I spent the night at home in Fredericton last night with a couple of old friends of mine. We had a few drinks, played a couple of games of FIFA 10 (tough losses for the kid here, but really, PS3 isn't my console, but that's neither here nor there), and then the inevitable came up and we started discussing the Olympic hockey team.
Now I believe, as I'm sure most do, that my friends are intelligent, well spoken individuals. I believe in giving them the benefit of the doubt when they're wrong, and if I need to correct them, I do so in a well-mannered way.
All of this changed last night when the two parties involved, we'll call them H and J, for anonymity's sake, said I was dead wrong in assuming that Rick Nash would be on the first line for Team Canada come February. Forget the fact that he played with Crosby pretty much the entire orientation camp. Forget the fact that he's having the best start to a season in his career. Forget that he is one of the top players in the NHL today, the two of them said he is an underachiever the likes of Jason Spezza.
... WHAT?!
I'll never understand their argument, which at one point came down to them spouting off Nash's career stats, comparing them to Alex Ovechkin (Even though they're both number 1 picks, they're completely different players). They even went so far as to say they'd rather have Alex SEMIN on their team over Nash.
... WHAT?!
My anger about their statements no doubt contributed to my 3 consecutive FIFA losses as I was continually focusing towards them and not the TV to look them in the eyes to tell them they're idiots, but I feel very strongly about it.
I'll no doubt be cheering loudly for Nash as a first line winger when he takes the ice in Vancouver, as I will be cheering on the Red and White, while J and H, you have fun cheering simply for the Red, you commies...
WHAMMO!!
Showing posts with label jason spezza. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jason spezza. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Put it on the board - Matty takes Red
Pack your bags we're goin to camp.
This household, for one, is eager to see what happens this Thursday night during Team Canada's Red vs. White game.
Now, since I got on the topic first...I get first pick. I take the Reds...Put it on the board Dewey, the Reds will dominate when the puck drops Thursday.
And why you might ask??? Because they'll need to. Take a peak at the Team Red line-up and you'll see a whole whack of guys who are sitting on the bubble, or who as of yet are on the outside looking in when it comes to a roster spot this winter.
For quick reference, this is how I have "Team Red" lining up:
Goaltenders:
(Starter) Roberto Luongo
(Back-up) Cam Ward
Defensive Pairs:
1 - Chris Pronger & Dan Boyle
2 - Dion Phaneuf & Robyn Regehr
3 - Brent Seabrook & Drew Doughty
4 - Dan Hamhuis & Stéphane Robidas
Forward lines:
1 - Jeff Carter & Eric Staal & Milan Lucic
2 - Corey Perry & Vincent Lecavalier & Patrick Sharp
3 - Ryan Smyth & Joe Thornton & Patrick Marleau
4 - Dan Cleary & Jason Spezza & Derek Roy
It's pretty safe to say, at least I'll say it, that Spezza is a long shot for the final cut. But I also think that there is just not enough room for all three of E. Staal, Lecavalier and Thornton either. Especially considering that Carter is a Centre-iceman himself. Should be interesting to see how they make out at camp.
I think that both Lucic and Perry can do themselves a lot of good with a strong camp and a strong scrimmage against the likes of Crosby and Iginla, but in the end, I think the two of them are fighting for the same spot, and may be both on the outside looking in.
Either way, I take the Reds (only times I'll ever cheer for a team names the Reds) in a 6-5 victory. Lucic with the winner at 18:54 of the third, on a pass from a streaking Staal.
Put it on the board.
WHAMMO!!
This household, for one, is eager to see what happens this Thursday night during Team Canada's Red vs. White game.
Now, since I got on the topic first...I get first pick. I take the Reds...Put it on the board Dewey, the Reds will dominate when the puck drops Thursday.
And why you might ask??? Because they'll need to. Take a peak at the Team Red line-up and you'll see a whole whack of guys who are sitting on the bubble, or who as of yet are on the outside looking in when it comes to a roster spot this winter.
For quick reference, this is how I have "Team Red" lining up:
Goaltenders:
(Starter) Roberto Luongo
(Back-up) Cam Ward
Defensive Pairs:
1 - Chris Pronger & Dan Boyle
2 - Dion Phaneuf & Robyn Regehr
3 - Brent Seabrook & Drew Doughty
4 - Dan Hamhuis & Stéphane Robidas
Forward lines:
1 - Jeff Carter & Eric Staal & Milan Lucic
2 - Corey Perry & Vincent Lecavalier & Patrick Sharp
3 - Ryan Smyth & Joe Thornton & Patrick Marleau
4 - Dan Cleary & Jason Spezza & Derek Roy
It's pretty safe to say, at least I'll say it, that Spezza is a long shot for the final cut. But I also think that there is just not enough room for all three of E. Staal, Lecavalier and Thornton either. Especially considering that Carter is a Centre-iceman himself. Should be interesting to see how they make out at camp.
