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Entries with the tag: team+usa
Team USA Goalie - Miller Or Thomas?
by Paul on 11/08/09 at 09:41 AM ET
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from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,
(Craig) Anderson, a former Bruins property, is the primary reason why Colorado entered last night as the top-ranked team in the NHL (26 points, 2 more than Pittsburgh and San Jose, who met late last night). The 28-year-old native of Park Ridge, Ill., is 11-3-2 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage.
For the first time in his career, Anderson has been tapped to be the go-to goalie for his club (he backed up Tomas Vokoun in Florida the last two seasons), and he has responded by turning the revamped Avalanche into the surprise story of the NHL.
Anderson’s start has propelled him into the Olympic discussion and most likely vaulted him past Los Angeles’s Jonathan Quick, who attended the US orientation camp along with Thomas and Miller over the summer.
But when you place Anderson’s pedigree against those of his competitors, it’s a good bet that the US brain trust, led by Toronto general manager Brian Burke, will consider the Boston and Buffalo netminders, both Michigan natives (Thomas hails from Flint, Miller from East Lansing), for the starting job, even though both got a break last night.
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Tags: Team+USA,
Esche Wants To Play For Team USA
by Paul on 10/21/09 at 01:24 PM ET
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from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,
Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson is trying his best to put himself on the radar for a spot on the U.S. Olympic team. A guy in Russia is hoping to do the same.
Robert Esche is off to a flying start with SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, sporting an 8-3-2 record with a .932 save percentage and 1.62 goals-against average, gaudy numbers to say the least.
“I’ve been healthy the last three years here in Russia, which I wasn’t my last few years in the NHL,” Esche told ESPN.com on Tuesday from Moscow, where the team plays Wednesday. “I am hoping I can go to the Olympics, that’s my goal to make that team. But if it doesn’t happen, it’s not the end of the world.
Filed in: Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: KHL, Robert+Esche, Team+USA,
Talking USA Hockey
by Paul on 10/20/09 at 12:49 PM ET
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Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN sit down with some USA Hockey players and discuss numerous, related topics.
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Tags: Team+USA,
What Do You Know, Burke Wants Team USA To Hit
by Paul on 09/24/09 at 09:32 PM ET
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from Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal,
Brian Burke, the general manager of the U.S. Olympic hockey program, has a new plan to win gold in Vancouver. Forget the graceful, athletic style of play that dominates on Olympic ice. He’s planning to conquer the world the old-fashioned way: by hitting people....
With his shock of gray-white hair, red face and brash New England accent, Mr. Burke more resembles a dockworker on Boston Harbor than someone who makes his living in the NHL’s executive suites. Every four years, he says, hockey fans stop him in the streets after the Olympics to proclaim their love for the international style and convey their hopes that the NHL will switch to a larger rink. Mr. Burke has no use for them.
“I tell them to go watch a game in the Czech league, where every shot comes from 12, 14 feet away from the net and no one checks anyone the whole damn game,” he said. “It drives me absolutely nuts.”
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Tags: Brian+Burke, Team+USA,
Team USA Camp Was No Social Gathering
by Paul on 08/19/09 at 04:01 PM ET
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from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
And so, 34 American hopefuls departed suburban Chicago on Wednesday with their Olympic appetites merely whetted.
The main course begins Oct. 1, when these players will begin a three-month audition for a berth on the 2010 U.S. Olympic team in Vancouver with the start of the National Hockey League’s regular season.
In the past, pre-Olympic gatherings like the three-day event that ended here Wednesday night would have been more a mixer, a social. Given a relatively shallow talent pool, the rosters would have been pretty much set beforehand.
Not now.
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Tags: Team+USA,
Reporting Almost Live From Team USA Camp
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 05:16 PM ET
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Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun give us an update from day 2.
Good to see both back to work too.
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Tags: Team+USA,
Chelios Talks Team USA & His Future
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 02:49 PM ET
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Also from Team USA Camp, watch Mike Modano and Scott Gomez.
