Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: Team+Canada
Watching The Mens Hockey Gold Medal Game
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 11:30 AM ET
Comments (0)
via NHL.com,
Here is where you can find the Olympic hockey tournament gold-medal game on Feb. 28.
United States
3-6 pm ET—Men’s gold medal game, NBC
Canada
3:15-5:45 pm ET—Men’s gold medal game, CTV, TSN, Rogers Sportsnet, V, RDS, OMNI 1 (presented in Italian), OMNI 2 (presented in Cantonese/Mandarin) and APTN (presented in Aboriginal language)
Don’t forget, NHL Live has a special Sunday show today from 12:00pm ET until 2:00pm on the NHL Network.
Filed in: NHL Media, Hockey Broadcasting, NHL Network, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
The Biggest Game In Hockey History?
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 10:51 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Michael Russo of the StarTribune,
“You win something like this, you remember everyone you played with,” U.S. center Paul Stastny said. “It doesn’t happen too often where you get to play for a gold medal against your rival on Canadian soil, where the fans are so into it.”
For some reason, this just feels so much bigger than in 2002 when Canada won gold by beating the United States in Salt Lake City.
Maybe it’s because it’s in Canada, where the sport is sewn into the fabric of millions. Maybe it’s the fact that Canadian TV and radio has dissected every facet of these two teams. Maybe it’s because the U.S. beat the Canadians 5-3 on their home ice only seven days earlier and Canadians everywhere prayed for a black-and-blue rematch.
“Hockey is not a sport in Canada. It’s a cult. It’s a religion,” said Burke, who doubles as the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs and used to manage the Vancouver Canucks. “It’s why I love living and working in the NHL in a Canadian city.
“The Canadians view this as their game, and they view this game [Sunday] as planting a flag on a peak.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
NHL.com Says…
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 10:44 AM ET
Comments (0)
Shawn P. Roarke, Dan Rosen, John Dellapina & Bob Condor all of NHL.com break down the gold medal game.
I am not surprised two of them say Team USA and the other two say Team Canada.
Read all about it…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
GO USA, Then Back To Playoff Talk
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 09:10 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press,
Time will come to a halt at 3:15 p.m. today. Those Americans who can apply the entirety of their hockey knowledge on the tip of a pencil will watch, root and celebrate should the U.S. rob Canada of its hockey birthright. I hope it’s a competitive game. It’ll be a big deal should the U.S. win, but it won’t come close to matching the exhilaration of 30 years ago and won’t ignite a spontaneous explosion of national pride.
How can it, with players returning to their respective NHL teams Monday as the league resumes after a two-week Olympic sabbatical? It’ll be largely forgotten in a matter of days, because the Stanley Cup playoff points chase starts in earnest—especially in Detroit.
Let’s hope the Americans shock the Canadians again. And if we’re still talking about it in another week, then perhaps that’s the Miracle.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
The Battle Of The Goalies
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 09:06 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
This time, with a strange noon local time start, it’s between two talented NHL netminders, American puckstopper Ryan Miller and Canada’s Roberto Luongo, still seeking to define their careers.
Neither has won a Cup or a Vezina. Luongo has a world championship and was part of the 2004 World Cup goaltending tandem that won gold. Miller, a one-time Hobey Baker Trophy winner, has played in three world championships but has yet to medal.
Miller has 20 NHL playoff victories, Luongo 11. They are goalies looking for a date with destiny.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo, Ryan+Miller, Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Niedermayer May Be The Key
by Paul on 02/28/10 at 09:01 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
The Americans have done very well with their defence in the Olympic tournament.
Brian Rafalski in particular has been a special player for Team USA. He’s been terrific offensively and defensively, but it has not just been the Rafalski show. The three kids - Ryan Suter and the two Johnsons (Jack and Erik) - have been supporting Rafalski extremely well. Also with the three veterans - Tim Gleason, Brooks Orpik and Ryan Whitney - this defence has been much better than the sum of its parts.
On paper you would think Canada has the defensive edge, but the Americans have been very good.
Looking at the Canadian side of things, the young defencemen have played extremely well. Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty and Shea Weber have been terrific, but for me the x-factor is Scott Niedermayer.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
All Mike Babcock
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 10:11 PM ET
Comments (0)
Dan Rosen of NHL.com sits down with Team Canada coach Mike Babcock,
Do you view pressure as something good in this case?
