I love how all the armchair GM's here think they know more than the best minds in hockey. As a huge Hall fan, he didn't deserve to be on this team. He gives the puck away far too often. We couldve sent 2 teams that could easily compete in this tournament. I trust the members of this hockey Canada staff to make the right decisions. All except that piece of sh1t Kevin Lowe.
- Ihatebrianburke

Yup. Glad Yzerman and Babcock are making these decisions because they are two of the best minds in hockey. Really no reason to question any of these decisions yet...

I love how all the armchair GM's here think they know more than the best minds in hockey. As a huge Hall fan, he didn't deserve to be on this team. He gives the puck away far too often. We couldve sent 2 teams that could easily compete in this tournament. I trust the members of this hockey Canada staff to make the right decisions. All except that piece of sh1t Kevin Lowe.
- Ihatebrianburke

I love how all the Steve Yzerman sycophants on this hockey discussion site think that Team Canada's team management decisions are infallible, sacred, and beyond critique.

He didn't say that PK was better. Read it again.
- hscesq

yes he did.

I think PK is better than every single player on the team’s defense except for Pietrangelo, who still doesn’t provide the game breaking abilities of PK.

The poster was right as far as I'm concerned.

Further, Subban isn't a total liability defensively, like say Erik Karlsson, but I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him solid either. He's okay.

James.

Rest assured almost everyone is complaining about 1 thing or another. All over the world, not just in Canada about the players selected & who may play with who. That's the nature of Canadians scattered all over the world. Canada could ice 2 teams & most liklely have them finish in the top 3 or 4 if not the top 2. I swear I could build a 2nd team now that could potentially beat the 1 constructed.

As for some of your specific comments.

Sharp plays with Toews on the #1 line & has for years. He see's the same defenses Toews see's.

Giroux & Hall share a common problem. Both are incredibly tallented players but leavea ton to be desired defensively.

It's not about building an all star team.

I would like to see Staal there as well & I play StLouis over Carter. As this tournament andvances adjustments will be made, just like they were in Vancouver. Due to our easy draw everyone will get to play in 1 of the 1st 2 games so Babcock & his staff can have a look.

Final thoughts.

In such a short tournament with little time to prepair taking players that are familiar with 1 & other is important. Canada will be icing pairs on their top 3 lines. 3 pairs that have playd togeher for years. They don't have to develop chemistry it already exists.

Kunitz & Crosby. Sharp & Toews & Getzlaf & Perry.

You can say what you want about players riding other players abilities but that's hockey. Some pairings work & some don't but the reality is that Kunitz makes Crosby better & Sharp makes Toews better. Maybe not as much as the other way round but it works so why reinvent the wheel.

Look there is no way when picking a team for Canada that anyone is going to be happy. When you generate 65% of the best players in the world currently & only 25 are elligable to be on this team that's life. Thankfully we won't have to have this conversation after this Olympics as the NHL won't be continueing it's participation. They won't be going to South Korea in 2018. They wouldn't have gone to Sochi had Ovechkin, Malkin & Datsyuk told the NHL they were going regardless of what the NHL decided to do.

Hall and staal cant play physical?

Giroux and staal cant play two ways?

Giroux and hall arent perfect skaters for the big ice?

This 'all star' team argument is so tired.
You havent watched any of those guys play much if you think theyre just one dimensional all star snipers.

Besides, what's team canada if not a collection of all stars?
- hugefemale dog77

Thanks for telling me what I watch and what I don't watch...

It is a collection of all stars that make up a team. Not just a bunch of players thrown together and hope that they play well together.

Take a deep breath, and untangle your panties. You'll feel better.
- 1979AD

Leafs fans

I love how all the armchair GM's here think they know more than the best minds in hockey. As a huge Hall fan, he didn't deserve to be on this team. He gives the puck away far too often. We couldve sent 2 teams that could easily compete in this tournament. I trust the members of this hockey Canada staff to make the right decisions. All except that piece of sh1t Kevin Lowe.
- Ihatebrianburke

Ugh.

These guys arent infallible. We should just keep our heads down and praise everything they do cause they happen to work in the sport?

So what happened in 06?

And wouldnt every team have hockey knowledge at their disposal?
11 national teams will have ended up picking wrong.

Do i even need to get into the staggering numbers of moronic gm's or hockey minds over the past 20 years?
Again; not infallible cause u happen to work in the game

PK is better than Weber, Keith and Doughty?

Keep smoking what you're smoking.
- Flats

It's not unreasonable to think that. PK is pretty damn awesome. Those guys are maybe more consistently better, but when Subban is on his game he's better. Granted PK also has lower lows, so there's a give and take.

And I think its very clear that you, most people, and the Team Canada management think that overall consistency is preferable to the high risk/high reward game of Subban. I don't know that I do.

What I do know, is that the professionals get the benefit of the doubt when I disagree with them. The point of my column is that taken alone, each of the four areas I complained about are not problems. For example, I don't have a problem with who they took until I factor in weird line combos and questionable decisions about goaltending. My hypothesis, if you will, is that when you factor in four questionable areas of concern, it can possibly become an issue.

I love how all the Steve Yzerman sycophants on this hockey discussion site think that Team Canada's team management decisions are infallible, sacred, and beyond critique.
- 1979AD

BIG WORDS

Leafs fans
- Ballam

We know how to spell the last names of our top line.