Watch many other Team USA participants here.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Chelios, Team+USA,
Rafalski Talks Team USA
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 01:40 PM ET
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Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Non-NHL Hockey, International Hockey | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Brian+Rafalski, Team+USA,
Komisarek Talks Team USA & Leafs
by Paul on 08/18/09 at 09:52 AM ET
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from NHL This Morning at NHL Home Ice,
Team USA hopeful Mike Komisarek of the Toronto Maple Leafs joined Scott Laughlin from the USA Olympic orientation camp in Chicago. Mike talked about representing his country and joining the Maple Leafs this off-season
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Tags: Mike+Komisarek, Team+USA,
Kane Talks A Bit More On The Cab Incident
by Paul on 08/17/09 at 02:53 PM ET
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from Chris Kruc of Icing at the Chicago Tribune,
A subdued Patrick Kane met with the media following the opening practice of the 2009 U.S. Men’s Olympic orientation camp Monday. After reading a prepared statement earlier in the day, the Blackhawks winger later discussed his Aug. 9 arrest following an altercation with a Buffalo cabdriver.
“I haven’t really told anyone my side of the story to be honest with you,” Kane said. “The only one who really knows is my lawyer and my family. That’s about as far as it goes. [I want to] move on and try to get over this. It’s been very supportive from a lot of people. It’s times like these maybe you can live and learn and find out who your true friends are at an early age.”
Kane was one of 34 NHL players at the camp at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, which is the first step toward determining the 23-man roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics team in Vancouver.
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Tags: Patrick+Kane, Team+USA,
Questions For Team USA
by Paul on 08/14/09 at 09:51 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
Longtime American warriors—as Team USA GM Brian Burke likes to call them—such as Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Keith Tkachuk won’t be battling for roster spots when the camp opens Monday in suburban Chicago. Instead, it’s a younger, faster, American team that hopes to spend a few days developing chemistry and learning coach Ron Wilson’s system.
Factor in the expected appearance of Patrick Kane, who was arrested following an incident with a Buffalo cab driver, and there’s plenty to watch for during the three-day camp, including:
1. Will Patrick Kane talk?
The American players know that there might be a little more media coverage surrounding the Olympic orientation, thanks to Kane’s arrest and the proximity of the event to Chicago.
“If there were going to be 20 (media) guys there, now there will be 40,” said Hainsey, a key member of the improving Atlanta Thrashers defense. “From our side, we don’t have a clue about what happened.”
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Tags: Team+USA,
U.S. Olympic Hockey Camp Open To The Public
by Paul on 08/03/09 at 01:40 PM ET
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I’ve received some emails lately with people asking about tickets to the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Orientation Camp. Here is your answer…
from NHL.com,
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Orientation Camp will be open to the general public on Monday, Aug. 17, and Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, Ill.
Admission is free and on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Tags: Team+USA,
All Olympic Talk
by Paul on 07/29/09 at 02:59 PM ET
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Red Wings’ Head of European Scouting Hakan Andersson talks about Team Sweden and the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Also, Steve Yzerman talks Team Canada and Ken Morrow talks Team USA.
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Tags: Hakan+Andersson, Ken+Morrow, Steve+Yzerman, Team+Canada, Team+Sweden, Team+USA,
34 Players Invited To Team USA Orientation Camp
by Paul on 06/30/09 at 12:26 PM ET
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Hockey today announced that 34 players, representing 22 National Hockey League teams, have been invited to the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Orientation Camp from Aug. 17-19, at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodridge, Ill.
Of the 34 players invited to the camp, five have previous Olympic experience, led by three-time Olympian Mike Modano (Livonia, Mich./Dallas Stars/1998, 2002, 2006). Additional Olympians include Chris Drury (Trumbull, Conn./New York Rangers/2002, 2006), Brian Rafalski (Dearborn, Mich./Detroit Red Wings/2002, 2006), Scott Gomez (Anchorage, Alaska/New York Rangers/2006) and Jamie Langenbrunner (Cloquet, Minn./New Jersey Devils/1998).
