I agree with him. What canada's problem is offense. They have been shut down in two games. That is pretty huge. Defense can use a boast too. Goaltending I think is pretty fine. They have brodeur and Luongo in net.
So, The Great One says that the younger players have to step up
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Blades of Glory
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The_Eck said:
Not another "young player" apologist.
. Crosby had no reason to be on this team ahead of anybody on it, by virtue of experience or production at the international level. As for Spezza, he should be there, but he's not. Deal with it. This team is good enough to win Gold without Crosby, Staal, Spezza, or anybody else. The players aren't getting it done. None of the position players, not the vets, not the younger ones. Only the goaltenders are.I love how Wayne didn't name names during his press conference, but after the team practice, Heater and Nash were "made available to the media." What a great way to "name names." 
Czech Your Math
I am lizard king
The clip I saw on CBC, he mentioned Blake and Pronger, but it was unclear to me whether he considered these guys who needed help from the rest of team or players who needed to step it up.
Crosbyfan
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- Nov 27, 2003
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rohan said:Not another "young player" apologist.
Apparently you are one of the last to realize what a load of crap "international experience" is worth when you are picking the best offensive players for your team. Do you really think that Staal, Crosby or Spezza would be ineffective at putting the puck in the net due to lack of experience?
Gretzky & Company put a team together like they were afraid to make a mistake.
Crosby would not have helped. He's been scoring most of his points lately against pros on the power play. And the fact is if he was on Team Canada he would not be the focal point of the power play.
Crosby is a good young player, but the whole focus of the Pittsburgh team is to get a power play and get Crosby the puck, and he eventually gets his points because of it.
Team Canada does not work that way. It's not about trying to get one player his points.
Crosby is a good young player, but the whole focus of the Pittsburgh team is to get a power play and get Crosby the puck, and he eventually gets his points because of it.
Team Canada does not work that way. It's not about trying to get one player his points.
Lionel Hutz
Registered User
Neidermayer is being missed. I don't think the other players would necessarily change much. On paper, this team really can't get much better.
If Canada wins, will you stop posting? or will you jump on board?
Crosby would have helped. He would have helped as much as any star forward, I think its ridiculous for you to say he wouldn't have helped. If You want to say it would not make much difference, I agree.
The_Eck said:
If Canada wins, will you stop posting? or will you jump on board?
JamieG said:
Crosby would have helped. He would have helped as much as any star forward, I think its ridiculous for you to say he wouldn't have helped. If You want to say it would not make much difference, I agree.
People are saying that Canada needs to play more like a team, I find it difficult to see how singling out a couple young players are going to help that. I don't think that any Canadian skaters have played that well, and none have played that poorly so they all have to step it up.
Shouldn't the veteran leaders of this team ( Sakic, Blake, Pronger, Smyth, Foote, maybe Thornton, Iginla, Gagne ) be taking the heat off the younger, newer guys and shouldering some of the blame?
Shouldn't the veteran leaders of this team ( Sakic, Blake, Pronger, Smyth, Foote, maybe Thornton, Iginla, Gagne ) be taking the heat off the younger, newer guys and shouldering some of the blame?
What have the other young guys besides Crosby done at the international level?rohan said:Not another "young player" apologist.
There is a first time for everything.
The problem with Gretzky is he thinks he is God. He refers himself in the 3rd person all the time. He thinks he is invincible so he went with his cronies. This has hurt us as a nation.
Basically, he should go home to his wife.
Bertuzzi is also a cancer on this team. By far the most overrated player in the NHL along with Lecavalier.
Quite simply, the players I don't blame because I think they are trying their best (except for Bertuzzi), they just aren't good enough and have no Chemistry.
I blame fat Quinn and (God complex Gretzky) for their corrupt manner in choosing this team.
Lionel Hutz
Registered User
Lionel Hutz said:
Crosby would have helped. He would have helped in that he can play the shifty side to side European game much more so than our bigger guys who are more suited to the back and forth game.
But having said that, Canada has to win with what it's got...and what it's got is enough to win the gold. They just have to start playing like the champions that they can be by sacrificing their body and doing whatever it takes to win!
wealthmanager said:What have the other young guys besides Crosby done at the international level?
There is a first time for everything.
The problem with Gretzky is he thinks he is God. He refers himself in the 3rd person all the time. He thinks he is invincible so he went with his cronies. This has hurt us as a nation.
Basically, he should go home to his wife.
Bertuzzi is also a cancer on this team. By far the most overrated player in the NHL along with Lecavalier.
Quite simply, the players I don't blame because I think they are trying their best (except for Bertuzzi), they just aren't good enough and have no Chemistry.
I blame fat Quinn and (God complex Gretzky) for their corrupt manner in choosing this team.
Are you real?
The_Eck said:
Actually, he has never shirked responsibility- what I do wonder is how much responsiblilty the players on the ice will actually take for the remaining games since they are the ones who will make the difference in what happens. There is not a player on that roster that is not capable of bringing home a gold medal. So easy to say someone is "wrong" when the chips are down and I love especially the righteous second-guessers who know for fact with no uncertainty that their roster of players would certainly be unbeaten right now. Yea- sure thing. Guess second guessers have the luxury of saying their choices would be the correct ones since they really don't have to stick out their necks and reputations and actually chose them- how easy that is. Unbelievable.
Dig Out Your Soul
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wealthmanager said:What have the other young guys besides Crosby done at the international level?
There is a first time for everything.
