And Finns are out :mark:
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And Finns are out :mark:
leafs lost :rolleyes:
Oh, those Caps. Another big win. :D
Yeah Tony Hand. He's 41 and still going strong over here with the Phoenix. I genuinely think that if some NHL teams took the risk of taking on one of the leading players from the Elite League then they could just about handle the step up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark in Oshawa
BTCC...this guy was your Wayne Gretzky and he didn't make the big club, he was getting an invite for the AHL. I think your best players are at or about that level maybe. It isn't to slight British hockey but until some UK natives make noise as a team at an international level (say qualify a team into the B pool or A at the World Championships or WJC) then it is really hard to say anymore than the odd player such as Hand would cut it past the AHL.Quote:
Originally Posted by BTCC2
You are a big fan of British hockey and I am sure it is fun to watch and it looks like hockey you see on TV from over here, but the differences in coaching and talent are slight on the surface but it is large in actuality. You see nations such as Kazakhstan with one or two players in the NHL and AHL and they are barely able to have A pool status in the WJC and in the B pool status at the World Championship level. That last few steps are a long way up.
Hi guys not posted in the hockey thread for a while.
I think in theory most of the very top players in Britain could play 4th line NHL hockey but unfortunately not much higher. Mark Dutiaume (ex Sheffield and Coventry) played a couple of years in the NHL, very good player.
I saw Theo Fleury play once when he played for Belfast. He scored a goal and maybe made another couple. Definitely showed the difference between a very good veteran NHL player and EIHL players in their prime. I think our goaltending is surprisingly poor in Britain as well.
PS Tony Hand scored a heck of a lot of points in his early career.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p....php?pid=19065
It's great how he can still score more than a point a game, he must stay in good shape at 41 lol.
PPS GO AVS!!!!
Time for the monthly supplemental picks in my pool. Since I'm picking third from last I'm hoping the Steve Mason is still available so I can dump that sieve Legace :s
Mason has indeed had a great month. Just a hint schmenke. Pekka Rinne. :up: Almost as good as Bäckström.
Woody....you guys saw Theo at the end of his career but his conditioning wasn't likely all there and one player by himself cannot really shine too much under those circumstances. Also, as I said, at this level the differences don't look large but they are there. Many top Major Jr. A players who score 50 plus goals in Jr. hockey in Canada get drafted and are lucky to get 10 a year in the NHL....while others come out of nowhere to be stars. It isn't an exact science evaluating talent. Right now everyone keeps saying John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals who just scored 8 goals in the World Junior tourney in 6 games is the number one pick in this years NHL draft. Yet I suspect with his footspeed, he will be a limited player in the NHL. Yet if he went to England, I am sure he would light up the scoreboard, he has tremendous hands and puck sense but only in the NHL would his lack of speed be a detriment. The defense in the NHL is the huge difference. They are as fast as the forwards often and they hit harder and are well coached. You cant teach speed.....Quote:
Originally Posted by woody2goody
first Mair with a off-ice 'argument', and now Andrew Peters gets bit... yes, bit, by Jarkko during the first period. :eek: :bigcry:
Well, as my dear mother used to say, "don't put your hands where they don't belong, okay?" :p : ;)