And those assembling "the best team" have been horribly wrong about that in the not so distant past, so why not critique and discuss their decisions?
- 1979AD

So far, just based on results, this group hasn't been wrong. If they win gold, were they still wrong to leave off certain players?

Completely agree with all of this except sharp, one if the best two way players in the game, and has a great nose for the net. Only one of hall staal of giroux should have been left off. Carter and Kunitz have no business being there, especially flanking Crosby on the top line. But I suppose being an American I'm ok with all of this.

Thanks for telling me what I watch and what I don't watch...

It is a collection of all stars that make up a team. Not just a bunch of players thrown together and hope that they play well together.
- AncasterPens

I wasnt telling you what you've watched.

You dropped 'all star' team. Not me.
One can only assume if that's what u think in regards to staal, hall and giroux.


Again, this notion of somehow we're so much more like a 'real' team cause we have jeff carter over claude giroux.
It doesnt make sense

I'm just glad you can spell the 5 letter, 1 syllable name of a top line player on your favourite team.
- 1979AD

Any chance I can convert you to being a Phoenix fan? Solid arguments and hilarious? This is still the internet, right?

We know how to spell the last names of our top line.
- 1979AD

I am not sure why you keep bringing that up, all I did was clarify how his name was spelt for someone else. Keep acting like your smarter than everybody else including Yzerman while making yourself look like a tool

We know how to spell the last names of our top line.
- 1979AD

Princes?

Hall and staal cant play physical?

Giroux and staal cant play two ways?

Giroux and hall arent perfect skaters for the big ice?

This 'all star' team argument is so tired.
You havent watched any of those guys play much if you think theyre just one dimensional all star snipers.

Besides, what's team canada if not a collection of all stars?
- hugefemale dog77

So, to be clear, you think they should rank em from 1 to 15 for forwards, and that's the team?

I think that's horribly misguided.

The US didn't have anywhere close to the best talent of the tournament on the ice in 2010, and very nearly took gold.

I'll agree that Kunitz and Vlasic are bad choices, but not necessarily the approach.

I am not sure why you keep bringing that up, all I did was clarify how his name was spelt for someone else. Keep acting like your smarter than everybody else including Yzerman while making yourself look like a tool
- Ballam

lol it was me

see

Sharpe French
Sharp English

So far, just based on results, this group hasn't been wrong. If they win gold, were they still wrong to leave off certain players?
- AncasterPens

It's not a matter of what's wrong or not. It's a matter of what you or I and even the guy who can't spell Sharp thinks. This is a forum for talking hockey.

Do you ever question the Penguins' management decisions?

So far, just based on results, this group hasn't been wrong. If they win gold, were they still wrong to leave off certain players?
- AncasterPens

Easier to critique than praise.

If they win gold, one cant neccasarily suggest there's no way they wouldnt have won with a different mix.
But if they lose, then they unequivocally picked the wrong team..

It's not unreasonable to think that. PK is pretty damn awesome. Those guys are maybe more consistently better, but when Subban is on his game he's better. Granted PK also has lower lows, so there's a give and take.

And I think its very clear that you, most people, and the Team Canada management think that overall consistency is preferable to the high risk/high reward game of Subban. I don't know that I do.

What I do know, is that the professionals get the benefit of the doubt when I disagree with them. The point of my column is that taken alone, each of the four areas I complained about are not problems. For example, I don't have a problem with who they took until I factor in weird line combos and questionable decisions about goaltending. My hypothesis, if you will, is that when you factor in four questionable areas of concern, it can possibly become an issue.
- James_Tanner

You could make an argument. I don't think it's a very strong argument, but you're entitled to your opinion. you're not an idiot for thinking it.

So, to be clear, you think they should rank em from 1 to 15 for forwards, and that's the team?

I think that's horribly misguided.

The US didn't have anywhere close to the best talent of the tournament on the ice in 2010, and very nearly took gold.

I'll agree that Kunitz and Vlasic are bad choices, but not necessarily the approach.
- prock

No, you're not clear at all with my posts

I am not sure why you keep bringing that up, all I did was clarify how his name was spelt for someone else. Keep acting like your smarter than everybody else including Yzerman while making yourself look like a tool
- Ballam

le sigh.

lol it was me

see

Sharpe French
Sharp English


- wolverine19

LOLZ

I come here and use words like sycophant and infallible to make myself feel better about myself

Would you rather have the most talented players over in Russia, or the best team?

Most talent doesn't mean you have the best team. These players are meant to fill roles that the coaching staff has thought about and analyzed very carefully.
- AncasterPens

I actually considered writing an entire blog around this argument. What exactly is the best team? Balanced, right? I agree with that.

But you can't use the argument that you are making every time someone suggests a player swap, which is what happens.

For instance, lets say Tayolor Hall instead of Sharp. You can argue both are great skaters, but Hall might be the best skating forward in the league. Lets say its even. Both can score and set up. But Hall is more tenacious. Harder to play against. Probably better overall, even if just slightly at this point. Plus there is just something about Hall and the way he plays. Like Toews and Crosby. People call it "leadership" but its more than that. There's probably only a word for it in french.

But getting back to your argument, how exactly is putting in Hall make the team more like an Allstar team than a real team? I think you can make the argument that none of the changes I suggested would do so and that your argument only works when the selection of someone like Bergeron is challanged, who fills a very specific role.