WJC: Whats wrong with Canada?

[Fixed to Ruin]

The coaching staff sucks for not being able to squeeze out more from the group though. Even with the group we had they should have played better and gotten to more high danger areas, It wasn't a strong group but look how well the Czechs were coached last night. Those kids were dialed in

I agree but also for a team that can't score we had top offense players like McKenna at like 13 minutes a game.

Coaches made poor decisions with roster selection then deployed what they had in game poorly as well.

 

[Captain Mountain]

This ^^^
Player selection seems (imo) to be partially based on some kind of quota system. Must have players from different regions and prospects from certain nhl teams. All to drive the money making machine.

Yakemchuk, Parekh and Hage weren't even initially invited to the selection camp (Parekh only joined after an injury). Those are 2024 picks from 3 of the 7 Canadian teams, being 2 top 10 picks who are among the best D in the CHL and the highest goal scoring and second highest P/GP (behind Hagens) Freshman forward in the NCAA. From different regions and backgrounds.

None of them were the most egregious snubs and I doubt all of them would have even made the team if it was well managed or coached, but if there's a quota system for any reason, it must be an idiotic system to piss off a 3rd of the countries NHL hockey fans.

 

[jbeck5]

Instead of picking the best players, they seem to want to pick a team handicapped by a salary cap, if that makes any sense.

They try to get grinders for grinding positions without realizing that superstar talent is better at grinding in a short tournament like this.

The top players can play a 4th line role better than a 4th liner for a 5 game tournament.

Should always be picking BPA and then make your lineup from those players.

You're better off having an Iginla or stone on your 4th line than a Maltby or Draper on your 4th line even if stone or Iginla would never play a grinder roll in the NHL is that makes sense.

 

[TheDoldrums]

There’s nothing wrong with Canadas development of players. They are dominating the 1st round of the draft recently and will do so again this year.

The problem lies in selecting and coaching a group to win this tournament, which obviously needs massive changes from the organization

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Nothing's "wrong" with them, they just didn't have it this year.

The sooner the media here stops cranking the hysteria up to 11 after every WJC loss, the better.

First time in history that Canada didn't go past the quarters in back to back years. Something has changed.

 

[lakai17]

Canada are still the best. Add in Sennecke, Yakemchuk Celebrini, Bedard, Benson. Also Parekh getting some deserved hype here too. Other goalie options too if needed.

No disrespect to the team they constructed as they had their moments and were unlucky. After seeing that last period of hockey I believe a little more on ice chemistry earlier in the tourney would have done more damage. We know the talent levels of Ritchie, Catton, McKenna, (Sennecke), etc.

 

[HabsQC]

2 minutes for knee

 

[Rebels57]

Complete and total mouth-drooling morons running the show. How do you not even invite top 10 picks and leading scorers in leagues to camp? The arrogance is f***ing astounding.

 

[Fight4yourRight]

Dave Cameron seems like a complete douchenozz.

 

[Rebels57]

Instead of picking the best players, they seem to want to pick a team handicapped by a salary cap, if that makes any sense.

They try to get grinders for grinding positions without realizing that superstar talent is better at grinding in a short tournament like this.

The top players can play a 4th line role better than a 4th liner for a 5 game tournament.

Should always be picking BPA and then make your lineup from those players.

You're better off having an Iginla or stone on your 4th line than a Maltby or Draper on your 4th line even if stone or Iginla would never play a grinder roll in the NHL is that makes sense.

Bingo. Just bring the most talented players at each position.

This. Is. Not. Hard.

 

[daethfromabove1979]

Instead of picking the best players, they seem to want to pick a team handicapped by a salary cap, if that makes any sense.

They try to get grinders for grinding positions without realizing that superstar talent is better at grinding in a short tournament like this.

The top players can play a 4th line role better than a 4th liner for a 5 game tournament.

Should always be picking BPA and then make your lineup from those players.

You're better off having an Iginla or stone on your 4th line than a Maltby or Draper on your 4th line even if stone or Iginla would never play a grinder roll in the NHL is that makes sense.

They take these grinders but they don't actually grind at the tournament, so they are useless. There is zero hitting or physicality out there, Canada used to win by playing with an edge but that is non-existent in today's game, they need to adjust. Every time they tried to throw a hit, they took a penalty.

