[KorbenDallas]

A thread for Olympic hockey. I predict Russia gets the gold this year, but if they don't I predict Sweden wins.

[Dagonet]

I'm a Devils fan, but I've temporarily forgiven Parise in hopes that Team USA takes gold in Sochi.

[mikeymike]

Russia doesnt have the defense, 3 of the 4 pairings are just flat out liabilities on the ice and Russian forwards arent known for coming back to bail out the defensemen and they dont outlet well, theyre going to miss out on the speed the forwards can generate by having that lackluster backend. Datsyuks injury is a big question too, their most reliable 2 way player and just a stud, Im curious to see how he is, if hes 100% this team gets infinitely more dangerous as theyll need that secondary scoring and experience.

Swedes are always a tough out but I dont like the offense here, we have the Sedins out here in Vancouver and its been a horrendous year for Daniel and without Henrik that first line becomes non existent. Alfies a nice story but his best day are well behind him and theyre asking a lot of him, that pp 1st and 2nd unit supposedly is gonna run thru him been a while since hes been asked to carry a team. Strength here is that d, young mobile and talented. If Lundqvist catches fire they could go all the way but if hes anything but superb the lack of scoring will let them down. In the best pre tourny interview yet Nik Backstroms grandmother predicts her grandson will screw the pooch, says hes been terrible all year as has washington lol.

Canada is the class of the tourny, I know ive got some bias here but its hard to argue. This team is skilled up front, with the right mix of size, 2 ways players, snipers, and the best player in the world, team is made up of winners. The defense is the deepest in the tourny, I love the swedes d but from top to bottom all of these guys are studs. When you got PK subban as the odd man out right now while hes a norris candidate speaks to the depth. Few ds can play both ends like this d unit, they transition to offense as good as any unit out there, its gonna be fun watching them putting pucks on guys in flight. Unlike some of the other squads, the canadians made an effort to bring pairs who knew how to play with each other, you can't buy that kind of experience in a short tourny...crosby/kunitz perry getzlaf toews sharp those top 3 lines are gonna have an early jump that other teams are hoping to develop. Anything less than a gold would be a huge bust imo, theyre made to win this. Tending is the concern to the average fan but Luongo or Price, theyre in good hands. Both of these goalies play behind subpar defenses all year and put up good numbers behind this squad, itll be easier days for both of them, theyre both world class.

I like the slovaks to screw over one of the teams, theyre not gonna compete for gold but theyve got a lot of talent and the d can be nasty to play against, with streaky goaltending, one of the pre tourny faves could find themselves upset if theyre not careful.

US has good top end talent, on offense and on the back end and quick is a reliable tender, as is miller if Quick falters, I dont like their depth enough to think theyll go all the way but they did get to the end last time and were within striking distance so it could happen again. In the end I think that a more complete team will be there downfall but with the quick strike capablities they have on offense theyre never out of a game.

In these quick tournies anything can happen so it'll be fun but its hard to argue top to bottom this should be canadas tourny.

[el mechanico]

[attachment=17017]

Or maybe this?

[Vicious]

(02-12-2014 01:35 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

Swedes are always a tough out but I dont like the offense here, we have the Sedins out here in Vancouver and its been a horrendous year for Daniel and without Henrik that first line becomes non existent.

A horrendous year for the Sedins when they have 40 pts currently? That's what they had total for the last season. It's on par for their career. Sure if you're comparing it to their MVP seasons it's weak but that's asking a lot.

[el mechanico]

Vicious do you get my post? I'm curious because you're not American

[Brosemite]

^^ Good analysis Mikeymike.

I think the Finns are going to be tough. Problem is Mikko Koivu is out, but they always find a way to medal. Bunch of backchecking forwards that like to smile a lot and every goalie in the world seems to be from Quebec or....Finland lol.

Slovaks are going to be troubled with the loss of Visnovksy (Islanders holding him back but he wants to play) and Gaborik.
Don't underestimate the Swedes/Czechs though. Imagine how much tougher Czechs and Slovaks would be as one nation again.

Canadians are always tough. Same as US. I personally cheer against the North American teams because they play a boring style of hockey on an international scale whereas the others typically have more interesting playing styles, cooler unis, and hotter bitches.

[Kid Strangelove]

Team Canada is so good that you can take a team of Team Canada rejects and they will probably make the semi finals lol.


Russia looks better by the day IMO. Making Datsuk, who I think is arguable the best player in the NHL, captain is a way better move than sticking with Kovalchuk. Semin is now on the team. Russia's weakness in 2010 were their KHL players who you could tell were a step slower. But their goalies this year are leagues better than last time.


