I think when he has had an leading role in the first line-up, he has been quite good usually, but in second line-up average, in other words a mood player.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
But ok player, for a "savolainen". :)
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I think when he has had an leading role in the first line-up, he has been quite good usually, but in second line-up average, in other words a mood player.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
But ok player, for a "savolainen". :)
I'm curious what is his role going to be at Vancouver.. the center of the third line-up maybe?
.
No, I mean at the Olympics :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
ahh, is there going to be olympics again? If the first is around Saku, and second around Mikko, then there is not so much left, if they plan some offensive role for him.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
No, the first is around Mikko, the second around Saku so third would be ideal for Nasu ... Maybe Peltonen and Pikku-Hakki to his side :up: They could actually do some damage.
Dont know, might work. I have a feeling it wont be a good olymipcs for our team this time, too many enjuries lately.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Do you know now when they play in Canada is it mostly standing waiting for commercials, or normal playing?
The waiting for commercials they are used to Tomi, it pays the bills in the NHL....it is the reason these guys make millions for being journeyman players. In the Olympics, it is again about the making of money....Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
Yes i know, but it make a big difference in how many minutes each line get icetime as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
If anything, it helps teams with less depth than Canada Tomi. You can give your top line more minutes this way, but I would wager the Russians and Canada have 3 lines of talent that coulud be the top line in many other nations, and likely the Swedes as well. Having all that depth is mitigated if the other team with less depth can rest their top line more with TV timeouts. It is a reality of modern hockey Tomi....Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
I agree with Mark. As annoying it might be, it'll help the lesser talent teams :up:
Although... I wouldn't count Swedes in to top three this Olympics. I think it's Canada, Russia and USA.
A typical prediction for every major tournament but won't happen. I predict we will surprise ( it's not really a surprise for us) and be in the top three. Why? We've got the best goaltendersQuote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Are they? I am not saying you don't have excellent goalies, but Ryan Miller is the best goaler in the NHL many nights, and he isn't Finnish, and Martin Brodeur has a history of rising to the occasion. If he doens't, Luongo and Fleury don't suck either. I don't know how great the Finnish edge is in net, if there is one. I do know this much. Canada and Russia up front have the firepower, and Canada and the US have strong defensive play. The Swedes are not a bad team if they follow Alfredsson's leadership and get lucky.Quote:
Originally Posted by DexDexter
I say Canada, Russia and the USA are the favourites but I don't think any of the top 6 hockey nations is incapable of winning this thing. The Czechs are always better than people expect, and the reality is that this tournament is so short that any team only has to have 3 good games near the end to be in the medal round....and win. If anything, this format almost allows an upset to take place.
I tell you what Dexter, If Canada cannot win, I would be very happy to see Finland win. You guys are due...and it would be a really good story that will be lost if Canada doesn't win for this country always goes into a funk when our boys in the top level fail. This is a game played here the most religiously, and it will be played on an NHL rink on Canadian soil....if we don't win this game or even do well (like in Torino) there will be a major let down...we may not even notice who wins if it isn't us!!!!
I couldn't agree more. Should these teams play 10 games series, Finland wouldn't have a chance. But this sort of tournament favors us :up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
I envy you Dex. If only I had the same trust to our goalies than you :mark:
I think Team Finland's strongest point is that they can play as a team. Even they aren't as strong as other countries on paper, if they can play as a team, they can win any nation.
Or, this is what I believe and I've known to be wrong... :p
My statement that we have the best goaltenders is totally subjective of course, Mark :) . I do feel that if Kipru fits in the team (doesn't get pissed off and leave), he is a Dominic Hasek-type of figure when playing for the national team, he can win the games for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
Talking about Hasek, I remember the semi-final in Nagano 98 when Canada was playing against the Czechs and Hasek was in the net. Everybody knew that if the game went to a penalty shootout, the Czechs would win it cause Hasek was just out of this world, and so they did. Kipru, on his day, can have similar qualities.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DexDexter
The Czechs may not have won if the braindead Mark Crawford (Canada's Coach) not left Gretzky on the bench for the shootout....Gretzky was supposed to be bad on penalty shots...but he always had a flair for the dramatic..and one goal would have changed that whole shootout.
Shootouts by the way are the WORST way to end a hockey game....
You are right about your goalies tho, any one of them could steal a game, but so has Ryan Miller, Tim Thomas for the US, or Broudeur or Fleury for the Canadians....
That was not the point, we where talking about the 3:rd line, if they play NHL style standing and waiting, they dont get much icetime, and their importance is more less.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
OH I agree..I believe I said Canada's depth is nullifyed to an extent by long TV timeouts..but that is something we are used to with NHL players on our roster....Quote:
Originally Posted by Tomi
We'll just have to wait and see :) . By the way, Thomas is very familiar to me, seen him in action many times cause he played for Jokerit, Kärpät and HIFK in the Finnish Elite Hockey League.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
Unfortunately we'll have to wake up in the middle of the night to see the games but I will not miss them. It's going to be a great tournament.
