Man down

Well this is just awesome... NOT!

It looks like the forward who everyone was surprised to see make the team won't be in Vancouver after all. With Bergeron breaking his thumb, we're going to need a replacement. The obvious choices in my mind are Jordan Staal and Jeff Carter, though Dreger is tweeting that it's too early to pencil anyone in, naming Carter by name...

So let the debate begin! Who's your pick?

Things to be thankful for

On this, the weekend of our Canadian Thanksgiving, as we sit around, enjoying a morning coffee, getting ready to nurse our "walking bird" hangovers tomorrow morning, we here at Canada Twentyten think that we should partake in the age old tradition of saying some things that we're thankful for before we sit down to enjoy our meals tonight...

I'm thankful for superstars playing like superstars...

After a start to the season that didn't really live up to our expectations, the two most promising options for the Olympic team from the Sharks, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton, have really started to come on strong. The two of them are currently tied for the league lead in points with another dynamic duo in Washington, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. If the two of these guys keep up this pace, it's going to be very hard for Stevie Y and the brass to not put them on a line together in Vancouver in 2010.

I'm thankful for highlight reel goals...

On Thursday night, Jordan Staal scored a beauty goal against the Flyers (video also at the bottom of the post). Matty made a good point last night while we watched the game saying "No one can hold guys off like him and still finish with those hands...". He looked great out there, albeit against the Maple Leafs, who looked terrible. It's easy to forget about Staal out there in Pittsburgh, with Crosby and Malkin getting a ton of the glory, and we've even forgotten about him in our weekly power rankings, but be assured, he won't be overlooked next week.

I'm thankful for being able to say "I was wrong"

It takes a lot for someone to admit they're wrong, and it's no easy task. Though when you write a blog you put yourself out there and are left very open for criticism. Admittedly, it's not something I like to do, but I think I have to come out and say "I was wrong" when it comes to Ryan Smyth. Earlier in the week, I wrote a quick post and mentioned that he had disappeared. Of course, when I looked up the link above to show Thornton and Heatley's stats, I went down the list, and low and behold, at number 10 was Smyth with 7 points thus far on the season. I still don't think he makes this team, but it looks like he's determined to make it a tough decision for the Hockey Canada decision makers.

Most of all, we're thankful for you, the Twentyteners! Without you, this site would be no fun to write... enjoy your meals!

WHAMMO!

Bits and Bites

Some potent notables from last night's action, as far as twentyten hopefuls are concerned:

Hot Hot Heat: Dany Heatley showed up in the second and third periods against twentyten hopeful Steve Mason to score a hat-trick, with an assist thrown in for good measure...not to be completely outdone, teammate Joe Thornton had a four assist night. Could this be the start of something good for the two twentyten bubble bouncers?

A Pennsylvania punishing: In a standard smash and crash classic, the Pens fought to a 5-4 win over their cross-state rivals from Philly. Crosby went pointless??? While Jeff Carter continued his hot start with 2 goals and 2 assists in a losing effort. And, didn't big Jordan Staal look good on the break with a first period goal. I think he needs to be considered in next week's power rankings.

Hard in the head: Corey Perry had a dandy night against my Bruins, netting three points (2 goals and an assist). One of those goals coming on a beauty header into the top corner. (*soccer reference).

WHAMMO!!

Contrary to popular belief...

If you ignore something, that won't make it go away...

I'm talking of course about this...

I've mentioned before that we have to be negative because we're a blog. Like any good sports fan, I am superstitious. I have my rituals, and my quirks, and so because of this I didn't even bring up the point to Matty about discussing possible injuries to key players. I figured if I just stayed positive and didn't bring up any concerns about something like an injury happening, then all the boys would be fine and we'd be celebrating a gold medal in February 2010.

Well now that's gone out the window and it requires a post.

You see, the problem is that, whether the brass of Hockey Canada want to admit it or not, half this team is picked. Crosby is ON the team. Crosby could come out of the gate, get no points in the first month of the season (as if) and he'd still be on the top line come the Olympics. He's just that good, and everyone knows it. He's on the team. They're saying the injury isn't serious, but the shroud of secrecy in the NHL surrounding injuries is so ridiculous that I'm sure a ripped Achilles could be classified as a "day-to-day lower body injury" by some of the spinners out there.