“Oh, I think pressure is a real positive. I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I didn’t love it. I mean, it’s about adrenaline and you’re an adrenaline junkie if you’re in sports. All you have to do is watch the skiers and watch the speed skaters. The highs are very high. If you have been in the Olympic village all week like I have, you have seen people totally elated and you’ve seen people totally crushed. But the reason they are in it is because there are two sides of the equation. That’s what makes your job exciting and I think that’s what this is all about. The people in Vancouver, when I walk around this city, are so jacked up to be Canadian right now, and to be here at this event and enjoy it. I think it’s all fantastic. To me, I think the good part outweighs the pressure.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Red, White & Bruise
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 10:02 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press,
The timid and the faint-hearted are gone. What we have left are two teams that play North American-style hockey.
They get in your face ... and ribs.
“Absolutely,” said Edina’s Brian Burke, general manager of Team USA. “The two teams that have advanced played black and blue hockey. I like it.”
The Americans and Canadians square off for the Olympic gold medal this afternoon. There will be plenty of physical play on the NHL-sized ice surface in Vancouver.
“Some of the other teams, I don’t want to say they cower, but this style doesn’t suit them well,” said forward Bobby Ryan. “Every inch is going to count.”
“NHL sheet,” said defenseman Tim Gleason. “There’s no place to hide.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Will Early Start Help Team USA?
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 08:04 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
Drew Doughty plays for an NHL team, the Los Angeles Kings that schedules a lot of Saturday matinees in the second half of the year, so the early start to the gold-medal final - 12:15 PST - isn’t going to effect him.
Still, it is an interesting development, since the U.S. team has played the noon game throughout the tournament, a source of dissatisfaction to them early, but something that may be an advantage today, given that they’ve had a chance to adjust their routines to the unusual start times.
Team captain Jamie Langenbrunner said as much the other day - that any little edge helps. But according to Doughty, “I don’t think it’s going to affect anyone.
read on plus numerous topics in regards to the gold medal game…
Also from Eric, a look at Team Canada as they prepare for the game tomorrow.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Canada Cannot Lose To The USA
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 06:48 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Lucas Aykroyd at IIHF.com,
To lose to Russia in Vancouver would have been very painful, but not incomprehensible.
However, unfairly or not, the Americans are viewed as cocky interlopers. To have them win would be unbearable. Why? The reasons are multifold.
The average Canadian fan feels that Americans don’t really understand hockey. If they did, why, for instance, would FOX TV have experimented with the infamous FoxTrax “glowing puck” between 1996 and 1998 in order to help U.S. viewers more easily spot the little black disc?
It goes further. Many Canadians believe that Americans don’t really appreciate the sport that Canada invented. If they did, why are so many NHL markets in the southern United States struggling to keep their attendance up? This, at a time when Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary regularly sell out home games, while hockey-mad cities like Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Hamilton hunger for NHL franchises. Not to mention the unprecedented popularity that IIHF tournaments – World Juniors, World Championships, and Olympics – are enjoying in the “True North strong and free.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
The Gold Medal Belongs In Canada
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 06:36 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Michael Dan Tandt of the Toronto Sun,
Oh say can’t you see, you damn Yankees, that our glowing hearts are pounding with the need to win Olympic hockey gold?
So unhand that medal, you rapacious hockey interlopers. Don’t you know there’s been a script written here, one that has been read to us at every bedtime — never mind ‘round the clock for the last year — that Canada is the master of the hockey universe and the entire success of these Olympic games, nay, our very identity, can only be truly forged by mining hockey gold on home ice?
It all comes down to this. The dream final. One game, one final three-period showdown set for high (Pacific) noon Sunday. An entire nation wrapped in red and white, poised on the edge of its chair, brew in hand, praying for the only gold medal that really matters.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Everyone Cares About This Game
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 09:15 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,
By nature, Canadians are not cocky.
But they are proud.
So when I asked Hull, the sign-toting Canadian hockey fanatic who itches for a second chance on the ice against the Americans, what the word “rematch” meant to his country, the answer was uncharacteristically bold.
“Gold,” he said. “No doubt.”
