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pornrex · 2006-02-23, 05:33 PM

I've been watching and playing hockey all my life. So, here's my take on what went wrong with Team Canada, in no particular order:

Pat Quinn - although he is for the moment an 'NHL' calibre coach, his take on the game is almost all but gone and I believe his time with the Leafs is just about over as well. He did not deserve the title of head coach for this Team simply because he was behind the bench for 2002 - that distinction should have gone to Ken Hitchcock of the Flyers: his team has been battling for first all season and the Leafs in all likelihood will be watching the playoffs on TV or playing golf.

The players - anyone who has EVER played sports to win knows that you always select your hottest players. Canada selected players based on nepotistic or patronage appointment style criteria. Chris Pronger, Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi, Shane Doan, and Kris Draper were all absolutely terrible in this tournament and wrong to select for this team. For a country like Canada that could have in fact 'iced' 3 teams, they sure looked like they sent the wrong team, didn't they?

The Scandals - like it or not, Wayne Gretzky and Todd Bertuzzi brought black clouds to a team that did not need to be there with their respective legal battles. Although it appears that Gretzky will in all likelihood be exhonorated, Todd Bertuzzi on the other hand has some serious problems on his hands in civil court and you could see it in his face. They could have done better by having Eric Stall, Jason Spezza and Sidney Crosby there.

The Mentality - these players for some reason just couldn't wrap their collective mentalities around the Olympic rules! This was not the NHL and clutching, grabbing, hacking, slashing and generally speaking, the North American style of 'goon' play is NOT the emphasis of International Olympic Hockey. Guys like Pronger and Bertuzzi were constantly going to the penalty box for the same old stupid penalties and to be honest, these guys looked more worn down and were often caught flat footed. It was pathetic and honestly the scores where Canada lost 2-0 were a clear cut reflection of their style of play.

The Attitude - no matter who you are or where you are from, you do not go into an event thinking you own that event - plain and simple. The Canadian mens hockey players went to Torino thinking this was going to be a 'walk in the park' and that players from other countries would bow down to them. I thought that was extremely arrogant on their parts and is sending the wrong message to younger followers of the game.

The Mistakes - for a 'defending' champion, there were far too many mistakes in transition, on the power play, while killing a penalty, checking assignments, I could go on and on. Honestly, these guys should ALL be embarassed for representing their country in such a poor fashion. Disgusting.

The Officiating - I can't sit here and harp only about how the Canadians played so poorly. Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The Refs were garbage. There was an 'air', a anti-North American sentiment which was clearly evident in every game that I saw with both Team Canada and Team USA against the 'prissy' teams of Europe.

Then there was the disallowed goals which were goals and which would have changed the complexion of the whole tournament. A couple of bad breaks, some non calls, some overly zealous calls in favor of another team and walla, you're out of the tournament just like that in the quarter finals.

The Passion - This Team Canada lacked something that the previous team in Salt Lake had plenty of: heart, passion, determination and smarts. This year, teams such as Finland and Russia have it and hold onto it while the others do not.

Without the right combination of these factors plus good karma, you won't be going anywhere but home early.|badidea|

All in all, the result of this tournament for Team Canada is still something to build on for 2010 believe it or not. I for one hope that they get their collective acts together and select the CORRECT players and coaches and not give the positions and jobs to people simply because they were buddies or because favors were owed. That just won't cut it in Vancouver. Canadian people live and breath hockey. It is what we are known for, it is what we are talked about and it is what we are targeted and hated for most. The fact that the gold will go to a Euro team bodes well for the deserving team whoever wins it for sure but it should also be considered the incentive for Team Canada that this program needs as motivation for 2010.

2006-02-23, 05:33 PM	#19
pornrex feeling a bit better Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 1,779	I've been watching and playing hockey all my life. So, here's my take on what went wrong with Team Canada, in no particular order: Pat Quinn - although he is for the moment an 'NHL' calibre coach, his take on the game is almost all but gone and I believe his time with the Leafs is just about over as well. He did not deserve the title of head coach for this Team simply because he was behind the bench for 2002 - that distinction should have gone to Ken Hitchcock of the Flyers: his team has been battling for first all season and the Leafs in all likelihood will be watching the playoffs on TV or playing golf. The players - anyone who has EVER played sports to win knows that you always select your hottest players. Canada selected players based on nepotistic or patronage appointment style criteria. Chris Pronger, Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi, Shane Doan, and Kris Draper were all absolutely terrible in this tournament and wrong to select for this team. For a country like Canada that could have in fact 'iced' 3 teams, they sure looked like they sent the wrong team, didn't they? The Scandals - like it or not, Wayne Gretzky and Todd Bertuzzi brought black clouds to a team that did not need to be there with their respective legal battles. Although it appears that Gretzky will in all likelihood be exhonorated, Todd Bertuzzi on the other hand has some serious problems on his hands in civil court and you could see it in his face. They could have done better by having Eric Stall, Jason Spezza and Sidney Crosby there. The Mentality - these players for some reason just couldn't wrap their collective mentalities around the Olympic rules! This was not the NHL and clutching, grabbing, hacking, slashing and generally speaking, the North American style of 'goon' play is NOT the emphasis of International Olympic Hockey. Guys like Pronger and Bertuzzi were constantly going to the penalty box for the same old stupid penalties and to be honest, these guys looked more worn down and were often caught flat footed. It was pathetic and honestly the scores where Canada lost 2-0 were a clear cut reflection of their style of play. The Attitude - no matter who you are or where you are from, you do not go into an event thinking you own that event - plain and simple. The Canadian mens hockey players went to Torino thinking this was going to be a 'walk in the park' and that players from other countries would bow down to them. I thought that was extremely arrogant on their parts and is sending the wrong message to younger followers of the game. The Mistakes - for a 'defending' champion, there were far too many mistakes in transition, on the power play, while killing a penalty, checking assignments, I could go on and on. Honestly, these guys should ALL be embarassed for representing their country in such a poor fashion. Disgusting. The Officiating - I can't sit here and harp only about how the Canadians played so poorly. Let's call a spade a spade, shall we? The Refs were garbage. There was an 'air', a anti-North American sentiment which was clearly evident in every game that I saw with both Team Canada and Team USA against the 'prissy' teams of Europe. Then there was the disallowed goals which were goals and which would have changed the complexion of the whole tournament. A couple of bad breaks, some non calls, some overly zealous calls in favor of another team and walla, you're out of the tournament just like that in the quarter finals. The Passion - This Team Canada lacked something that the previous team in Salt Lake had plenty of: heart, passion, determination and smarts. This year, teams such as Finland and Russia have it and hold onto it while the others do not. Without the right combination of these factors plus good karma, you won't be going anywhere but home early.\|badidea\| All in all, the result of this tournament for Team Canada is still something to build on for 2010 believe it or not. I for one hope that they get their collective acts together and select the CORRECT players and coaches and not give the positions and jobs to people simply because they were buddies or because favors were owed. That just won't cut it in Vancouver. Canadian people live and breath hockey. It is what we are known for, it is what we are talked about and it is what we are targeted and hated for most. The fact that the gold will go to a Euro team bodes well for the deserving team whoever wins it for sure but it should also be considered the incentive for Team Canada that this program needs as motivation for 2010. __________________ colo-cation - the only host you'll need Last edited by pornrex; 2006-02-23 at 05:41 PM..