What has Crosby done at the international level besides win junior gold? That hardly beats out anyone else.
wealthmanager said:
He thinks he's God? Refers to himself in the 3rd person? I didn't know Rick Nash was one of his cronies. Or Thornton. Or Bertuzzi. Or Draper. Or St. Louis. Or Lecavalier. Or Richards. Or Gagne. Or Sakic. Or Iginla. Or Heatley. Or Smyth.
....or Pronger. Or Foote. Or Blake. Or Bouwmeester. Or McCabe. Or Redden. Or Regehr.
Basically, the only one you could make a case for is Doan because Gretz is Doan's coach. BUT, Doan's international resume speaks for itself, he's not a crony either.
wealthmanager said:
Two words:
PROVE IT.
I know very well what type of person Bertuzzi is. If I told you some of the things I have witnessed with my own eyes you would be in shock.trippyime said:
As far as international experience, that is the whole point.
There was a time when Gretzky had no international experience. You have to get experience by actually getting the chance to play. This is where Gretzky made his fatal flaw. He didn't pick the best players, he picked the guys with "international experience" and look where it has gotten us. This "international experience" is the most overrated aspect in picking a team.
Anyways... As soon as someone starts referring themselves in the 3rd person they have lost me.
I don't know about you guys, but if the greatest offensive forward who has ever played the game said if I had to step up, I'd probably take it to heart. Gretzky had the greatest career in NHL history, and his Team Canada portfolio speaks for itself. Two Canada Cup MVPs, three Canada Cups and the most memorable individual performance by a Canadian forward in WJC history make for impeccable credentials.
If these young players - notably Thornton, Heatley, Nash, Gagne, Richards and Lecavalier, even 29-year-old Jarome Iginla - don't step up and start playing with emotion and desperation, after Gretzky called them out, then I wouldn't bring them back for Vancouver 2010. Gretzky's right. These young guys need to show the form we've seen from them for extended periods of time since 2003.
If these young players - notably Thornton, Heatley, Nash, Gagne, Richards and Lecavalier, even 29-year-old Jarome Iginla - don't step up and start playing with emotion and desperation, after Gretzky called them out, then I wouldn't bring them back for Vancouver 2010. Gretzky's right. These young guys need to show the form we've seen from them for extended periods of time since 2003.
Ask this year's U.S. Women's Olympic team if experience is overrated. Or ask the 1998 Canadian Women's Olympic team if experience is overrated.wealthmanager said:
Or better yet, ask the 2002 Canadian men's Olympic team if experience and leadership are overrated. You fail to grasp that.
Sounds like you are happy with this team.God Bless Canada said:
You don't think guys like Pronger, Blake, Sakic, Iginla, Brodeur, Foote,etc.
have enough international experience?
Face it, Gretzky screwed up.
LadyJet26
LETS GO BLUE!!!!!
wealthmanager said:What have the other young guys besides Crosby done at the international level?
There is a first time for everything.
The problem with Gretzky is he thinks he is God. He refers himself in the 3rd person all the time. He thinks he is invincible so he went with his cronies. This has hurt us as a nation.
Basically, he should go home to his wife.
Bertuzzi is also a cancer on this team. By far the most overrated player in the NHL along with Lecavalier.
Quite simply, the players I don't blame because I think they are trying their best (except for Bertuzzi), they just aren't good enough and have no Chemistry.
I blame fat Quinn and (God complex Gretzky) for their corrupt manner in choosing this team.
Wow. Bertuzzi a cancer? This is by far the lamest joke I've ever heard in my life. He's been the most consistent canadian forward the entire tournament. Bertuzzi not trying? Where have you been? The guy has three assists.
I love how us Canadians jump on and off the bandwagon everytime our team isn't playing up to snuff. Everyone was on Canada's case when they went 1-1-1 during round robin in 2002, this is exactly what everyone's doing now. They'll win when it counts, where they have to win.
No, it's not Gretzky's fault that the players have not gelled, is it? It's the players fault that this team, which was so good at the World Cup in 2004 (only Bertuzzi, Nash and Turco weren't selected to that team) hasn't come together, yet. If they do on Wednesday, and win, all the belly-aching, for 48 hours anyways, becomes irrelevant. If the team doesn't gel, the players are to blame for that. And if you think this team would have gelled with players like Staal, Crosby, Tanguay and Spezza, who haven't played a non-junior international tournament before, then you're fooling yourself. There is nobody in the league who would have changed this team's results.wealthmanager said:
You said that international experience was overrated. I say it's not, and the 2002 men's Olympic team is proof that it isn't overrated. That team was loaded with experienced players. Other teams have ditched their veterans before, and come up abject failures.
"abject failures?"God Bless Canada said:
First of all, there isn't a team anywhere that could gel with Bertuzzi.
Second of all, the team would have all sorts of chemistry with guys like Phaneuf, stall and Crosby out there because you know they would be going nuts on the ice and it would rub off on the team.
Don't you think Phaneuf throwing one of his monster hits would pump up the team. All Bertuzzi does is pull on the back of guys jerseys and take dumb penalties.
Hockey is Hockey. Basically when you say they should take the most experienced guys you are saying they should take the players who aren't as good, but because of their reputation they should be in.
Pathetic, really.
God Bless Canada said:
The reason this team did so well at the World Cup is because thes players were PLAYING VERY WELL IN 2003-04. Many of them are not playing well now and should have been replaced with players that are.
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