Here’s what is so very cool about hockey in the Olympics:
It’s the one time when players really care as much about who wins as fans do.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
What We’ve Been Waiting For
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 09:05 AM ET
Comments (0)
Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN discuss Team USA and Team Canada.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Us Against Them
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 08:35 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Bill Plaschke of the LA Times,
It’s a nation that considers hockey a birthright versus its giant next-door neighbor that steals birthrights.
It’s quaint jerseys pulled from a tree (maple leaf) versus flashy ones pulled from the sky (stars).
It’s fans who chant thoughts (Go, Canada, Go!) versus fans who shout initials (USA! USA!).
It’s a way of life versus just another cool way to spend an afternoon, dude, the Canadians tight, the Americans acting like a 16th-seeded team on the verge of March Madness.
“Who do you think is going to win the gold medal?” American forward Ryan Kesler asked a group of reporters.
There was silence, and he smiled and said, “That’s what I thought. There’s no pressure on us because nobody thinks we’re going to win. Nobody but us.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
They Know Each Other
by Paul on 02/27/10 at 08:15 AM ET
Comments (0)
from John Kreiser of NHL.com,
Neither Team USA nor Team Canada will be able to blame a failure to win the gold medal on a lack of familiarity with the opposing team.
All 46 players in Sunday’s championship game play in the National Hockey League—in fact, 10 NHL teams have players on both sides. Team USA’s Ryan Kesler will be trying to beat Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo—and three days later, he’ll be trying to score goals to help Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks win in Columbus.
American Patrick Kane and Canadian Jonathan Toews sometimes play on the same line together in Chicago. So do Team Canada’s Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry and American Bobby Ryan—and all three often play in front of Canadian captain and defenseman Scott Niedermayer.
Team Canada coach Mike Babcock will be hoping that American defenseman Brian Rafalski’s scoring touch (4 goals) vanishes—but only for a day. The two will be on the same bench Monday night in Denver when the Detroit Red Wings visit the Colorado Avalanche as the NHL’s regular-season schedule resumes.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Open Post- Team Canada vs. Team Slovakia
by Paul on 02/26/10 at 08:45 PM ET
Comments (0)
Anyone out there predicting an upset?
Game starts at 9:30pm ET on CNBC and CTV.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Slovakia, Winter+Olympics,
Team Canada Celebration Being Down-Played
by Paul on 02/26/10 at 05:10 PM ET
Comments (0)
from the CP at CTVOlympics,
The International Olympic Committee is playing down an on-ice celebration by the Canadian women’s hockey team.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said a letter is being drafted to Canadian Olympic officials to get more details on the impromptu party the Canadian women threw at Canada Hockey Place after winning gold at the Winter Games on Thursday.
“To be honest I think people are in search of a story that doesn’t exist,” Adams told a briefing Friday when asked about the incident. “There were pictures all over the front pages and so on this morning and I think people are looking for someone to say it’s terrible.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: IOC, Team+Canada,
The Difference Is Night & Day
by Paul on 02/26/10 at 06:50 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
The Americans play at noon local time Friday, which will mark the fourth time they will play the lunchtime special at these Olympics.
Obviously, it requires that players prepare differently than for normal NHL games in the evening or even midafternoon tilts.
“You wake up, you eat breakfast and play. It doesn’t give you a lot of time to think about the game, which can be good. You don’t sit around all day. You just get up and play. I don’t mind it at all. I thought I wouldn’t like it at all, but I do,” American forward Zach Parise said.
One of the other differences has been dressing in rooms that have no clock ticking down to the start of the game. In NHL dressing rooms, there are clocks that allow players—especially those who hold to a firm pattern or ritual of pregame readiness—to know exactly how much time they have before having to take the ice.
Those clocks do not exist here, or at least the clocks in the room have been difficult to follow.
Chris Drury joked that there some players who follow the ritual so closely that he doesn’t think they could survive this tournament.
continue for Team USA and Canada notes…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Champagne On Ice
by Paul on 02/26/10 at 06:46 AM ET
Comments (0)
from the CP at CTVOlympics,
Hockey Canada apologized Thursday for an impromptu party the Olympic women’s hockey team threw for itself on the Canada Hockey Place ice after winning the gold medal.
