Just hours after being named to my Olympic roster, Staal has 3 points in the first 15 minutes of tonight’s game against the Capitals.
On the road.
For the Hurricanes.
This man is good at hockey.
Archives / 2009 / December
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Eric Staal Must Read Holy Puck
December-28-09 at 11:34:51 AMFiled under | 2 comments » -
My 2010 Team Canada
Initially I planned on doing a thorough review of the options for Team Canada. That’s boring. I’m going to present you my picks for the team, and then I’ll take on the much more interesting task of picking apart the actual selections later this week.
Let’s start with the goaltenders as there doesn’t seem to be much doubt here. Going into the season, goalies like Steve Mason and Cam Ward were in contention for the 3rd spot. They’ve since regressed, and the means that Marc-Andre Fleury will be the 3rd goalie on Team Canada. Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo will be the top 2 netminders. I’d say there’s a good chance that Luongo starts the first game (a cakewalk) before Marty takes over for the rest of the tournament.
There’s a lot more mystery on defense. Most experts seem to be trying to balance left-hand shots with right-hand shots; I won’t. I’m going to pick the 6 defensemen that I think give Team Canada the best shot at winning.
We’ll start with 3 absolute rocks that should form the backbone of the defense. If I’m the coach, I want one of these guys on the ice at all times. These 3 are Chris Pronger, Shea Weber, and Duncan Keith. All 3 are great at both ends of the ice, can be used against the opposition’s top line, and are good at avoiding mistakes. Pronger’s skating was a liability in Italy in 2006, but shouldn’t be an issue back on North American ice. Now, they need partners.
Chris Pronger
Duncan Keith
Shea Weber
The most obvious pairing is Keith with Brent Seabrook. The 2 have been phenomenal in Chicago and that chemistry can’t be overlooked.
Chris Pronger
Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Shea Weber
Pronger’s great defensively, but mobility is not his strong suit. I’d like to see him paired with a strong skater that can move the puck out of the zone in a hurry. There’s a couple of options, but I’m going to go with Dan Boyle. Boyle can carry the puck out of the zone or make the first pass, and Pronger can help cover up his (minor) defensive deficiencies.
Chris Pronger – Dan Boyle
Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Shea Weber
Shea Weber will be paired with the best skating defenseman in the NHL. Jay Bouwmeester is having a strong season in Calgary and he needs to be a part of this team. His speed and skating will be invaluable against the Russian/American/Swedish attacks, and pairing him with Weber provides 3 pairings that can weather the storm and launch the counter-attack.
Chris Pronger – Dan Boyle
Duncan Keith – Brent Seabrook
Shea Weber – Jay Bouwmeester
When it comes to the 7th defensemen, I’m not sure what you want in a tournament like this. You could bring Scott Niedermayer, although he’s having a horrific season. You could look at Robyn Regehr or Dion Phaneuf, although neither has been terrific. For my money, I want a 7th guy that can come in and fill any of the spots we put in above. Niedermayer, Regehr, and Phaneuf fail that criteria because they’re more geared towards offense (Niedermayer, Phaneuf) or defense (Regehr) than a well-rounded game. Enter Drew Doughty. Doughty has been awesome for the Kings, and can fit into any of the 3 pairings I’ve put above.
We face a similar situation with the forwards in that there are a number of guaranteed locks for the team. Let’s slot them into a roster (not line combinations, just positional placeholders). Format is C – W – W.
Sidney Crosby – Ryan Getzlaf – Jarome Iginla
Joe Thornton – Rick Nash – Dany Heatley
I’m moving Getzlaf to the wing because he’s played there before (if memory serves, in the WJHC) and his game his probably better suited to the wing. There’s not much point in debating these picks as Yzerman would have to defect if any were left off the team.
Before moving on, here’s a word on my philosophy. I believe in playing to win. I don’t believe in playing to not-lose. In 2006, Team Canada was put together to not-lose. The focus was on defense and preventing the other teams from beating us. I think that’s wrong. We have the potential to have the most potent offense (top-to-bottom) in the tournament. Let’s use it. Let’s let the other teams worry about how to stop us. The Russian team didn’t name defensive specialists, and neither will I.
