Comments on: PHT Extra: How do Team USA, Canada, Russia look a year before the Olympics?

By: imleftcoast

imleftcoast — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:54:19 +0000

Can’t we all just agree that Sidney Crosby is a great kid and deserved to win it all in OT for Canada?

The US junior team just won the world championship on January 5th. Canada didn’t even get a medal. Things are looking pretty for Team USA.

By: slickvb82

slickvb82 — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:25:27 +0000

After reading through the comments section, I’ve come to one conclusion: @mclovinhockey is a complete moron.

That is all.

By: slickvb82

slickvb82 — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:25:15 +0000

After reading through the comment section, I’ve come to one conclusion: @mclovinhockey is a complete moron.

That is all.

By: whatswellydoing

whatswellydoing — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:33:53 +0000

Kesler is a Selke winner and one of the best two-way players in the game. If he’s healthy, he’s on there.

By: broadstbully33

broadstbully33 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:55:42 +0000

Then you are delusional

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:36:48 +0000

Kane maybe, Suter, nty… Shattenkirk would be my number 1 pick from the US to be on Canada if needed. Suter I think is over rated. he put up great points with Weber… now they both are not doing well. Suter is also like -7 right now which is horrible. I would take Byfuglian over Suter right now

Bobby Ryan has a chance if I would pick the rest of his ducks line just to make chemistry, Kesler would be a no, Kessel I think would be over taken by all the depth… Parise might make the 4th line but I doubt I would take him….

So overall so far No way any goalies make canada, the only D I would take is Shattenkirk and on O Kane is my first choice if I need some USA players… than Parise, so at most 3 players.

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:22:21 +0000

Currently out of the 6 US born goalies in the NHL the best one and only one who has stats that could make him an option for team Canada is Craig Anderson. Quicks 2.67 GAA and the fact he is on a team who should be doing a lot better since they are the cup champions, meanwhile a guy like Price who is playing on a team who was almost last in the league last year who has a GAA of 1.74, Lous is 1.53 while MAF is 2.38…quick would actually be 10th in canada and ranks 22nd overall in GAA…. so no I would not take Quick, I would be smart and stick with the Canadian goalies

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:09:56 +0000

yeah MAF did amazing in 08, Lou won them the gold in 10 because he got hot which is all they need, Price is a great goalie and most likely going to get number 1 for canada.

Like Chelsea said Quick currently is playing horrible. Right now I would not put him in my top 15 goalies to make a team for short.

By: 19to77

19to77 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:08:27 +0000

Martin’s having a great year so far, actually. Might not be a bad thought at all, cheeman.

By: timsabourin

timsabourin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:01:20 +0000

No way Ryan, Kesler or Miller make Canada.

By: thecheeman

thecheeman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:13:51 +0000

That sounds completely familiar now that you say that. It felt funny seeing him as listed under the US, but I like his game so much I wanted him in as a penalty killer and glue guy who makes heads up decisions.

By: thecheeman

thecheeman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:11:12 +0000

Paul Martin was a selection last time before he got hurt. He might not be a bad choice again. Should have some good advice on how to play Crosby anyway.

Might be the longest of long shots, but I’ve seen Andy Greene play a lot this year so far and he’s playing like he deserves consideration.

By: thecheeman

thecheeman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:09:24 +0000

I appreciate that, it’s just that I’ve heard nothing but relentlessly negative coverage of these two the last two seasons. Erik a little before and since the Blues trade, and Jack as irresponsible.

Looking at our D-corps though it really doesn’t look like we have a leadership figure back there without Rafalski.

By: thecheeman

thecheeman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:05:03 +0000

I read an article somewhere maybe on the CBC about how the Russian ice is going to be much larger than what we had in Vancouver, and therefore the game is suited more for guys with outside speed. It speculated someone like Jaime Benn would make the squad, that guys like Iginla can’t be selected.

If that’s the case I was thinking Pacioretty doesn’t bring enough to the table, though I like his consistency generally and that has its own value.

By: sunderlanding

sunderlanding — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 08:27:07 +0000

Miller is a bum. The rest are ok.

By: 19to77

19to77 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:25:43 +0000

Jack Johnson’s kind of gotten worse instead of better since then, though. He’s only recently begun to rebound his game from the literally nonexistent D that got him booted from the Kings. Just one game of showing up in his not-so-old form, just one or two of those terrible giveaways, and the U.S. could lose an elimination game literally on his shoulders. The low-scoring Kings certainly lost some due to his play.

By: 19to77

19to77 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:16:42 +0000

Also, Pacioretty is American, a proven 30-goal scorer, big, physical and appears to bounce back from injury faster than Wolverine. Good option in him.