Canadian players, still wearing their uniforms and with gold medals draped around their necks, celebrated their victory by drinking champagne and beer at centre ice following a 2-0 win over the United States.
The International Olympic Committee said it will investigate the celebration, which included drinking by one of Canada’s underage players.
added 8L17am, Empty Netters has some photos of the on-ice celebration.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Cherry Looking Forward To Canada/USA Final
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 06:02 PM ET
Comments (0)
from William Houston of Truth & Rumours,
“I can hardly wait until we get at the U.S.,” he said in an interview. “I can hardly wait.”
Cherry said U.S. players made a mistake when they slagged the Canadians after defeating them 5-3 last Sunday.
Cherry, the Hockey Night In Canada commentator and radio show personality, appeared on the Jim Rome show this week during which U.S. commentators ragged him about Canada’s loss to the Americans.
“They were giving it to us (Canadians) pretty good,” he said. It was, ‘This is your game. How goes it feel? And you’re going to lose again.’ They were kidding, but they weren’t kidding, if you know what I mean.”
“I said we are going to win the gold. This was before the game against Russia. I said, we’re going to meet your guys in the final and we’re going to kick your ass.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Don+Cherry, Team+Canada, Team+USA,
The Socially Graceful Canadian
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 05:54 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Adam Gopnik at the New Yorker,
As one who has lived among them for most of his life—even in New York, still connected by family and in-laws—I can assure you that Canadians are not nice. They are just socially graceful, which gives them the appearance of niceness while actually covering over considerable reserves of disgust and disapproval, particularly at those who lack the sensitivity Canadians possess by national training. The tone of the best Canadian literature is rather snappish and sardonic, even vinegary—think of Robertson Davies—and that is the tone Canadians assume again in private after you have left the party and they have seen you off warmly at the door. Inside that Canadian woman, smiling nicely as she fends off drunken confidences and heads off one more obvious American social faux pas at the pass, is the soul of a Canadian defenseman, imagining knocking you senseless in retaliation. (I once heard the great Alice Munro, being feted in New York, respond to a series of sincere but Americanly overdone complimentary toasts with a simple, deflating, body-crushing “Well…!” Chris Pronger couldn’t have hit harder.)
read on for a look at the Canada/Russia game and other purely Canadian notes…
thanks to a KK reader for the pointer
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Womens Hockey Goes For The Gold
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 02:00 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Harry Thompson at USA Hockey,
For the third time in four Olympics, the U.S. and Canada have been on a collision course that will conclude with a gold-medal clash.
The Americans have outscored opponents 40-2, with 12-1, 13-0 and 6-0 wins over China, Russia and Finland in the preliminary round.
Meanwhile, Canada has steamrolled over Slovakia (18-0), Switzerland (10-1) and Sweden (13-1) before blanking Finland, 5-0, in the semifinals.
The Canadians are deep, talented and playing on home ice. The same could be said for the Americans coming into the gold-medal game in Salt Lake City in 2002. Canada hadn’t beaten the U.S. during the 2002 pre-Olympic tour, yet came up big when it counted to win the gold medal, 3-2.
That was then and this is now. With 15 players competing in their first Olympics, there is a new energy in this U.S. locker room, and it shows on and off the ice.
more and the game is on MSNBC with the puck drop at 6:30pm ET.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 12:56 PM ET
Comments (0)
“I know we expect a lot from Toews because he has delivered a lot, but don’t overlook this example of his remarkable maturity. A kid who’s captain of one of the best teams in the NHL, a kid who centers the top line, a kid who leads off almost every shootout—- this kid is doing the scut work for his country, doing all the selfless, thankless stuff, and he’s still managing to stand out. Special kid. Lucky us.”
-Steve Rosenbloom on Jonathan Toews. More on Toews at RosenBlog.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jonathan+Toews, Team+Canada,
The Russian Plan Didn’t Work Out
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 08:56 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
It all sounded so darn good on paper.
Stack your team with nine KHL players, win the Olympic gold medal, show the world your fledgling league is just as good as the NHL, then enter your own Games in Sochi, Russia, in four years as the reigning champion.
You see, it wasn’t enough that Russia was going to be a heavy contender in this Olympic hockey tournament. There was, as rumor would have it, tremendous pressure on coach Vyacheslav Bykov to include as many KHL players as possible. There were powerful people behind the scenes who wanted to make this a political statement, too.
