Kessel comments on Team USA being eliminated

[TomLeeMC]

Originally Posted by thefoss1957

Stang...the other games may be pretty good, but, I'd rather watch carefully built NHL rosters, playing for Lord Stanley's Cup, than Bettman's contrived pseudo-Olympic competition.

If I wasn't stuck at work, I probably wouldn't have streamed/watched even this game...I admit an aversion to exhibitions.

And Text, while the TALENT may be elite, neither the team's chemistry or the play can be elite in a short preparation all-star format.

As was mentioned during the broadcast last night some of these players have been playing with each other since Juniors. Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Patrice Bergeron and defenceman Shea Weber all played together during the 2005 world juniors. Also, eight members of the 2010 gold-medal squad and 11 from 2014 are on the team. To say that they have no chemistry is ridiculous. Watching the game last night you can tell they have great chemistry and basically know where each other are or are going to be on the ice.

Originally Posted by TheoFleury

I feel like the anti-WC side has made their reasons pretty clear, so I suspect you are asking a question you already know the answer to.

One of the things I was worried about was injuries and, lo and behold, our 2nd line center is injured before the first pre-season game! All for a meaningless exhibition tournament.

Maybe Johnny can get injured next so we can really handicap the team's already 50/50 chances at a playoff spot...

What about when Backlund gets hurt during the flames first pre-season game? then what? We shouldn't have pre-season games now? Soft players are going to get hurt whether it be in a meaningless tournament(according to you), a preseason game, a regular season game or a playoff game. Players get hurt in practice even, practice!!

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by MattyC

The tournament format screwed USA as well.

2 or 3 of their players, one of which is a game breaker, are playing for another team.


But yeah, Tortorella? like are you serious?

Yeah exactly. Still fun to rub salt in the wound, but truthfully that didn't feel like a REAL absolute best on best to me because of the NA usurpers. Going into that game, it definitely didn't have the same feel of WC 96 Final, or the 02, 10 or 14 Olympic games against them for me because of that. Felt more like Canada* vs. USA*.

Watching team NA has been a blast, but I'm hoping they don't bring it back next time. It's really taking away from the nationalism and Canadian pride these international tourneys are supposed to draw out of you, at least for me.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Yeah exactly. Still fun to rub salt in the wound, but truthfully that didn't feel like a REAL absolute best on best to me because of the NA usurpers. Going into that game, it definitely didn't have the same feel of WC 96 Final, or the 02, 10 or 14 Olympic games against them for me because of that. Felt more like Canada* vs. USA*.

Watching team NA has been a blast, but I'm hoping they don't bring it back next time. It's really taking away from the nationalism and Canadian pride these international tourneys are supposed to draw out of you, at least for me.

If they are going to continue with this format, I would like to see team Canada and USA get right of first refusal to select Under-23 eligible players. I don't think it would have made any difference to Team Canada's selections, but probably affected Team USA.

[Joe Nieuwendyk]

Originally Posted by TheoFleury

our 2nd line center is injured before the first pre-season game! All for a meaningless exhibition tournament.

My thoughts are if the players don't consider it a meaningless tournament, how can it be a meaningless tournament?

Backlund had the chance to play for his country in a best-on-best tournament. This was a great accomplishment for him and I'm certainly not going to insult him by stating that it was a "meaningless"

[united]

Bobby Ryan @b_ryan9
nah...kill USA hockey with kindness and maybe they'll let me play over 35 adult worlds if I'm not a defensive liability by then.


Unleash the butthurt!

Mark Masters @markhmasters
David Backes disappointed by Ryan, Kessel tweets: "Those comments don't get lost in the fray. Those comments will be remembered."

[thefoss1957]

TomLee...that your guys have had time to build chemistry is true...the US, however? Thrown together mish-mosh...same for Team Europe, that spanked the US...simply not an ideal format/plan.

Stang...I have a great disdain for flag-waving nationalism...these international tourneys do little to pique my interest...

I'd rather watch clubs that work together extensively, than these "all-star" format things...going back a few decades, it was the club concept that allowed the Sovs, basically the Red Army team, to dominate the international stage...what you say is true, to a point, though, intact club play down to low levels is immanently watchable hockey (the ECHL Utah Grizzlies is the nearest Club that I get a chance to watch, there are no lower levels of play out here, where I live, and limited exposure on television, except for what is shown on Center Ice).

[cannon7]

The fact that Team USA thought they could actually out grit Team Canada and that it would somehow translate to a win is the real confusing part here. In the exhibition game, Team USA revealed their whole strategy, effectively giving Team Canada a chance to mentally prepare for a game that mattered. Not to mention there is plenty of grit on Team Canada.

Hopefully Team USA has learned: best player available. You're gonna have to get a little bit lucky no matter what your roster looks like. Burke definitely looks foolish here.

[Hackey]

Has the arguement over whether his comments were appropriate or not started yet?

[Benched]

not yet.


we're just enjoying the salty tears at the moment.

[nik-]

What's Backes going to do? Act tough with a guy way smaller than him and then hide behind a ref?

[GoJetsGo]

Were there any teary Ryan Kessler pics?

[MissTeeks]

And here come the rebuttals:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/team-us...173151679.html

“It’s disappointing. It’s almost to say that we were coasting or don’t care, weren’t representing our countries as well as we could have and for other guys that have worn the jersey, it’s disappointing,” Team USA forward David Backes said. “I understand there’s hard feelings if you weren’t picked for the team or if whatever, but the comments are, I think – as a team guy and as a guy that stands by my teammates, win lose or draw, it’s a little distasteful and aggravating but everyone’s got a Twitter account and you can have freedom of speech to say whatever you want and so be it. But those comments don’t get lost in the fray and those comments are there and have been read and I think will be remembered when whatever happens going forward happens going forward.”

