the team wins Gold TSN is singing their praises and when they don't the team is under heavy scrutiny and everyone's quick to point the finger at someone.
They showed a good game against the Slovaks I'll give 'em that but don't read too much into it. Now they show this talent against more talented opposition and win then you can start talking
2005 against Russia (6-1)
2006 against Russia (5-0)
2007 against Russia (4-2)
2008 against Sweden (2-1)
2009 against Sweden (5-1)
Canada tends to ice a better team compared to most f the euros. Naturally they have a bigger pool of players to chose from. Am I complaining no, but when you're playing a team who you can beat any day of the week (Slovakia, Germany, Norway, etc) its a different feeling as opposed to a hard fought victory. Heck Prior '96 the tournament was strictly round robin play so you win 5 games, gold is pretty much in your back pocket.
I really think the Canadian media needs to lay off on the team. Anytime the team wins Gold TSN is singing their praises and when they don't the team is under heavy scrutiny and everyone's quick to point the finger at someone.
They showed a good game against the Slovaks I'll give 'em that but don't read too much into it. Now they show this talent against more talented opposition and win then you can start talking
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- May 16, 2009
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I think perhaps a Canadian will have a different perspective on this than you, SpeedDemon. While I do think we overanalyze and whatnot, I also think that generally we are pretty educated in the game and yes, even writers and TV analysts are generally quite astute at seeing a team for what it is and commenting.
For the past three or four years (and if you want to, go look them up), I have made numerous comments about how we are overcoaching and overthinking how we create our WJC teams.
I am not sure why or how, but the trend was to create the perfect combination of scorers, checkers, pp d-men, defensive d-men, and role players in order to have some kind of team that on paper should be able to handle any situation. We have gotten away from just sending the best players, period, and allowing those players to fill the gaps and play how they need to play in order to win.
I think what the writer is saying is that this team felt like it was doing just that - playing the game as hard as they could, the way they could, for a full 60 minutes. This is something we have not seen in years, I believe.
Last year we hit what I feel was an all-time low when we sat our greatest prospect in a decade because he made a defensive error. How stupid have we become when we take a thorobread like McDavid and tell him to play a checking role...a "200 foot game", and then be shocked when he appears nervous or confused.
Our country has always excelled at hockey not because we have the best X and O men, but because our players have always had the ability to rise to the occasion. That is what great players do when the "role players" just continue to fill their role. The best players will always adapt, and for some reason we forgot that. Whether he is Canadian or Finn or Russian, the best players need to be trusted to do what they do best.
I felt like we trusted them yesterday, and you saw the result. Let's not forget we had difficulty with the Slovaks last year as we were sitting McDavid and trying to out-grind a team of grinders.
Play OUR game, and don't just say it like Brent Sutter did. Mean it. Our game is speed, skill, and scoring. That is what we did yesterday, and for some of us it was a breath of fresh air.
For the past three or four years (and if you want to, go look them up), I have made numerous comments about how we are overcoaching and overthinking how we create our WJC teams.
I am not sure why or how, but the trend was to create the perfect combination of scorers, checkers, pp d-men, defensive d-men, and role players in order to have some kind of team that on paper should be able to handle any situation. We have gotten away from just sending the best players, period, and allowing those players to fill the gaps and play how they need to play in order to win.
I think what the writer is saying is that this team felt like it was doing just that - playing the game as hard as they could, the way they could, for a full 60 minutes. This is something we have not seen in years, I believe.
Last year we hit what I feel was an all-time low when we sat our greatest prospect in a decade because he made a defensive error. How stupid have we become when we take a thorobread like McDavid and tell him to play a checking role...a "200 foot game", and then be shocked when he appears nervous or confused.
Our country has always excelled at hockey not because we have the best X and O men, but because our players have always had the ability to rise to the occasion. That is what great players do when the "role players" just continue to fill their role. The best players will always adapt, and for some reason we forgot that. Whether he is Canadian or Finn or Russian, the best players need to be trusted to do what they do best.
I felt like we trusted them yesterday, and you saw the result. Let's not forget we had difficulty with the Slovaks last year as we were sitting McDavid and trying to out-grind a team of grinders.
Play OUR game, and don't just say it like Brent Sutter did. Mean it. Our game is speed, skill, and scoring. That is what we did yesterday, and for some of us it was a breath of fresh air.
Good post.
The tournament is a long way from over (and we certainly could lose) but Canadians have grown weary of Hockey Canada leaving our best scorers at home and trying to grind other countries into the ground. That works if we have terrific goaltending. But, if we don't and fall behind like we have in recent years, we can't climb out of a hole.
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1Gold Standard
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- Jun 13, 2012
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For more on last night's game:
http://lastwordonsports.com/2014/12...lt-stands-out-in-canadas-world-junior-opener/
Great article. regardless of what some people on HF seem to think, Canadians can watch, consume and enjoy the game anyway we see fit..and if that's a solid win over one of the tournament's weaker teams, then so be it. Go Canada Go
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Virtanen18
SAMCRO
Well, TSN and other media would be pretty boring to watch and read if they just went, "Ah, maybe next year."
I definitely agree. And I think that Canada actually can play even better (mainly when McDavid's line and he himself get really going, you can bet he's going to get better and better), which is crazy.
