[GDT] Jan 4 - WJC Semifinals: SWE vs RUS (7AM MT) and CAN vs FIN (11AM MT) TSN

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by moon

Canada finished top 4 for the 15th year in a row and people are questioning how Hockey Canada does things and saying there needs to be changes?

They also do this with their top guys missing year after year.

Its frustrating to see Canada lose but Canada easily wins this game with this team more often than not. Hard to fault Hockey Canada for 17, 18 and 19 year olds failing to show up for a game. You are always going to get wonky results with kids this age.

I think you can question some of the selections this year, and I'm not sure they've really taken the best team the last couple years.

The team struggled to score all tournament and taking guys like Leier and Andersson over a proven big game player like Domi has something to so with it.

[Henry Fool]

Felt like Canada didn't get a lot from their talent and the game just slowly slipped away. I didn't see Brent try to change anything either when the quality of chances was being kept low.

Saros might be the best goalie in the tournament and Canada didn't make his life very difficult. That just usually doesn't happen against Canada at this stage of the tournament.

Drouin is great with the puck but doesn't seem to have the sense to judge when and where to pass it afterwards. Small sample size but could be a little bit worrying if you're a Tampa Bay fan.

[moon]

Originally Posted by DOOM

5 years now without a Gold, Hockey Canada is awful right now.

Well they lost one in OT if they get a lucky break then is Hockey Canada all of a sudden better?

If the Hubreadeau shot is an inch over and scores instead of hitting the post is the team Hockey Canada sent all of sudden the right mix?

Canada in those 5 tournaments have lost roughly 7-8 games total. They have been 4th as the lowest twice with two razor thin loses in finals and a close lose in the semi's as well.

If that is a joke then every other country that sends a team to this tournament is absolutely pathetic.

[Haplo]

Congrats to Finland. They deserve a success at junior level. Can they play tomorrow the way the did today, they'll have a good chance at gold. Gonna be two fun games tomorrow between bitter rivals

[PeteMoss]

I wonder if the lack of a camp and a real selection process (besides the two or three guys they cut) hurts in retrospect. Create a bit of a competitive environment before the players instead of just letting them show up to be on the team.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Red John

Not going to pile on Moon here but the comment that the teams played even today just isn't accurate.

Finland led scoring chances 10-3 after two periods - haven't seen the numbers for the 3rd but bet Finland outchanced them in that period too.

An even game suggests that it could have gone either way. Not true. Total domination by Finland today.

I find those chances stats can often be garbage as what is counted as a chance can be dubious at best. I would have to watch again but it certainly did not look like that to me.

I didn't think either team played that well today at all so and neither looked better to me. Take away the bounce and some iffy calls and Finland didn't look like they could create any threat to Canada.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by Red John

Not going to pile on Moon here but the comment that the teams played even today just isn't accurate.

Finland led scoring chances 10-3 after two periods - haven't seen the numbers for the 3rd but bet Finland outchanced them in that period too.

An even game suggests that it could have gone either way. Not true. Total domination by Finland today.

Canada had 3 shots in the third.

And Fucale just said the Fins were better.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Haplo

Congrats to Finland. They deserve a success at junior level. Can they play tomorrow the way the did today, they'll have a good chance at gold. Gonna be two fun games tomorrow between bitter rivals

Are they still bitter rivals though? I haven't really felt anything special between them in many years.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by moon

Canada finished top 4 for the 15th year in a row and people are questioning how Hockey Canada does things and saying there needs to be changes?

They also do this with their top guys missing year after year.

Its frustrating to see Canada lose but Canada easily wins this game with this team more often than not. Hard to fault Hockey Canada for 17, 18 and 19 year olds failing to show up for a game. You are always going to get wonky results with kids this age.

Finland was missing some of their better guys as well... can't blame missing players this year.

[-TC-]

wow, mature interview. well done young man.

[puckluck2]

Originally Posted by moon

I find those chances stats can often be garbage as what is counted as a chance can be dubious at best. I would have to watch again but it certainly did not look like that to me.

I didn't think either team played that well today at all so and neither looked better to me. Take away the bounce and some iffy calls and Finland didn't look like they could create any threat to Canada.

So you've went from "Canada clearly better" to "neither looked better to me" in 15 minutes?

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by moon

I find those chances stats can often be garbage as what is counted as a chance can be dubious at best. I would have to watch again but it certainly did not look like that to me.

I didn't think either team played that well today at all so and neither looked better to me. Take away the bounce and some iffy calls and Finland didn't look like they could create any threat to Canada.

Canada had virtually no chances in this game... not sure what you were watching.

[stemit14]

As a bitter flames fan all I can say is... Things might have been different if certain flames prospects were invited to try to make the team.

[Righteous1]

MOD EDIT: Over the line.

[moon]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I think you can question some of the selections this year, and I'm not sure they've really taken the best team the last couple years.

The team struggled to score all tournament and taking guys like Leier and Andersson over a proven big game player like Domi has something to so with it.

I don't know a ton about the OHL guys but I have read a lot of reports of Domi not being very good so far this year for London.

Canada was really hurt from having a weak '94 group up front. The highest forward drafted in 2012 was Tom Wilson and he isn't exactly an offensive dynamo (or even at the tournament).

Having to rely so much on 18 year olds for offense (plus 17 year old Reinhart and 16 year old McDavid) is rarely a recipe for success.

I think Brent took some of the lower end offensive but solid defensive guys because he was concerned about the type of game the team would be able to play.

Outside of maybe some 18 year olds who rarely make it over 19 year olds I can't see many questionable picks. Of course Flames fans will complain about Poirier but he was the 22nd pick just 6 months ago so still behind a lot of guys in more than just Hockey Canada's eyes.

[Haplo]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

Are they still bitter rivals though? I haven't really felt anything special between them in many years.

Canada-Russia or Sweden-Finland? I feel there are always huge emotions in both match-ups. Maybe Can-Rus isn't what it once was though.

[moon]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

So you've went from "Canada clearly better" to "neither looked better to me" in 15 minutes?

Canada clearly the better team overall which is what I said when someone actually asked to clarify rather than just throw out the dick comment.

[JayP]

It's pretty obvious that Canada was outplayed, but I think any reference to bad bounces is ridiculous.

That first goal was a complete product of lazy play by Fucale IMO. The puck took a bad hop from the corner boards on a relatively weak dump-in and he was already on the far post looking away from the puck. In a regular season game you can get away with that, but in an elimination game you can't get lazy and cheat and act like that's the first bad hop you've ever seen (especially playing in an unfamiliar rink). It certainly was a bad bounce, but it's impact was completely preventable given where it came from.

I may be too hard on Fucale, but in a game where the guy at the other end is playing his ass off you can't afford to be lazy at any point.

[moon]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

I wonder if the lack of a camp and a real selection process (besides the two or three guys they cut) hurts in retrospect. Create a bit of a competitive environment before the players instead of just letting them show up to be on the team.

People complained last year about how the camp hurt Team Canada and that the US model where they had a few late cuts in Europe was much better way to go.

I think the selection method ends up meaning very little and both ways have their benefits and drawbacks.

[SHOGUN]

Not enough shots to the net.. and trying to make the pretty pass is what I noticed in today's game.