Team USA's Olympic roster?

[DevilFisch]

I'm especially glad to see Gionta make the team. He's a guy who plays a lot larger than he is and can put up points. Seriously, I look at the line up and I think if everyone works hard, plays with energy, and fights for every opportunity, this squad can make a lot of noise. Just like Gionta, in other words .

Re: Chelios, Personally, I think Chelios would be the 7th d-man but that's just my gut feeling.

 

[swflyers8*]

I guess you must have missed the World Championships because Canada played without the majority of their top players.

Well, Canada is supposed the country for hockey. I've already seen comments in threads elsewhere saying that Canada's "3rd" team could win. Canada isn't as great as they think anymore. Sweden will have a good squad. Finland gave them a good run at the World Cup, Russia will have a good squad.

 

[KH1]

What a bad night to name the Olympic team. Because DiPietro had his worst game of the season tonight people are going crazy thinking that the tournament is over before it began.

To judge DiPietro you have to watch the games. I'm really sick of people talking about how awful and overrated he is because they just read his stat sheet. He is playing behind one of the worst defenses in the NHL and has stolen at least 5 games for the Isles, probably more.

I really don't think that our problems are going to be in goal. Just watch DiPietro's next few outings and you'll see that he is an inconsistent 25 year old, not a terrible goalie.

 

[Petey Knights]

Think again, that's what everyone said at the Worlds and who won:

Incase you haven't noticed, Canadians put absolutely no stock into the World Championships. The reason being our best players are nicely divided out among the 30 franchises and this tournament overlaps with the Stanley Cup playoffs so our superstars are all still playing in the NHL.
Even still, we won 2 of the last 3 so that illustrates we can win no matter who we send.

To address some of the things I read above..

- Andy Delmore would fall somewhere between the 50th and 60th - defensemen on Canada's depth chart. Ridiculous notion.
- Doan will make the team only because of management's strategy to build a team, rather than assemble the top stats guys (examples - McCabe, Staal, Spezza etc.)
- Brodeur is playing behind a defense that has been decimated by the loss of two future hall-of-fame defencemen in Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens (both Canadians by the way) and good ol' American boys Rafalski and Martin can't hold do it without them. When he starts in goal behind a defense of captains, Norris trophy winners, Stanley Cup winners he will lead us to gold once again.
- The 50 years joke is one Americans like to use.. But the reality is our guys throughout those 50 years populated the NHL by over 70% and they weren't allowed to play in the Olympics.
- There is a possibility that guys like Luongo, Theodore, Turco, Joseph, McCabe, Staal, Spezza, Crosby, Bertuzzi, St. Louis, Smyth, Doan, Marleau and Nash might not make this team. I repeat, some of these guys will not make this team. The cuts out of that group should be smuggled into the US to start in goal (DiPietro is horrendous), anchor the PP (Chelios could be a grandpa to some of these guys) and make up the 1st line (as much as I love Craig Conroy - he really was born in the wrong country!)

But I digress. If you want any closer to home reality to Canadian hockey player's dominance, check out your local NHL team. Odds are the captains and/or superstars are citizens of the Great White North.

FYI: 38 of the 40 Conn Smythe winners are Canadian (Brian Leetch the only American in 94) Point being, Canadians deliver championships. Look no further than 2004 - Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis led the Lightning to the Cup. All Canadian.

 

[joshjull]

sk84fun_dc I get a little carried away because Dipietro is always a lock. What is this based on? He hasn't won an olympics or a World Cup.This isn't to say I think he is terrible but in my opinion the team should be chosen on current play and situations. Esche if I am not mistaken is out injuried and was playing poorly before the injury. Yet because he has previously played for the US he makes the team

 

[joshjull]

[To judge DiPietro you have to watch the games. I'm really sick of people talking about how awful and overrated he is because they just read his stat sheet. He is playing behind one of the worst defenses in the NHL and has stolen at least 5 games for the Isles, probably more.

So if you watch him play inconsistant that makes him look better. The sabres lit him up twice this year. i guess he was just being inconsistant

 

[joshjull]

All my rantings asside I will be cheering hard for Ricky D and the Boys. Go USA

 

[Legionnaire]

How in the world do you take Chelios over Leetch?!?!?

 

[crashlanding]

Listen, I was exaggerating when I compared Leetch to Delmore.

If anyone wants to see why Leetch didn't make this team, watch the game from the World Cup when Finland eliminated us. On the game winning goal Leetch is on the wrong side of the ice at the top of the circle while Jokinen, or whoever scored it, is taking a pass where Leetch SHOULD be and stashing it in the net.

He HAS been good for team USA, just hasn't been good lately. I'm sure many would agree with me that it's time we stopped picking guys who are past their prime on D and start giving younger dmen a shot.

 

[GKJ]

Guerin and Chelios?








The new Miracle on Ice: The Americans medalling.

