WC Relegation Round GDTs

[SwisshockeyAcademy]

SwisshockeyAcademy, I hear you loud and clear.

I appreciate what Kolzig HAS DONE in the past. I predicted Godzilla would win the Conn Smythe (which he almost did) before the playoffs in which the Caps went to the big dance (plus the team had Tikkanen and Linden, which meant I followed them closely that season). But Kolzig is close to retiring, unless he wants to pull a Hasek and play longer than goalies usualy do.

And I am often speaking about Sturm as underrated and have twice drafted him here at HF on mock drafts.

BUT, give me a Vladimir Tsyplakov or Konstantin Koltsov over the other Germans any day of the week and twice on Sundays. Not to mention two other Belarus players who impressed the heck out of me recently Andrei Mezin and Mikhail Grabovsky. And then there's the highly touted Andrei Kostitsyn.

There's now way that Germany could "clearly" ice the 8th best roster. Maybe they could, but it's not as obvious as comments around here by guys with Swiss and German avatars or usernames make them out to be (hence my "homer" statement).

I agree with you that international hockey is much better off with more competitive teams, and this tourney has shown that the gap isn't as big as it used to be between the Top 7 and everybody else.

I did not say "clearly" were the 8th best team.But i believe they still are. Belarus will have trouble in the net as Mezin is 31 i believe and there is little currently in the pipeline. I agree Kolzig's last hurrah for Germany could be next years Olympics. Ehelechner and Patzold are but a couple of the nice young keepers Germany has coming. Ehrhoff, Schubert, Seidenberg, Schauer, Sulzer, Goc, Sturm, Gawlik , Gogulla and Yanic Seidenberg all have their best days ahead. Hecht , Kreutzer, Lewandowski and Ludemann all have some time left. Tsyplakov is a grey beard for Belarus; Grabovski, Kostitsyn, Zakharov, Koltsov all have neat individual talent but i think at least for the next five years Germany will have the better TEAM.Past that though Belarus have the best chance of success of the former Soviet republics because their President is not afraid to support the sport.

 

[Fan.At]

it's a shame that austria wasn't able to beat even slovenia. i think they showed what they can do throughout the tournament, but never for a full game. they had a breakdown in each single game and obviously the outcome won't be any good if you don't show up for a full game.

i expect a new coaching staff, younger players (Rotter, Raffl, maybe Nödl, Pinter...) and the immediate return to the top group next year. I don't think that's too high expectations.

i feel sorry for germany too. I think both teams suffered from ... hm, let's say not-worldclass-ready coaching. (Real good coaching was the great advantage of Belarus btw, Glen Hanlon did a wonderful job there, imo)

 

[Tronador]

Are you German?

Lots of homers around here. No problem. But it obscures perception.

There were better skaters on Belarus and Kazakhstan, weren't there? Or are they too far from Switzerland to show up on your radar.

Homer!

signed,
A Canadian who has been saying his own country's team sucked since the opening game of the tourney because - well - that's how it really appears to me.

It's obviously, that there are other reasons why you slander German hockey in such a way. I didn`t think that the German players are better than those from Belarus,Latvia...but i wouldn't talk about a foreign country in such a way like you.
I think you don't know Jochen Hecht, Marco Sturm, Marcel Goc, Dennis Seidenberg, Ehrhoff, Schubert,Ustorf,Lüdemann,Michael Hackert,Jan Benda, Thomas Greilinger or very good prospects like Gogulla or Gawlik!!Perhaps you don't know the fact of the injuries(or reasons why they were not in Austria): Sturm, Seidenberg, Ustorf, Robert Leask, Hackert, Lüdemann, Th.Greilinger, Sascha Goc and so on...

Ok, this worldcup was a disaster and the German team played terrible...

I hope to see here some more fans, who are a little more objective and fair!!!

 

[Tronador]

it's a shame that austria wasn't able to beat even slovenia. i think they showed what they can do throughout the tournament, but never for a full game. they had a breakdown in each single game and obviously the outcome won't be any good if you don't show up for a full game.

i expect a new coaching staff, younger players (Rotter, Raffl, maybe Nödl, Pinter...) and the immediate return to the top group next year. I don't think that's too high expectations.

i feel sorry for germany too. I think both teams suffered from ... hm, let's say not-worldclass-ready coaching. (Real good coaching was the great advantage of Belarus btw, Glen Hanlon did a wonderful job there, imo)

I feel sorry for Austria too.....

 

[VanIslander]

It's obviously, that there are other reasons why you slander German hockey in such a way. I didn`t think that the German players are better than those from Belarus,Latvia...but i wouldn't talk about a foreign country in such a way like you.
I think you don't know Jochen Hecht, Marco Sturm, Marcel Goc, Dennis Seidenberg, Ehrhoff, Schubert,Ustorf,Lüdemann,Michael Hackert,Jan Benda, Thomas Greilinger or very good prospects like Gogulla or Gawlik!!Perhaps you don't know the fact of the injuries(or reasons why they were not in Austria): Sturm, Seidenberg, Ustorf, Robert Leask, Hackert, Lüdemann, Th.Greilinger, Sascha Goc and so on...

Ok, this worldcup was a disaster and the German team played terrible...

I hope to see here some more fans, who are a little more objective and fair!!!

I didn't slander German hockey in any way!! I simply haven't seen the supposedly superior players coming from there, and consider it a hockey nation on par with a couple of others, and not at all ahead of Belarus in terms of producing skilled hockey players.

You can sit in Berlin and think my statements were neither objective nor fair but rest assured this Canadian hockey nut bases his judgements on as many hockey games as he possibly can watch, and - working outside of Canada at the moment - I've benefitted from watching every game of this tourney and a ton of videos sent from back home. I haven't been up close and personal with German hockey as I'm sure you have. But please realize your closeness to it might be feeding your sense that Germany's players are superior to those of other non-Top7 nations, as I mentioned at least some other posters around have assumed.

There is some parity! But I accept that you don't think so! (Homer!)

 

[Flukeshot]

I haven't been up close and personal with German hockey as I'm sure you have. But please realize your closeness to it might be feeding your sense that Germany's players are superior to those of other non-Top7 nations, as I mentioned at least some other posters around have assumed.

There is some parity! But I accept that you don't think so! (Homer!)

This isn't my fight, but Germany's players ARE (or are supposed to be) better then the other 2nd tier hockey countries. Though Switzerland may be or at least soon be considered the number 8 team. Germany's invite to the World Cup would suggest that they are above the likes of Belarus, Latvia etc. (For the time being).

Aside from this single tournament, Germany and Switzerland have proven to be the #8 and #9 teams best on best in the world.

The poster is not being a "homer" just because he is stated essentially the truth.
Hecht and Sturm are both top 6 forwards for their teams in the NHL. D Seidenberg is a legit NHL defender for the Flyers and M Goc has and will prove to be a quality NHLer. They are backed by a handful of AHL calibre players and quality DEL players. Not too many other 2nd tier hockey countries can claim that.

This was a horrible tournament for the German National team I doubt anyone really had them pegged as a relegation team prior to the start of it all.