[GDT] 2016 WJC: Quarterfinals. 4 games. Canada vs Finland 9AM MT

[AC]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Raffi Torres IMO. Both taken top 10. Both fast, gritty players who have a good shot but don't have a complete offensive arsenal and make some dumb dumb plays.

Torres is exactly who Craig Button compared Virtanen to when he had him ranked VERY low compared to the rest of the pre-draft rankings.

[GranteedEV]

Not impressed by Mackenzie Blackwood's style. Basically plays like a poor man's Jonas Hiller. This is why you can't look at save percentage numbers and decide who's a better draft pick. Mason McDonald is much better than this guy.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Lowry really had control over the team....

"don't take any penalties'

Virtanen takes 2 dumb ones
Marner punches a guy in a scrum
Strome hits a guy directly in the numbers

Yeah, tells them not to take penalties, they take dumb penalties and then immediately get more shifts. I mean why would they listen if there's zero responsibility?

Brutal

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by flamesfan6

Coach can only do so much, he has guys like Virtanen to work with... Yes some choices probably could of been different, but controlling players emotions and stupidity is a whole other thing, he can't mind control them.

Well I'm no head coach but my solution would be to not play him and the team would have been better for it so I suppose you reap what you sow.

[CaptainCrunch]

Well at least they didn't get relegated.

They were terrible throughout this tournament with their only regulation win coming over Denmark, and then struggling against the Swiss to get an otw.

As much as we talk about the rest of the world catching up to Canada at this level, I think that this was a mish mash of bad and somewhat selfish players, and extremely poor coaching, this team didn't know what it wanted to be.

Virtanen as the guy was brutal, he's haunted by the same thing that's going to kill him in the NHL, a lack of discipline combined with a blinding level of on ice stupidity and no feel for the game.


Nothing to be proud of with this team or coaching staff.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Too bad the Canadian defense tipped in those goals on McDonald because we might've won that game with him in net.

Embarassing lack of discipline, questionable coaching. Not a lot of top end talent on Canada but Brent Sutter took a team with Downie and Dustin Boyd as the top players to the gold didn't he? No excuses for Lowry. Couldn't get his team to play disciplined. Didn't seem to make the key goaltending choices.

Blah

[Frank MetaMusil]

Haha, good old Dave Lowry. I still can't believe the Flames had him running their PP for 3 seasons.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Too bad the Canadian defense tipped in those goals on McDonald because we might've won that game with him in net.

Embarassing lack of discipline, questionable coaching. Not a lot of top end talent on Canada but Brent Sutter took a team with Downie and Dustin Boyd as the top players to the gold didn't he? No excuses for Lowry. Couldn't get his team to play disciplined. Didn't seem to make the key goaltending choices.

Blah

Exactly. This team wasn't as talented as we have been used to but they weren't as bad as they performed in this tournament.

[The Coppernian One]

Anyone else catch Strome going after the officials? TSN likely won't show it again.

I also wonder if Canada is now done with the only invite two goaltenders to camp process.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Frank MetaMusil

Haha, good old Dave Lowry. I still can't believe the Flames had him running their PP for 3 seasons.

Maybe Jarome was right about him after all.

[vilzeh]

What a thriller. I was about to explode. Thank you Finland.

[Canehdianman]

Virtanen will make a perfect Canuck.

[flames_fan_down_under]

Too bad.

Interesting to keep Blackwood in the whole game. Lowry, I guess, had no confidence in McDonald after the game against the USA.

I thought Marner and Strome were lightyears ahead of the other Canadian players.

Too bad Virtanen was gifted a spot on the team because he was really, really bad.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

By next while do you mean the rest of the day? People will move on.

In general, yes people move on. But these kids lives revolve around hockey and it week be brought up again I'm sure

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Too bad the Canadian defense tipped in those goals on McDonald because we might've won that game with him in net.

Embarassing lack of discipline, questionable coaching. Not a lot of top end talent on Canada but Brent Sutter took a team with Downie and Dustin Boyd as the top players to the gold didn't he? No excuses for Lowry. Couldn't get his team to play disciplined. Didn't seem to make the key goaltending choices.

Blah

For everything people say about Brent Sutter, he is was a great coach at that level because he knew how to motivate these kids, and knew what kind of game he wanted them to play.

Pie looked completely lost behind the bench,

Theres a lot of blame to pass around, but I was watching that last moment and even their attempts to game the zone showed no discipline as players were clustered together in the middle of the ice, and no coach tells players to do that.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by The Coppernian One

Anyone else catch Strome going after the officials? TSN likely won't show it again.

I also wonder if Canada is now done with the only invite two goaltenders to camp process.

I doubt it. Seems like they typically predetermine the goaltenders regardless of performance.

[heep223]

Virtanen should have been stapled to the bench for this entire tournament. He was the worst forward by far. Lots of factors as to why the team lost but those two dumb penalties by him cost them this game.

[JiriHrdina]

Marner's last penalty was just as inexcusable as Virtanen's double minor. Just an idiotic move from a guy that looked selfish through the tournament.
Feel bad for Hicketts as that's just bad luck. No excuses for Virtanen and Marner.

[frodo_t_baggins]

So how do we get Pullujarvi on the flames?

[Kswiss]

Damn, now a montage on Vertanin....salt in the wounds.