Pre-game thread: Team FINLAND - Team CANADA

[Jack Canuck]

I think a lot of people are getting a little too worked up. Finland is a great team and they have not come this far by accident. However, Canada does have an amazing line up.

If I were to bet on it I would choose Canada win. This game could go either way though. I am very sure that it will be close, exciting, and like some other people mentioned earlier if Canada is to lose at least it is to a great team like Finland.

I'll be Cheering for Canada!

 

[Sting]

Has Kiprusoff been worse than Brodeur this year in your opinion? Thought so. Stop using stupid remarks like "huge advantage"...nobody at this level has HUGE advantage. Huge advantage is Marty Brodeur vs. a 18 year old CHL goalie. The margin between Kipper and Brodeur is a very fine line. Stop kidding yourself.

You think the Canadian heart is somehow bigger and better than the Finnish one? That pretty much sums up your horrible bias and vast underestimating of opponent. That is boarderline insulting to even suggest that the "heart and character" are somehow a Canadian trademark that everyone else lacks. Take Koivu for example. There you have heart and character just as much as ANY of your Canadian hockey hero ever. The only thing preventing you from seeing this is the fact that Koivu is not Canadian.

Everybody knows Canada is filled with talent and has the best pack of individuals in this tournament. You could argue Sweden and Russia had the second best packs of individuals..see how that worked out. You are like one of those kids who count....

"We have Sakic, Lemieux, Iginla, Brodeur......and they have nobody I have heard of so we win 10-0. Sakic scores 2 per game against no names always, mario 4, Iginla 3 and St.Louis will throw one in as well.."

Hockey is a team game. Finland has been playing several international tournaments with this core of players. They know eachother very well. They have loads of experience together. They are a Team. Finland has had the best team defense so far. Of course I am expecting Canada to play better defense than they did in the Czech game. They are mainly a young bunch and not as experienced and it takes more time to learn eachother.

Canada is the big favourite here, but trying to list names and proving your point as Canada being a sure thing by a "HUGE MARGIN" or whatever lame exaggerations people love to throw around in these boards is just fooling yourselves. Finland won in Nagano, in SLC Canada won 3-2 and neither time we didnt have goaltending even close to what we have today. Maybe you wanna start thinking about that and stop being blinded by all the fancy names in the backs of the red jerseys. Come tuesday night, they mean jack ****.

Ahah. Someone got worked up
Well, without spending more than a couple minutes, here's a few things.

You're basically claiming Canada is full of individuals, and Finland has a much better 'team' game. Personally I feel they are even as far as teamwork is concerned, and obviously invidiual players are going to be better in Canada.

You mentioned something about Canadians not even knowing about Finnish players. Nice try. I know I would say...every one of them except for the ones playing in the Finnish league. Even then, I know some of them vaguely. I think you're trying to make it sound as if I have no respect for Finland. I think they've come a long way, and I like their real fans (I'm pretty sure you're nothing but a troll ).

Anyways, we'll see tomorrow. If you're expecting Finland's superior heart, teamwork, goaltending, and everything else you claim to beat Canada...you're going to be dissapointed my friend.

 

[psycho_dad*]

Ahah. Someone got worked up
Well, without spending more than a couple minutes, here's a few things.

You're basically claiming Canada is full of individuals, and Finland has a much better 'team' game. Personally I feel they are even as far as teamwork is concerned, and obviously invidiual players are going to be better in Canada.

You mentioned something about Canadians not even knowing about Finnish players. Nice try. I know I would say...every one of them except for the ones playing in the Finnish league. Even then, I know some of them vaguely. I think you're trying to make it sound as if I have no respect for Finland. I think they've come a long way, and I like their real fans (I'm pretty sure you're nothing but a troll ).

Anyways, we'll see tomorrow. If you're expecting Finland's superior heart, teamwork, goaltending, and everything else you claim to beat Canada...you're going to be dissapointed my friend.