What happened to the Leafs last night...?? Hell, wasn't expecting that - doesn't say much for the Senators though, does it?
OK, here's an idea for the Olympics...
for the Gold Medal have the top team play... the Washington Capitals. :D
now that's a challenge. ;) :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by veeten
Whould the Canadian players have to sit out or referee. :D
The Leaf's have often played well only to have a soft goal just deflate them. I have lost track of the games they have lost in the last period with 2 and 3 goal leads. What we saw against Ottawa is a team that was able to play with energy and confidence because they knew Giguere will bail them out. It wont be a miracle run for the playoffs, they need more scoring, but it shows you how much of the game is mental. Also, Ottawa had won 11 in a row, and maybe were over confident.Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyRAC
Veeten...the Caps are good...but they aint THAT good...Quote:
Originally Posted by veeten
If Brodeur gets lightning in a bottle again, or Canada doesn't waste time go to either Luongo or Fleury, I cant see many teams beating them....but it may be the only real "weakness" of the Canadian Olympic Team. I cant remember a year where there has been less controversay about who wasn't taken vs who was....and in Canada, we can talk hockey 12 months a year about the 3rd line of the Leaf's, so you KNOW this Olympic team selection was talked about...
That said...your Caps looked MIGHTY feisty against Crosby's Pen's today.....but then again you have the best coach in hockey in my books....
Bruins end their losing streak... in Montreal :rolleyes:
Rask looked really solid.
... and guess who's coming your way Wedensday, Schmenke? ;) :D
Gee...the more things change, they more they remain the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by schmenke
What do you think about Gainey stepping aside and letting Pierre Gauthier take over?
Ok, folks. The moment we've all been waiting for...
Olympic Hockey starts today! :bounce: :D
12:00 pm, Vancouver time
United States vs Switzerland
4:30 pm
Canada vs Norway
9:00 pm
Russia vs Latvia
It does, and I am going to drive to my folks. WE are a one TV family right now, and the Men's Short in Figure skating is on at the same time. So off to Dad's I go, while my wife happily watches some gay and not gay men spin circles and dress with sparkles....Quote:
Originally Posted by veeten
This stinks I don't get any of the channels hockeys going to be on, in my truck. I wish I could get that dish for my truck. I can't sit still long enough to get one and set it up.
I'll be there in spirit and trust all of yous will keep me up on the inner workings of the gameS.
We know how those reporters blow things out of context and sensationalize every action.
Swoop, If you have Sirius, try channel 97 every day at 1600 EST for Hockey night in Canada radio. They will give you hockey talk from the CBC for 3 hours....you may not see the game but you will know what happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by swoop
I have XM its the same coverage but different channel. But you know not seeing it is like torture.Esspecially the hits and the defense. Theres just never enough coverage of the defense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
A man after my heart...and it is the reason I fear the US more than the Russians...you guys have pretty good defense, but the Russians are too much about the offense, which collapses when they cant get the puck out of their own end. Canada and the US play the tenacious and nasty forecheck that will probably help win medals for them. The Russians may deal with it and end up in the gold medal game, but they don't value it the way we do.Quote:
Originally Posted by swoop
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
Still the finns are a threat to capitalize on mistakes and those darn swedes they just don't go away.
Very true, the Finn's have the goaltending tradtionally and medal every Olympics it seems. The Swedes if they get the goaltending from Lundquisvt will do well because they can score too. I said I didn't want to predict an outcome but I am getting caught up in the hype of our team but it is going to be a very hard Olympic tournament to handicap. This format sucks too. Hockey is NOT meant to be winner take all one game sudden death for a week. You have 10 teams, and they will decide a gold in less than 2 weeks. Getting hot at the right time and having a few bounces will negate the true edge. It is the reason (besides making money) that the 7 game series is the more honest way of deciding the better of two hockey teams. Best of 3 would be good, but in a 2 week window, we get these hot house winner take all deals...Quote:
Originally Posted by swoop
Don't worry Swoop and Mark. Even if our team starts well the tournament, evetually we f**k up at some point. And the Swedes pick the cherry from the top :mark:
But all in all, I'm waiting a brilliant tournament and I wish all the teams good luck. I'm so going to watch US, Canada and Russia playing tonight :bounce: Oh yeah !!!!!
One day...Finland will win the World's or an Olympic medal. I will be happy for you guys when it does...the view of Finnish hockey by Canadians is that the Finn's rugged, tough and never give up. The Swedes can be mercurial, and the Russians can be indifferent or churlish, but the respect Canadians have for Finnish hockey is high. You are a small nation trying to beat the big hockey nations and you come close a LOT.Quote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
That's how we roll :D
you bet...lolQuote:
Originally Posted by A.F.F.
First game down, USA 3, Switzerland 1....
In my house, watching mens figure skating is banned. There is something about men skating around they way they do, dressed like they are and crying about it afterwards that is just not quite right. Quite disturbing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa