World Cup: World Cup: 2016 World Cup — Team USA Part III

[Ace Card Bedard]

Matthews, Jones, Eichel, Saad, Trouba, etc.

Help is on the way!
(If mgmt doesn't screw it up)

 

[satbank]

It's over. I hope I never see half of these players representing USA. Lombardi and Torts nope.

 

[JTD]

The teams the US sends for the annual World Championship play harder and play better than this crew. What an absolute embarrassment. Lombardi, Torts and Burke as well Holmgren should never even be around USA Hockey ever again. What a disgrace. Everyone involved with USA Hockey's national program should be ashamed

 

[Sacha Baron Corbin]

Lombardi is a solid NHL GM, but his style is not made for international play. Skill always beats grit in these tournaments

 

[fsanford]

Lombardi is a solid NHL GM, but his style is not made for international play. Skill always beats grit in these tournaments

These tourney's do lean toward a pond hockey style, make it up as you go sometimes.

Not a lot a time to develop a system. You want guys that just fly up and down the ice.

 

[Sacha Baron Corbin]

These tourney's do lean toward a pond hockey style, make it up as you go sometimes.

Not a lot a time to develop a system. You want guys that just fly up and down the ice.

And I think that's part of Team USA's downfall, too much focus on the system rather than attempting to create plays

 

[William H Bonney]

Lombardi is a solid NHL GM, but his style is not made for international play. Skill always beats grit in these tournaments

Lombardi still seems surprised that this tournament doesn't last for 5 years with his methodology.

 

[Xokkeu]

Hull/Chelios just said 2 or 3 guys would not have made a difference.
Pretty much throwing it at the coaches feet, saying it was disorganized.

Interesting take

I agree. I was furious about the Frankenstein team but they would have been wasted on this abomination of a team.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Everything from management to coach hing to the players screwed this up... who assembled the management team. That guy should be embarrassed

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Kessel is MVP for the USA team.

 

[Martyros]

nice to see Lombardi have the choice of taking whichever American he so chooses and still chooses to avoid the skilled players because of size...

was watching Jack Johnson chase the play 24/7 for 5 years not enough to choose Shattenkirk or Faulk over him?

 

[major major]

And I think that's part of Team USA's downfall, too much focus on the system rather than attempting to create plays

You could have said that at times. Certainly people will take that interpretation after listening to Torts. But many times against Canada at least, the problem was over-passing. Guys not putting the puck on net.

Everything from management to coach hing to the players screwed this up... who assembled the management team. That guy should be embarrassed

For leaving off guys like Kessel, Tyler Johnson and Faulk, yes. And the players, even the best among them, are seemingly unable to execute simple plays like 3 on 2's. I don't know what Torts would have said that would have made it so. My guess is it's not really anything he said.

 

[major major]

nice to see Lombardi have the choice of taking whichever American he so chooses and still chooses to avoid the skilled players because of size...

was watching Jack Johnson chase the play 24/7 for 5 years not enough to choose Shattenkirk or Faulk over him?

I would have taken Faulk, maybe Shattenkirk if they need an offensive specialist. The reason American hockey execs keep going to Jack Johnson is because he's got a rep as a big game player. He's been great in the past in international tournaments. I didn't think he was good in this tournament, but the reason he's getting so much crap isn't because he played more poorly than his teammates (certainly not), but because he immediately stands out as a tier below in terms of nhl performance. I wouldn't have picked him but I don't think it's without reason.

 

[fsanford]

I would have taken Faulk, maybe Shattenkirk if they need an offensive specialist. The reason American hockey execs keep going to Jack Johnson is because he's got a rep as a big game player. He's been great in the past in international tournaments. I didn't think he was good in this tournament, but the reason he's getting so much crap isn't because he played more poorly than his teammates (certainly not), but because he immediately stands out as a tier below in terms of nhl performance. I wouldn't have picked him but I don't think it's without reason.

Errors are magnified with that much skill level on the ice. A guy with a lifetime -126 plus/minus, has made his fair share of just horrible plays.

JJ, has always stepped up to represent his country and for that he should be commended.

But he was a bad choice this time out, as were several others.

 

[Esa 10]

Matthews, Jones, Eichel, Saad, Trouba, etc.

Help is on the way!
(If mgmt doesn't screw it up)

That's a huge if, isn't it? They had plenty of talent available left at home for this tourney. Tyler Johnson, Shattenkirk, Kessel, Faulk. Arguably Yandle, Fowler and a couple more speedy, scoring forwards.

Then you have strange coaching decisions like not building the PP around Big Buff. And that's not just on Torts. There are a couple of NHL head coaches who served as his assistants here that should've had a say.

 

[Street Hawk]

I honestly think this is the best thing for usa hockey in the long run. No different than what occurred to Canada after Nagano and turin. They needed a smack in the face to initiate change to their entire program, from development to player selection to coaching.

Hopefully for them heads will roll and a new group will be selected to run not just the men's teams but the entire usa hockey program.

Seems like each country has to hit a low point before changes get made. It happened in Sweden and Finland as well. Russia needs one to, mainly in their coachong and the play.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Megaterio Llamas]

Can you imagine the echo chamber that ensued when Lombardi, Tortorella, Holmgren and Burke sat down to discuss the makeup of the team?

'We're going to be a stiff hockey team'.

 

[Osprey]

I just realized that even Slovenia, with its single NHLer, had a better tournament at the last Olympics than the USA had at this World Cup. Slovenia won not just one, but two games!

Lombardi still seems surprised that this tournament doesn't last for 5 years with his methodology.

Lombardi is all about the 5-year plan. If only the tournament were 1,800 days longer, Team USA would've been literal world beaters by the end.

 

[Don Corleone]

The comments by Lombardi and Torts about the US not having enough skill so they had to select grinders instead of skill players is such BS. The worst thing is that I think they actually believe the crap that they are selling Only a fool would make such a claim. Excluding Canada, USA has just as good of a chance to win as any team. However, naturally they would have to be willing to select the best players and have a coach who actually knows what he is doing.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

torts and lombardi sound like idiots, the fact of the matter is everyone besides USA hockey thought their selection process was garbage, and it turned out to be true. how the **** do you leave faulk and shattenkirk off the team in favor of jack johnson and matt niskanen?

did it occur to them at all that you need to score goals to win hockey games? the caveman mentality loses again

 

[tade]

Embarrassing display for Team USA, need a major retool going into the next tournaments. Both - in management group and in players selection.

Speaking as of going into the next season.

Abdelkader, E + J. Johnson, Niskanen, Dubinsky, JVR, Oshie, Palmieri, Backes, Kesler - all out.

Pavelski-Eichel-Kane
Gaudreau-Matthews-Kessel
Johnson-Galchenyuk-Wheeler
Parise-Stepan-Saad
Pacioretty
Larkin

Suter-Faulk
McDonagh-Carlson
Gostisbehere-Jones
Byfuglien

Schneider/Quick/Bishop

 

[hagelin1381]

Why was Holmgren a part of the team too? He absolutely ruined the Flyers, they're lucky Hextall did an excellent job of cleaning up his mess so fast.. And when's the last time Torts did anything as a head coach? Only making it to the ECF with one of the best goalies of this generation? Dude fails everywhere he goes

 

[Officer Rod Farva]

The fact that Schneider only played the third period of a meaningless game says all you need to know.

 

[rj]

The fact that Schneider only played the third period of a meaningless game says all you need to know.

Quick as goalie looked to be the correct decision after the exhibitions. And we don't see what happens in practice. You can fault the coaches and management for the skaters a lot. Goalies, I don't think so.