Russia 2, Canada 0 FINAL

[Rage Against]

Brodeur was brutal. Let in a couple of softies. Bertuzzi was a monster all night and single handidly almost won us the game!!

I believe he was being sarcastic guys. Tuzzi sucked along with the rest of team canada's forwards and Brodeur played fine.

Wow. 10 pages and no mention of Bryan McCabe.

 

[Hadoop]

Here is what Bob McKenzie had to say about Team Canada:

http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/bob_mckenzie.asp?id=155836



What are your thoughts or feelings about this?

I gotta agree with him there. Consider that against the top 8 teams in the world, Canada was shut out in 3 of the 4 games and 11 out of 12 periods. NEVER has Canada accomplished so little with so much (Canada had BY FAR the most talented team top to bottom in the competition; it wasn't even close on paper).

 

[octopi]

I believe he was being sarcastic guys. Tuzzi sucked along with the rest of team canada's forwards and Brodeur played fine.

Wow. 10 pages and no mention of Bryan McCabe.

Congrats on being the first, then

 

[Slitty]

Didn't he play for Team Kazakhstan prior Salt Lake City?

At some junior tournament because he did not make team Russia, kinda like why Antropov is stuck playing for Kazahstan today.

 

[Polar Man]

Stephane Julien

There are three defencemen in my beer league better than Stephane Julien.

 

[Force]

I want to see your beer league defencemen shut down Marco Sturm, Andy McDonald and Cameron Mann and score a couple of goals themselves.

Oh and i'd like to have a bottle of that beer then must be insane stuff...

 

[Polar Man]

Good article by Bob McKenzie. He hit the nail on the head. The best players were not the best players and it was nothing short of a complete failure by Canadian hockey standards.

I expect a major shift in philosophy in 2010. It's time to realize that guys like Rob Zamuner and Kris Draper belong in the ultimate best on best tournament there is. Mike Peca was a stretch in '02, but he has more skill than the other two and his selection could be justified. These guys are great at what they do and serve a valuable purpose, but a tournament like this demands more pure skill than they have.

I expect Canada to build a team that feeds of the excitement and energy the way our junior teams do, especially hosting the tournament in front of the home fans in Vancouver. Young HUNGRY guys like Staal and Crosby will be the ones counted on to rip through the opposition like Gaborik or Ovechkin have done regularly. Canada didn't have anyone with the individual skill to turn nothing into something like those guys. The types of players are out there for Canada, but they weren't on the team. I think that will change four years from now.

 

[octopi]

. Canada didn't have anyone with the individual skill to turn nothing into something like those guys. The types of players are out there for Canada, but they weren't on the team. I think that will change four years from now.

Canada had Heatly, Sakic, Iginla, Thornton . These guys are all game breakers. Also, Russia didn't exactly score a boatload of goals either.

 

[Polar Man]

I want to see your beer league defencemen shut down Marco Sturm, Andy McDonald and Cameron Mann and score a couple of goals themselves.

Oh and i'd like to have a bottle of that beer then must be insane stuff...

I don't believe you understand the level of skill the true elite players have if you consider shutting down Cameron Mann an accomplishment. Don't take offence to this, but there are hundreds of forwards in Canada alone that are harder to stop than Cameron Mann.

 

[Polar Man]

Canada had Heatly, Sakic, Iginla, Thornton . These guys are all game breakers. Also, Russia didn't exactly score a boatload of goals either.

I don't remember any plays all tournament when either of those guys used speed or skill to make a really good play when they seemed to have no chance. I know they have the skill and have demonstrated it in the past, but none of them looked fast this tournament. Nothing like Ovechkin or Gaborik. The teams just seemed to be slow and had no desire to take the puck to the net. Whenever anyone gained the line they just seemed to stop up and wire a shot wide. Nobody stepped up and turned someone inside out or burnt them with speed and power. That ingredient was there on paper but absent on the ice.

 

[Force]

The NHL players that played in the DEL during the lockout were good. Damn good. But nowhere as good as they make you belive they are. At the end of the day they were just hockey players. As a matter of fact, there are players in European leagues who ARE truly elite. Jakub Ficinec and Stephane Julien are. As for Cameron Mann, the reason he isn't top notch is not his offence. It's his defence. His offensive talent is among the top of the DEL and he propably could hold his own on a 3rd Line in the NHL as well. He's pretty fragile though and wouldn't last long.

Anyway other than you propably, i have actually played against Cammeron (the one legged rehab version) and i'd say even if he isn't "truly elite" he is still good enough to make me and

 

[Dogbert*]

The NHL players that played in the DEL during the lockout were good. Damn good. But nowhere as good as they make you belive they are. At the end of the day they were just hockey players. As a matter of fact, there are players in European leagues who ARE truly elite. Jakub Ficinec and Stephane Julien are. As for Cameron Mann, the reason he isn't top notch is not his offence. It's his defence. His offensive talent is among the top of the DEL and he propably could hold his own on a 3rd Line in the NHL as well. He's pretty fragile though and wouldn't last long.

Anyway other than you propably, i have actually played against Cammeron (the one legged rehab version) and i'd say even if he isn't "truly elite" he is still good enough to make me and

Oh wow, Cameron Mann.

If these players were as good as you say they are, they'd be in the NHL. The DEL simply does not compare to the NHL in any way, and anyone who thinks it does needs medication of some kind.

 

[Hedberg]

I tell you who was missing on Team Canada:

Stephane Julien, Kölner Haie (DEL)
Andy McDonald, Anaheim Ducks (NHL)
Patrice Bergeon, Boston Bruins (NHL)

All of them have great playmaking abilites, speed while their control keeps up, play disciplined and smart and none of them has a ego. Thats my take on who should have played.

