Ryan Wilson: Team USA Doubles Down On Terrible Decisions Team USA Doubles Down On Terrible Decisions

Bingo, on point on every statement. Well done.

Agree completely. Hilarious that they keep opening their mouths and trying to justify their selections. They all need exiled.

"On Kessel, Lombardi says he'll take, Backes, Dubinsky on his team any day" All respect for this man, which there was very little, just went out the window. I know your mad about what happened, but if your team could have Kessel instead of one of these guys.... you make that happen 8 days a week.

I was unaware of the Lombardi quote about Kessel vs scrubs et all. Any hope that this embarrassment of a tournament would spark change in management's decision making process has grounded to a halt. I fully expect Faulk, Matthews, Eichel, and Gaudraue to be left off the roster in 2018. Mid thirties Backes, Kesler, and Parise will continue to make up our core. A probably retired Callahan will also probably be asked if he wants one last run at it. We won't medal.

So basically Lombardi is ok with losing every time with his crap team, instead of changing things to try to improve. Guess next international tournament will be a joke as well.

Kessel's tweet simply proved the point that many have said all along. He's a "me first" person. As Mark Twain once said..."it is better to remain silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt...

I guess that's okay when he's playing on the third line and another team is picking up 1.2M of his 8M salary, but, like his time in Boston and TO, his poor attitude and lack of conditioning will catch up with him.

Kessel's tweet simply proved the point that many have said all along. He's a "me first" person. As Mark Twain once said..."it is better to remain silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt...

I guess that's okay when he's playing on the third line and another team is picking up 1.2M of his 8M salary, but, like his time in Boston and TO, his poor attitude and lack of conditioning will catch up with him.
- BernardShakey

Kessel's tweet simply proved the point that many have said all along. He's a "me first" person. As Mark Twain once said..."it is better to remain silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt...

I guess that's okay when he's playing on the third line and another team is picking up 1.2M of his 8M salary, but, like his time in Boston and TO, his poor attitude and lack of conditioning will catch up with him.
- BernardShakey

Interesting since that third line acted like the top line on many franchises; his conditioning wasn't a problem and the fact many considered the fact he should have won the MVP of the playoffs for the Stanley Cup winning team.

Fact is, the American brass made some poor choices with the roster and people with a hockey IQ recognize this. They recognized this prior to the tournament starting. Tonight, the Americans are playing the Czechs in a meaningless game because both teams have been eliminated.

The only thing I don't like about Kessel's tweet is the fact that he couldn't have played even if selected. I never for a second thought PK meant to embarrass the players (they took care of that on their own). It was a rightful jab at the management. Torts is the epitome of "embarrassment".

That being said, not including Kessel (easily one of the best American goal scorers) on the original roster was absurd.

Do you really think the $1.2 Million was the reason Pitts made the trade? I think it was for the leafs to get a prospect instead of taking back a poor contract. Pitts would have paid him the same the Leafs did. Any team would have.

Kessel's tweet simply proved the point that many have said all along. He's a "me first" person. As Mark Twain once said..."it is better to remain silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt...

I guess that's okay when he's playing on the third line and another team is picking up 1.2M of his 8M salary, but, like his time in Boston and TO, his poor attitude and lack of conditioning will catch up with him.
- BernardShakey

It's been widely reported here in Pittsburgh that his teammates love him. Your opinion of a "poor attitude" is fiction.

His "lack of conditioning" didn't prevent him from playing at a Conn Smythe level with a broken hand.......that eventually needed surgery.

Would have been tough for Pittsburgh to pay Kessel $8 million. And at that salary the return for Kessel would have been zero. Maybe Scott harrington and rob scuderi (scuderi in order for the pens to be cap compliant).

Do you really think the $1.2 Million was the reason Pitts made the trade? I think it was for the leafs to get a prospect instead of taking back a poor contract. Pitts would have paid him the same the Leafs did. Any team would have.
- currphij

We wouldn't have been able to fit 8 mil under the cap. Any team would love a player like Phil but that 1.2 retention is the only thing that made it feasible for us.

No one is surprised with how the US has played. Everyone criticized the roster and this is what they get. When you hire a clown of a coach and when a GM says he would rather have a slug like a Dubinsky over a proven big time player you deserved to get ridiculed. Maybe the team should worry more about what they are doing on ice than a harmless tweet.

The only thing I don't like about Kessel's tweet is the fact that he couldn't have played even if selected. I never for a second thought PK meant to embarrass the players (they took care of that on their own). It was a rightful jab at the management. Torts is the epitome of "embarrassment".

That being said, not including Kessel (easily one of the best American goal scorers) on the original roster was absurd.
- madmike71

Lombardi can do all the selling he can, but people that know hockey understand that the brass f*cked up. Right now, I don't think he can effectively sell that roster construction ... with that roster being built to beat Canada, or even compete with them, when a substandard player was brought in to do his thing against Crosby, was a healthy scratch in a game that the US needed to win. Dean Lombardi has lost all credibility.

