Ando wrote:

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Can you believe that???! Team Canada shut-out for 5+ periods!? Has Teemu Selanne ever played this well???...it looked like he was passing the puck to himself (so fast)! ...full marks to the Finns...no solo efforts - just a good team win! Anyone else think Chris Pronger is just plain over-rated??? Clearly, he is a good d-man...but what did he do that Rivet (or about 100 other Canadian pros) couldn't have done)???

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My thoughts-:

1. Pronger ought to hand his head in shame..he lets our little smurf captain take the puck off him for the first goal yesterday. Either Pronger is "Sofffff..me I never see a man so soffffff" or Koivu needs to submit a urine sample because he has been on the 'roids. I give credit to Saks for working hard but comon..there is no way in God's green earth that Koivu should ever outmuscle Pronger if Pronger actually cares.


2. Something occured to me yesterday. I am not entirely sure of how the countries got divided politically but as I recall, Slovakia used to be part of the Czech Republic, Kazastan and one other country (Latvia maybe?) used to be part of Russia. Imagine how much stronger Russia and the Czechs would be if those countries did not part ways?


3. I felt when the team was chosen that we had 2 weaknesses. One was defence. We are slow. Too slow to play on that wide ice. And it has shown. Because they are slow they also have a hard time moving the puck out of their own end. The other conceren I had is coaching. I just do not feel that Pat Quinn is the coach for that team. Of course they won it before under Quinn but the more I see of him (in leafs land too) the more I think the game has passed him by


4. To the Europeans, this is the Stanley Cup. I just do not see the passion for the Olympics from Team Canada that I see from The Finns, Swiss and Swedes. I see players out there from Eurpoean teams (hellloooo Selanne) who have been non-existent all year in North America and now all of a sudden they are re-born and no longer tired or hurt. Either they were coasting all year in the NHL or the adrenyln injection they get for playing for their country wakes them up. I suspect in some cases, a bit of both. And yes I realize that some of it has to do with coaching and/or playing with better linemates. But I would think that Kovalev should be comparable to Selanne?

Barry: Czechoslovakia split up into two countries - Slovakia and the Czech Republic about 15 years ago.  And I could check this out, the the former USSR is now some 10 or 12 countries - Russia, Latvia, Georgia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, and several others I can't remember or pronounce.

How did your team end up in the big pond tournament?  Other than hung over, that is.

barry33 wrote:

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My thoughts-: Pronger ought to hand his head in shame..he lets our little smurf captain take the puck off him for the first goal yesterday. Either Pronger is "Sofffff..me I never see a man so soffffff" or Koivu needs to submit a urine sample because he has been on the 'roids. I give credit to Saks for working hard but comon..there is no way in God's green earth that Koivu should ever outmuscle Pronger if Pronger actually cares. Something occured to me yesterday. I am not entirely sure of how the countries got divided politically but as I recall, Slovakia used to be part of the Czech Republic, Kazastan and one other country (Latvia maybe?) used to be part of Russia. Imagine how much stronger Russia and the Czechs would be if those countries did not part ways? I felt when the team was chosen that we had 2 weaknesses. One was defence. We are slow. Too slow to play on that wide ice. And it has shown. Because they are slow they also have a hard time moving the puck out of their own end. The other conceren I had is coaching. I just do not feel that Pat Quinn is the coach for that team. Of course they won it before under Quinn but the more I see of him (in leafs land too) the more I think the game has passed him by To the Europeans, this is the Stanley Cup. I just do not see the passion for the Olympics from Team Canada that I see from The Finns, Swiss and Swedes. I see players out there from Eurpoean teams (hellloooo Selanne) who have been non-existent all year in North America and now all of a sudden they are re-born and no longer tired or hurt. Either they were coasting all year in the NHL or the adrenyln injection they get for playing for their country wakes them up. I suspect in some cases, a bit of both. And yes I realize that some of it has to do with coaching and/or playing with better linemates. But I would think that Kovalev should be comparable to Selanne?

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1.(highlighted)  Pronger should not get outmuscleted by Koivu IF he cares, but I think that there is his problem he don´t care like Koivu does about playing for his country. (but in the end if Canada and Finland are in finals I am afraid that Canada wins that)

2.(highlighted) There is only one season when you can say that Selanne was what you say non-existent and that was season before lock out and his knee was so bad shape that he was considering ending his career(but yes I think that money changed his mind), but last year his knee was operated and now playing feels fun again(his words after the Czech game) but yes there is some players who are playing better in olympics than NHL like Streit, but for his defence I have to say that maybe he feels more like home in Swiss Jersey than Habs. Maybe playing for countries wakes these floatters and they play rest off the NHL season like re-borns

Funny thing, and dont get me wrong, i LOVE Canada to death, but i just dont like much of the players on Team Canada therefor when it came to the Finland vs Canada game...i found myself going for Finland. Because of Saku. As good as Canada is, i barely have ANY favorite players on that team. Id have to say my favorite is Gagne. And even at that he doesnt rank up there with other players who i feel could have made the team and are personal favorites. I tell ya, if Canada makes the Finals and they are up against favorite players of mine, it wont be easy to watch!

Funny thought ....4 years ago we were pissed Theo wasnt in the olympics, and Gretzky even said there is a really good chance he could be in them this year....funny how things change!!