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Tags: Team+USA,
Why Ron Wilson For Team USA?
by Paul on 04/03/09 at 06:17 PM ET
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from Scott Burnside of ESPN,
Wilson is a good coach; he just isn’t the best coach available for this team. Not by virtually any meaningful measuring stick.
There were three clear-cut candidates for the United States, which is looking to erase the sting of a disappointing turn at the 2006 Torino Games, where an aging American squad won just one game.
John Tortorella, currently the coach of the New York Rangers; Peter Laviolette, former coach of the Carolina Hurricanes; and Wilson. It’s not like Burke ignored a Scotty Bowman type in naming Wilson, but it’s difficult not to put Wilson at the bottom of this list in assessing worthiness for this post.
Let’s take recent successes.
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Tags: Team+USA,
Team USA May Have A Young Flavor
by Paul on 03/12/09 at 09:05 PM ET
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from Kevin Allen of USA TODAY,
Youngsters such as Anaheim’s Bobby Ryan and San Jose’s Joe Pavelski are strongly in the mix now to make the American squad, and if the Olympics started tomorrow my hunch is that Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad would be the fourth-line center....
Boston’s Blake Wheeler and maybe Buffalo’s Drew Stafford are two other young forwards who have to be considered
My take on the team is that there are, barring injuries, four locks on defense in Detroit’s Brian Rafalski, Montreal’s Mike Komisarek, Nashville’s Ryan Suter and New Jersey’s Paul Martin.
Then, Anaheim’s Ryan Whitney is still strongly in the mix, as is Pittsburgh’s Brooks Orpik and Edmonton’s Tom Gilbert. Don’t rule out Florida’s Keith Ballard or Carolina’s Tim Gleason. Ron Hainsey’s power play prowess with Atlanta gives him a chance. Dallas player Matt Niskanen is also in play.
The two youngers guys with strong chances to make the team are Los Angeles’ Jack Johnson and St. Louis’ Erik Johnson, although Erik will have to show well at the start of next season because he will have missed the entire 2008-09 season with a knee injury.
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Tags: Team+USA,
Bright Future for Okposo
by Alanah McGinley on 02/11/09 at 02:47 PM ET
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From Mark Herrmann at Newsday.com:
When everyone looks back on it, this Islanders season might not seem a total loss after all. Aside from possibly helping them ace the draft lottery, 2008-09 looks from here as if it will be remembered as the season Kyle Okposo really earned his NHL sweater, and a USA Olympic jersey.
It is not too early to think about Okposo’s future, which looks brighter by the day. It definitely is not too early to think about next February and the Vancouver Winter Games.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: kyle+okposo, olympics, team+usa,
Bad Day for the Judge
by Alanah McGinley on 05/12/08 at 01:20 PM ET
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Team USA’s loss to Finland yesterday has produced a hailstorm of criticism for the officials based on a goal scored by Finland that led to their late rally. For anyone who hasn’t seen the controversial non-goal—which was reviewed by the video judge and still declared a goal—it can be seen on the video below.
Both teams agree it was a major error, as can be seen in the post-game reaction on this TSN clip.
Update 10:23am May 13: From The Chronicle Herald,
The video goal judge was dismissed by the International Ice Hockey Federation after the botched call. The IIHF acknowledged the goal “should not have counted” on its website and stated the goal judge will “not be working for the rest of the tournament.”
“It’s a mistake,” Esche said. “The guy made a mistake and you have to live with it.”
U.S. head coach John Tortorella wasn’t as forgiving on Monday.
“Did they sack him? They should,” Tortorella said. “I don’t know how they handled it but as far as dismissing him, yes I support it.
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Tags: john+tortorella, team+finland, team+usa,