Juniors

[Cookslav]

So whatcha Think?

 

Only 2 goals vs. Slovakia?

Not your average Canadian win....Call me crazy but am I the only who thinks the

teams offence doesn't seem to be gelling as well as expected?

 

Were is the physical play we are so used to seeing from the juniors?

Its Good thing our goal tending is stellar IMO....

 

Canada needs to gel before we see the Swedes let alone The Americans or Russians later.

[lunkerbasshunter]

dont worry to much about it. it was kind of expected. I wish taverarse would play more then just the pp but hey its an 18+ year old tourny anyway it always has been.

 

As for goaltending? there has not been to many years were goaltending didnt win this tourny.

 

Could be worse. They could have raycroft in net lol

 

Cheers!

[chickenhawk]

yeah i think the the team will be fine, the first couple of games they are still adjusting to the time change, they will pick it up.....tavares definately needs to play more, both goalies are awesome though.....i think they can pull it off

[misfish]

Agreed very slow game to watch. Not that explosive style like the last two years. The large ice surface Im sure has something to do with it. Our boys are doing well.

 

Not sure it,s a gold medal team. We will see.

 

The goaltending is rock solid.

[mistyriver1]

Give em a couple of more games to gel.. I think they'll be fine and have the gold around their necks again (4 in a row).

[Cookslav]

Hope so...

We'll see tommorrow, when they play a formitable opponant(AKA Sweden)

I think the boys will do well, but they just don't have that spark We're used to seeing from the team.

 

Goaltendning is solid...no doubt

But the Transition game is spotty IMO.

 

The D is feeding the puck through, and hanging back(traditional stay at home defence)

But the Offense seems shakey?

 

I can't quite put my finger on the pulse of the issue?

They are in the corners quick, and controling the boards, but they seem out of sorts trying to penetrate in further then the slots?

 

Either the Slovaks, and Czech Defense was better then they appeared or the Candians are gun shy to rush the net?

[misfish]

Defence for this team seem to be like you say,stay at home.Leave the blue line way to soon.They are not the quickest on the skates so this they have to do.

 

Contact, we can hammer them all to the ice no dought,but we all know what happens when they start to lay the body. SINBIN bound.Thats the big part of the game they are missing. Hit them and they back away.

 

 

Very impressed with the Sutter boy. That guy plays like the rest of the family,WITH HEART.

[Cookslav]

Yup...Sutter has some real promise.

[Northhunter]

I'm not too worried.

 

That said, the team that gets the goaltending and the lucky breaks usually wins the tournament.

From what I've seen, they just can't play as physical as they would like to be able to. They got called on a couple good clean hits yesterday - when it's called that way in international competition you have to hold back or you end up playing with 4 skaters most of the time and you're done.

[Cookslav]

Ouch...

Sometimes it hurts to be right

 

I'd rather be wrong this time, but Me thinks the boys are not clicking.

They have adjusted their game and abondoned the intense Physical play for fear of penatlies....

And in doing so they seemed to have lost their hustle as well.

 

But I have to say...Sweden looked great.

Their passes were on the tape, and they were winning the races.

 

Some bad calls in this game as usual but it went both ways, so no exuses.

 

If Canada could play this game over again, I'd suggest they get back to smashing hard, and forget about the stupid penalties, cause they are evidently going to happen any way....

They should keep the physical edge, and make their opponents fear those long passes, and make them think twice about winning the races.

Thats how we've always done it, and it works.

 

Its worth mentioning the D-looked a bit lost today as well???

Cross your fingers folks the tourny is WIDE open....

Edited December 29, 2007 by Cookslav

[uglyfish]

hey guys, new to the board... but i have to post on this topic. i watch the juniors religiously each year, its what i wait for. i have to say though, i am embarrassed after this game. they played a great first period, second was even with sweden... then, the 3rd... ouch. they were outplayed in every aspect of the game, they took stupid penalities, got sloppy and careless with the puck, and lacked any defensive zone awareness. sound like another team that wears the maple leaf on the chest...? canada should have won that game easily. they gave that game to sweden. they should get an ear full from coach hartsberg after that. they backed away from a team game, moving the puck, backing up each other and playing strong positionally, and played like a bunch of heros tryin to do too much all by themselves. canada has to play a strong physical game, its somethin we pride ourselves on as canadian hockey players... without that... we're like the europeans... with less diving... hopefully they get it together before playin denmark.

[JohnF]

hey guys, new to the board... but i have to post on this topic. i watch the juniors religiously each year, its what i wait for. i have to say though, i am embarrassed after this game. they played a great first period, second was even with sweden... then, the 3rd... ouch. they were outplayed in every aspect of the game, they took stupid penalities, got sloppy and careless with the puck, and lacked any defensive zone awareness. sound like another team that wears the maple leaf on the chest...? canada should have won that game easily. they gave that game to sweden. they should get an ear full from coach hartsberg after that. they backed away from a team game, moving the puck, backing up each other and playing strong positionally, and played like a bunch of heros tryin to do too much all by themselves. canada has to play a strong physical game, its somethin we pride ourselves on as canadian hockey players... without that... we're like the europeans... with less diving... hopefully they get it together before playin denmark.