Honestly, it's too close to call. Canada, USA, Russia, Sweden, Finland all have an incredibly good shot at winning.

Switzerland is one hot game from Jonas Hiller away from upsetting the fuck out of someone


Also, the Japanese womens team is adorable

[Vicious]

(02-12-2014 01:49 PM)el mechanico Wrote:  

Vicious do you get my post? I'm curious because you're not American

I recognize the American Dad character but the exact reference is lost on me.

[Stun]

^ah the hello kitty league

I played for years, but don't presume that makes me a better analyst. I will say that it'll be surprising if a North American team wins. Not shocking, but surprising. I don't believe Canada or US NHL'ers have ever medaled on international size ice.

Canada is good enough to field a 2nd team, so we'll see, but I think starting Price is a mistake. Luongo is the best Canadian goalie period.

As for a prediction, the rosters don't give me enough info, I need to see how the teams play.

My dark horse team is the US simply because I think Jonathan Quick is the best goaltender in the world. If he plays like he did in the 2012 cup year he could steal it. I liken it to what Dominik Hasek did in '98, when Czech wasn't the best team but Dom stole it.

Miller is a stud, but he's got to be like a shell shocked soldier, he's seen so much rubber this year, he probably sees pucks flying at him in his dreams.

[mikeymike]

(02-12-2014 01:47 PM)Vicious Wrote:  

(02-12-2014 01:35 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

Swedes are always a tough out but I dont like the offense here, we have the Sedins out here in Vancouver and its been a horrendous year for Daniel and without Henrik that first line becomes non existent.

A horrendous year for the Sedins when they have 40 pts currently? That's what they had total for the last season. It's on par for their career. Sure if you're comparing it to their MVP seasons it's weak but that's asking a lot.

They're paid like elite players, they should be putting up elite numbers. Daniel hasn't scored in 18 games, for the goal scorer of the duo that is awful. Daniel by comparison had 40 puts in 13 fewer games last year. They should be close to point a game players at min and they're not anywhere on pace for that this season. This is a down year and it may be a one off or may be the trajectory their career is headed on at the moment but either way this isn't on par for what they've been the last 6-7 years in which they've earned the bigger contract. Including the early stats isn't representative of the players they're supposed to be today and are paid to be today.

[mikeymike]

(02-12-2014 01:53 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

^^ Good analysis Mikeymike.

I think the Finns are going to be tough. Problem is Mikko Koivu is out, but they always find a way to medal. Bunch of backchecking forwards that like to smile a lot and every goalie in the world seems to be from Quebec or....Finland lol.

Slovaks are going to be troubled with the loss of Visnovksy (Islanders holding him back but he wants to play) and Gaborik.
Don't underestimate the Swedes/Czechs though. Imagine how much tougher Czechs and Slovaks would be as one nation again.

Canadians are always tough. Same as US. I personally cheer against the North American teams because they play a boring style of hockey on an international scale whereas the others typically have more interesting playing styles, cooler unis, and hotter bitches.

The finns are gonna be tough, solid yet unspectacular, they're gonna ugly these games up and try to pull a czech hasek style victory out of this tourny, stealing 1-0, 2-1 games all the way. They're undertalented but a lot of these players have been playing together in the khl and they've got enough nhl talent to be dangerous. You nailed it with the Mikko Koivu injury, he's a vastly underrated talent and would've been very important to that team. They do have the tending to make them dangerous but they gotta be flawless, that's asking a lot.

Good call on Visnovsky hurting the slovaks, together the czechs and slovaks would be nasty but the czechs are the weaker squad imo. Can't believe they dragged Nedved back out, what a farce. With Chara eating up backend minutes they should be able to weather the Visnovsky loss for a few games but thats one of the reasons I can't ultimately see them winning this thing, just a lack of depth to go the whole way.

I think the Canadians could play a more exciting brand of hockey this time out. They brought some of the young talent out finally instead of the slow trudging forwards of years past. Would've been nice to see Stamkos on this ice but it is what it is. Duchene, Tavares (despite his not being very fast) Nash, Carter and Crosby can all bring some end to end highlight reel material, with that d moving the puck up quick I think we'll be pleasantly surprised by how well the canadians move on this ice. Would be a treat to have seen the russian forwards with the canadian d springing them open.

[Brosemite]

Yeah Mike. I think the Slovaks should be ok with Meszaros, Chara, and Maricin on the backend. Maricin being the up and comer with the Edmonton Oilers. Overall lack of depth will indeed hurt not to mention age.