I think that both Lucic and Perry can do themselves a lot of good with a strong camp and a strong scrimmage against the likes of Crosby and Iginla, but in the end, I think the two of them are fighting for the same spot, and may be both on the outside looking in.
Either way, I take the Reds (only times I'll ever cheer for a team names the Reds) in a 6-5 victory. Lucic with the winner at 18:54 of the third, on a pass from a streaking Staal.
Put it on the board.
WHAMMO!!
Friday, August 21, 2009
Is Heatley on the team?
One player I've had on my second line since we started this debate was Dany Heatley. He'd be playing alongside of Rick Nash and Ryan Getzlaf on said line, providing a nice mix of finesse and physical ability.
It has come to light recently though that Hockey Canada is none too pleased with the way Heater's trade demand / no-trade blockage has been handled by the superstar forward. He's been dodging these questions all summer and in this article by Jim Kelly, he mentions that the brass plan to have him answer the questions, one and done, but there's no telling he'll actually cooperate.
What's even more interesting is the way Heatley has performed before in what Kelly calls a "best-on-best" situation. We all remember the 2008 IIHF championships, where the aforementioned Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf lineup racked up the points, with Heatley leading the way with 12 goals, adding 8 assists, and thinking "these guys are there in 2010". However, in these other "best-on-best" situations (where every country ices their best players, not just who's available), Heatley has struggled, with only 3 points (1G, 2A) in the 2006 Olympics, and 2 points (1G, 1A) in an even longer series at the 2004 World Cup of hockey (writer's note: the best time 15 kids from the East Coast could ever have, in the Montreal portion of the tournament anyway).
Now, I'll be the first to admit I hated the 2006 team. I didn't like the direction it took from the get-go, so I'm willing to forgive Dany for that. In 2004, Heatley was only a pup, and had been involved in a terrible accident which limited his season to 31 NHL games, so he probably wasn't at his best at this time. Both of these facts should make it easy to overlook Heatley's weak performances at the big time competitions. Add to this the fact that he's answered the bell and played for Team Canada just about every time he's been asked to, and he should be on the team.
With Stevie Y in charge of this year's team there's really no knowing whether anything in the past will make a huge difference, and if he only looks at the present, he's looking at a guy coming off a season in which he played only 71 games (due to injury), and is being followed by a whole lot of drama.
I still think he makes it though...
Camp on Monday!
WHAMMO!!
It has come to light recently though that Hockey Canada is none too pleased with the way Heater's trade demand / no-trade blockage has been handled by the superstar forward. He's been dodging these questions all summer and in this article by Jim Kelly, he mentions that the brass plan to have him answer the questions, one and done, but there's no telling he'll actually cooperate.
What's even more interesting is the way Heatley has performed before in what Kelly calls a "best-on-best" situation. We all remember the 2008 IIHF championships, where the aforementioned Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf lineup racked up the points, with Heatley leading the way with 12 goals, adding 8 assists, and thinking "these guys are there in 2010". However, in these other "best-on-best" situations (where every country ices their best players, not just who's available), Heatley has struggled, with only 3 points (1G, 2A) in the 2006 Olympics, and 2 points (1G, 1A) in an even longer series at the 2004 World Cup of hockey (writer's note: the best time 15 kids from the East Coast could ever have, in the Montreal portion of the tournament anyway).
Now, I'll be the first to admit I hated the 2006 team. I didn't like the direction it took from the get-go, so I'm willing to forgive Dany for that. In 2004, Heatley was only a pup, and had been involved in a terrible accident which limited his season to 31 NHL games, so he probably wasn't at his best at this time. Both of these facts should make it easy to overlook Heatley's weak performances at the big time competitions. Add to this the fact that he's answered the bell and played for Team Canada just about every time he's been asked to, and he should be on the team.
With Stevie Y in charge of this year's team there's really no knowing whether anything in the past will make a huge difference, and if he only looks at the present, he's looking at a guy coming off a season in which he played only 71 games (due to injury), and is being followed by a whole lot of drama.