Well, Russia made its statement, all right. Thanks for coming out.
In a quarterfinal game that meant everything to both hockey superpowers, Canada embarrassed Russia 7-3 on Wednesday night.
“It is the same feeling as the Canadians would have had if they lost—it’s a disaster,” Russian netminder Ilya Bryzgalov said after the game.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
The Canadian Way
by Paul on 02/25/10 at 12:35 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
On this improbable night of hockey, as Canada rolled to a lopsided 7-3 victory over a star-studded Russian team, Corey Perry was talking about what constitutes Canadian hockey at its very best.
“That was it,” said Perry. “Physical play, grinding, cycling, forechecking - that’s what we did tonight and that’s what wore them down.”
In one of the most hyped, heralded and anticipated hockey games in history, Canada unleashed a devastating first-period attack Wednesday night to crush Russia, the defending world champions and in some people’s minds, the gold-medal favorite, in a men’s Olympic hockey quarter-final game.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Open Post- Team Russia vs. Team Canada
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 06:45 PM ET
Comments (0)
Puck drops on CNBC and CTV at 7:30pm ET.
Should be an exciting game to watch and I hope CNBC does not turn this into a Crosby vs. Ovechkin circus.
Ken Holland on 640am in Toronto about a 1/2 hour ago stated he expects a 3-2 game tonight and feels it will be a tight, defensive game.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
All The Crosby Against Ovechkin Talk
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 12:21 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Greg Inglis of NHL.com,
“Can we call this Super Wednesday?” asks Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News on the eve of this feast of four Olympic quarterfinal games that features more than 125 NHL players pursuing their gold-medal dream in one spectacular day of competition.
“This is not merely a showstopper. This is a nation stopper,” proclaims Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber on the much-hyped Canada-Russia showdown….
“Sid vs. Ovie: The rivalry goes global,” reads the headline to Craig Custance’s preview in the Sporting News.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Alexander+Ovechkin, Sidney+Crosby, Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
A Russia/Canada History Lesson
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 09:48 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Joe Pelletier of Greatest Hockey Legends,
The politics may have changed, but the cold war is back in full force.
As enjoyable as the Canada vs USA rivalry has become, for old fogies like me Russia vs Canada will always be the great rivalry.
It goes back to 1954, when the Soviet Union entered a hockey team at the World Championships and shocked the world by defeating Canada. Almost from that moment on, international hockey was their great domain, changing hockey for the greater in the process.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Loser Go Home
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 09:31 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
The winner moves on, the loser faces hard questions. But there’s no question this contest means more to Canada, with these Olympics on its home turf and with the ballyhooed Own The Podium program having fizzled over the past 10 days.
Canada hasn’t beaten Russia in its various forms at the Winter Olympics in 50 years, a drought that stretches back to the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley.
Eight meetings between Canada and Russia at the Olympics, eight Canadian losses.
So no pressure, gentlemen. Just relax and breathe. And that goes for you too, Canada.
The game that will feature the Sidney Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin rivalry, something everyone hoped to see at this competition.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Ehrhoff Says Russia Over Canada
by Paul on 02/24/10 at 12:00 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Chris Stevenson at the Toronto Sun,
German defenceman Christian Ehrhoff, who plays for the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, is picking the Russians to beat Canada Wednesday in the Olympic quarterfinal.
Minutes after Canada blasted the Germans 8-2 to punch their ticket to that game, Ehrhoff didn’t hesitate when asked who would win.
“Russia,” he said. “They bring skill, but they also play very hard and physical. They have a great goalie and I think they have the complete package to pull it off here.”
Ehrhoff agreed Canada isn’t yet at the level of team play the Russians and Americans have shown so far.
“I was a little surprised. But it can happen in a tournament,” he said. “You’ve got to get together quick as a team and so far the Russians have done that.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia,
Russia vs. Canada Again
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 09:53 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun (Wednesday edition),
Somehow, it always seems to come back to this: Canada and Russia. A rivalry once dormant, now very much alive….
Now it’s a best-of-one.
And all this with reputations very much on the line.
This is Steve Yzerman’s team. He picked the players. He put the coaching staff together. He never once considered the possibility of finishing sixth.