Czechs despite weak goaltending do indeed have great depth. Not sure why they brought Nedved back though lol. He had a great 4th of a season with the Oilers after the 03-04 trade deadline, but those years are long gone. Funny watching Plekanec, Kreicji, and Hemsky out there flying around getting too cute with creative passes instead of getting the puck on net.

You gotta wonder if the Finns are going to be inspired to win a gold for Selanne despite overall lack of skill! What a fitting swan song it would be for his career if he finally capture 1st place in the Olympics.

[mikeymike]

(02-12-2014 03:38 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

Yeah Mike. I think the Slovaks should be ok with Meszaros, Chara, and Maricin on the backend. Maricin being the up and comer with the Edmonton Oilers. Overall lack of depth will indeed hurt not to mention age.

You gotta wonder if the Finns are going to be inspired to win a gold for Selanne despite overall lack of skill! What a fitting swan song it would be for his career if he finally capture 1st place in the Olympics.

well I can't hope for that but if the Canadians bow out I would like to see it. Selanne has been an absolute canuck killer over the years so there's a level of hate lol but it's slowly been replaced with lots of respect... what a class act and a sure fire first ballot hall of famer. Maricin by sheer misfortune of being drafted by Edmonton has already seen his promising career hit a speed bump, the oil is where talent goes to die especially on d haha

[Brosemite]

Yeah it's unfortunate to see that. I live in TX but am an Oilers fan. It's also not good to see Oscar Klefbom's progression hitting one of those aforementioned speed bump despite being a highly touted prospect at one point. I'd like to see Ralph Krueger back as coach instead of Dallas Eakins but likely not happening.

[Blackmagic]

The Swedes looked very impressive today. At least for the first two periods. This team is every bit as balanced as the Canadians. Russia, US, and Czech Republic will fight it out for the bronze. Finland is a good squad this year but there are too many really good teams in front of them.

[Vicious]

(02-12-2014 03:09 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

They're paid like elite players, they should be putting up elite numbers. Daniel hasn't scored in 18 games, for the goal scorer of the duo that is awful. Daniel by comparison had 40 puts in 13 fewer games last year. They should be close to point a game players at min and they're not anywhere on pace for that this season. This is a down year and it may be a one off or may be the trajectory their career is headed on at the moment but either way this isn't on par for what they've been the last 6-7 years in which they've earned the bigger contract. Including the early stats isn't representative of the players they're supposed to be today and are paid to be today.

You can't look at their current season in a vacuum. All stars need supporting players. Apart from Kesler NO ONE else on the Canucks are producing. You have 3 players carrying the entire team. Which is a far cry from their earlier stellar seasons.

(02-12-2014 05:49 PM)Blackmagic Wrote:  

The Swedes looked very impressive today. At least for the first two periods.

I'd say it wasn't as much a Swedish win as the Czech handing it away. That third goal with Steen stepping aside for the puck was sick though.

[mikeymike]

(02-12-2014 05:57 PM)Vicious Wrote:  

(02-12-2014 03:09 PM)mikeymike Wrote:  

They're paid like elite players, they should be putting up elite numbers. Daniel hasn't scored in 18 games, for the goal scorer of the duo that is awful. Daniel by comparison had 40 puts in 13 fewer games last year. They should be close to point a game players at min and they're not anywhere on pace for that this season. This is a down year and it may be a one off or may be the trajectory their career is headed on at the moment but either way this isn't on par for what they've been the last 6-7 years in which they've earned the bigger contract. Including the early stats isn't representative of the players they're supposed to be today and are paid to be today.

You can't look at their current season in a vacuum. All stars need supporting players. Apart from Kesler NO ONE else on the Canucks are producing. You have 3 players carrying the entire team. Which is a far cry from their earlier stellar seasons.

sure you can, the twins have always been their own supporting cast. Burr has been a nice story but these 2 feed off each other first and foremost, they've carried plugs and been point a game players. I'm not expecting a duplicate of their mvp seasons but 72 and 74th in scoring is well below expectations for 6.1 mill dollar players slated for a pay raise next year. Star players are supposed to make others around them better not rely on others to make them better. I'll have to dig for the numbers when I have the spare time but pretty sure I heard on 1040 that scoring is actually right in line with what it was last year, so the supporting cast is actually producing at a higher clip than it did last year. In the playoffs the lack of depth has hurt this team but regular season the twins have fed off competition they haven't looked dangerous for much of the year. 18 games without a goal is just ridiculous for Daniel and he's had lulls prior this one with increased ice time. I'm a huge homer and I'll defend Sedins merits all day long but there is no denying this year is a big down year, it may be a big team down year but that starts with top end talent and trickles down. If these guys have another 15 pts each and are just under a pt a game the canucks are well in the playoffs instead of looking in from the outside.