I still think he makes it though...
Camp on Monday!
WHAMMO!!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
They probably wanted to make sure there were still some "Z" on the jerseys at camp.
Several things about this:
1 - He won't be taking Getzlaf's place when things are all said and done come this winter.
2 - He shouldn't be there over Savard.
3 - Spezz...watch out for Lucic in the corners.
Will be very interesting to see how the "sometime" wonder responds to this.
More to come on this for sure.
WHAMMO!!
1 - He won't be taking Getzlaf's place when things are all said and done come this winter.
2 - He shouldn't be there over Savard.
3 - Spezz...watch out for Lucic in the corners.
Will be very interesting to see how the "sometime" wonder responds to this.
More to come on this for sure.
WHAMMO!!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Missing the Marc?
So earlier today Hockey Canada released the names of the guys who will be attending the olympic orientation camp this August. As great as the names are that are on that list, we, as a blog, have to focus on the negative, so let the second guessing begin:
Marc Savard - In a word: Really? Savard was left off the list and was the biggest shock to me. I was listening to Prime Time Sports tonight and heard Johnny Misley, Executive Vice President of Operations for Hockey Canada, talking about how the biggest problem they had in the room was that there were so many good centers to choose from (listen to the full interview here). However, he also mentioned that they had looked at the players last three years, as well as their resume playing internationally. Savard's last three years are 96, 78 (in 74 games), and 88 just last season, his international resume may not look like much, but that of course is because his team has been playing in the playoffs, making it a bit hard to make it to the worlds. There's not much more he could have done, if that doesn't merit a trip to camp, he won't be on the team. They (the brass) must not have believed that he could move to a wing, as some other players will have to do, or maybe they just didn't have enough S' to put on the jerseys, thanks to inviting so many Staal brothers, which might help explain the next two omissions as well.
Jason Spezza - In a word: Statement. One of the first things from Matty upon learning of Spezza not being on the team was that despite being a superstar, also being a "sometimer just don't jive". No doubt this omission probably came as a bit of a shock to him as well, having answered the call for Canada in the past and playing in the worlds the last few years. Spezza certainly has fallen far from the accolades (the next Gretzky) he recieved at 16. We'll see how this plays out for Spezza, whether it will inspire him to come out and play like he's capable of, or whether he'll just bury his head in the sand... or whatever it is they have like sand in Ottawa.
Steven Stamkos - In a word: Disappointing. Stamkos had a rough start to his NHL career. After being selected first overall, his rookie season started with normal rookie struggles, along with a coach who didn't believe he was ready for the show. He struggled in the first half and some started to wonder if Tocchet had a point. However, he really seemed to figure it out in the second half, finishing the season with 23 goals and 46 points. He followed that up by going to the worlds and being an offensive force for the Canadian team. You almost hope that performance would have got him to Calgary for camp, but apparently his spot had to be given to Andy MacDonald.
Brian Campbell - In a word: Who the soup guy? Brian Campbell signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason after having been dealt to the Sharks at the NHL trade deadline from the Sabres. He then proceeded to take the money he got from signing that contract and entered the witness protection program. I'd imagine that Stevie and the rest of the gang probably just forgot his name. Of course I'm joking, but it's not surprising that Campbell was left off the roster, as two of his teammates outplayed and over shadowed him this season past.
Braydan Coburn - In a word: Puzzling. They took 16 defenseman and he wasn't one of them. A young kid like him fits the mold like Seabrook, Keith and Hamhuis, but didn't make it. The only reason I guess that he would have overlooked would be that I guess you can have too many good, young, strong defenseman. (But don't tell that to Pierre McGuire, WHAMMO!)
Carey Price - In a word: Expected. How far has Price fallen in the last year? A year ago, if you had asked who would be in nets for team TwentyTen, everyone's answer would have been the same, "Brodeur, Luongo, Price". After his amazing playoff run with the Habs in '08, that version of Price seems like a distant memory. He posted a winning record this past season, at 23-16-10, but had a save percentage of only .905, and had a goals against of nearly 3. Between guys like Ward, Fleury and Mason really stepping up this year, and Price's regression, his being left off this list was surely an easy choice. (Matty's quick summation: "The Price is wrong, bitch!")
Chris Osgood - In a word: Talbot. In the same interview I mentioned earlier, Misley did say something that made the Savard omission a little easier to swallow. He said there was no agenda for anyone in the room making the choices. This makes the Cleary choice a bit puzzling to me, but it keeps Osgood out of nets for Canada in twentyten, and that makes me happy.
