Quinn Sets Team Canada Lines

[Iginla for Mayor]

my lines would be:

Gagne- Sakic - Iggy
Nash- Thorton- Doan
Smyth- Lecav- Heatley
Draper- Richards- Bert

 

[Hashmark]

Quinn rolls 4 balanced lines.

Quinn puts his top line out againt the opposing top line.

There is no shutdown line on a Quinn team.

Like it or not, this type of strategy is what got him the job.

 

[Jester]

I thought the Gagne-Sakic-Iginla line had the best chance of staying together (remember '02?)

Gagne-Thornton-Nash lit up the World Champs last spring... definitely the thinking there.

 

[bert]

What the lines should be with this roster

Gagne Sakic Iginla
Nash Thornton Bertuzzi
Heatley Lecavalier St Louis
Smyth Richards Doan
Draper

Redden Pronger
Regher Blake
McCabe/Bouwmeester Foote

Brodeur
Luongo
Turco

 

[Danny__K]

DRAPER-SAKIC-IGINLA ???

okay that makes no sense.

 

[SopelFan*]

Quinn rolls 4 balanced lines.

Quinn puts his top line out againt the opposing top line.

There is no shutdown line on a Quinn team.

Like it or not, this type of strategy is what got him the job.

This type of strategy has him fighting desperately to make the playoffs.

 

[Borlag]

This type of strategy has him fighting desperately to make the playoffs.

With a team like the Leafs that obviously isn't working. With a team like Team Canada, where any line could be thought as the first line, that type of strategy can and most likely will work.

 

[CtB]

Quinn rolls 4 balanced lines.

Quinn puts his top line out againt the opposing top line.

There is no shutdown line on a Quinn team.

Like it or not, this type of strategy is what got him the job.

The last time Quinn coached Team Canada (World Cup) he matched lines, didn't he? Mainly the Thornton-Doan line (can't rememeber the third player) against the other team's top line.

 

[SopelFan*]

With a team like the Leafs that obviously isn't working. With a team like Team Canada, where any line could be thought as the first line, that type of strategy can and most likely will work.

Draper doesn't even play the first line in Detroit.

Stupid way to make lines, Quinn.

 

[Big Mama*]

Quinn rolls 4 balanced lines.

Quinn puts his top line out againt the opposing top line.

There is no shutdown line on a Quinn team.

Like it or not, this type of strategy is what got him the job.

Exactly, he wants offensive pressure to come from all units. Eventually, a mismatch will occur. But he will shorten his bench and quickly if you aren't pulling your weight.

And he will bench anyone, as a certain dog named Cujo found out.

Defenceman and centres are more important in the matchup game he plays. Wingers are interchangeable.

 

[Crossroads*]

Draper doesn't even play the first line in Detroit.

Stupid way to make lines, Quinn.

His judgement > your judgement.

 

[VanIslander]

Draper doesn't even play the first line in Detroit.

Stupid way to make lines, Quinn.

Uh... Detroit doesn't have third and fourth lines like: HEATLEY-LECAVALIER-ST. LOUIS and SMYTH-RICHARDS-BERTUZZI to play a lot.

There is NO true first line for team Canada. Not in the post-Gretz, post-Mario era. It'll entirely depend on who's hot, and in the last Olympics it was Iginla-Sakic, hence their provisional top billing for game one against lowly (practice time!) Italy.

 

[think-blue-]

Draper doesn't even play the first line in Detroit.

Stupid way to make lines, Quinn.

He doesnt like labelling his lines 1,2,3,4... right now I think he wants to have a defensive presence on each line (the whole idea behind putting the team together was to get players who can play in all situations).

These lines are obviously not set in stone, but Quinns fairly flexible depending on the opponents, how the game is going, who's playing well, etc.

 

[grego]

Obviously it isn't a set of 1 - 4 lines like you would find on a normal hockey team. This is an allstar NHL lineup that team Canada has. A line up that no hockey team could afford under the cap, because their combined payroll would be well over a 100 million a year.

I like the depth of Canada when you can have Ryan Smyth on a 4th line it goes towards a situation where you can just keep rolling the lines and keeping everyone fresh.

I highly doubt the 4th line would end up wiht only 4 to 5 minutes of playing time per game, since with a 4th line like Canada has they are not a liability to the team rather they are an assett.

 

[gobolt7]

Personally, I would have put Lecavalier with Richards over St. Louis. (I know they are both centers, but they have spent limited time playing together down here.)

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Where's this "Quinn doesn't believe in shutdown lines" crap coming from? He might not have a match-up checking unit, but in Salt Lake City the Nolan-Nieuwendyk-Lindros line got limited minutes to bang and crash the opposing defensemen, and in the World Cup he had the Draper-Thornton-Doan line doing similar things.

 

[Lecavilier_4]

Personally, I would have put Lecavalier with Richards over St. Louis. (I know they are both centers, but they have spent limited time playing together down here.)

I completely agree... Reunite the Rimouski Connection

Brad
Vinny

They must play together

 

[Steveorama]

Quinn is trying to put 4 lines that can play both ways and just keep rolling them.
When we reach a point where Canada has to come from behind, you'll see him shorten the bench and the Drapers and Smyths will be strictly on the PK.
For the first few games, Pat's lines make a lot of sense. By Game 4 (Finland) we'll have a pretty good idea of who is bringing it and who isn't and Pat will begin tinkering and relying on his top players more.
35.5 hours til they drop the puck!

 

[*OvechKiN*]

Personally, this would be my ideal team Canada:

Heatley - Sakic - Iginla
Gagne - Thornton - Nash
Richards - Lecavalier - St.Louis
Smyth - MARLEAU - Doan
extra: Draper

Redden Pronger
Regehr Blake
Foote PHANEUF
extra: McCabe

Brodeur
Luongo
Turco

 

[glue]

I know quite a few people have said it before on this post..but gotta say it again..even if its not going to be the final lines...Draper!!! with Sakic and Iginla Draper!!!

I'm gonna assume he knows something I don't...cause he's either absolutely brilliant or completely Pejorative Slured!

 

[Bileur]

Honestly i'd just as soon cut Draper as see him on the first line.

 

[norrisnick]

Draper doesn't even play the first line in Detroit.

Stupid way to make lines, Quinn.

He does periodically. Depending on the situation/need he bounces from a scoring line (Datsyuk's) and his checking line.

Draper - Datsyuk - Shanahan
or
Maltby - Draper - Franzen

 

[shawn_kemp*]

well if Drapes regains his scoring touch from 03/04 and the WC04, he could fit in well on that top line.

I'm surprised to see Iginla and Sakic on the 1st line, as they should be probably moved down to 3rd.

 

[PapaBear*]

Drapes on the top line aint all that bad, he is fast, will do the dirty work for sakic and iggy and make a lot of space out there for them two to dangle.

Besides, Kevin Quinn has always balanced out his lines way too much, just like Hitchcock.

 

[Future_KLM_Pilot*]

Bertuzzi-Thornton-Nash that would be scary.

You know what would be scarier? Bertuzzi-Thornton-Heatley. Or how about Bertuzzi-Thornton-IGINLA (the power line.) Now THAT would be scary!