Results 21 to 30 of 36
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12-30-2009, 04:22 PM #21
Ah, I was wondering when the cockiness would start coming out!
One of the many things I have learned in life is to respect your opponent.
One of my good friends is, relative to me, a small guy. He's probably 5'8 or 9 and 160 pounds wet.
I am 6'6", 210-215 pounds and easily in the best shape of my life. (I consistently run sub 7 miles)
This guy OWNS me when we do workouts. I still remember the first time I worked out with him, we RAN 70 flights of stairs in under 10 minutes.
When we were done, I was so hypoxic I thought I might fall over but he was talking, jabbing away, and ready to go again.
Anyhoo, point being, don't judge a book by it's cover, be humble until you have gold in hand.
Not saying Canada isn't better on paper, but you never know...............
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12-30-2009, 04:28 PM #22Hockey Advisor
I'll just cut the quote down to these two lines:
Prime is dead on here. Does Canada have the best roster? IMO - Yes. Are they they favorite going in? Absolutly.
I also would have said the same thing in 2006, and 1998 (thought I like this year's roster much better than those two).
The USA, Russia, Sweden, and Finland are all going to have very good teams. The Czechs too (though.... I'd be surprised to see the Czechs end up in the Gold Medal game. None of those other countries would surprise me if they won the whole thing).
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12-30-2009, 04:39 PM #23
Yzerman didn't pick players, he picked teams, and just maybe Jordan Staal should have made it over Perry and Getzlaf, if you picked them, Bobby Ryan should have made it.
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12-30-2009, 04:56 PM #24Hockey Advisor
I think you're partially correct. He did a little bit of both.
On the defense.... Seabrook, to me, is a bubble player. Becuase he plays with Duncan Keith, that boosts him past other bubble players.
Patrick Marleau is in the same boat. If he wasn't playing with Thornton and Heatley (and the three of them playing so well) he doesn't get picked. But he does play on that line, and he's a pretty darn good player in his own right. No question the 3 of them will play together, and have instant chemistry, instead of speading the first week trying to find some.
But Jordan Staal over Perry or Getzlaf? I can't imagine that was even a debate. Jordan Staal over Mike Richards maybe, but Staal isn't even in the same class of player as either of those Ducks. Not even close. (obviously this is a point we disagree on).
As for Bobby Ryan...... isn't he American?
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12-30-2009, 05:02 PM #25
I wouldn't take Jordan Staal over Richards either and definitely not over Getzlaf or Perry, those two are on a different level.
And yes, Bobby Ryan is a Team USA guy.
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12-30-2009, 05:13 PM #26
Bobby Ryan is indeed American.
I like what Yzerman has done here in selecting largely based on chemistry and familiarity. By playing with current linemates, it leaves a lot less time and energy to be spent on establishing that chemistry (that is already there) and allows the players to focus on other issues. I think in previous years, the chemistry issue was a huge one, making all-star players stars, star players mediocre, etc. Keith-Seabrook are a tandem, Getzlaf-Perry are perennial linemates, the entire Sharks line of Thornton-Heatley-Marleau is arguably tops in the NHL... They can all go to a Team Canada practice and work on fine-tuning what is already there.
As for Jordan Staal, in my opinion, he never had a chance to make this team. In putting together my hypothetical "B" Team (see other thread for more analysis), he didn't crack that roster either, which, admittedly, surprised me. Still, because he plays center, he plummets down Canada's depth chart.
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12-30-2009, 05:59 PM #27
Gold will be Russia's just a matter of time :-\
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12-30-2009, 07:43 PM #28
i'll put up the thread, but I think we got about 50% right
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12-30-2009, 09:18 PM #29
I know Ryan is American, I was trying to make a point, it didn't work.
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12-30-2009, 09:36 PM #30
A few picks definately caught be off guard, but I really don't think there is a "right or wrong team". Every person you talk to and ever analyst you listen to has their own opinion and in this case, Yzerman went with the group of guys he felt could give us gold. Mike Green was the biggest surprise missing off the list for me and next was maybe Fisher (as a forth liner or extra). Morrow and Perry were the biggest surprises of making the team for me. Picking Heatley-Thornton-Marleau makes complete sense to me since they know each other more than everybody else and their new linemates. Why worry about creating work and chemistry when these guys already perform well together? I also wish Stamkos could have made it but partially so that he would have Olympic experience for the next time. In the end he would also sit near the bottom of the line even with his respectable season.
I'm excited!
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Originally Posted by aweeks 
