US Olympic Roster Announced

[maplesyrup]

Well, I pinky swear... If, I'm wrong, the mushrooms in my pasta sauce were of the wrong variety. 

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

Hangin' out at Rob Ford's again eh?

 

[Bates]

Just for the record:  Does anyone think Bobby Ryan is intense?  Does it matter?  What if he had said the same about Kessel? 

 

[maplesyrup]

Hangin' out at Rob Ford's again eh?

4 more beers!

 

[Jalili]

The problem with Brian Burke is that he has to be the loudest man in the room, so he's always throwing out quotable things to say and making wisecracks.

If he had said that Ryan doesn't display the same intensity as some of the others they'e looking at, basically the same point is getting across, but he's still maintaining professionalism.

 

[L K]

There's also this:

FriedgeHNIC: Team USA GM David Poile is on a conference call right now. According to multiple reports, he has publicly apologized to Bobby Ryan for...

FriedgeHNIC: what was said about him in articles about the selection process. Also says Brian Burke had Ryan on his final roster.

I don't want to call BS because I don't really see any reason to lie, but the comments and selecting Ryan on the team seem to be quite contradictory.

 

[Kin]

Apparently it was believed that USA hockey would be editorial control over the stories by that wasn't the case.

I find that really hard to believe. You're going to let two embedded reporters from major news organizations into all of your meetings on the basis that you "think" you have editorial control? 24/7's deal with the NHL is very specific because ultimately they're both creating an entertainment product. They're not journalists.

I don't believe for a second that ESPN would either promise USA hockey editorial control over one of their stories or lead them to think that. Saying that's what resulted in the confusion sounds like CYA stuff to me.

 

[Zee]

There's also this:

FriedgeHNIC: Team USA GM David Poile is on a conference call right now. According to multiple reports, he has publicly apologized to Bobby Ryan for...

FriedgeHNIC: what was said about him in articles about the selection process. Also says Brian Burke had Ryan on his final roster.

I don't want to call BS because I don't really see any reason to lie, but the comments and selecting Ryan on the team seem to be quite contradictory.

Not really, not every player has to be "intense" to be successful.  A lot of the same criticisms are made of Kessel that he's not intense but he's still an elite goal scorer.    The comments were taken out of context, Burke ripped one part of Ryan's game, but i'm sure he values his ability to score as he had him on the final roster.  Teams are made up of all sorts of different types of players, both intense and seamingly aloof players.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

There's also this:

FriedgeHNIC: Team USA GM David Poile is on a conference call right now. According to multiple reports, he has publicly apologized to Bobby Ryan for...

FriedgeHNIC: what was said about him in articles about the selection process. Also says Brian Burke had Ryan on his final roster.

I don't want to call BS because I don't really see any reason to lie, but the comments and selecting Ryan on the team seem to be quite contradictory.

Not really, not every player has to be "intense" to be successful.  A lot of the same criticisms are made of Kessel that he's not intense but he's still an elite goal scorer.    The comments were taken out of context, Burke ripped one part of Ryan's game, but i'm sure he values his ability to score as he had him on the final roster.  Teams are made up of all sorts of different types of players, both intense and seamingly aloof players.

Yeah, Burke said Ryan could do things on the ice that others could not, and from the way Burnside phrased it it also seems like Burke referred to Ryan as a game-breaker.  I got the impression that Burke liked Ryan's offensive game but was concerned, for whatever reason, that other guys would be getting the top offensive minutes and in that case they wanted a more well-rounded player for other minutes.

 

[Kin]

I don't want to call BS because I don't really see any reason to lie, but the comments and selecting Ryan on the team seem to be quite contradictory.

They're really not if you read through the whole article. The "intense" comments were one line and made earlier in the season. As it went on Burke seemed to be the guy quoted as saying that there was a big risk in not taking him.

It definitely sounds as though the coaching staff in particular wasn't all that high on him on the PP and the decision to leave him off boiled down to him not really having another dimension beyond scoring.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

The problem with Brian Burke is that he has to be the loudest man in the room, so he's always throwing out quotable things to say and making wisecracks.

If he had said that Ryan doesn't display the same intensity as some of the others they'e looking at, basically the same point is getting across, but he's still maintaining professionalism.

He's hyperbolic, it's just how he speaks.  Figure someone like Ryan would know that.