The other half of the team will be made up from "bubble" guys. This gang will be playing their asses off this year in hopes of making what is surely to be one of the greatest and most hyped teams of all time.

The big difference between these groups is that these "locks" are irreplaceable. Sure, you can throw another guy on the top line, between Iggy and Nash, and I'm sure they'd be fine... but they wouldn't be Crosby. If Jordan Staal is named to the team (not saying he will be, just saying is all) and in January he tears his ACL getting hit going hard into a corner, he can be replaced by a guy like Lucic (who we love here at Twentyten) and I don't think the team suffers too much from it. Some guys can be replaced, some can't, it's that simple.

Don't get me wrong. I am definitely not wishing harm upon J. Staal or anyone else who is a possibility to make the team, I'm just starting to hit the panic button a little early on injuries to the team.

Injuries are a part of hockey, and I understand that. We can't ask our guys to go out there and play soft in the regular season, or wrap them in bubble wrap, because these guys are going to be playing hard for a spot on the roster and that's what's going to get them there. But I am going to pray to the hockey gods, and I believe you Twentyteners out there should do the same, to keep our boys healthy through this NHL season so that we can go out there with the team that is supposed to be out there, at least with the guys who we can't afford to be miss.

Stepping up to the plate...

Unfortunately here at Canada Twenty Ten, we've both been extremely busy lately. With wedding season in full bloom, the nice weather finally starting to show up, and sneaking in rounds of golf whenever possible, it has led to a shortage in posts.

However, there really hasn't been that much to report on lately, but over the past week a couple worthy news tidbits have come up that are definitely worth discussing.

First off is this piece from the CTV Olympic homepage, where our boy, Marty Brodeur has said that it will be up to the "Young Guns" (not to be confused with this 1988... classic?) to really step up this coming February and lead this team to victory.

Ever since Matty and I started having these discussions one of my biggest gripes with the way Team Canada always seems to be run is that they always seem to bring along too many veterans. I have no problem with the experience factor, but if you take too many veterans, I just feel like their legs may not be able to keep up with some of the other younger squads that are iced for the tournament. Some veteran leadership is great, too much of it is just tiring.

This is why I believe this story is news worthy. I like how a veteran, who is probably one of the three safest players going to camp who will actually be on the team, is coming out and acknowledging these kids are going to be big time players for the Twentyten team. I think that most people I've spoken with agree that we need some of these younger kids there. Crosby, Getzlaf and Eric Staal are all what should be "givens", but with guys like Perry, Carter and younger brother Jordan Staal all on the bubble in my opinion, I believe that these guys are guys that should be on the team over some of the older guys that are being considered for the same spots on the team.

This also has a bit of a two-pronged effect. These young kids, who I am sure are all plenty confident about their own ability but may be feeling just a few butterflies about making the team, will have that little boost from a guy they know will be counted on for this team saying that they're going to be needed. This may just be all in my head, but I have to believe that some of these guys who know their on the bubble could really use a push like that from a guy they respect.

The other newsworthy piece to report actually deals with one of these kids who I have on just about any team I build, Ryan Getzlaf, who apparently had surgery for a sports henia on Wednesday. This of course means Getzy will be missing the orientation camp when it begins in the latter part of August. Could this hurt his chances of being on the team? I think it does, but I still think he's there in Vancouver. The kid has been dynamite in the NHL, showing improvement every season, and his performance with Heatley and Nash a couple years back definitely plays in his favor. That being said, if he comes out of the gates slow this season, showing that he's not fully recovered, I wouldn't put it past any of the Twentyten brass to consider someone else for his spot, and there will surely be someone who will gladly step in.

Oh and in case you didn't know... camp starts in 24 days...

WHAMMO!!

Line juggling

As Matty and I sat around last night thinking up who could possibly make up the "grind line" (post on that to come soon, rest assured). I questioned whether or not the name "grind line" still held relevance and what other names you might possibly be able to give such a line. Unfortunately, we were unable to come up with any real great names for our grinders, but we did manage to come up with some pretty interesting line possibilities for Coach Babcock to try out at this summer's orientation camp. We know that Nash, Healtey and Getzlaf will more than likely be the number two line after their showing at the worlds a couple of years ago, but these lineups we thought up were a little more unorthodox, and we believe could bring some real spark to the twentyten team.

