WC: USA has not appeared in WHC final in 57 years

[Zamuz]

This tournament made sure it has now been 57 years and counting since USA played in WHC final last time. (or won gold/silver since there has not always been a final played)

When will the time come? Even Slovakia has been in finals 3 times since it's independence, and also Switzerland appeared once.

Click to read more...

 

[Scotty B]

This tournament made sure it has now been 57 years and counting since USA played in WHC final last time. (or won gold/silver since there has not always been a final played)

When will the time come? Even Slovakia has been in finals 3 times since it's independence, and also Switzerland appeared once.

Well Yanks lost again...BUT, they had youngest team in tourney...plus they beat both Russia and Sweden, albeit in round robin...

Plenty of positives, even as also rans...

Not that many stateside know or care...

 

[TruePowerSlave]

It has to be an attitude problem. Team USA has gone to some tournaments with a pretty decent roster as well and accomplished absolutely nothing. They always fall flat on their face in elimination games, no matter who the opponent is.

 

[Tomas W]

The US does not always send a great squad, but this version should of course not be knocked out by Finland.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

It has to be an attitude problem. Team USA has gone to some tournaments with a pretty decent roster as well and accomplished absolutely nothing. They always fall flat on their face in elimination games, no matter who the opponent is.

It is 100%. Even if they never have the best team, they still have a team capable of going far every year. I mean if Finns and even the Swiss have made the finals in the past decade, there is no excuses for USA to not make it in 57 years.

I mean just watching the QF game, their effort was absolutely disgusting. They looked like they were out partying the night before, and underestimated Finns at the same time.

Which brings me to the life outside of games in these tournaments.. Watching them play over a dozen tournaments, im pretty confident in saying they probably treat the tournament as a vacation more than any other big country. There is no way in hell they work hard off the ice and prepare accordingly to games.

They also get upset by a much weaker opponent pretty much every single year. Another good indication of that.

 

[BruinLVGA]

It is 100%. Even if they never have the best team, they still have a team capable of going far every year. I mean if Finns and even the Swiss have made the finals in the past decade, there is no excuses for USA to not make it in 57 years.

I mean just watching the QF game, their effort was absolutely disgusting. They looked like they were out partying the night before, and underestimated Finns at the same time.

Which brings me to the life outside of games in these tournaments.. Watching them play over a dozen tournaments, im pretty confident in saying they probably treat the tournament as a vacation more than any other big country. There is no way in hell they work hard off the ice and prepare accordingly to games.

They also get upset by a much weaker opponent pretty much every single year. Another good indication of that.

... we beat the US in the semifinals... I guess that's the best chance - on paper - the US had in these 57 years...

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Poor attitude and taking the tournament as a nice vacation after a grueling NHL season. There simply is no other real explanation. USA is essentially a non factor at the Worlds every year even if they have a good team.

 

[admire]

i feel like its getting better players to commit..not improvement every year but over a longer period

 

[jj cale]

A U.S win at this tournament is coming very soon, within 5 years IMO.

 

[splot]

It has to be an attitude problem. Team USA has gone to some tournaments with a pretty decent roster as well and accomplished absolutely nothing. They always fall flat on their face in elimination games, no matter who the opponent is.

Really? I'm hardly the first one to point out that WHC is almost exclusively played on the larger ice surface. That might have something to do with it. It's not that hard to draw that conclusion when USA haven't taken a medal in any Olympic games played outside of the NA since 1972, but have since then taken gold or silver every time when it's played there with the exception of 1988 in Calgary.

 

[kaiser matias]

When you consider that this date refers to the 1960 Olympics, as the World Championship was decided at the Olympics until the 1980s, it is actually 67 years since the US placed in the top two (as both 1960 and 1950 didn't have a playoff round, just a round robin for the medals).

 

[Rob]

I really thought this was the year. I still can't believe how flat they were against Finland.

 

[CarbonFootprint]

I really think it's just that high-end American players just don't care. To me, they come across as very selfish only wanting to play for their country when it's really prestigious like the Olympic's or gets some kind of compensation like the World Cup. Maybe this new generation like Eichel, Larkin, Trouba etc will be different but I'm not holding my breath on that. Guys like Kane, Kessel, Parise, Suter etc have gone to the Worlds when they were younger players when they were trying to establish themselves. Once they were star players no more Worlds they were "too good" for that. I get the arguments against this tournament but you should still be honored and feel obligated to put your countries uniform on and represent, regardless if you are "too tired".

