World Junior Hockey Championships (WJHC 2013)

[hockeyfan1]

Congratulations to USA on a well-deserved Gold medal.


And to Sweden & Russia on their victories.


(I liked U.S. goalgender & tournament MVP John Gibson's Kitchener Rangers mask with the colours and emblems of both Canada & USA.  He obviously elected to keep this goalie mask for this tournament rather than have a new painted one.  Nice.)

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I really don't get the doom and gloom. International hockey is getting more competitive. Last year's draft class was historically bad for Canadian forwards. Short tournaments can yield strange results. One tournament doesn't mean that things need changing or that a new approacgh needs to be found.

Bingo.

I also don't get this country's apparent anger towards a team of teenagers.

To the Team Canada players, winning the gold was their raison d'?tre for being here in the first place.  Winning the bronze would have been consolation at at least having salvaged some pride amongst themselves.

Neither happened because the competition was that much better than Team Canada was as a team collectively.  That should tell one a lot about this year's tournament results.  Consistency is the key for any team in sports to be successful, and this year's Team Canada did not exhibit that when it counted the most.

Even if the Canadians had lost to USA, the score could have been closer and the effort more productively consistent than what had actually transpired.  It would have made them feel better to know that they had played a tough close game.  Instead, they were practically trounced in their 5-1 loss to the USA, and then went on to the Bronze medal game only to lose a shooting match with Russia that ended up in OT. That last and decisive Russian OT goal epitomized inconsistency once again.

Hockey is our passion in Canada and we expect to see our team elevate themselves to greatness when it comes to playing internationally, because, afterall, the world's best players also play in the world's biggest and best junior league (CHL),  be it whether they're Americans, Russians, etc.

Which gives the impetus on why Canada's juniors needed to elevate themselves to a higher plateau. Tighter competition due to more talented players means one needs to be their best at all times.

That's a great little story of why a team should win a game but doesn't answer my question. Expectations can be high, but the expectations shouldn't lead to anger when they are not met. Especially when dealing with 17 and 18 year old kids....You can be disappointed, sure, but to act, the way many have acted across this country in regards to this 'failure' of a team is mind blowing. These kids went over to Russia, skipped their family Christmas(many for the first time) and represented Canada well. The result wasn't as expected/hoped....but that's a fact of reality. Some times the favourite loses out.....


BTW, anyone who thought Canada was the outright favourite going into this, didn't take a look at US, Russian, or Swedish line ups. They were helped by the NHL lockout as well.

But that's irrelevant. My number one disappointment in all of this is the actions taken by many 'fans' across Canada. The one's that have been calling for Subban's head. The one's screaming that this team let the country down...Give me a break already.

I applaud them for their efforts. It wasn't the result we hoped for. It also wasn't the result they hoped for either.

 

[Kin]

Hockey is our passion in Canada and we expect to see our team elevate themselves to greatness when it comes to playing internationally, because, afterall, the world's best players also play in the world's biggest and best junior league (CHL),  be it whether they're Americans, Russians, etc.

Which gives the impetus on why Canada's juniors needed to elevate themselves to a higher plateau. Tighter competition due to more talented players means one needs to be their best at all times.

That's nothing more than a bunch of pat and meaningless cliches. Nobody is at their best at all times. That's why it's called their best and not their normal. A nation's passion for a sport doesn't decide the outcome. The English are nutty for soccer and their national team hasn't won a significant international tournament for 50 years.

Canadians are going to have to learn to deal with the fact that stronger international competition means just that. Sometimes, Canada won't win. Sometimes our teams won't be as good as the other teams. That is not a poor measurement of a team's consistency. You just can't win 'em all. That's a lesson we've learned on most levels, Canada's senior men's team has only won medals at 2 of the 4 best on best Olympic tournaments, but it's just as valid for the juniors.

If the Juniors had gone 0-4, I'd understand this a little, I guess(although I'd share OldTimeHockey's belief that people should never get mad at the failings of a bunch of kids representing their country for free) but they didn't. They didn't get beat by Kazakhstan. They went 3-2. They lost to two really good teams. Short tournaments, as I said, yield unpredictable results. Complaining about one that doesn't go your way is just entitled whining.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Hockey is our passion in Canada and we expect to see our team elevate themselves to greatness when it comes to playing internationally, because, afterall, the world's best players also play in the world's biggest and best junior league (CHL),  be it whether they're Americans, Russians, etc.

Which gives the impetus on why Canada's juniors needed to elevate themselves to a higher plateau. Tighter competition due to more talented players means one needs to be their best at all times.