 

[sk84fun_dc]

sk84fun_dc I get a little carried away because Dipietro is always a lock. What is this based on? He hasn't won an olympics or a World Cup.This isn't to say I think he is terrible but in my opinion the team should be chosen on current play and situations. Esche if I am not mistaken is out injuried and was playing poorly before the injury. Yet because he has previously played for the US he makes the team

Have you seen DiPietro play this season other than the Sabres games? I understand some of your comments, but not all. Also, look back to the World Championships in May and the World Cup game he played in Sep 04 to understand why DiPietro is on this team; he had to play his way off of the team this season and someone else had to play their way on and that did not happen, he was not the one who Miller would have replaced if he made the team, IMO; Esche is an interesting issue, especially after the comments when he was not named to the World Championships, I question his naming in terms of his injury, too, but right now that is a 2 week injury, not sure the Flyers are being honest, but he is not supposed to be out long term as of right now; again, 1 of the 3 goalies is hurt and Miller plays like tonight and is healthy, he may still end up on the team

and regarding your other comment: "All my rantings aside I will be cheering hard for Ricky D and the Boys. Go USA" - good to hear!

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I'm not really sure how people can argue with most of the selections. I watch a ton of NHL hockey and I think many people are operating on misconceptions or phantom reps more than anything where several of these players are concerned. Here's how I see the team:

Goaltenders:

DiPietro
Esche
Grahame

I would have liked to see Ryan Miller make the team, but his inuury hurt him, no doubt about. In reality, the U.S. brass doesn't want either Esche or Grahame to see any action in this tournament. The expectation is DiPietro will have to be the man for the U.S. to medal. If he falters, it's all over. That doesn't mean Esche or Grahame are incapable, but they are meant to be veteran safety cogs, not the go to guys. I see plenty of Islander games, and while Ricky's stats aren't the greatest, neither is the Isle's defense. Don't be mistaken he's played very well, and has been stellar in international play. Miller will likely be on the taxi squad.

Defense:

Miller
Chelios
Rafalski
Liles
Schneider
Leopold
Hatcher

A couple of surprises. I thought Leetch was a gimme, but let's be honest, he's not a defensive stalwart these days. Schneider's had a great year, Rafalski is an exceptional puck mover, as is Liles who has more points (and a better plus/minus) than Rob Blake, Aaron Miller is a rock, Leopold hasn't produced much offensively, but he's been great in his own zone, and Hatcher has played exceptionally well of late and brings needed size and toughness. Chelios is a bit of a stretch, but he's not going to get top pairing minutes. He'll likely be the 7th guy and play the PK. He'll be fine in that role and bring needed leadership. Some guys that were possibilities had some question marks this year: Martin has been inconsistent, Mara is the U.S. version of Bryan McCabe, Gleason, Ballard, and Suter are too green, and Hedican is perhaps too one dimensional. The defense on this team will be more than adequete. Basically, each stay-at-home guy can be paired with a younger, faster, offensive defensemen. Seems balanced to me.

Forwards:

IMO, the only "reach" is Guerin, as he's been pretty average this year. However, he plays well with Modano and Tkachuk, and can get hot. This is the part of the team where I think people are underestimating the U.S. Several of the players (Modano, Weight, Gionta, Rolston, etc) lead their teams in scoring and several more are in the top three. You have excellent depth up the middle (Modano, Weight, Gomez, and Conroy), several great two-way players (Cole, Rolston, Drury), and some sparkplugs (like Blake). I don't think the U.S. will blow anyone out of the water with their scoring, but they can't be underestimated. I think this team will play very much like the Carolina Hurricanes, which the U.S. coach also coaches. A very effective forecheck with scoring opportunities capitalized.

Conclusion:

I agree with whoever said that the U.S. roster whould be compared, not with Canada, but with the other countries in the tourney. Yes, the U.S. could finish out of the medals, but with discipline, timely scoring, and good goaltending, the U.S. could easily medal. We'll soon see.

 

[joshjull]

Have you seen DiPietro play this season other than the Sabres games?

I caught some of the Leafs game tonight As I said earlier, my ranting is over, Go Ricky D and team USA!!!

 

[Rabid Ranger]

How in the world do you take Chelios over Leetch?!?!?

1) Chelios is better defensively than Leetch at this point.

2) I woudn't be surprised if Leetch declined to be named to the team. He's said all along that there should be some transition, which is why he didn't play at the World Championships last year.

 

[sk84fun_dc]

Rabid Ranger - read my posts, I think we agree

and I know you were just citing examples, but please put Conroy on your next list of solid two-way players

 

[arrbez]

Have you seen DiPietro play this season other than the Sabres games?

I caught some of the Leafs game tonight As I said earlier, my ranting is over, Go Ricky D and team USA!!!

In fairness, very few goalies can withstand the onslaught of Stajan, Klee, Czerkawski, etc...

