Olympic PGT - CAN 3 - SUI 2 SO

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

If you can't see that Crosby is the best player on the ice tonight, you judging of hockey talent is very suspect.

He is probably the only forward that didn't constantly turn over the puck. Getzlaf, thorton, Richards and Bergeron were all turnovers machines tonight.

LMAO thanks tips. Crosby wasn't the best player on the ice tonight. I'm glad he scored on his 2nd crack at the shootout and I would hope he could because he is such a great player but beyond that tonight he was average. He did turn the puck over and he was forcing passes, trying to make the fancy play. Towards the end he got a bit better cause he was simplifying his game. IMO the Sharks trio were the best players wearing a Canadian jersey tonight.

[zamler]

I don't know what Crosby has to do to get respect from some people. He has not looked that great early, but he is finding his game and always seems to find a way to come through. He scored the game winning goal, but that's not good enough for some people, because he was "supposed" to score after getting a second chance.

Unbelievable.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

He did will this team to victory, he was the only player out of 4 superstar players to score on Hiller.

Crosby is a player that has time and time again come up big for his teams, he plays big minutes because he can handle them and has produced. Yet Babcock gives all the ice time to a trio of forwards that are the definition of "anti-clutch".

You want Crosby to win you a game, give him ice time.

Crosby is clutch and a great player but give me a break. Yes the Sharks players aren't known for being the most productive players when it counts but that has nothing to do with how they played tonight. Crosby wasn't completely on his game and if it were my call I would have benched him for one shift and then played the hell out of him after. Remember if the two sharks didn't score tonight, Crosby wouldn't have had the opportunity to win the game in the shootout.

[Ark2]

Originally Posted by jeremywilhelm

He did will this team to victory, he was the only player out of 4 superstar players to score on Hiller.

Unless you are counting Crosby as 2 superstars, he was one of 3 players, and he unlike the other 2 got a second crack at it. Had Toews scored the shootout goal instead of Crosby, would you be saying that he willed his team to victory? Nope. Know why? Because his name is not Sidney Crosby. Again, I'm not knocking the guy. He's a great player but he didn't do anything special tonight... nor did the rest of the team.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by CGY12

Crosby wasn't completely on his game and if it were my call I would have benched him for one shift and then played the hell out of him after.

Seriously?

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by zamler

I don't know what Crosby has to do to get respect from some people. He has not looked that great early, but he is finding his game and always seems to find a way to come through. He scored the game winning goal, but that's not good enough for some people, because he was "supposed" to score after getting a second chance.

Unbelievable.

Relax, I'm not disrespecting Crosby. He is a great player and he will do great things for this team but tonight he wasn't completely on his game. The guy is human, its not like he is going to be GREAT every night. IMO I thought their were guys who had better games tonight.

[zamler]

Originally Posted by CGY12

IMO I thought their were guys who had better games tonight.

I'm curious, like who? I agree that no one on Team Canada had a great game.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by zamler

Seriously?

Yup, just cause you a star player it doesn't mean your any different from anyone else. Early he was being to fancy and trying to force plays that weren't there, which resulted in him passing up on great chances. I didn't say sit him for the entire game. I just would have sat him for ONE shift (OMG such a big deal), then played the hell out of him.

[Locke]

I dont understand the Doughty love, he was terrible. He was directly responsible for half of Canada's goals against.

[CGY12]

Originally Posted by zamler

I'm curious, like who? I agree that no one on Team Canada had a great game.

Heatley, Marleau and Thornton. I thought everybody else was average and has another level to their game.

[Smell My Finger]

Babcock's favoring of the SJ line is sickening to watch when you have Nash Crosby Iginla.
It didn't appear that Iginla was hurt but perhaps he was.
I just think Babcock is fracking up a extremly talented team.
If you have Crosby on a team you play him on the top line everytime. SJ line was out there for every PP before the Crosby line, thats just ######ed on Babcock's part. After 2 T.V time outs Babcock even went back to back shifts with the SJ line?
Bergeron has no chemistry with Crosby and Nash but yet Babcock keeps forcing that issue. Bergeron shouldn't even be on this team.
Doughty was one of the best D men in the first game and tonight he messes up once and Babcock uses him as a scapegoat. Screw him.

[CGY12]

I do agree however that Nash Crosby Iginla didn't see nearly enough time on the PP and were given a rather small leash. It didn't allow them to get into a flow and ultimately weren't producing. I think the defense played role in that too, they were terrible on the points keeping the puck in and at tape to tape passes.

[calgarybornnraised]

So the scouting report for team canada is pressure the puck ?

[Smell My Finger]

esp Pronger he killed so many Canada attempts to get in the offensive zone from making terrible passes to skating into the paths of the wingers. Pronger sucked tonight.
I can think of a few times Pronger coughed up the puck near Canada's net and Brodeur had to stand on his head coming up with quick reaction saves.

[CGY12]

Crosby won a few faceoffs clean where it would go right back to Pronger and I don't know what happened but he couldn't keep them in. That was frustrating because then Babcock being the idiot he is would make them change.

[Smell My Finger]

Honestly i hope the media doesn't focus on that Canada won a S/O in heroic fashion but i would rather they verbally attack Babcock for OVER playing the SJ line just because he is comfortable with their NHL chemestry rather than the Crosby line he has on such a short leash.
It would never come to a shoot out if the Crosby line started every PP.

[shadetree]

Was it just me, or did Canada look a little soft out there tonight. There were long stretches where the were getting outhit by the Swiss. That should never happen. The Swiss weren't the least bit afraid of the big bad Canadians. And rightfully so - they were pitching a no-hitter for large stretches. Getzlaf and Perry seemed particularly uninterested. I know Thornton takes a lot of heat, but I thought Getzlaf was pretty invisible. And why is Perry on the team if he isn't going to stir things up?

As for the D, as others have mentioned, why have Seabrook on the team if he isn't playing with Keith? I understood his selection to the team over more talented players based on chemistry issues, but then they go and break up that pairing...

I remember watching the team Canada selection show - when it came to the D, they had their top 3 LD as Niedermayer, Pronger, and Keith. They said that if you believe in those 3, you don't need Bouwmeester. I was worried about Pronger and Niedermayer before, and that hasn't changed. Hopefully the Canadian D doesn't wilt when they face the US forecheck.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Locke

I dont understand the Doughty love, he was terrible. He was directly responsible for half of Canada's goals against.

To be fair, he was huggybeared on the Swiss blue-line my 2 guys, but it was a stupid pinch.

I don't get why Babcock is benching players, especially Iginla. Checking your ego is one thing, fine put him on the 4th line, but don't disrespect one of Canada's best players by benching him. Pathetic decision. Has it been confirmed he was benched along with Seabrook? Unless it has been confirmed he was benched, maybe he just sat for precautionary measures from the hit (it was a bit hard to the head).

The ONLY thing I liked was putting Bergeron out there to win face-offs and then having him bolt to the bench.

Nash-Crosby-Iginla should stay a bloody line, stop breaking good things up you monkey. And keep Seabrook with Keith FFS.


Edit: And Bouwmeester should be there, it is a joke he still isn't there.

[rockstar]

Full marks to the Swiss. They were geared up, and it showed. They were relentless - they never gave up.

[North East Goon]

I have no problems with benching players, sometimes its used as a motivational tool. Maybe he is trying to light a fire under Iginla for what might be there most physical challenge in the U.S. The Seabrooke benching is going to happen a lot, he is just out of his element in this tourney - not mobile enough. The player that is annoying me is Nash, he is trying to play too pretty, when he should be a smash mouth type player. I would try a Nash-Richards-Iginla line against the U.S.