Quote:
Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Actually, thanks for posting that because it pretty much proves that Canada was rolling basically three lines. Either could be the "first line". There is about 30 seconds a period separating lines one, two or three.
Certainly doesn't show that Iginla wasn't trusted by the coaching staff, or he wouldn't have been put on those lines or with the best player.
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Since the original claim was that Babcock trusted Iginla enough to put him on the top line in the gold medal game, the onus is on those making that claim to demonstrate how Iginla earned any more responsibility than Toews, Richards, Nash, Staal, Marleau, and Morrow.
Look at the Slovakia game: Iginla is tied for tenth among CDN forwards in shifts.
As for Crosby, read the articles written after the gold medal game and a common theme was that Crosby had a disappointing tournament before the golden goal, and it was a sweet redemption for that reason.
I just don't buy the myth around here that Crosby and Iginla had awesome chemistry at the Olympics. They were pencilled in at camp on a line with Nash, which everyone thought would be an awesome line. It wasn't, Nash was moved to the Toews-Richards line - which
did instantly become an awesome line - and when Getzlaf-Staal-Perry/Morrow started to click, Crosby-Iginla-whoever were left as the odd line out, since the SJ line was never going to be broken up.