By: 19to77

19to77 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:12:14 +0000

Curious thing: despite being born in the U.S., Couturier has Canadian citizenship and played for the 2011 Canadian World Junior team. I imagine he’s probably eligible for either, but he doesn’t appear to have a record of playing for America.

Then again, if he’d have a chance of making one and no chance at the other… hell, I know I’d be taking an invite to the U.S. camp.

By: Mike Halford

Mike Halford — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 06:01:37 +0000

Jack and Erik Johnson would be holdovers from 2010. I’m going on the theory USA Hockey would show loyalty to two of the five youngest players on what was one of the more successful National sides in recent memory. Erik Johnson was 22 and Jack Johnson was 23 while winning silver in Vancouver, and they showed tremendous poise on the international stage.

By: thecheeman

thecheeman — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:56:23 +0000

The Canadian team obviously has superior talent up and down the roster to everyone except in goal, but this isn’t an 82 game season where that talent proves out every time over a long season. It’s 2 weeks of dudes rammed together, and the talent gap isn’t so superior that they can’t be overcome in a short rushed tourney. I’d say the US beats Canada 1 of every 3 games they play in these type of circumstances.

As to the rosters, can someone tell me, an East Coast guy, what’s so special about Erik Johnson and Jack Johnson, two dudes who have combined to play maybe 6 career playoff games? What do they bring to the table that Halford’s calling them a lock while Yandle, the top D-man on a perennial playoff team, with talent that can pop off the screen, would possibly get left off?

I would like a US squad of:

Parise, Kane, Kesler, Dustin Brown, Kessel, Backes, Bobby Ryan, Pavelski, Callahan, Galchenyuk, Oshie, Stepan, and one of JVR,Couturier/Pominville as extra

Yandle, Suter, Leddy, Shattenkirk, Byfuglien, and some pair of Carlson/Faulk/JJohnson/SethJones. Can someone tell me why Jack is an automatic? Can someone else tell me what Erik is even under consideration?

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:53:56 +0000

That is true but it was 4 years ago and what Fleury showed last year in the playoffs was ugly! I guess what I’m saying could best be summed up that Canada doesn’t have that Brodeur or Roy in their prime goalie right now where you pencil them in and 97 times out of 100 they’re lights out. Price, Luongo and Fleury all have the potential to be unbelievable in the tournament but they all also have the potential to be horrific.

It’s funny after 98 and the hockey summit the rallying cry was that Canada wasn’t producing enough skilled forwards, now we seem to have fixed that but Canada isn’t producing high end goalies.

By: chelseax11

chelseax11 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:45:21 +0000

Fleury had 3 shutouts, a 1.97 GAA, and a .933 S% in 2008. He took his team to the cup finals twice. The last couple years haven’t been pretty, but he has definitely *brought it* to the playoffs before. And quite frankly, if Quick keeps playing the way he is right now, he won’t get to show sh!t in the playoffs because the Kings won’t even get a chance to defend.

By: chelseax11

chelseax11 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:35:57 +0000

Team USA actually beat Canada in 2010. They played each other twice but Canada won when it mattered.

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:27:22 +0000

I don’t think so, Fleury is 5th best on that list and Quick has done something none of the other 4 have, shown it in the playoffs.

By: broadstbully33

broadstbully33 — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:25:46 +0000

Quick is better than both of them.

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:23:41 +0000

And yeah in the world jrs Canada had a stacked team, they still lost, stacked teams don’t always do great. Sometimes chemistry and smart play (which is what USA does) is enough to win

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:16:15 +0000

Ummm no, miller and quick would be edged out by Lou, MAF and price…

By: atwatercrushesokoye

atwatercrushesokoye — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:00:12 +0000

Hopefully Canada doesn’t get cute like they did in 2006 (the grind line?!…seriously?!) pick the 14 best forwards and the 8 best defenseman and the 3 best goalies, don’t worry about role players. I worry about the lack of that true top defenseman that they had in Pronger and Neidermayer, Doughty and Weber are both good players but not on that same level.

Canada also lacks the goaltending that they’ve had in previous years, Price is good but Luongo was shaky in 2010 (even though he was the winning GK it was an adventure!) and Fleury is so streaky I don’t want him anywhere near team Canada!

By: buffbry

buffbry — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:44:22 +0000

this is a forum not a spelling bee or a Grammar lesson, who cares, he got the point moron.

By: mclovinhockey

mclovinhockey — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 01:35:27 +0000

@ buff, nope, if I was making a North American roster I don’t think i would take any of them. Maybe one or two but Canada has too much depth.