 

[Scotty B]

Really? I'm hardly the first one to point out that WHC is almost exclusively played on the larger ice surface. That might have something to do with it. It's not that hard to draw that conclusion when USA haven't taken a medal in any Olympic games played outside of the NA since 1972, but have since then taken gold or silver every time when it's played there with the exception of 1988 in Calgary.

Hmmm....this may be nitpicking, but the SLC OG was on a hybrid ice surface...Secondly, didn't the Ann Arbour home venue for US NDTP used to be Big Ice?

I doubt lack of familiarity with Big Ice is a Big Factor...More likely, it's the fact that their WC teams are a perpetual youth movement with a few journeymen vets sprinkled in...

Paraphrasing someone else's point...Yank's established stars are perpetual WC No Show's, that's problem numero uno...that and the fact that the average hockey fan stateside has little to no interest in this tourney of also rans...

 

[Jakk123]

US almost never send rosters which would be even close to their best. I think they could have won this year, they just had their bad game in the quarterfinals.

 

[Juicy Pop]

I really think it's just that high-end American players just don't care. To me, they come across as very selfish only wanting to play for their country when it's really prestigious like the Olympic's or gets some kind of compensation like the World Cup. Maybe this new generation like Eichel, Larkin, Trouba etc will be different but I'm not holding my breath on that. Guys like Kane, Kessel, Parise, Suter etc have gone to the Worlds when they were younger players when they were trying to establish themselves. Once they were star players no more Worlds they were "too good" for that. I get the arguments against this tournament but you should still be honored and feel obligated to put your countries uniform on and represent, regardless if you are "too tired".

Is it an issue with the players specifically or is just a general cultural apathy for these sorts of competitions? I would tend to believe that it's the latter.

Really? I'm hardly the first one to point out that WHC is almost exclusively played on the larger ice surface. That might have something to do with it. It's not that hard to draw that conclusion when USA haven't taken a medal in any Olympic games played outside of the NA since 1972, but have since then taken gold or silver every time when it's played there with the exception of 1988 in Calgary.

Is the ice the biggest factor or could it be the hype of performing on home soil/close to home?

 

[TruePowerSlave]

US almost never send rosters which would be even close to their best. I think they could have won this year, they just had their bad game in the quarterfinals.

They still send rosters that are able to at least get the Bronze. There are a bunch of teams that have gotten a medal whose roster has been anything but convincing. Its just that the US are the only top nation incapable of accomplishing such a feat.

 

[Mr. Penguin]

Well I hope they never ever make the finals. No one in the USA cares about the WC, even the players treat it as some kind of a vacation joke tournament...

 

[1Gold Standard]

If they actually put any effort into, planned and prepared seriously, and if the players were committed to it, then I'd be concerned at the drought. but since none of the above actually applies, then the drought is really not a big deal.

I'm disappointed though. I really was looking forward to a Canada v USA GMG.

 

[Xokkeu]

Slovakia made the final because they used to have an awesome team and cared a lot.

The US either sends a ****** euro Ahl team or a skilled inexperienced team. Results are hardly surprising

 

[Xokkeu]

They still send rosters that are able to at least get the Bronze. There are a bunch of teams that have gotten a medal whose roster has been anything but convincing. Its just that the US are the only top nation incapable of accomplishing such a feat.

They've really only sent half decent teams the last few years

 

[TruePowerSlave]

They've really only sent half decent teams the last few years

And achieved very little, unsurprisingly.

 

[Xokkeu]

And achieved very little, unsurprisingly.

They got to the semifinals like 3 out of the last five years. That's about the level of the teams they've sent

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

They've really only sent half decent teams the last few years

There's been plenty of teams making the finals with hardly any NHL players. Half decent is good enough if you have a lot of heart, play well as a team and get a bit lucky with some of the match-ups down the line.

I agree their recent years have been a step in the right direction, but this year's QF was a big step back again.

 

[Xokkeu]

There's been plenty of teams making the finals with hardly any NHL players. Half decent is good enough if you have a lot of heart, play well as a team and get a bit lucky with some of the match-ups down the line.

I agree their recent years have been a step in the right direction, but this year's QF was a big step back again.

This year was one bad game. In a seven game series this team probably beats Finland 4-1. But that's part of these games is one bad game at the wrong time and you're out