This is Sidney Crosby’s team. He was left off the Canadian roster four years ago. He is the captain without the C. He has a Stanley Cup so young. But this is the world. This should be his time.
This is Roberto Luongo’s opportunity. You can only be so great without winning anything for so long. This is his chance to shed the loser label. One game can alter a reputation forever.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Russia, Winter+Olympics,
Open Post- Canada Takes On Germany
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 07:00 PM ET
Comments (0)
Puck drops at 7:30pm ET and the game is on MSNBC, CTV & RDS.
I am sure Canada is looking for a quick start while Germany will be trying to take the crowd out of the game early.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Germany, Winter+Olympics,
Canada Can’t Afford A Letdown
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 02:56 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Jamie Bell of TSN at CTVOlympics,
While Canada has not been at their best thus far, Germany’s Marco Sturm, who plays professionally with the Boston Bruins, realizes that an angry Canadian team is a dangerous team.
“They’re pissed off, obviously,” said Sturm on Monday. “They want to win, they want to go for gold. They’re not going to mess around.”
While Canada is expected to win, they have even bigger challenges on the horizon as a quarterfinal matchup with Alexander Ovechkin and Russia looms.
That being said, Canada cannot overlook a German team that plays a patient and defensively strong game and will try to quiet the partisan crowd by slowing down the game.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+Germany, Winter+Olympics,
What Is Your Gut Feeling On Team Canada?
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 02:21 PM ET
Comments (0)
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Babcock Made The Right Move
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 12:23 PM ET
Comments (0)
from William Houston of Truth & Rumours,
Look, maybe (Damien) Cox has a man crush on Brodeur, I don’t know. But Brodeur played poorly in Canada’s 5-3 loss to the Americans and, arguably, should have been pulled the first period, when he gave up the puck in a goofy baseball attempt to clear it, which led to a goal, and also let in a softy.
To bring him back against Germany tonight would have been ridiculous and irresponsible. Of course, you make a change. I would have gone with Marc-Andre Fleury, but Luongo is certainly a better choice than Brodeur.
Let’s not get carried away with Brodeur’s “legendary” status. He’s a future Hockey Hall of Famer and, yes, he surpassed Terry Sawchuk’s career shutout record (103) in December. But Brodeur, 37, has been wildly inconsistent this season and has been chased from the net several times. His best years are behind him. I don’t believe he even deserved the Olympic team No.1 goalie designation.
If you missed the story from Cox, you can start here...
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
How Canada Can Still See Gold
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 07:13 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Robin Short of The Telegram,
Five reasons why Canada’s men’s hockey team will win gold in Vancouver
1. Sidney Crosby
This tournament is filled with very, very good players. But there are only a handful of special players. Crosby is one of those. If Crosby’s able to step up his already-impressive game (though he was minus-3 against the Yanks), he can take Canada on his back. If not, the Canadians are doomed.
2. Good old fashioned Canadian hockey
Winning hockey games means more than simply outscoring the other team. It’s the little things, like winning faceoffs and getting dirty in the corners and in front of the net. How important is physical play? Well, in the Russia-Czech Republic game on Super Sunday (that went sour for Canadians), Alexander Ovechkin turned the complexion of the game with a thundering hit on Jaromir Jagr.
continued and also five reasons why Canada won’t win gold…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Calm Down Canada
by Paul on 02/23/10 at 06:11 AM ET
Comments (0)
from the CP at CBC,
Steve Yzerman has a message for Canadian hockey fans: Take a deep breath.
While many across the country fret about the fortunes of Team Canada, the executive director remains calm and confident that the 23 men he chose to wear the maple leaf will get their act together in time to make a run at Olympic gold.
“They want to win and they really want to do well and things are taking a little bit of time to settle down,” Yzerman said Monday.
“In general, that’s been our history as a national team for some reason — it takes a little time to get going and get it figured out. We’ll continue to work at it ... I really feel our team has done a lot of things much better with each game.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada,
Babcock Doesn’t Handle The Goalie Switch Well
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 10:53 PM ET
Comments (0)
from the Toronto Star (no writer mentioned),
Martin Brodeur doesn’t feel like he was lied to. Just blamed unfairly, and undoubtedly disrespected by head coach Mike Babcock.