 

[Bullfrog]

Yeah, Burke said Ryan could do things on the ice that others could not, and from the way Burnside phrased it it also seems like Burke referred to Ryan as a game-breaker.  I got the impression that Burke liked Ryan's offensive game but was concerned, for whatever reason, that other guys would be getting the top offensive minutes and in that case they wanted a more well-rounded player for other minutes.

That's how I read it too. Essentially, the position we would take on the team was already filled by Kessel and others. I imagine it'd be exactly the same with Kessel; if he wasn't going to be in a main scoring position they'd choose someone else.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I don't believe for a second that ESPN would either promise USA hockey editorial control over one of their stories or lead them to think that. Saying that's what resulted in the confusion sounds like CYA stuff to me.

Poile clarified that later. He basically said that there was an understanding that nothing the reporters wrote would damage relationships between players and USA hockey. But yeah still they had to assume some negative comments about players would be written.

I find that really hard to believe. You're going to let two embedded reporters from major news organizations into all of your meetings on the basis that you "think" you have editorial control? 24/7's deal with the NHL is very specific because ultimately they're both creating an entertainment product. They're not journalists.

Off-topic, but Dave Poulin said the Leafs had editorial control over the content shown on 24/7.

 

[bustaheims]

I don't want to call BS because I don't really see any reason to lie, but the comments and selecting Ryan on the team seem to be quite contradictory.

Not really. The whole discussion about Ryan really centred around the fact that if he's not in the top 6, he's not worth having on the team. If Poile says Burke had him on his team, Burke obviously felt he was good enough to be in the team's top 6.

 

[Kin]

Poile clarified that later. He basically said that there was an understanding that nothing the reporters wrote would damage relationships between players and USA hockey. But yeah still they had to assume some negative comments about players would be written.

Even that though...how would you define what could possibly hurt someone's relationship to USA hockey? I just don't buy that. Either you're willing to give writers that kind of access or you're not. Following that process but only relaying the good stuff isn't a job for a journalist, it's for an in-house PR person.

Off-topic, but Dave Poulin said the Leafs had editorial control over the content shown on 24/7.

Which I buy because like I said, the 24/7 bunch aren't journalists.

 

[Kin]

That's how I read it too. Essentially, the position we would take on the team was already filled by Kessel and others. I imagine it'd be exactly the same with Kessel; if he wasn't going to be in a main scoring position they'd choose someone else.

And if that's the sort of rationale they used it's harder to argue with his being left off the team. If you assume that Kessel and Kane are the #1 and #2 wingers on the PP then you have to figure they'd want one spot for Parise and that leaves one spot between JVR, Dustin Brown, Backes, Wheeler and Ryan. If the idea is that to balance it out you want someone who'll score the dirty goals from in close and bother the goalie, I think Ryan is the natural odd man out.

 

[Kin]

The problem with Brian Burke is that he has to be the loudest man in the room, so he's always throwing out quotable things to say and making wisecracks.

In the old days they would have called that "having a personality". True, it makes him an oddity in hockey circles but we shouldn't have a problem with it as fans.

 

[Jalili]

The problem with Brian Burke is that he has to be the loudest man in the room, so he's always throwing out quotable things to say and making wisecracks.

In the old days they would have called that "having a personality". True, it makes him an oddity in hockey circles but we shouldn't have a problem with it as fans.

I see it as a double-edged sword. Burke definitely has a gift for showmanship and makes for entertaining clips, but in some circles it's considered a lack of professionalism and is what got him fired by the Maple Leafs.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

The problem with Brian Burke is that he has to be the loudest man in the room, so he's always throwing out quotable things to say and making wisecracks.

In the old days they would have called that "having a personality". True, it makes him an oddity in hockey circles but we shouldn't have a problem with it as fans.

I see it as a double-edged sword. Burke definitely has a gift for showmanship and makes for entertaining clips, but in some circles it's considered a lack of professionalism and is what got him fired by the Maple Leafs.

Yet he's never been hurting for employment.

 

[Kin]

I see it as a double-edged sword. Burke definitely has a gift for showmanship and makes for entertaining clips, but in some circles it's considered a lack of professionalism and is what got him fired by the Maple Leafs.

I don't think that's what got him fired from the Leafs. I think he just clashed with the board which can happen to anyone, even the dull as dishwater sorts who typically are in hockey.