[Avarence]

Lots of good, balanced national sides this year.
But the endless talent on Canada will prove to be overwhelming for the rest, I predict.

[Brosemite]

Not a fan of that first line for Canada. I know chemistry was factored into the team selection but Kunitz was just lucky to feed off of Getzlaf/Perry in past and now Malkin/Crosby/Neal. Think Giroux would've been a better pick. Jeff Carter? Lucky situation in LA with all that talent up front. Big center who's really not good enough of a playmaker. On the wing, he doesn't have the speed to be a quick RW/LW. Even with his frame, he still looks reluctant as a power forward to stand in front of the net & take punishment. Tweener of the worst kind though has a good scoring touch & great teammates that know their role on the Kings.

[Stun]

^ Carts is a sniper on the scoring level of any player in the world. I think you're right about his playmaking abilities, but since he's been in LA he's been asked by the coaches to shoot the puck and not pass.

They don't allow the level of physical play in the Olympics that they do in the NHL, so the front of the net isn't as tough a place to go.

[Brosemite]

(02-12-2014 08:01 PM)Sugar Wrote:  

^ Carts is a sniper on the scoring level of any player in the world. I think you're right about his playmaking abilities, but since he's been in LA he's been asked by the coaches to shoot the puck and not pass.

They don't allow the level of physical play in the Olympics that they do in the NHL, so the front of the net isn't as tough a place to go.

With regards to his potential & cap hit, Carter could be even better if he worked harder IMO instead of being a floater that feeds off teammates in Kopitar, Brown, and Richards that work their asses off & carry out multiple responsibilities. Has great talent & potential to be a dynamic cornerstone player that can make his teammates better so it's disappointing to not see the guy meet those projections.

The Kings would've won the Cup anyways in 2012 if they had say a 2nd Justin Williams type player with a lower cap hit instead of Carter. The problem was Jack Johnson's progression who was the only minus dman (heavily minus) they needed to get rid of that season while CBJ was eager to dump the whiny brat acquired from Philly.

[mikeymike]

(02-12-2014 07:09 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

Not a fan of that first line for Canada. I know chemistry was factored into the team selection but Kunitz was just lucky to feed off of Getzlaf/Perry in past and now Malkin/Crosby/Neal. Think Giroux would've been a better pick. Jeff Carter? Lucky situation in LA with all that talent up front. Big center who's really not good enough of a playmaker. On the wing, he doesn't have the speed to be a quick RW/LW. Even with his frame, he still looks reluctant as a power forward to stand in front of the net & take punishment. Tweener of the worst kind though has a good scoring touch & great teammates that know their role on the Kings.

No question about it Kunitz is strictly a Crosby play but Crosby is a notoriously tough player to play with, they couldn't get any chemistry developed with him last olympics with any of the linemates they trotted out there, and his offense suffered up until the golden goal. They weren't gonna take any chances with him eating up the minutes he does to not get someone who could play with him. Neal/Giroux/Staal any of those guys have better talent but Kunitz has chemistry so I don't mind the pick.

Re Carter, Sugars right, this Canadian management has been scared off by the teams inability to generate offense in the past when they preferred to go the all star team route and just putting the best players together and thinking they'd gel and find a way, didn't necessarily work and we ran into too many guys who did the same things well. This time they didn't get too crazy and go Zamuner types again but there are more defined rolls, playmakers and scorers, 2 way players. Carter is going to be asked to fill the net and on that front he's as good as most, behind the Ovies/Stamkos of the world but he's a legit 35 goal guy. Giroux is a more natural playmaking center on a team stacked at center, Carter has been playing the wing just a better fit for what the team needed. It's an embarrassment of riches to be able to leave a talent of Girouxs level at home but I think they'll like having some sharpshooters to run the score up instead of trying to nurse in 1 goal games while 2 passing centers keep passing up shooting chances...last thing they want is to be risking going into shootout with some of these euro nations.

[Kid Strangelove]

The games today were exactly as expected, and quite enjoyable.

The second Russia stops pretending that they are the old Soviet team is when they start scoring.

On the flip side - USA ROCKED their first game today. Everything was dialed in.

Can't wait to see how the Canadians look today

[Avarence]

Solid result for USA today. Left no doubt against a Slovakia side that's no pushover.
I expect Canada to roll Norway... I'd be surprised by any less than 10 goals.