Not only did Babcock call out Brodeur for his play in a 5-3 loss to the United States on Sunday, he then told Roberto Luongo he would be in goal for the qualification match against Germany a few hours after the game but waited to deliver the news to Brodeur, the winningest goalie in the history of the sport, until before practice on Monday.
Maybe you can never make these kind of momentous changes and keep everyone happy.
But Babcock didn’t really try.
So now he’s got to ride Luongo to the end of these Olympics….
Anytime Babcock has had success—1997 world juniors, 2002 Stanley Cup final with Anaheim, 2008 and ’09 Cup finals with Detroit—he has identified a starting goalie and rode him hard.
He didn’t pull Marc Denis in ’97 when that team struggled, or J.S. Giguere in ’02, or Chris Osgood in either of the past two playoff season.
more and someone forgot who the starting goalie for the Wings was in the 2008 playoffs (hint, it wasn’t Osgood)..
note 7:07am 2/23/10, The article is from Damiien Cox.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Mike+Babcock, Team+Canada,
Evening Line
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 08:31 PM ET
Comments (0)
“Real excited. I think it’s going to be fun to play in front of the fans again. I had a great experience in my first game against Norway. The support was unbelievable so obviously the stage is bigger. Tomorrow night I’m assuming it’s going to be a little louder.”
-Roberto Luongo of Team Canada after being told he will be starting in goal tomorrow. More from Craig Custance of The Sporting News,
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Roberto+Luongo, Team+Canada,
No Decision Yet On Canada’s Starting Goaltender
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 07:11 PM ET
Comments (0)
from CBC Sports,
Mike Babcock says he’s not prepared to announce that Roberto Luongo will get the start in Tuesday’s qualification-round game at the Vancouver Olympics.
In an interview on Monday, Canada’s head coach told Vancouver radio station THE TEAM 1040 that he was not ready to make an announcement on which goalie will be in net for the crucial elimination game.
Earlier Monday, Yahoo! Sports reported that it was confirmed Luongo would replace Martin Brodeur, a report based on an unidentified source.
“All athletes, especially proud ones that have been successful many times, want to be good every single night, and sometimes it doesn’t go the way you want it,” Babcock told the station of Brodeur.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 02:25 PM ET
Comments (0)
If Canada manages to get there and to win the ultimate prize on home ice, as so many have imagined for so long, it will go down as arguably the greatest triumph in the country’s glorious hockey history, and you can bet that the Olympic party here will not only restart, but reach a true fever pitch - to be echoed all across the country.
-Stephen Brunt of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics. More on Canada…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Winter+Olympics,
Questioning Team Canada
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 09:56 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Mike Boone of Habs Inside/Out,
Unless Canada is about to string together four Ws, there are going to be a lot of questions asked about this team’s personnel.
Are Pronger and Scott Niedermayer better than Mike Green?
Are Jarone Iginla and Corey Perry better than Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos?
Is Ryan Getzlaf better than Brad Richards?
Is Joe Thornton the worst money player in the history of hockey?
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+canada,
Team USA Wins With Canadian Style
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 08:41 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
Against the U.S., however, Crosby and Brodeur both had games that won’t make it into their home highlight reels, leaving Canada with all kinds of tricky questions heading into the Germany match.
That’s Olympic hockey. Heroes one day, heels the next.
Still, Canada has one ironclad supporter – a surprising one.
“Canada, I personally believe, is the best team, with Russia right behind them,” U.S. head coach Ron Wilson said in his post-game assessment.
What Wilson pointed out, you see, was that Canada “probably out-chanced us two to one” and that it was a classic case of Miller stealing a win that earned the Americans first place in their pool and a very helpful extra day’s rest.
Canadians from coast to coast might be blaming Babcock for his coaching, Brodeur for his goaltending and various Canadian players for their performances, but the fact was that the Americans won a game in the style that Canada used to use repeatedly in international circumstances, riding red-hot goaltending to wins it had no business recording.
more on Team Canada…
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA,
Breaking Down Team Canada
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 12:47 AM ET
Comments (0)
from William Houston of Truth & Rumours,
The forwards: Canada controlled the puck in the U.S. zone for long periods of time and, like any good Canadian team, they could cycle forever. But they couldn’t finish. Is it too early to ask what Corey Perry, Mike Richards and Patrice Bergeron are doing on this team?