Who definitely hould not have played is the Tudd Bertussi dude, even the completely clueless german comentator told a 15 minute story about how this monster almost killed a guy with a "crosscheck" (i told you the comentator has no clue). You do not select people for a national squad when their vita isn't appropiate.

I knew this was coming

 

[StealingSociety]

I liked "Krokadil Gena" way better!!!

And I was going to say something about a blue boxcar.... but yeah, you know.

I was sitting there thinking who was the other guy. Trying to remember what kind of animal he was and his name and now you reminded me thanks! Was he the one that sang that birthday song "unfortunately a birthday is only once a year"? I haven't watched that since I was tiny.

 

[VladNYC*]

What really surprised me was not our stellar forwards, everyone in the world knows the russians can put it in the net, but our defense. The Russian defense was absolutly fearless, absolutly selfless. Malkin on defense was like noting i saw from a russian forward in a long time. Naby was a force field in the net, he didn't budge 1 inch. They were amazing. I have never been so proud of our hockey team in my life. I was also amazed at the quality of the refs. When i saw that it was 2 americans reffing i had a bad feeling as most russians fans would get but these guys were consistant and unbiased. Maybe I am biased but I think that is the best game of my generation. At this point no matter how we do in the next round, our team is a winner. Congrads to Canada on yuor goalie, after all these years, he is still really some thing and makes me nervous every time he is in net.

I would also like to personally thank all the canada fans here for not being sore losers. I know russian fans can be annoying sometimes so it's greatly appreciated that this all didn't get turned into a flame fest.

 

[Canuck21t]

For all the talk that Canada could send 2 or 3 teams, I guess this has been humbling for our country.

Canada can still do that as long as the teams play as a TEAM.

 

[StealingSociety]

What really surprised me was not our stellar forwards, everyone in the world knows the russians can put it in the net, but our defense. The Russian defense was absolutly fearless, absolutly selfless. Malkin on defense was like noting i saw from a russian forward in a long time. Naby was a force field in the net, he didn't budge 1 inch. They were amazing. I have never been so proud of our hockey team in my life. I was also amazed at the quality of the refs. When i saw that it was 2 americans reffing i had a bad feeling as most russians fans would get but these guys were consistant and unbiased. Maybe I am biased but I think that is the best game of my generation. At this point no matter how we do in the next round, our team is a winner. Congrads to Canada on yuor goalie, after all these years, he is still really some thing and makes me nervous every time he is in net.

I would also like to personally thank all the canada fans here for not being sore losers. I know russian fans can be annoying sometimes so it's greatly appreciated that this all didn't get turned into a flame fest.

Well not all, did you read the comments of that Flames fan? They made me .

 

[66-30-33]

I'm so glad i have hardly been watching the games at all this olympics (mostly due to i dont wanna watch a game at 4 in the morning...)...what a joke! atleast the Canada womens can actually score. Can't wait to watch the NHL again although the only NHL team i root for is the Penguins.

 

[Canuck21t]

I havent read all the pages of posts, but ref call regarding the possible Candian goal was not a goal..

It was becoming insane and just far too intense...everyone was CRASHING the goaltender, and using any protruding part to kick, push, tackle or poke whomever to get it in ...and they were all doing this while in the crease..it was insane!! I had never witnessed this before!!

You obviously haven't seen too many hockey games in your life.

Pronger is a dope...and Canada didn't seem to have it at all today, and were completely controleld in the 3rd.

Today? Just today? They have been playing like crap the whole tournament.

 

[AldMan]

Bertuzzi's penalty was dumb. Once a goon always a goon. THEY SHOULD BRING SKATERS NOT MORONS. They need to select players to play the international game. They need coachs that can bring a team together quickly. Dump Quinn Gretzky and players like Bertuzzi.

 

[Canuck21t]

I would also like to personally thank all the canada fans here for not being sore losers. I know russian fans can be annoying sometimes so it's greatly appreciated that this all didn't get turned into a flame fest.

Well, we've tried to find excuses but really this time, we couldn't find much. I'm cheering for Russia from now on.

P.S. Ovechkin

 

[clefty]

Stephane Julien

Rene Corbet, Dave McLlwain, Jeff Shantz, Micki Dupont, Denis Pederson, Cameron Mann and Steve Kelly should have been there as well. Gretzky's a moron.

 

[Canuck21t]

Actually they've replayed this about a million times on CBC, and no one thinks that was in before the whistle.

Thankfully, Kovalev beat Broduer for that second goal(as opposed to empty net) or there'd be raging discussions on the non goal

If CBC agreed with the decision minutes later, I don't think most people will linguer on it hours and days later. That no-goal was a non-issue IMO. We didn't deserve to win. I wish we had but thinking back, it wouldn't be fare.

 

[Canuck21t]

In my opinion it's pretty simple: the best team won tonite. Period.
The Russians are faster, more talented, and play as a team. Saying that the Canadians didn't give their 100% is just an excuse. Russia won because is the better team.

I can't wait to watch them again, they're a joy to watch.

And Ovechkin is an alien, that kid is not human.

True, Canadians did try very hard, I have no doubt about that. Aside from playing hard though, you also have to play as a team with a good system. If Finland can, I don't see why guys like Heatley, Richards, Lecavalier, St-Louis, Gagné, Thornton, Nash, Iginla and Sakic can't.

 

[Pica]

Congrats Russia, one heck of a game from whole squad

Now that we got our "underdog" title back I'm sure we'll play great semifinal game.

(You've got AO, we have AB, I'd call that pretty even matchup, could go either way)