Potent Notables (that we're also leaving off our list) - Daniel Briere (who we actually had going to camp in our original list), Brad Richards, Mike Cammalleri, Patrice Bergeron
The list will be trimmed from 46 to 23 before we go to Vancouver next year, and while we are disappointed in these omissions, we can't help but think that it will make predicting who's on the team just that much easier... I'm looking at you Robidas!
Marc Savard - In a word: Really? Savard was left off the list and was the biggest shock to me. I was listening to Prime Time Sports tonight and heard Johnny Misley, Executive Vice President of Operations for Hockey Canada, talking about how the biggest problem they had in the room was that there were so many good centers to choose from (listen to the full interview here). However, he also mentioned that they had looked at the players last three years, as well as their resume playing internationally. Savard's last three years are 96, 78 (in 74 games), and 88 just last season, his international resume may not look like much, but that of course is because his team has been playing in the playoffs, making it a bit hard to make it to the worlds. There's not much more he could have done, if that doesn't merit a trip to camp, he won't be on the team. They (the brass) must not have believed that he could move to a wing, as some other players will have to do, or maybe they just didn't have enough S' to put on the jerseys, thanks to inviting so many Staal brothers, which might help explain the next two omissions as well.
Jason Spezza - In a word: Statement. One of the first things from Matty upon learning of Spezza not being on the team was that despite being a superstar, also being a "sometimer just don't jive". No doubt this omission probably came as a bit of a shock to him as well, having answered the call for Canada in the past and playing in the worlds the last few years. Spezza certainly has fallen far from the accolades (the next Gretzky) he recieved at 16. We'll see how this plays out for Spezza, whether it will inspire him to come out and play like he's capable of, or whether he'll just bury his head in the sand... or whatever it is they have like sand in Ottawa.
Steven Stamkos - In a word: Disappointing. Stamkos had a rough start to his NHL career. After being selected first overall, his rookie season started with normal rookie struggles, along with a coach who didn't believe he was ready for the show. He struggled in the first half and some started to wonder if Tocchet had a point. However, he really seemed to figure it out in the second half, finishing the season with 23 goals and 46 points. He followed that up by going to the worlds and being an offensive force for the Canadian team. You almost hope that performance would have got him to Calgary for camp, but apparently his spot had to be given to Andy MacDonald.
Brian Campbell - In a word: Who the soup guy? Brian Campbell signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason after having been dealt to the Sharks at the NHL trade deadline from the Sabres. He then proceeded to take the money he got from signing that contract and entered the witness protection program. I'd imagine that Stevie and the rest of the gang probably just forgot his name. Of course I'm joking, but it's not surprising that Campbell was left off the roster, as two of his teammates outplayed and over shadowed him this season past.
Braydan Coburn - In a word: Puzzling. They took 16 defenseman and he wasn't one of them. A young kid like him fits the mold like Seabrook, Keith and Hamhuis, but didn't make it. The only reason I guess that he would have overlooked would be that I guess you can have too many good, young, strong defenseman. (But don't tell that to Pierre McGuire, WHAMMO!)
Carey Price - In a word: Expected. How far has Price fallen in the last year? A year ago, if you had asked who would be in nets for team TwentyTen, everyone's answer would have been the same, "Brodeur, Luongo, Price". After his amazing playoff run with the Habs in '08, that version of Price seems like a distant memory. He posted a winning record this past season, at 23-16-10, but had a save percentage of only .905, and had a goals against of nearly 3. Between guys like Ward, Fleury and Mason really stepping up this year, and Price's regression, his being left off this list was surely an easy choice. (Matty's quick summation: "The Price is wrong, bitch!")
Chris Osgood - In a word: Talbot. In the same interview I mentioned earlier, Misley did say something that made the Savard omission a little easier to swallow. He said there was no agenda for anyone in the room making the choices. This makes the Cleary choice a bit puzzling to me, but it keeps Osgood out of nets for Canada in twentyten, and that makes me happy.
Potent Notables (that we're also leaving off our list) - Daniel Briere (who we actually had going to camp in our original list), Brad Richards, Mike Cammalleri, Patrice Bergeron
The list will be trimmed from 46 to 23 before we go to Vancouver next year, and while we are disappointed in these omissions, we can't help but think that it will make predicting who's on the team just that much easier... I'm looking at you Robidas!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