The defense: Widely praised as a major strength when the roster was announced, it hasn’t been. Chris Pronger and Dan Boyle can’t compete at this level. Scott Niedermayer is too far along on the downside of his career to be a major player. The only hope is to go with the young guys, Shea Weber, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty. Cut back on Niedermayer’s time, don’t play Pronger or Boyle, and hope for the best.
read on for the coach and the goaltending…
added 1:07am, from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail at CTVOlympics,
In the glass-half-full version of events, Canada did many things well. They swarmed the net around U.S. goaltender Ryan Miller, who held a decisive edge over his Canadian counterpart, Martin Brodeur. They held their own in the speed department against an American team that had been trumpeting its edge there.
Physically, they punished the U.S. team, with Rick Nash leading the way in dishing out major open-ice hits.
The only problem was that their work in the face-off circle wasn’t good - the Americans were better by a two-to-one margin in the first two periods; and the goals - so hard to come by four years ago in Turin - seem to be a struggle again.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Canada May Make A Goalie Change
by Paul on 02/22/10 at 12:41 AM ET
Comments (0)
from Craig Custance of The Sporting News,
Martin Brodeur might have played his last game of the Olympics.
After Team Canada’s 5-3 loss to the Americans, coach Mike Babcock refused to say who will start when the team resumes play in the quarterfinal qualification round on Tuesday. But Brodeur was outplayed by his American counterpart, Ryan Miller, and backup Roberto Luongo has to be seriously considered as Canada’s starting goalie moving forward.
Babcock said he wants to let the emotions settle before he makes a decision.
“I’ll watch the game here tonight. Then I’ll make my decision and go from there. Tonight was a night we’d like to have been better in that area,” Babcock said. “But we’ll look at it and make that decision.”
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
Was A Timeout Needed?
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 11:33 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Bob McKenzie of TSN at CTVOlympics,
...But it all comes back to Miller, who was pretty special on this night.
There was a strategic question that could be asked - whether or not head coach Mike Babcock should have called a timeout during the last faceoff outside the American zone.
Well, I don’t mind saying now that I would have, but while it was happening, the Canadians were having a very good shift. They had Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty with sustained pressure in the U.S. end for a long time and they were exhausted.
Canada has a lot of weapons and I’m sure Babcock was thinking he wanted to save the timeout for an offensive zone faceoff. But it was off that faceoff that they had the San Jose Sharks’ line on and the shift eventually led to the empty net-goal.
So at the time, I might have been inclined to call it.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Your Thoughts On Canada/USA Game
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 09:58 PM ET
Comments (0)
The post belongs to you, the KK members and guests.
Your comments on the game are encouraged.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Open Post- We Continue A Great Day Of Hockey
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 06:50 PM ET
Comments (0)
Team USA takes on Team Canada at 7:45pm ET on MSNBC (an actual pre-game show starts at 7pm) and CTV in Canada.
Does your heart tell you one thing and your mind another or are they both in sync?
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
What Are You Looking Forward To Watching Today?
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 05:19 PM ET
Comments (0)
via ESPN SportsNation poll...
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada, Team+USA, Winter+Olympics,
Team Canada Get The Home Locker Room
by Paul on 02/21/10 at 12:59 PM ET
Comments (0)
from Chris Johnston of the CP at the Winnipeg Free Press,
Ryan Kesler was understandably hesitant when he first heard where the U.S. men’s hockey team would be putting on its equipment during the Olympics.
Normally, the Vancouver Canucks forward gets ready in a state-of-the-art dressing room that is the envy of many NHL teams. Now, he’s changing down the hall in a converted storage room in the bowels of GM Place.
But Kesler has been pleasantly surprised at how comfortable USA Hockey was able to make the space.
“It’s different, it’s a smaller dressing room but it still feels like home for me,” he said.
One of the little-known advantages Team Canada carries into Sunday’s game with the U.S. is the quality of its change room. The Canadians are occupying the swanky Canucks room - fresh off a multi-million dollar upgrade over the summer - while the other 11 countries competing here get ready in grittier surroundings.
It was one of the perks that came with the No. 1 world ranking Canada held when official Olympic seedings were determined back in 2008.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Team+Canada,
« Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »
