Head Coach
Team Canada
Huberdeau has to be the most over rated dud Ive seen in Canadian colors.The whole team sucked today .Spott ya got out coached today big time. U.S. had they're d jumping up all game and he had no response for it.OH and next time take some d men (Dumba ) who can shoot the damn puck.
GO WARRIORS GO
Rookie
They maybe should have at taken a look at the best point producing Canadian defenseman in the WHL at the time of the "evalulation camp." (PULOCK, BWK) -
I guess they weren't looking for a point-per-game producing defenceman with a 101mph shot, and with these numbers on a LOUSY team this year... yeah... why would they want to look at a guy like that??
2009, 11 WHL players on the team = GOLD
2013, 5 WHL players = very likely NO medal
A WHL referee should be an invisible protector of the integrity of the game. One should not know his name nor know that he was there.
Assistant Coach
I'm not going to say the lack of WHLers is the reason Canada will not be going for gold again this year, but the politics behind the team now has affected the overall quality of the teams iced. There has been a lot of head scratching over the decisions made as of late.
This year, Subban was slotted in the number one spot long before the tourney started. I can guarantee that Binnington or Brossoit would have stopped some of those shots that Subban could not. Not saying Subban isn't a great goalie...just not the best.
Or last year, Weal was impressive at the Subway Super Series being the top WHL scorer in the two games he played and was named MVP in the first game. Also was one of the leading scores in the league all season. Even after the WJC when the Pats were televised on Sportsnet, Weal looked as amazing as he always did, and had scouts, GMs and coaches, hockey's "higher-ups', and many people in the media, scratching their heads as to why the hell he was not on the under 20 team.
I don't want to write too long of a novel/rant, so I'll stop there, but there have been some young players that maybe shouldn't have been on the team over older, more experienced players, and some players that were there because of the media or how high they were drafted.
In the end, Canada is probably the only country that doesn't ice teams with the best players available.
Sniper
What a joke.
I understand bitterness about Canada losing and the homerism of wanting Western guys there but the BS and whining about WHL not being there is crap.
Team Canada had the best guys available on the team. Dumba didn't make it because he wasn't good enough. Subban played so much better than Brossoit all year and last year and played just fine in the tournament. Binnington or Brossoit aren't stopping pucks they can't see with 6 guys screening them.
I love seeing WHL guys on the team and think the league is strong enough to consistently put a lot of guys on the team but this year the guys who got cut were cut because they weren't good enough and it shouldn't of been a surprise if you had been following what they had done for the past year and a half.
Assistant Coach
So, are you saying politics plays no role in selecting the teams and every year the best Team Canada is picked???
General Manager
There is nothing wrong with having ur #1 goalie selected before the tournament even happens, every other country does it. Goaltending did not lose that game this morning, Subban had zero chance on 4 of those 5 goals but yet its his fault? really? come on now
Let's face it Canadian style of hockey just doesnt cut it anymore, look at that american team they didnt pick players based on size, they pick the BEST OFFENSIVE players available. Who cares about hitting in International hockey there is hardly any hitting & why is that??? cuz hitting doesnt win u games in this style of hockey, its all about speed & skill.
That american team was small cuz they knew they had to be able to skate on the big ice surface & they needed players with the skill who could control the puck at a high speed.
Its time for hockey canada to get with it already & pick a team based on where the tournament is being played. A 4th line player should be no different then a 1st line player.
A guy like Lipon should not of made team canada over a small speedy highly skilled player like Shinkaruk, hell even Valk should of been chosen ahead of him. Lipon is benefitting from playing on a very good hockey team in Kamloops not cuz his skills are above & beyond the rest. He is still a chip & chase player who thrives off his speed on a small north american ice. Hes been a great success story from the WHL this year but not enough to be on Team Canada.
Seth Jones is by far the most NHL ready player ranked in the top 10 for this year upcoming draft, no way in hell should MacKinnon go ahead of Jones. Canada is just behind in times, they still try to out muscle everyone instead of focusing clearly on skill & speed.
Did someone say "CHIP & CHASE" yep were all over that style
Sniper
Yes I am saying the best Team Canada is picked every year. At least the best team according to the best selectors in the world.Originally Posted by Fight Guy
Head Coach
That is just simply delusional thinking. Politics and money dictate nearly every other facet in life, so why wouldnt they in televised sports...especially when so much profit is at stake. The world juniors in hockey would be like the Christmas season for business chains. Big cash cow.
If you wish I can elaborate more, but the long and short of it is that to these people, making money is more important than winning international hockey games. and when that is the case, decisions that are counter productive as far as hockey concerns are made in order to satisfy the main objective.
Sniper
The best way for them to make money is to win. The best way to win is to bring the best players to the tournament.
Its always funny that politics only affects "your" guy (whether that is a Flames fan whinning about their guy being cut, WHL guys whinning about not enough westerners or Quebecer whining about their guys) it never seems that "your" guy makes it thanks to politics.
This year I can't think of a single guy that made it who should or a single guy who was cut that shouldn't have been. Corrado had a good Super Series and Camp but was weaker for the time between the last tournament and the selection camp. Subban was so much better than everyone else over that time it would have been stupid to ignore that and have him there because of a short stretch of 4 days in camp.
The problem is this is such a competitive and difficult team to make that people, instead of realizing this and saying hey great to see my guy make the camp, go to the BS it was politics to try and rationalize why someone didn't make it.
Team Canada hasn't been by far the best team, even without its top players, at this tournament by ignoring skill and making selections based on politics.
Head Coach
As much as I really want to agree, its just a naive way of looking at things. When it comes to making money, the best way is to appeal to people who arent hockey fans and dont care who wins. In order to do that, you have to sensationalize things and add elements that are normally not apart of hockey experiences. It can be 'diversifying' the team to accomodate groups that are normally apathetic, or selecting more media friendly/popular/interesting players for those who enjoy dramatics, and most notable...selecting a team that is overall the most market-friendly to the casual viewer; in this case a collective of powerplay units opposed to checking line types and defensive specialists.
Frankly, winning it all is just a bonus when you consider that the hardcores are going to continue coming back if they win or not...and since canada is always good anyways, why not dress it up and appeal to the untapped market...even at the expense of the loyal regulars and frankly the game itself(accept it in common with the NHL and Canada + its hockey fans). Their main goal is to make money hand over fist, and since non hockey fans prefer mindless amounts of goals over games with substance, grit and defence that theyll call boring, the people who choose the team crafts it to match these interests. If they win while doing it, all the power to them...meaning selecting guys that play like Huberdeau and players like Ryan Murphy over Mark Mcneill and maybe Matt Dumba. And of course Subban over Broissant.
As for politics, my point is that it affects all facets. Its not me whining about 'my side'(a side that has benefitted largely due to politics. The pats have more WJR graduates than any other team)...but its only logical that people will be vocal about the things that bother them directly rather than for other people. You can think what you want, but its hard to ignore many parallels between this year and others that people bring. Many people feel outside elements come first, at least in the important decisions to make, and for good reason. Its not out of desperation that people come to this conclusion.
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