I guess discussing things with an open mind and without trying to insult or push down the other is not an option with you so I rather leave it to others.

I was not the one making claims about superior heart or whatever. Maybe you should read first, then react

BTW...when I claimed that Finland was the most united team I also told you why I thought that way and explained what I based my claim on. What you are giving me in return is your opinion based on absolutely nothing.

 

[VanIslander]

...nobody at this level has HUGE advantage. Huge advantage is Marty Brodeur vs. a 18 year old CHL goalie. The margin between Kipper and Brodeur is a very fine line.

No goaltender can be said to be clearly better than Kiprusoff in 2004.

Goaltending won't be the difference.

The powerplay is where's there's a HUGE advantage in my opinion. 5-on-5 the Finns will do fine but the Swedes showed that Finland has trouble both staying out of the penalty box and neutralizing a man advantage.

Canada 4 Finland 1... with a couple of pp goals.

 

[psycho_dad*]

The powerplay is where's there's a HUGE advantage in my opinion. 5-on-5 the Finns will do fine but the Swedes showed that Finland has trouble both staying out of the penalty box and neutralizing a man advantage.

Canada 4 Finland 1... with a couple of pp goals.

Finland just played horribly against Swedes. Had nothing to do with their great PP (although it was the best PP in this tournament). Finland had no trouble staying out of the box with USA other than that Ruutu penalty and that ridiculous call on Berg in the last minutes (which few U.S sports writers described as a good effort to tie the game by the refs).

We just have a tendency of choking with Sweden. Finland was struggling to get their defense going in that game, and Sweden did not do any better either. In the semifinal we saw a different Finland.

EDIT: Finnish PP is not as bad as the record shows in this tournament. Selänne-Koivu-Lehtinen (Or Peltonen), Timonen-Numminen (or Salo)...

I've seen them work wonders before, they just havent been that hot in this tournament. They have everything it needs to click though.

 

[VanIslander]

Finland just played horribly against Swedes.

What? Many of us who posted on the game thread thought they played very well 5-on-5 for most of the game. Some disagree of course. That's fine.

 

[psycho_dad*]

What? Many of us who posted on the game thread thought they played very well 5-on-5 for most of the game. Some disagree of course. That's fine.

I am one of those who disagree. Both Sweden and Finland played way too open coast to coast hockey for the first period. Of course it was exciting but not a winning style of hockey. And Finland played bad on PK even though one could argue it was Sweden being that good...no..they were brilliant, but Finland made silly rookie mistakes on those PK's.

It was not a very good game from team Finland. The game against USA and Czech were both so disciplined. Like Summanen said, the players were too worked up to play Sweden..the emotion level was too high and that resulted in sloppy play.

 

[mattihp]

Ahah. Someone got worked up
Well, without spending more than a couple minutes, here's a few things.

You're basically claiming Canada is full of individuals, and Finland has a much better 'team' game. Personally I feel they are even as far as teamwork is concerned, and obviously invidiual players are going to be better in Canada.

You mentioned something about Canadians not even knowing about Finnish players. Nice try. I know I would say...every one of them except for the ones playing in the Finnish league. Even then, I know some of them vaguely. I think you're trying to make it sound as if I have no respect for Finland. I think they've come a long way, and I like their real fans (I'm pretty sure you're nothing but a troll ).

Anyways, we'll see tomorrow. If you're expecting Finland's superior heart, teamwork, goaltending, and everything else you claim to beat Canada...you're going to be dissapointed my friend.

Look into the team work in team Finland, covering up for each other, knowing each other's weaknesses and strengths, playing well together etc. and it becomes very apparent that the majority on team Finland has had way many more games together (in world champs etc.) than the canadian team's players have.

 

[AGraveOne]

Its gonna be a good game...
i agree with those who have Finland as a better TEAM. But Canada is not far off that - they are a good TEAM.