“The thing I’ve kind of gone with and I’m going to stick with it is I’ve played with Phil in Sochi and I don’t want to speak for him but I hope he doesn’t want to disrespect anybody in our locker room just like all the guys in our locker room don’t want to disrespect anyone outside of it,” Team USA forward Derek Stepan said. “As for social media, I know that there are some guys that are very passionate about USA and that’s great to see and again. It just comes back to the respect level from me. I hope that it was not in disrespect and was just about passion and wanting to succeed in the USA but I don’t want to go much further other than I certainly hope it wasn’t out of disrespect. It was more out of just being passionate about their colors.”
Added Stepan, “I don’t think our group looked into (the tweets) other than we just hope that it wasn’t an attack at us. I don’t think anybody thought it was funny on our side. Obviously especially after the way it’s gone, it stung our group anyways and to have outside pokes and jab, it doesn’t help but again – I hope that it wasn’t out of disrespect and that’s all we can really do at this point. “

“Everyone can have their opinion. They can say what they want to say. We were here. We tried hard, we played hard, and came up short,” forward Zach Parise said. “Didn’t Phil have surgery? I don’t think he could even play, anyway. His tweet didn’t really make sense.”

[trublmaker]

Originally Posted by cannon7

The fact that Team USA thought they could actually out grit Team Canada and that it would somehow translate to a win is the real confusing part here. In the exhibition game, Team USA revealed their whole strategy, effectively giving Team Canada a chance to mentally prepare for a game that mattered. Not to mention there is plenty of grit on Team Canada.

Hopefully Team USA has learned: best player available. You're gonna have to get a little bit lucky no matter what your roster looks like. Burke definitely looks foolish here.

So even though Burke wasn't the GM or even AGM he gets the blame for the player selection?

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by thefoss1957

TomLee...that your guys have had time to build chemistry is true...the US, however? Thrown together mish-mosh...same for Team Europe, that spanked the US...simply not an ideal format/plan.

2003 Jr. - Suter, Kesler, Parise

2004 Jr. - Suter, Kesler, Parise

2005 Jr. Suter, Schneider

2006 WC - Suter, Kesler
2006 Jr. - E. Johnson, J. Johnson, Niskanen, Oshie, Wheeler, Schneider

2007 WC - E. Johnson, J. Johnson, Suter, Backes, Schneider
2007 Jr. - E. Johnson, J. Johnson, Abdelkader, Kane, JVR

2008 WC - Kane, Parise, Dubinsky, Backes
2008 Jr. - Pacioretty, JVR

2009 WC - J. Johnson, Suter, Niskanen, Oshie, Pavelski, Backes
2009 Jr. - McDonagh, JVR

2010 O - Kane, Kesler, Pavelski, Parise, Backes, Suter, J. Johnson, E. Johnson, Quick
2010 WC - J. Johnson, Dubinsky, Bishop
2010 Jr. - Carlson, Palmieri, Stepan

2011 WC - McDonagh, Palmeiri, Stepan, JVR, Wheeler

2012 WC - J. Johnson, Abdelkader, Palmieri, Pacioretty

2013 WC - E. Johnson, Oshie, Bishop

2014 O - Kane, Oshie, Pacioretty, Backes, Wheeler, McDonagh, JVR, Suter, Kesler, Parise, Kane, Pavelski, E. Johnson, J. Johnson, Carlson, Quick

[habernac]

Any of these players who are pissed at Kessel... what a bunch of babies. He's expressing his disappointment at not being picked for the team. So unless Backes was part of the management group: grow up.

Phil is saying he wanted to be there. Period. His zinger was aimed at management.

[thefoss1957]

Doctajones...a couple weeks together every couple of years does NOT necessarily build "chemistry"...familiarity, perhaps, but, not always cohesion, especially under different coaches,

[djsFlames]

No idea why the players are taking offence...weird.

[doctajones428]

Originally Posted by thefoss1957

Doctajones...a couple weeks together every couple of years does NOT necessarily build "chemistry"...familiarity, perhaps, but, not always cohesion, especially under different coaches,

If Canada can build chemistry through those tournaments, so can you guys

[TheoFleury]

Originally Posted by Joe Nieuwendyk

My thoughts are if the players don't consider it a meaningless tournament, how can it be a meaningless tournament?

Backlund had the chance to play for his country in a best-on-best tournament. This was a great accomplishment for him and I'm certainly not going to insult him by stating that it was a "meaningless"

Lol seriously... I'm 'insulting' Backlund now?

Hopefully there's enough fainting couches to go around for all these insulted players. If calling this tournament a meaningless cash grab is actually an insult to the players, well I guess the players are going to be pretty offended. Untold scores of people have been saying that since the tournament was first announced. My contribution probably amounts to 0.0000001% of what's out there lol. Hopefully Backlund's OK. If you're reading this Mikael, I'm very, very sorry. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings

[Coach]

Originally Posted by pseudoreality

Best scorer from the blue line in? That's an odd way of putting it. How many goals are scored from outside the blue line? Not many and its typically pretty embarrassing.

I suppose. More mean that if Kessel is anywhere but the offensive zone, he's pretty anemic. But if he has the puck in the o-zone, he's one of the most dangerous in the game.