Captain Creampuff
Registered User
- Sep 10, 2012
- 10,969
- 1,816
Who will win gold?
- Thread starter RarreKZ
- Start date
In this short a tournament, it's whatever team plays best together. It's not about which team has the best individual goalie, defenseman or forward.
I may think Canada has the best team on paper, but they have to all mesh and work together to win. The best individual talent will never win Gold. The best group that forms a team will.
It's a fallacy that the Czechs won because of Hasek. He was instrumental, but the whole team completely bought into the system they used to stifle the opposition.
I'm really happy with so many guys on Team Canada coming in with instant chemistry. At forward there are 3 preset duos with Crosby/Kunitz, Getzlaf/Perry, and Toews/Sharp. Tavares/Duchene have history as well.
On D, Keith/Doughty were a top pair last Olympics, Bouwmeester/Pietrangelo play together and Hamhuis/Weber know each other well from their Nasville days.
I'm really hoping that will help get the chemistry ramping up early so everyone can work quickly and adapt to Babcock's system.
I may think Canada has the best team on paper, but they have to all mesh and work together to win. The best individual talent will never win Gold. The best group that forms a team will.
It's a fallacy that the Czechs won because of Hasek. He was instrumental, but the whole team completely bought into the system they used to stifle the opposition.
I'm really happy with so many guys on Team Canada coming in with instant chemistry. At forward there are 3 preset duos with Crosby/Kunitz, Getzlaf/Perry, and Toews/Sharp. Tavares/Duchene have history as well.
On D, Keith/Doughty were a top pair last Olympics, Bouwmeester/Pietrangelo play together and Hamhuis/Weber know each other well from their Nasville days.
I'm really hoping that will help get the chemistry ramping up early so everyone can work quickly and adapt to Babcock's system.
The Missing Piece
What's Left?
- Sep 19, 2012
- 1,528
- 417
And that's why Kronwall - Ericsson and Oduya - Hjalmarsson will be playing together.
You could argue for Hedman, Brodin etc but these already have the chemistry together. And Hedman was awful last time he was on the national team, not say he can't improve but might be why he wasn't selected.
Sweden could ice two defense corps that would be olympic calibre and in 4 years it will probably even be better.
You could argue for Hedman, Brodin etc but these already have the chemistry together. And Hedman was awful last time he was on the national team, not say he can't improve but might be why he wasn't selected.
Sweden could ice two defense corps that would be olympic calibre and in 4 years it will probably even be better.
bert
Registered User
- Nov 11, 2002
- 37,576
- 23,899
I agree they are far more familiar with the Olympic size ice/game. That D core is going to be something else on the big ice.
PensPlz
Registered User
redgrant
Registered User
- Nov 2, 2013
- 6,306
- 3,688
TheStatican
Registered User
- Mar 14, 2012
- 1,759
- 1,551
Let me come up with one for you, its your homeland.
Wasn't all that hard to find a reason you'd think that if you ask me.
I have a strange and funny feeling Finland will have another shock gold medal just like the recent World Juniors and take it all. On paper Canada has by far the best overall team and should win. The U.S has the best goaltending by far though, and that makes them a serious gold threat, and the rest of the team while not spectacular is very well balanced with few weaknesses, and has good chemistry.
I dont really see Russia as that strong. They have some scoring firepower on the first 2 lines and not much else to them. They are on home ice and badly want the gold so will still be a medal contender, but I dont see them as one of the strongest teams right now. Sweden doesnt look as strong as past years, and the Czech team doesnt look like a real contender anymore. Neither do Slovakia.
I dont really see Russia as that strong. They have some scoring firepower on the first 2 lines and not much else to them. They are on home ice and badly want the gold so will still be a medal contender, but I dont see them as one of the strongest teams right now. Sweden doesnt look as strong as past years, and the Czech team doesnt look like a real contender anymore. Neither do Slovakia.
Nihiliste
Registered User
- Feb 8, 2010
- 11,511
- 4,732
Any of the big 7 nations could take it though obviously the odds lie more in favor of Canada/Sweden/USA/Russia.