I'm interested to see what happens tonight. If they can't get up and play with urgency against Canada in a must win situation, what will they do in a meaningless game versus the Czech Republic?

Boom, roasted.

While I definitely think Kessel should have been on the team, I'm not sure he should have or could have played given his injury, correct?

While they definitely chose a team for a specific reason, using flawed logic, I think the ultimate problem was the choice for coach.

We saw first hand last year how a team can fail miserably if the players don't believe they can win, believe in what the coach is trying to get them to do.

I don't know, and highly doubt, that team USA - without it's under 23's - would have much of chance against the better teams, especially Canada, regardless of who they had on the roster.

I do believe the single worst decision they made, part of a string of lesser bad ideas, was hiring Torts as the coach.

While I definitely think Kessel should have been on the team, I'm not sure he should have or could have played given his injury, correct?

While they definitely chose a team for a specific reason, using flawed logic, I think the ultimate problem was the choice for coach.

We saw first hand last year how a team can fail miserably if the players don't believe they can win, believe in what the coach is trying to get them to do.

I don't know, and highly doubt, that team USA - without it's under 23's - would have much of chance against the better teams, especially Canada, regardless of who they had on the roster.

I do believe the single worst decision they made, part of a string of lesser bad ideas, was hiring Torts as the coach.
- icedog97

It's embarrassing that they didn't call in Laviolette, but even Mike Babcock wouldn't have been able to do anything with this roster. I'm not trying to downplay how (frank)ing stupid it was to hire Jokerrella. Just pointing out that Lombardi did absolutely everything wrong. If I'm the USA brass, I move on from Lombardi after this farce. They won't though.

While I definitely think Kessel should have been on the team, I'm not sure he should have or could have played given his injury, correct?

While they definitely chose a team for a specific reason, using flawed logic, I think the ultimate problem was the choice for coach.

We saw first hand last year how a team can fail miserably if the players don't believe they can win, believe in what the coach is trying to get them to do.

I don't know, and highly doubt, that team USA - without it's under 23's - would have much of chance against the better teams, especially Canada, regardless of who they had on the roster.

I do believe the single worst decision they made, part of a string of lesser bad ideas, was hiring Torts as the coach.
- icedog97

I honestly couldn't believe they chose Torts. That clown is ready for a psych ward. I don't think they would have beaten Canada even with a few other players, but I hated the fact they started with a mindset of "we can't beat them so we might as well beat them up". Idiots.

Our under 23 players will make the USA more competitive sooner rather than later.

While I definitely think Kessel should have been on the team, I'm not sure he should have or could have played given his injury, correct?

While they definitely chose a team for a specific reason, using flawed logic, I think the ultimate problem was the choice for coach.

We saw first hand last year how a team can fail miserably if the players don't believe they can win, believe in what the coach is trying to get them to do.

I don't know, and highly doubt, that team USA - without it's under 23's - would have much of chance against the better teams, especially Canada, regardless of who they had on the roster.

I do believe the single worst decision they made, part of a string of lesser bad ideas, was hiring Torts as the coach.
- icedog97

Here is the thing. They may or may not have been able to beat or compete with Canada with the best possible roster it could put together. However, I'm a firm believer that better roster decisions would have gone a long way to beat Europe and tonight's game against the Czechs would have a spot in the semifinals on the line for the US. Coaching sucked. Torts wasn't the answer. What exactly has he done to deserve such a position when his resume suggests teams fall flat on their face under his reign.

Backes and the others are such babies. I don't think Phil was taking a shot at them at all, how did they interpret it that way??

Here is the thing. They may or may not have been able to beat or compete with Canada with the best possible roster it could put together. However, I'm a firm believer that better roster decisions would have gone a long way to beat Europe and tonight's game against the Czechs would have a spot in the semifinals on the line for the US. Coaching sucked. Torts wasn't the answer. What exactly has he done to deserve such a position when his resume suggests teams fall flat on their face under his reign.
- Oneonta Penguin

The one Cup he has. You forget that people in this league measure success solely on number of Cups you have. Remember that Disco Dan Bylsma was USA's coach in Sochi when once again clearly it should have been Lavi. If Lavi or Sully aren't the bench boss in 2018 I'm going to be (frank)ing pissed.

Backes and the others are such babies. I don't think Phil was taking a shot at them at all, how did they interpret it that way??
- BestRapperAlive

I understand the initial reaction of lashing out at everything possible after being embarrassed but if Backes legitimately holds a grudge on this one he's just a big poop head. If it wasn't for Dubinsky and Abdelkader inexplicably being on the team, he'd be the least deserving forward on the team and the first spot Phil Kessel should have taken.

The one Cup he has. You forget that people in this league measure success solely on number of Cups you have. Remember that Disco Dan Bylsma was USA's coach in Sochi when once again clearly it should have been Lavi. If Lavi or Sully aren't the bench boss in 2018 I'm going to be (frank)ing pissed.
- Victoro311

If I remember correctly they threw Disco under the bus pretty quickly. Which he deserved. Again, most of that team didn't show either.....except somebody that led them is scoring. Hmm... Can't remember his name.