Hockey Canada has already taken a bunch of our suggestions for who to bring to camp, while also overlooking a few (no matter how much they deny it), but they might as well try some of these lineup combinations, which we would love to see.

The Staal Line - So obvious that it almost makes me sick. You take the three Staal kids, you throw them on the ice together and you watch the magic happen as it did on the outdoor rink oh so many years ago in Thunder Bay. While the naysayers may argue that Marc is a defenseman, I don't think it matters. He could play opposite of Eric, and the two of them could flank brother Jordan. It's crazy enough that it just might work.

The Poutine Line - Our friends in Quebec were not represented as much as some may have thought, with the exclusion of Savard and Briere to name a couple, but that doesn't mean team twentyten isn't laden with French talent up front. Simon Gagne would be the fries for the line, a solid base, while Vinny Lecavilier and Martin St-Louis would top it off with gravy and curds, which work so well together. I know that I have said that I didn't think St-Louis should be on the team (or even at the camp), but on a line like this, it would just be so delici... good, I mean good.

The Goals of the Year Line - Nash, Toews, Getzlaf. These three guys are all absolute beauty players who, over the past few seasons in the NHL, have scored some of the nicest goals we've ever seen. Putting them on a line together would no doubt cause a cataclysmic effect on the ice, the likes of which we've never seen leading to some of the greatest goals in the history of everything.

The 'Extra Maple Syrup' Line - It hasn't been talked about much, but one of the players overlooked to come to camp for a goaltending spot was on JC Petit. The competition was fierce though, and not even we had him pegged to make it to camp, so his omission by the brass is forgiven. However, in honor of JC comes this line. Marty St-Louis again plays on this line, with Andy McDonald and... uh... well, there's not really another "small" guy that I can find going to camp, so we'll just take any of the guys off what is an undersized American team. It may be a bit of a problem getting them on to the Canadian team, but I mean, to see what would resemble a Timbits Hockey squad on the ice at camp would be a once in a lifetime event.

The 'Pierre McGuire Just Blew His Load' Defensive Pairing - The only non-offensive grouping on this list, and because Pierre loves everyone, it was probably the hardest one to pick. However, that being said, we really couldn't figure out who would cause McGuirre to go off on a string of "kaboom" and "whammos" like would Dion Phaneuf and Shea Weber. It was this tandem that really led to a lot of Pete's ridiculous sayings back in 2005 when the World Juniors were played in Grand Forks, Michigan. Here, the defensive pairing not only led Canada to Gold then, which is the color we're all expecting to see in Vancouver, but it also led to the now famous "Double Dion", just another intolerable call from our old 'buddy' McGuire. If you're a fan of Canadian Hockey, then you're excited at the prospect of these two playing together again.

That's all we have for now, but with 46 guys, there are sure to be other creative ideas out there. What about you? Got any good line ideas?

At a stand Staal

Friday night I witnessed one of the best games I've ever watched on TV. This can be for one of two reasons. The first of course is my unabated hatred for the Red Wings of Detroit, and second is because maybe it was actually just a great game. In fact, the whole series was great, and a pleasure to watch aside from game 5 and the Osgood interviews.

While watching the games though there was a player who stood out in my mind. In fact, he stood out to me in just about every game I watched the Penguins play this post-season. With camp quickly coming up I believe that Jordan is a no-brainer to go to camp. That being said, I can truthfully say that I did NOT have Jordan Staal joining his brother Eric in Vancouver in some 9 months time, however, his play in the playoffs, especially in the final round, has changed my mind.

During the final round with the Kid being just squeezed to death by the Red Wings defensive superstars, Jordan really stepped up. He may have only had 2 goals and an assist in the final round, but he played such a big role for the Pens. He was out there for the big draws (his success rate wasn't great, but the coach trusted him in those situations, and really, the Wings may be the best faceoff team in the league), he was out there chequing opponents, shutting down their offensive stars, and of course killing penalties, perhaps the catalyst for turning the series around with a beautiful shorthanded goal in game 3 in Pittsburgh.

The debate arose Friday night during the game watching him play, Matty and I both agreed that Jordan HAS to be on the team and I guarantee that after seeing that series first hand Stevie Y definitely has to be thinking along the same lines.