That's nothing more than a bunch of pat and meaningless cliches. Nobody is at their best at all times. That's why it's called their best and not their normal. A nation's passion for a sport doesn't decide the outcome. The English are nutty for soccer and their national team hasn't won a significant international tournament for 50 years.

Canadians are going to have to learn to deal with the fact that stronger international competition means just that. Sometimes, Canada won't win. Sometimes our teams won't be as good as the other teams. That is not a poor measurement of a team's consistency. You just can't win 'em all. That's a lesson we've learned on most levels, Canada's senior men's team has only won medals at 2 of the 4 best on best Olympic tournaments, but it's just as valid for the juniors.

If the Juniors had gone 0-4, I'd understand this a little, I guess(although I'd share OldTimeHockey's belief that people should never get mad at the failings of a bunch of kids representing their country for free) but they didn't. They didn't get beat by Kazakhstan. They went 3-2. They lost to two really good teams. Short tournaments, as I said, yield unpredictable results. Complaining about one that doesn't go your way is just entitled whining.

Very well.  Call it what you will, but the fact remains that the country had great expectations for this team.  Not just for this year's team, but for last year's and the year before and still the year before, etc.  Always will be.  Because, yes, hockey is our passion. 

BTW to say that it was Subban's fault is in error.  It was a collective one.

 

[Kin]

Very well.  Call it what you will, but the fact remains that the country had great expectations for this team.  Not just for this year's team, but for last year's and the year before and still the year before, etc.  Always will be.  Because, yes, hockey is our passion.

Please don't presume to speak for the country. I know lots of Canadians who have no idea what the WJC is, let alone have any expectations for it.

 

[hockeyfan1]

Very well.  Call it what you will, but the fact remains that the country had great expectations for this team.  Not just for this year's team, but for last year's and the year before and still the year before, etc.  Always will be.  Because, yes, hockey is our passion.

Please don't presume to speak for the country. I know lots of Canadians who have no idea what the WJC is, let alone have any expectations for it.

Please stop coating your opinion on my interpretation of events regarding these WJHCs.  Perhaps you may not have read my previous post prior to these two where I mentioned that even if Canada had lost to the USA, by a closer score, with a more consistent effort rather than the way the team effort broke down, it would have been more understandable and accepting.

I also should add that Canada lost to the Russians in last year's tournament in Alberta by an identical OT score of 6-5, with Team Russia having scored 5 unanswered goals after Canada staked a 5-1 lead.

No, no one's "whining" (your impression).  All one is doing is trying to sort out why we didn't do too well, and pointing out that the competition has finally reached parity.  All the more reason why Canadians shouldn't be expecting Team Canada go win a Gold every time. 

Every participant in this tournament has raised their game (talent) a notch, yes, even the ever-improving Swiss.  All the more reason Canada needs to be better prepared for a variety of reasons, not the, least of which is a more decisive leadership at the mamagement level, on down.

 

[Kin]

Please stop coating your opinion on my interpretation of events regarding these WJHCs.

The second that begins to resemble a coherent English sentence, I'd be happy to oblige.

I also should add that Canada lost to the Russians in last year's tournament in Alberta by an identical OT score of 6-5, with Team Russia having scored 5 unanswered goals after Canada staked a 5-1 lead.

Russia is good at hockey. I'll be sure to send a memo to 1968 to alert them.

No, no one's "whining" (your impression).  All one is doing is trying to sort out why we didn't do too well, and pointing out that the competition has finally reached parity.

All one should do then, is realize that the parity explains why the team didn't do "too well" by finishing 4th.

Every participant in this tournament has raised their game (talent) a notch, yes, even the ever-improving Swiss.  All the more reason Canada needs go be better prepared for a variety of reasons, not the, least of which is a more decisive leadership at the mamagement level, on down.

Which presupposes that what happened to Team Canada was the result of a lack of preparation or a lack of decisiveness and not, as you stated above, simply a reflection of increased parity within the tournament.

 

[The Red Polar Bear]

I also heard Tom Nilsson has been playing well, is he a guy that's there to cover for injuries or would he have made the team anyway?

No, he would have made it anyways, he's probably been our most stabile d-man. Not a flashy player, but he doesn't make a lot of mistakes and can handle being pressured while having the puck.

Gunnarsson?

 

[hockeyfan1]

I also should add that Canada lost to the Russians in last year's tournament in Alberta by an identical OT score of 6-5, with Team Russia having scored 5 unanswered goals after Canada staked a 5-1 lead.

Russia is good at hockey. I'll be sure to send a memo to 1968 to alert them.

Last year's semi-final (WJHC 2012).