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

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Beerz said:
Their brand of hockey still does work....but like with anything...a balance is needed. I don't think they reached that balance with this team but when skilled players you're counting on fail to even make an impact it's a bit tough regardless.
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That's why you take more than 6 skilled forwards because it's inevitable some of the guys you're counting on won't produce.
 
Beerz said:
Their brand of hockey still does work....but like with anything...a balance is needed. I don't think they reached that balance with this team but when skilled players you're counting on fail to even make an impact it's a bit tough regardless.
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It might work in the NHL because the salary cap actually prevents you from ever facing a team stacked from end to end with real talent. In this environment having to "shelter" a player like Jack Johnson or David Backes is almost always going to result in a ridiculously overpowered matchup like J.J. on the ice against Corey Perry and Matt Duchene.

You have to ice the best players you can. The USA isn't good enough to handcuff their own roster.
 
If Team USA had shown up at the tournament and just not been good enough to beat Team Canada on Tuesday, that would've been understandable and tolerable. Not even showing up in the opening game against what ought to be the weakest or 2nd-weakest team in the tournament and, worse than that, getting badly outplayed, is not tolerable. I like and respect Team Europe, but that's a team that the USA needed to beat. It's kind of funny how people have discussed that Team Europe doesn't belong in the tournament, yet that team just soundly beat the USA, making you think...

It seems to me to be an indictment of Team USA's strategy--to build a team that is more than the sum of its parts--to get totally outplayed and lose 3-0 to a team composed of 8 different nations and players who had never played with each other before, at least in an international environment. If Team Europe had been dysfunctional and bad, no one would've blamed them, because of the circumstances. They had an excuse to not play like a team, but they've done so, anyways. Team USA has no excuse. I'm not aware of any major controversy surrounding Team Europe leaving off players. They simply took what they could get, hired the right coach and formed a team out of it. So far, they've done what Lombardi and Team USA tried to do, and have done it with less, as well as with a lot less overanalyzing and historical infatuation. It's hard to get stuck in and try to recreate the past when there's literally no past Team Europe to try to recreate, after all.
 
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What a ***** disgrace this tournament is, playing the Canadian anthem for team North America.


Oh well, just going to have fun and project a real Team USA



Gaudreau-Pavelski-Larkin
Wheeler-Eichel-Kane
Saad-Stepan-Kessel
Oshie-Kesler-Parise
Mathews

Suter-Carlson
McDonaugh-Niskanen
Faulk-Jones
Gostisbehere

Quick
Bishop
Gibson
 
Xokkeu said:
What a ***** disgrace this tournament is, playing the Canadian anthem for team North America.


Oh well, just going to have fun and project a real Team USA



Gaudreau-Pavelski-Larkin
Wheeler-Eichel-Kane
Saad-Stepan-Kessel
Oshie-Kesler-Parise
Mathews

Suter-Carlson
McDonaugh-Niskanen
Faulk-Jones
Gostisbehere

Quick
Bishop
Gibson
Click to expand...

Gotta have Gaudreau and Kessel playing together. Assuming NHLers go to the Olympics, I need to see Gaudreau and Kessel on the same at the Olympics. Gaudreau's speed and playmaking is such a perfect fit with Phil. Them and any average center would be incredible but with Pavelski their line would destroy teams. Both will probably get snubbed though USA Hockey doesn't find them gritty enough tho
 
JTD said:
Gotta have Gaudreau and Kessel playing together. Assuming NHLers go to the Olympics, I need to see Gaudreau and Kessel on the same at the Olympics. Gaudreau's speed and playmaking is such a perfect fit with Phil. Them and any average center would be incredible but with Pavelski their line would destroy teams. Both will probably get snubbed though USA Hockey doesn't find them gritty enough tho
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Didn't really think much about the lines but yes that would be fun.
 
The way this team plays is the way our kids are being trained to play nowadays. The style of Burke and Torts is a dinosaur, at best. This is what American hockey will look like in the next wave.
 
How can anyone call these legitimate internationals as US stars score for some mockery of a team?

Hopefully USA gets lit up tomorrow and exits this thing.
 
I doubt Eichel and Gaudreau get selected to the team even if it were an option, given the way the USA team was formed.

Furthermore, as someone who watched Torts coach for over three seasons, I can assure you that Eichel and Gaudreau wouldn't have gotten more than four or five minutes of ice time per game. Torts will almost always go with the veteran option. This is a coach who thought Mats Zuccarello wasn't an NHL player only to have Zuccarello come back and immediately become a top 3 forward on the Rangers under Vignault.
 