 

I thought in the first few minutes of the third that both teams looked tired. Perhaps Sweden wasn't quite as tired they looked. They outshot our kids, and in the last part of the third, outhustled 'em. We need to get to the net with some shots, not just fancy plays, any kind of shots. Craig knows all that. Maybe the kids will believe him now.

 

That last goal was a comedy of errors. The players on the ice didn't seem to know what they were supposed to do or they were just too tired to do it and they just let themselves get pushed back into their own zone.

 

Hopefully it will serve as the proverbial wakeup call to the forwards to start producing. I'm looking forward to the rematch if it happens.

 

JF

[Cookslav]

I can't quite put my finger on the pulse of the issue?

They are in the corners quick, and controling the boards, but they seem out of sorts trying to penetrate in further then the slots?

 

We need to get to the net with some shots, not just fancy plays, any kind of shots.

 

You read my mind!!!

 

Yup...

Flood the net with bodies and let 'er rip....smash and bang at the rebounds!!!

Control the front of the net the same way we own the boards, with a firm physical assertion.

 

The minute we start playing a fancy Euro-game we've beaten ourselves....

Let face facts folks, no one can play a Euro-style game better then the Europeans....thats their game, lets play ours!

[misfish]

Let face facts folks, no one can play a Euro-style game better then the Europeans....thats their game, lets play ours!

 

THE CANADIAN WAY

[holdfast]

They kind off reminded me of what I see when watching Mtl Games. Only one guy will play physical, When they do attempt to hit they will turn their body and use they're rear (afraid of being hurt I guess). And when crossing the blue line the third forward seems to be missing. The Swedes seemed to play around the goalie crease unopposed. And way too many penalty calls. Yup the Swedes outplayed them in the end. It was the typical European, All-star, Haley W, mens league game. Maybe they will play our game when they play the USA. Gad I hate European Hockey.

[misfish]

I cant say I was too impressed with the boys play. This was a team (THE DANES) they should of caked walked over.Did they hold back? Im thinking NOT.

 

This team will be lucky to win bronze IMO. NO HEART,NO FIRE. Am I wrong,Im not sure. There just is not that EXPLOSIVE play.

[kemper]

Not a great game today, although it was cool to see tavares finally get his spot, and look what he did with it! Tavares was player of the game IMO, making plays all over the ice and was definatly the offensive catalyst. I have seasons tickets to the Oshawa Generals and its amazngn to watch that kid play every week, a seriously talented player.

 

Why arent we doing as well as we should? I think its pretty simple, where are the hits? Canada plays best when were smashing the other team at every turn so theyre too scared to make that lead out pass or take the puck hard to the net. We need to crash the net more, get traffic in front and play the simple game, the Canadian way.

 

 

GO CANADA GO

[Cookslav]

This team will be lucky to win bronze IMO. NO HEART,NO FIRE. Am I wrong,Im not sure. There just is not that EXPLOSIVE play.

I have to agree unfortunatley...They are just not gelling?

This last game the boys should have DOMINATED....it should have been quick paced, and more importantly, it should have seemed organized!

 

The looked sloppy, and worse yet there was no flow...

Very choppy plays, loose pasing, and were the heck was the heart, the hitting, the fire???

 

It was actually a reeeeeeely boreing game to watch?

 

 

Canada plays best when were smashing the other team at every turn so theyre too scared to make that lead out pass or take the puck hard to the net. We need to crash the net more, get traffic in front and play the simple game, the Canadian way.

 

Man alive thats what i've been saying since the first game LOL!!!!

 

I really think this is a bench issue now....

Call it a GM draft issue or a motivational coaching issue if you like, but the talent is there IMO...its the Style thats missing.

Either these forwards(and offense is totaly the issue IMO) are incapable of playing traditional smash and grab Canadian hockey or the coaches are failing to ralley the troops and are communicating the wrong game plan here...

 

My bet is the Coaching strategy is foul but...then again I'm just an arm chair observer

Edited January 1, 2008 by Cookslav

[holdfast]

Yup your right. Too many penalties if we play our game (upps I'm being Racist again). Unfortunately we are stuck with a coach that wants to win instead play our game. LOL just joking. For me its the game. And part of it is the link. http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tif4KaXsfCo Oh did you see a European, Russian, Swede, East Indian....NO... Did you see a Visor....No. Did you see a Prairie Boy, Yea, TO. BC, ONT . NEF, probably. But a European. NO

[JohnF]

This last game the boys should have DOMINATED....it should have been quick paced, and more importantly, it should have seemed organized!

 

Sometimes the easiest games are the toughest. You go in assuming you'll win, and might be a tad sloppy, and the other guys have nothing to lose so they go balls to the wall. It's fun to beat any team you aren't supposed to beat, so you tend to play your most inspired game against that opponent. It also helped that Canada had just been handed their a-- on a plate by Sweden. There's no surprise in a blowout turning into a blowup in hockey tournaments.

 

Don't count Canada out yet. The talent's there to win as long as the boys all bring their A game.

 

JF