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Rabid Ranger - read my posts, I think we agree

and I know you were just citing examples, but please put Conroy on your next list of solid two-way players

Absolutely. Craig Conroy has been great this year. I'm watching him score a SH goal and almost win the game for the Kings tonight (he hit the post). Few players work harder, which is another trademark of this U.S. team. The results aren't always there, but it wears teams down when guys like Cole, Conroy, Tkachuk, Blake, etc keep driving to the net and creating chances.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

In fairness, very few goalies can withstand the onslaught of Stajan, Klee, Czerkawski, etc...

DiPietro had an off night, but the Isles defense is HORRIFIC. Anyone who denies that is blind.

 

[sabrefan27]

Incase you haven't noticed, Canadians put absolutely no stock into the World Championships. The reason being our best players are nicely divided out among the 30 franchises and this tournament overlaps with the Stanley Cup playoffs so our superstars are all still playing in the NHL.
Even still, we won 2 of the last 3 so that illustrates we can win no matter who we send.

To address some of the things I read above..

- Andy Delmore would fall somewhere between the 50th and 60th - defensemen on Canada's depth chart. Ridiculous notion.
- Doan will make the team only because of management's strategy to build a team, rather than assemble the top stats guys (examples - McCabe, Staal, Spezza etc.)
- Brodeur is playing behind a defense that has been decimated by the loss of two future hall-of-fame defencemen in Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens (both Canadians by the way) and good ol' American boys Rafalski and Martin can't hold do it without them. When he starts in goal behind a defense of captains, Norris trophy winners, Stanley Cup winners he will lead us to gold once again.
- The 50 years joke is one Americans like to use.. But the reality is our guys throughout those 50 years populated the NHL by over 70% and they weren't allowed to play in the Olympics.
- There is a possibility that guys like Luongo, Theodore, Turco, Joseph, McCabe, Staal, Spezza, Crosby, Bertuzzi, St. Louis, Smyth, Doan, Marleau and Nash might not make this team. I repeat, some of these guys will not make this team. The cuts out of that group should be smuggled into the US to start in goal (DiPietro is horrendous), anchor the PP (Chelios could be a grandpa to some of these guys) and make up the 1st line (as much as I love Craig Conroy - he really was born in the wrong country!)

But I digress. If you want any closer to home reality to Canadian hockey player's dominance, check out your local NHL team. Odds are the captains and/or superstars are citizens of the Great White North.

FYI: 38 of the 40 Conn Smythe winners are Canadian (Brian Leetch the only American in 94) Point being, Canadians deliver championships. Look no further than 2004 - Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis led the Lightning to the Cup. All Canadian.

This was probably one of the most pointless posts I've ever read. Way to start off with a bang.

 

[sk84fun_dc]

Absolutely. Craig Conroy has been great this year. I'm watching him score a SH goal and almost win the game for the Kings tonight (he hit the post). Few players work harder, which is another trademark of this U.S. team. The results aren't always there, but it wears teams down when guys like Cole, Conroy, Tkachuk, Blake, etc keep driving to the net and creating chances.

Well, I would have said that about Conroy anyway, but the SH goal tonight, did not hurt my case; he played a solid game tonight.

 

[Nihilism]

Solid group of forwards, questionable defense and goaltending.

How on earth did Ryan Miller not make that team? Interesting to see Miller have an excellent game tonight, while DiPietro couldn't stop a basketball. I wonder if Waddell is having second thoughts.

 

[Troy McClure]

Yes, the U.S. could finish out of the medals, but with discipline, timely scoring, and good goaltending, the U.S. could easily medal. We'll soon see.

I know it's almost cheesy to say. Like, we'll win if we can outscore our opponent, but what you said really is key. These tournaments are won by whichever team can gel the quickest and ride a hot goalie.

If the US can find some instant chemistry, they have a good assortment of players that can play a variety of roles.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Solid group of forwards, questionable defense and goaltending.

How on earth did Ryan Miller not make that team? Interesting to see Miller have an excellent game tonight, while DiPietro couldn't stop a basketball. I wonder if Waddell is having second thoughts.

Because of one game? Yeah, Waddell's that fickle...... DiPietro will be fine.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I know it's almost cheesy to say. Like, we'll win if we can outscore our opponent, but what you said really is key. These tournaments are won by whichever team can gel the quickest and ride a hot goalie.

If the US can find some instant chemistry, they have a good assortment of players that can play a variety of roles.

I really do think people are operating on misconceptions about several of the U.S. players. How many people realize how good a year a guy like Brian Rolston is having? Do people only look at the numbers when thinking about a guy like Aaron Miller? Do people realize that DiPietro's defense in front of him is non-existant? This is going to be a well-coached, hard-working team, that has alot of chemistry, and that means a lot in such a short tournament.

 

[Claypool_*]

Anyone know if the trapazoid areas behind the net are going to be there? If not, DiPietro will have a field day handling the puck.