I really hope NHLers go to the 2018 Olympics. The potential team they could send IF they make the right selections would be incredible. A team with Kessel, Eichel, Matthews, Galchenyuk, Wheeler, Pacioretty, Kane, Larkin, Tyler Johnson, Pavelski, Saad, Gaudreau, Faulk, Shattenkirk, Jones and others. I know USAH will try and screw it up and go with grit over skill but if they get out of their own way and field the best possible team, they'll be amazing to watch. Expect the worst and hope the for the best I guess
 
StaalWars said:
I doubt Eichel and Gaudreau get selected to the team even if it were an option, given the way the USA team was formed.

Furthermore, as someone who watched Torts coach for over three seasons, I can assure you that Eichel and Gaudreau wouldn't have gotten more than four or five minutes of ice time per game. Torts will almost always go with the veteran option. This is a coach who thought Mats Zuccarello wasn't an NHL player only to have Zuccarello come back and immediately become a top 3 forward on the Rangers under Vignault.
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They requested a waiver for Eichel so....
 
So the Americans could be done as early as Tuesday, correct? If Team Europe wins their next game and America loses their next game, USA is done? Seems like a badly designed tournament where your tournament is over after 4 days.
 
SidGenoMario said:
So the Americans could be done as early as Tuesday, correct? If Team Europe wins their next game and America loses their next game, USA is done? Seems like a badly designed tournament where your tournament is over after 4 days.
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If Europe wins and the US loses they are out yep.
 
Torts is delusional if he thinks the US was ready and did play hard enough in game one. I don't think I saw a decent hit until late into the second period. All those mistakes and multiple 2 on 1's says otherwise.
 
Xokkeu said:
What a ***** disgrace this tournament is, playing the Canadian anthem for team North America.


Oh well, just going to have fun and project a real Team USA



Gaudreau-Pavelski-Larkin
Wheeler-Eichel-Kane
Saad-Stepan-Kessel
Oshie-Kesler-Parise
Mathews

Suter-Carlson
McDonaugh-Niskanen
Faulk-Jones
Gostisbehere

Quick
Bishop
Gibson
Click to expand...

What? :help:

They played both the Canadian and American anthems.
 
Xokkeu said:
Guess the feed I had only showed the Canadian anthem. Great anthem though. :thumbu:
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Glad you like it :)

I personally love our anthem, I know I'm Canadian and it's probably bias, but I get chills every time I hear it.

True north strong and free baby.
 
It's a team built to win against Canada. Might just bite them in the rear end leaving as much talent home as they have.
 
Ok I went to the tournament this weekend and would like to share my thoughts:

1) Above everything, Toronto is an amazing city. Visit. Visit. Visit. I've been 3 times now, wonderful helpful people, safe city, such a livable city. Probably my favorite city in NA.
-Go to Real Sports bar and grill, it reminds me of the old ESPN zone in Baltimore, just better food and no like batting cages or any games like that lol.

2) What a terrible game. We really didn't have many dangerous chances, lots of tips, redirections. The effort was there though, Abdelkader honestly is a great energy guy - I will never argue against his inclusion on the team he gives every shift 100% and was one of our best forwards (not saying much), Kane looked and played hungover...Terrible. As soon as we went down 1-0, Europe did a wonderful job of trapping and stacking the blueline. After talking to other fans especially Rangers fans they were screaming about Torts' coaching. Although I didn't agree with the hire and I'm not a big fan. One aspect of the game I don't think Torts ruined or hampers are the zone entries. I can't see him telling Kane or Pavelski to dump and chase, and grind the game, the team literally couldn't break the trap, EU had like one forechecker, never past their offensive hashmarks. I expect us to be better Tuesday, I'd like to see Byufglien.

3) I ran into Steve Levy and Barry Melrose on the street, great guys. I was in Sportchek (Canadian equivalent to Modell's in the USA) and Corey Perry walked in for a free signing and meet and greet. I am NOT a Corey Perry fan on the ice, but the line was like 4 people long after we checked out, so me and my buddies met him, took a pic with him and wished him luck on Tuesday (i'm in a USA hockey shirt) and I will say Mr. Perry is a wonderful person and really nice to his fans. I collect memorabilia and go to a lot of public signings, and Corey was nice to everyone who crossed his path.

4) I met so many wonderful hockey fans, I HATE this tournaments format but I met great people from every part of the globe, it was especially nice sharing a beer or two with fellow American fans who share the same passion I do for the crest. If you saw or talked to a mid-20's Italian-American wearing a JvR 2014 Sochi jersey, that was me!

5) It may have been Canada, but this weekend was a reminder that hockey is alive and well in North America.
 
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