Talent obviously falls to Canada - the top tier in every category of player (tough, skill, hands, skating, speed, finesse - total package) Finland is talented but not as deep.

Canada has dominated the majority of every game they played except against the Czechs. And that Czech team was playing a lot different in that game than when the Finns played them earlier, so it's hard to compare.

Does Canada have a size and toughness advantage? Will they be able to set up in front of Kipper? Speed? The Finns kept up with the Czechs pretty well...Canada seemed to have trouble with that...Is there a speed advantage?

I don't think it will come down to goalies - goalies have little to do with scoring chance creation. And both of these goalies are solid. (Luongo too)

(after re-reading - sorry for the worthless post but oh well...i wanted to post something)

 

[mattihp]

Its gonna be a good game...
i agree with those who have Finland as a better TEAM. But Canada is not far off that - they are a good TEAM.

I agree fully. Well put. Canada plays well as a team.

 

[Badger Bob]

This morning, at around 7:50 am EDT, one of the radio personalities, on Mix 99.9 Toronto, had an unique perspective on the W.C. He basically said that the tournament was rigged in favor of Canada, and to a lesser extent USA. His reasoning on the fact that Team Canada only had to travel from Ottawa to Montreal and to Toronto, with adoring fans at each stop, especially the ACC. The European pool teams had to jet to other countries, and take transatlantic flights for the later rounds. If Canada win, he feels it won't be that satisfying of a victory. On the other hand, he thinks a Finnish victory would be a form of redemption. Remember, this guy was broadcasting from Toronto.

 

[mattihp]

This morning, at around 7:50 am EDT, one of the radio personalities, on Mix 99.9 Toronto, had an unique perspective on the W.C. He basically said that the tournament was rigged in favor of Canada, and to a lesser extent USA. His reasoning on the fact that Team Canada only had to travel from Ottawa to Montreal and to Toronto, with adoring fans at each stop, especially the ACC. The European pool teams had to jet to other countries, and take transatlantic flights for the later rounds. If Canada win, he feels it won't be that satisfying of a victory. On the other hand, he thinks a Finnish victory would be a form of redemption. Remember, this guy was broadcasting from Toronto.

well... if the tournament is aranged by a league based in those two countries, of course it's gonna be rigged...

 

[mattihp]

Oh btw... I have to say I am very impressed by the play of Numminen and Timonen, and if I would be allowed to choose... That'd be the top pairing of the tournament.

 

[Raimo Sillanpää]

This morning, at around 7:50 am EDT, one of the radio personalities, on Mix 99.9 Toronto, had an unique perspective on the W.C. He basically said that the tournament was rigged in favor of Canada, and to a lesser extent USA. His reasoning on the fact that Team Canada only had to travel from Ottawa to Montreal and to Toronto, with adoring fans at each stop, especially the ACC. The European pool teams had to jet to other countries, and take transatlantic flights for the later rounds. If Canada win, he feels it won't be that satisfying of a victory. On the other hand, he thinks a Finnish victory would be a form of redemption. Remember, this guy was broadcasting from Toronto.

It is rigged, thats why it was called the Canada cup.

 

[Papa Smurf]

I just called in sick for work. I'M WATCHING THE GAME!!!!

 

[Badger Bob]

well... if the tournament is aranged by a league based in those two countries, of course it's gonna be rigged...

He did mention that as well. However, he neglected to mention that the NHLPA also was involved in World Cup planning.

 

[Owen Wilson]

My prediction

Canada 3 (Doan, Sakic(PP) & Lecavalier(EN)

Finland 1 (T. Ruutu)

 

[Canuck21t]

It is rigged, thats why it was called the Canada cup.

Not anymore, as you know it is the World Cup of Hockey now. The Canada Cup was more fair because at least all national teams played in Canada. I hope that for the next World Cup, European teams will complain and demand that all the tournament games be played in one region with limited traveling like a normal tournament.