World Championships

[Kin]

I like that group but I'd put Stamkos where you have Toews (Stamkos has enjoyed success on the wing) and drop Toews where you have Stamkos. I'd also need to think about Lucic.

I wasn't thinking about how to make the line combinations particularly effective, those would just be the 13. I think we've seen from previous Olympics that insanely talented guys like that can fit at just about any position. 

If you were going to drop Lucic I'd understand it but if you do I think you'd need to replace him with another penalty killer/physical presence. Toews/Giroux/Bergeron are the only really solid defensive players in that bunch and it's not the roughest group in the world.

 

[Kin]

Yeah. Going by the stats of a good season is always the best way to pick players for a best-of international team 2 years from now.

For me, right now, a best on best Team Canada forward group would probably look something like this:

Jeezum crow, this isn't a terribly difficult concept.

 

[maplesyrup]

I like that group but I'd put Stamkos where you have Toews (Stamkos has enjoyed success on the wing) and drop Toews where you have Stamkos. I'd also need to think about Lucic.

I wasn't thinking about how to make the line combinations particularly effective, those would just be the 13. I think we've seen from previous Olympics that insanely talented guys like that can fit at just about any position. 

If you were going to drop Lucic I'd understand it but if you do I think you'd need to replace him with another penalty killer/physical presence. Toews/Giroux/Bergeron are the only really solid defensive players in that bunch and it's not the roughest group in the world.

Mike Richards maybe?  :-\

 

[Redleaf]

Yeah. Going by the stats of a good season is always the best way to pick players for a best-of international team 2 years from now.

For me, right now, a best on best Team Canada forward group would probably look something like this:

Jeezum crow, this isn't a terribly difficult concept.

For me, right now, (projecting forward 2 years) Yeah, not complicated.

 

[Kin]

Mike Richards maybe?  :-\

Sure. I think you'd find it difficult to convince a ton of people to take him over Lucic after the season he just had but if you were convinced that Nash or someone couldn't be another PK'er then, yeah, you'd need to fill that spot.

 

[Kin]

For me, right now, (projecting forward 2 years) Yeah, not complicated.

Again, that is not my projected line-up for a team two years from now. That is my best on best line-up RIGHT NOW. Two years from now and it would probably have guys like Seguin, Hall, maybe Couturier and so on.

edit: and for what it's worth that sentence is absolutely complicated.

 

[Redleaf]

For me, right now, (projecting forward 2 years) Yeah, not complicated.

Again, that is not my projected line-up for a team two years from now. That is my best on best line-up RIGHT NOW. Two years from now and it would probably have guys like Seguin, Hall, maybe Couturier and so on.

edit: and for what it's worth that sentence is absolutely complicated.

Oh. Alright. I didnt know we were just pretending that there was an Olympic tournament right now. I thought we were actually projecting the next real Olympic team roster. My bad.

 

[Kin]

Oh. Alright. I didnt know we were just pretending that there was an Olympic tournament right now. I thought we were actually projecting the next real Olympic team roster. My bad.

Well what we were doing was comparing the forwards Canada is sending to the World Championships to their best roster they could send to a prestigious best-on-best tournament. I can see how that might have confused you:

Well, If your point is that Canada's forward roster even vaguely resembles the forward roster they'd be bringing to a real, prestigious best-on-best tournament then I disagree

The Olympics is a short hand for that because there is no other real, prestigious best on best tournament. There's just the WC's which, by now repeatedly demonstrated, is not a tournament that countries send anything resembling their best to because of the ongoing NHL playoffs. That the Canadian roster contains a handful of forwards who might, maybe, possibly be on a real best-on-best roster a few years from now does not change that.

 

[Redleaf]

Oh. Alright. I didnt know we were just pretending that there was an Olympic tournament right now. I thought we were actually projecting the next real Olympic team roster. My bad.

Well what we were doing was comparing the forwards Canada is sending to the World Championships to their best roster they could send to a prestigious best-on-best tournament. I can see how that might have confused you:

Well, If your point is that Canada's forward roster even vaguely resembles the forward roster they'd be bringing to a real, prestigious best-on-best tournament then I disagree

The Olympics is a short hand for that because there is no other real, prestigious best on best tournament. There's just the WC's which, by now repeatedly demonstrated, is not a tournament that countries send anything resembling their best to because of the ongoing NHL playoffs. That the Canadian roster contains a handful of forwards who might, maybe, possibly be on a real best-on-best roster a few years from now does not change that.

When you talk about the Olympics and you put together a roster with line projections, most people would assume you are projecting the next Olympic roster. Instead your roster is some pretend one that you made up based on a group of players having great seasons, for which there is no tournament to play. Got it.

 

[Kin]

When you talk about the Oylmpics and you put together a roster with line projections, most people would assume you are projecting the next Oylmpic roster.

Well, I suppose they might, if they ignored that I specifically said that I wasn't projecting two years in the future but talking about the immediate hypothetical Olumpics. That's why when I made that post with the line projections, the careful observer would note that there wasn't a mention of the Olympics in sight:

Well, those two guys did have significantly better seasons than Perry and Getzlaf but I did say the guys from the Ducks would probably make the team. For me, right now, a best on best Team Canada forward group would probably look something like this:

Toews-Crosby-Nash
Tavares-Stamkos-Giroux
Spezza-Getzlaf-Perry
Neal-Bergeron-Lucic
Staal or Iginla

Just "For me, right now, a best on best Team Canada...". I'd like to think most people reading that were smart enough to know what it meant but, well, here we are.

 

[Newbury]

That was not a fun back-and-forth to read while stoned.

Thanks guys.

 

[Kin]

That was not a fun back-and-forth to read while stoned.

Thanks guys.

I'll be doing some stoner-centric material later. Here's a nugget "How can they call it a World Championship if only humans are playing and not all the other Animals in the world?"

 

[bustaheims]

That was not a fun back-and-forth to read while stoned.

Thanks guys.

Drugs are bad, mmkay.

 

[Sudafederov]

It's been nice knowing you guys.

I just read Brent Sutter was named coach. 

Combine his appearance with Phaneuf going and we're in for one of those Hadron Collider destroys the universe type of scenarios.

I'm going underground, but will be back to fight in the aftermath resistance movement.

 

[Bullfrog]

Oh. Alright. I didnt know we were just pretending that there was an Olympic tournament right now. I thought we were actually projecting the next real Olympic team roster. My bad.

I'm confused. I thought you guys were talking about the World Championships' roster.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Not related to the Men's WHCs:  In the Women's WHC in Vermont, Team Canada beat the U.S. in OT 5-4, to win the Gold medal, after a 5 year drought.

Way to go, ladies!!

http://www.sportsnet.ca/more/2012/04/14/canada_usa_womens_hockey_gold/

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Schenn has joined Team Canada's defence corps. Hopefully he'll be able to end this season on a bit of a high-note.

 

[Bonsixx]

Schenn has joined Team Canada's defence corps. Hopefully he'll be able to end this season on a bit of a high-note.

It surprises me because, even during his good years, I have never found Schenn has adjusted well playing in the worlds on the larger ice surface. Playing games in May can't hurt though, for sure.

That's why I like this tournament -- I like watching current Leafs actually play during the spring. Too bad Lupul couldn't go.

 

[Deebo]

Crosby and Toews decline invitations to play for Canada.

 

[louisstamos]

Crosby and Toews decline invitations to play for Canada.

Not surprising...I'll be both are still "injured" to an extent.