Just take the best skilled players like you said. Two years ago, Fantilli was playing like an absolute dawg out there, grinding like there was no tomorrow even though he's more of a skill guy.

 

[kevsh]

Nothing, Czechs are just better. They showed it year before and confirmed it this year and Czechs didn´t even have their best players aside from Galvas.

But that wasn't the question.

Canada was bad all tournament. They scored 2 more goals in the preliminary round than Kazakhstan. The could not score once in a shootout vs. Latvia. Their special teams were bad, they took too many penalties, they never looked confident or cohesive.

Yes, the Czechs were better (along with USA, Sweden, Finland, apparently Latvia ...). But the question is for two years in a row, why can't Canada either put together a better roster or if that's not the issue, why are they failing?

So far bad coaching & roster selection seem to be at the top of the list.

 

[Bruce Granville]

Well..for starters they use the metric system.

It surely helps count goals…

 

[Boonk]

First time in history that Canada didn't go past the quarters in back to back years. Something has changed.

The other countries have caught up and made big strides to draw even or surpass us at this level. The more time lower minnow teams like Latvia and Germany get exposed to the elite junior level, the more their players and coaches adapt and improve at this level as well. This will only translate further onto the mens level when some of these players develop into pros and play for the senior NT. The days and ability for Canada to coast through the tournament until meeting one of the other favorites is over for the most part.

Bad management, coaching, and roster selections also dont help much either.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I don't know what's worse - people overreacting or people saying that Canada losing to Latvia is just "the world catching up to them". If this isn't a wake up call, I don't know what is. You have to draw the line somewhere as to what's acceptable and what isn't.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Management and coaching, before the tournament started, people were questioning selected team.

 

[Slats432]

The selection was bad, but there was no in tournament adjustments to right the ship. Here is a haiku to sum it up.

The Captain was drunk.
He saw the iceberg, didn't turn.
The Titanic sank.

 

[EK47]

You are a lot more optimistic about the strength of this squad than most people I talked with.

Really? Maybe the McKenna hype got me.

 

[thewookie1]

Can anyone explain how Team Canada was apparently tired the entire tournament?

 

[Moose Head]

Instead of picking the best players, they seem to want to pick a team handicapped by a salary cap, if that makes any sense.

They try to get grinders for grinding positions without realizing that superstar talent is better at grinding in a short tournament like this.

The top players can play a 4th line role better than a 4th liner for a 5 game tournament.

Should always be picking BPA and then make your lineup from those players.

You're better off having an Iginla or stone on your 4th line than a Maltby or Draper on your 4th line even if stone or Iginla would never play a grinder roll in the NHL is that makes sense.

Bobby Clarke admits that he made a big mistake in 1998 selecting great grinders instead of elite talents for his depth roles and believes that it probably cost Canada the Gold in Nagano. He came to learn that elite talent will adapt to their situation because they are elite talent.

 

[wetcoast]

They picked a team that is better off for 7 game series rather than a team that is good for single elimination. And this tournament is single elimination.

Basically this and people are glossing over the fact that canada for the most part outplayed their opponents in the competition.

Sure there were problems but they also didn't get good luck and the officiating wasn't great but the bottom line is that Dave cameron should never coach this team again.

Why did he stop Canada's' momentum with that challenge?

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Watching TSN broadcast continue to carry water for Hockey Canada hints at another part of the problem.

In the post game, they spent more time blaming the officials and the players than management.



It's a total echo chamber, and I imagine Hockey Canada brass likely surrounds themselves with sycophants like Bob McKenzie who will look to blame anyone else but HC. Until that stops, don't expect something to change.

 

[Turin]

Immigration mostly

 

[Slats432]

Can anyone explain how Team Canada was apparently tired the entire tournament?

<<INSERT 2018 World Junior Scandal Joke here>>

 

[Albatros]

The more time lower minnow teams like Latvia and Germany get exposed to the elite junior level, the more their players and coaches adapt and improve at this level as well. This will only translate further onto the mens level when some of these players develop into pros and play for the senior NT.

Not necessarily automatically, if Latvia is more competitive at the WJC because they now have more players in North America, but at the expense of domestic programs which clearly haven't improved accordingly. Their hockey risks becoming increasingly top-heavy and reliant on foreign development paths that are inherently less accessible.