Canada has put together a great roster but of late has seemed to struggle on the big ice in international tournaments. I'm not sure we picked the best roster we could have for the international surface.
Sweden - great roster despite some strange picks on defense, a lot of players who are familiar with one another, and proven to always buy into the system and play hard on the big ice. Huge threat for gold.
US - Ryan and Yandle omission aside, this is a very fast and very complete roster. Maybe they don't have a big name #1C but their goaltending is incredible and they're built to play a very aggressive game.
Russia - home ice advantage can't be understated, incredible top 6 forwards. Varlamov/Bobrovsky both have the potential to get hot and win games singlehandedly.
Canada has put together a great roster but of late has seemed to struggle on the big ice in international tournaments. I'm not sure we picked the best roster we could have for the international surface.
Sweden - great roster despite some strange picks on defense, a lot of players who are familiar with one another, and proven to always buy into the system and play hard on the big ice. Huge threat for gold.
US - Ryan and Yandle omission aside, this is a very fast and very complete roster. Maybe they don't have a big name #1C but their goaltending is incredible and they're built to play a very aggressive game.
Russia - home ice advantage can't be understated, incredible top 6 forwards. Varlamov/Bobrovsky both have the potential to get hot and win games singlehandedly.
I can. Finland just won the WJC gold and on this season's EHT, they've been the team to beat. Finland has already clinched the EHT tour total title, despite one more round left.
Okay, now how does success in a Junior tournament and B-class National Team tour translate into olympic success? The Answer: Finland has great system. Finnish coaches have been outcoaching everyone else this season. And that, combined with stellar netminding, will even out the field in the olympics too. The Finnish system is poison especially to countries that rely a lot on individual talent.
The Czech team of 98-2002 was so underrated. They had the best defensive group (probably not player by player, but as how they worked together as a unit) of any country at the time, probably the most talented player in the World at the time with Jagr, and a very overall creative, skilled, group of players. They outshot all their final 3 opponents in Nagano IIRC (not sure about Russia, for sure U.S and Canada) and dominated the U.S offensively in their quarterfinal game. As a group their amazing team defense almost made Hasek, by far the Worlds best goaltender at the time, look even better than he was if possible. Roy still played atleast equally well as Hasek in their semifinal, and Canada still lost, and were lucky to even get into a shootout. I was amazed how in SLC they were almost ignored as a threat, but had Khababulin not stood on his head in their quarterfinal, I think there is a very good chance they would have defended their gold medal, or atleast for sure been in the final (no way do I see the U.S team beating them).
behemolari
öh¨ns-ä
- Dec 1, 2011
- 6,604
- 3,201
international ice is, being host isn't. euroteam will win due to being more familiar with circumstances and KHL-rink.
behemolari
öh¨ns-ä
- Dec 1, 2011
- 6,604
- 3,201
Absolutely this, except I don't have a trust for Erkka Westerlund, any other finnish coach would be fine. Erkka is way too kind for playing poisoning defend leading killing trapping antigame. You need guy like Summanen or Kivi for that. That said Erkka would be good with more talented team.
Finland has a great shot to surprise but fails in the end, because of coaching. Like it always does.
Erkka is the very coach who's been executing the same system against stronger opponents on the EHT as Kivi did on WJCs.
This sums it up for me pretty much. Finland will likely not get to the semi-final stage, unless riding a hot goalie like there's no tomorrow.
Uncle Rotter
Registered User
This should be made sticky here on ths board...
and yes I agree with your Nagano summary. He was pivotal, but he was not the only reason CZE win. Btw we have been outplayed only by one team that time, and "only" 2/3 of the game - US, but the other 1/3 made the difference.
It was only US outplaying CZE, the rest is really fallacy. Apart of US team, no one can say, they were better then CZ (some of them can say there were not worse but it is another story)
Prediction:
1. CZE
2. SUI
3. SK
Dark horses will show their tails
