It seems like Gaudreau is rather undervalued around the league. Given his season last year, it seems like a bit of a slight to be 2nd line, 2nd PP unit, and not in the conversation as captain material (most articles suggest it's between McDavid, Ekblad, Saad, Mackinnon, or Schiefele). Maybe it's just to spread the offense around but I was really looking forward to seeing Gaudreau and McDavid together!
Oilers coach and GM
McDavid media hype
I am confident he will play great when the puck actually hits the ice though
For what it's worth, might be as close a real comparison we have. I happened to be a the AHL allstar game they played against the SEL team.... I bet it had a lot to do with the different size rinks, and systems but honestly, even with the SEL being a regular team and knowing each other, the thrown together AHL team beat them at every facet of the game and it wasn't even close. That being said, at the skills competition the night before the SEL players won most of individual skills.
that game played on the big rink would be interesting.
The thing you're all omitting is that if there were to be a Champions Cup, the composition of the teams would not like it is now. How much money does the Champions Cup generate and how much is allocated to the winners. If the answer is "a lot" then all of a sudden there is a carrot for the European League teams. They could throw more money at players and build super teams and recoup that money from the Champions Cup tv and prize money. The NHL is suddenly stuck with a salary cap. There is no reason for European Teams to do this now because there is no prize. Make a prize and everything changes.
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
Last edited by GirlySports; 09-06-2016 at 03:30 PM.
But Chinese and Koreans are richer than us! If hockey becomes a status symbol for them then they'll shell out the money for their kids to be in it like golf or tennis.
But mostly importantly, the NHL needs to get it's games on tv in Asia. And sell jerseys.
Koreans aren't richer than Canadians, but they are a developed country with interest in sports. There is probably some money to be made there, but it'd take forever to grow ice hockey into a major sport, and with *only* 50 million people there isn't huge upside.
The average Chinese has nowhere near enough money to play/watch hockey. They have large pockets of wealthy, but the Chinese really aren't that into sports in general, let alone a foreign one like hockey.
Koreans aren't richer than Canadians, but they are a developed country with interest in sports. There is probably some money to be made there, but it'd take forever to grow ice hockey into a major sport, and with *only* 50 million people there isn't huge upside.
The average Chinese has nowhere near enough money to play/watch hockey. They have large pockets of wealthy, but the Chinese really aren't that into sports in general, let alone a foreign one like hockey.
all true, but forever doesn't start until you actually start
Is it worth the investment? what's the return?
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Watching the Oilers defend is like watching fire engines frantically rushing to the wrong fire
Get rid of Team youngguns. Make Canada1 and Canada2.
This is an interesting idea... Make it an actual fantasy draft situation. Don't make it Canada and Canda's leftovers. Televise the event - Holland on one side, Yzerman on the other. Alternate picks until the rosters are set.
That would be fascinating.
__________________ ”All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”
This is an interesting idea... Make it an actual fantasy draft situation. Don't make it Canada and Canda's leftovers. Televise the event - Holland on one side, Yzerman on the other. Alternate picks until the rosters are set.
First pick is clearly Price, right?
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
I remember two lock outs ago they did an NHLPA tournament where each province had a team. That was fun-ish.
I remember in 94 the NHLPA organised a 4 on 4 tournament with Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and the USA. The west team had these absolutely hideous Canuck inspired jerseys.
Spoiler!
I wouldn't mind seeing another tournament like that however it could be done based on alumni. Have four teams representing alumni from the WHL, OHL, QMJHL and NCAA. The winner would be crowed North American Champion and would go on to play a European Champion for the World Cup.
I would think the first three picks are goalies - the goalie always seems to be the story in these short tournaments. Whether it's Joseph, Richter, Hasek, Brodeur, Nittymaki, Kiprusoff, Lundqvist, Miller, Price, these events never fail to deliver a goalie who plays out of his mind in front of his peers.
Assume no lingering effects from Price's knee, but you also need to have a guy who can step in right away and be basically as good.
Then you get into Crosby/Toews/Stamkos etc.
Gosh I wish they'd try this next time.
__________________ ”All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”
It seems like Gaudreau is rather undervalued around the league. Given his season last year, it seems like a bit of a slight to be 2nd line, 2nd PP unit, and not in the conversation as captain material (most articles suggest it's between McDavid, Ekblad, Saad, Mackinnon, or Schiefele). Maybe it's just to spread the offense around but I was really looking forward to seeing Gaudreau and McDavid together!
Relax - you're less than a week into training camp - lots of moving parts and experimenting going on right now. He'll show fine and get his opportunities. I don't think he's undervalued at all.
And honest question - has he been a captain anywhere he's played previously? I honestly don't know. Obviously McDavid was captain in Jr. and the likely captain in Edmonton this year. Ekblad and Saad would make sense to me too.
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Gaudreau is a high-scoring who helps make Team North America so deep and dangerous up front.
"Johnny Hockey" has 143 points in 160 NHL regular-season games, including 30 goals and 78 points in 79 games last season, which tied for sixth in the League's scoring race.
"He's a game-changer in my opinion," McLellan said Tuesday. "He controls the pace of play offensively. You're always aware of him when you're on the ice. He can turn nothing into something quite quickly. His ability to bob and weave and escape through very tight areas with the puck and create off of it is an asset that he has. And I see him doing exactly that here with us."
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Nugent-Hopkins said Gaudreau's size (5-foot-9, 157 pounds) is not a detriment.
"He really thinks the game well," Nugent-Hopkins said. "He can find spots and he knows when to make a play, and obviously he has the talent and ability to do so. He can really read plays and situations and knows when to go and when not to.
"He's just so quick and side-to-side and in and out of battles. He's definitely super quick, so he doesn't sacrifice anything because of his size. He uses it to his advantage."
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Linking Gaudreau and the fun element was McDavid's aim Tuesday when asked about his most-of-the-time NHL rival from Calgary.
"Obviously he's an unbelievable player, just his speed and his hands," McDavid said. "He does everything so fast. He's almost surprising, just the stuff that he does.
"Players in the NHL, they can become kind of predictable in the things they do, but he doesn't have that at all in his game. All of that's a factor."
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"I'm just going into it as if I do have a contract," Gaudreau said. "I have insurance. It protects me. I was really looking forward to this tournament and I was excited when I found out I was going to be on the team. I think whether I had a contract or not, I was still playing in this."
Gaudreau said his agent, Lewis Gross, continues to talk to the Flames but he and Gross won't be speaking until his World Cup is finished.
"I told him I didn't want to be involved during the tournament," Gaudreau said. "I'm here to play for Team North America and I'm going to put that aside and play with this team for the next month here."
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The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Of course the Oilers players and coach are going to try and build Johnny up so that the Flames are forced to sign him to a huge contract that will handcuff the Flames!
