[GDT] Ongoing 2025 WJC Game Day Thread

[Junglist]

Originally Posted by Yamer

It feels pretty clear now that Hockey Canada made a completely unforced error in roster selection. I feel bad for the players there because this wasn't their decision.

Yes, it was.

[midniteowl]

The way this team is playing, they are gonna lose the quarter final.

[N-E-B]

We can debate the roster construction all day, and that’s certainly valid, but the reality is that Canadian hockey has been falling behind at the grassroots level for about a decade now.

Hockey Canada is run by incompetent fools that have been making a series of idiotic decisions that have slowly cratered the state of minor hockey in the country. We are only now seeing the results.

It’s not a coincidence that unsanctioned hockey leagues are exploding in minor hockey right now. The situation is much more dire than most people realize.

[Canada 02]

Canada vs Sweden the next game?

[Enoch Root]

Czechia

[jg13]

Eiserman chirping Cowan

https://twitter.com/user/status/1874299051900100664

[troutman]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

We can debate the roster construction all day, and that’s certainly valid, but the reality is that Canadian hockey has been falling behind at the grassroots level for about a decade now.

Hockey Canada is run by incompetent fools that have been making a series of idiotic decisions that have slowly cratered the state of minor hockey in the country. We are only now seeing the results.

It’s not a coincidence that unsanctioned hockey leagues are exploding in minor hockey right now. The situation is much more dire than most people realize.

I think it’s simpler than that. About 5-10 years ago the US surpassed Canada in minor hockey registrations, and the gap is only going to get bigger.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by jg13

Eiserman chirping Cowan

https://twitter.com/user/status/1874299051900100664

Imagine getting chirped by Eiserman, a power play specialist. Stay out of the box and Eiserman is invisible.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by troutman

I think it’s simpler than that. About 5-10 years ago the US surpassed Canada in minor hockey registrations, and the gap is only going to get bigger.

It’s actually quite sad. I’m not sure I see a path forward where Canada pulls back ahead.

Because like you said, even if Hockey Canada is purged they’re still outnumbering us. It’s just a statistic reality that they’ll be better.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

As Paulie pointed out they are playing Sutter hockey. Huska is Sutter hockey without the shot volume. Even if Cameron had taken the other skill players nothing would change. That's why McKenna doesn't look like a phenom. That's why we acquired a 100+ point skill player and he became a pumpkin. Having smaller skill players like Huby, Zary, Pelletier, Kuzmenko, etc.. and playing North/South everything from the point perimeter game is just mind boggling stupid.

Your hatred for Huska is comical and broken record at this point. And Huberdeau was way more ineffective under Sutter then he is under Huska.

You need a new shtick

[Nelson]

According to the chart in this AP article, which has a US tab and a Canadian tab, Canadian numbers have generally fallen, and US numbers
have generally risen, but Canada is still ahead. Canada has been above 400k youth participating every year except one, while the US has never been above 400k.

https://apnews.com/article/us-hockey...e88b2596986973

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Your hatred for Huska is comical and broken record at this point. And Huberdeau was way more ineffective under Sutter then he is under Huska.

You need a new shtick

Huska is the reason the Flames don’t have a top 10 pick locked up this year. If Flames fans want a top 10 pick that is the reason to hate on him.

[GirlySports]

5 games tomorrow!

9am Germany vs Kazakhstan (relegation)

10am Sweden vs Latvia

12:30pm USA vs Switzerland

3pm Finland vs Slovakia

5:30pm Czechia vs Canada

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

5 games tomorrow!

9am Germany vs Kazakhstan (relegation)

10am Sweden vs Latvia

12:30pm USA vs Switzerland

3pm Finland vs Slovakia

5:30pm Czechia vs Canada

You mean Jan 2nd?

[GirlySports]

Sorry Jan 2. I keep getting my days mixed up this week.

[indes]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

It’s actually quite sad. I’m not sure I see a path forward where Canada pulls back ahead.

Because like you said, even if Hockey Canada is purged they’re still outnumbering us. It’s just a statistic reality that they’ll be better.

It's a tough thing to gauge since there's a fair bit of minor hockey outside of Hockey Canada these days. For those who don't have kids in minor hockey, Hockey Alberta (and I'm assuming other provinces) is in full blown panic mode about unsanctioned leagues. We're only in U9 and there's 12 teams in Sherwood Park Minor Hockey (Hockey Alberta/Canada) and 2 HSL (unsanctioned) teams from Sherwood Park & area. So that's a little more than 10% unaccounted for - mostly tier 1/2 players as well. Not sure if its the same in other provinces but it is a growing model and will probably keep chewing into Hockey Canada's participation numbers

[2ArmBands]

Canada handed them the game. Total lack of discipline and selfish penalties. Canada was the better team 5v5 and were dominant for parts of the game. Just one self inflicting mistake after another.

Hopefully they can clean it up. While not playing well they are good enough to beat anyone.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

It’s actually quite sad. I’m not sure I see a path forward where Canada pulls back ahead.

Because like you said, even if Hockey Canada is purged they’re still outnumbering us. It’s just a statistic reality that they’ll be better.

I mean, maybe? More parity is a natural result of a sport getting more popular, but a country with ten times the population having more people do something doesn’t necessarily equate to a dire situation or a shift in hegemony. Don’t we want the sport to be more popular? Sweden and Finland are always kicking around despite ‘dire’ numbers of players as well.

New Zealand barely cracks the top 10 when it comes to number of rugby players. Same with Ireland. That’s totally expected because they’re small countries. But they’ve done pretty well (the former historically and the latter recently). As the sport grows, its natural Canada would fall behind in the number of players compared to (much) bigger countries.

People have been blowing results at the WJC out of proportion a long time. The late 90s (buoyed by the World Cup and Olympics) we had the death of hockey in Canada as we know it, the hegemony being passed to the US and the Czechs. There are ebbs and flows and ups and downs.Its easy to look at this team and blame coaching and player selection, and also point to the fact that there are three eligible players who are too good to play in the tournament (well, two that are too good and one who is just unavailable). Hockey Canada’s problems don’t necessarily equate to hockey in Canada’s problem.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

Huska is the reason the Flames don’t have a top 10 pick locked up this year. If Flames fans want a top 10 pick that is the reason to hate on him.

Goaltending is the reason, not Huska.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

I mean, maybe? More parity is a natural result of a sport getting more popular, but a country with ten times the population having more people do something doesn’t necessarily equate to a dire situation or a shift in hegemony. Don’t we want the sport to be more popular? Sweden and Finland are always kicking around despite ‘dire’ numbers of players as well.

New Zealand barely cracks the top 10 when it comes to number of rugby players. Same with Ireland. That’s totally expected because they’re small countries. But they’ve done pretty well (the former historically and the latter recently). As the sport grows, its natural Canada would fall behind in the number of players compared to (much) bigger countries.

People have been blowing results at the WJC out of proportion a long time. The late 90s (buoyed by the World Cup and Olympics) we had the death of hockey in Canada as we know it, the hegemony being passed to the US and the Czechs. There are ebbs and flows and ups and downs.Its easy to look at this team and blame coaching and player selection, and also point to the fact that there are three eligible players who are too good to play in the tournament (well, two that are too good and one who is just unavailable). Hockey Canada’s problems don’t necessarily equate to hockey in Canada’s problem.

Fair points. Personally I’m a big fan of the US National Development Program and would like to see something similar here. I’m not sure if that’s possible given the current structure of minor hockey in Canada without a major restructuring.

Also I’m now drunk on wine and can’t really process my thoughts properly. So that doesn’t help. Lol.