Having said that, the next picks for my forward group are Brad Richards and Patrick Marleau. Richards has big-game experience, is one of the top scorers in the NHL, can be responsible defensively, can win big face-offs, and perhaps most importantly, can play anywhere from 1st line center to 13th man. Marleau makes the team for many of the same reasons, in addition to his success and chemistry with Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. The 3 of them could possibly be the best 3rd line in hockey history.
Sidney Crosby – Ryan Getzlaf – Jarome Iginla
Joe Thornton – Patrick Marleau – Dany Heatley
C – Brad Richards – Rick Nash
Now I’m going to add 2 center-men that most people are overlooking. Despite having an “off-year”, Vincent Lecavalier has picked up his play in the past month. He’s averaging nearly a point-per-game, and has experience at the Olympic, World Cup, and Stanley Cup level. In addition, Lecavalier had his best success alongside Brad Richards, whom I’ve already put on the team.
Perhaps the most surprising omission from the “expert” predictions has been Eric Staal. Staal has been hurt, but in case they haven’t noticed, he’s back. He’s also playing well, putting up 15 points over his last 15 games despite playing on the worst team in the NHL. There’s a Staal on my Team Canada, and it’s Eric.
With the roster almost complete, I’m going to start moving players around into line combinations.
Sidney Crosby – Jarome Iginla – Rick Nash
Joe Thornton – Dany Heatley – Patrick Marleau
Vincent Lecavalier – Brad Richards – Ryan Getzlaf
Eric Staal – W – W
We need 2 more wingers. In these spots, you want solid players that can contribute offensively and defensively. You also want young players who can deal with limited ice-time, and strong penalty killers. For those reasons, I’m bringing in Jonathan Toews and Patrice Bergeron. Both are having very good seasons, can play any forward position, are great faceoff men, contribute offensively, and are excellent penalty killers. Those are good qualities on a team like this, as opposed to defensive specialists like Kirk Maltby and Kris Draper in 2006, or Rob Zamuner in 1998.
As a 13th forward, I want something a little different than I did on defense. There are enough forwards on the team already that you can juggle the lines around to accommodate an injury; you don’t have that same luxury with your defensive pairings. You want someone with some big-game experience that can come into the game and not be a liability. There’s nothing worse than having a borderline player on the bench whom you’re afraid could be exposed if he has to get on the ice. Options here include Brendan Morrow, Shane Doan, Mike Richards, Ryan Smyth, and Corey Perry.
I’m going with Corey Perry. In addition to being a solid all-around player, Perry has terrific chemistry with Ryan Getzlaf. That could be an important factor if an injury forces some line juggling. Perry has plenty of big-game experience too, having won a Memorial Cup and playing a key role on Team Canada at the WJHC.
Sidney Crosby – Jarome Iginla – Rick Nash
Joe Thornton – Dany Heatley – Patrick Marleau
Vincent Lecavalier – Brad Richards – Ryan Getzlaf
Eric Staal – Patrice Bergeron – Jonathan Toews
So there’s my Team Canada.
Is Crosby the captain? No.
Crosby can have his turn in 2014, this is Iginla’s team. I’d put the C on Iginla, and make Brad Richards, Chris Pronger, and Patrick Marleau the alternate captains. All of them are (or should be) captains of their respective NHL teams.
Now we wait for Wednesday to see how many mistakes Mr. Yzerman and his staff make (I kid…).
December-28-09 at 9:25:22 AMFiled under | 0 comments » -
Glen Healy, Idiot II
I almost forgot. When the HNIC talking heads were picking their Olympic rosters, Glen Healy tossed out a gem. David Clarkson would be on this team were it not for the injuries he’s been battling. Really? David Clarkson? Clarkson has 15 points in 23 games, and does bring a physical edge to the game that most people can appreciate. But an Olympian? Surely Healy has taken one too many pucks to the temple. A quick peak at the NHL’s statistics website reveals that Clarkson is currently 7th amongst New Jersey forwards in average time-on-ice, a figure that shouldn’t change muchDecember-28-09 at 6:46:50 AMFiled under | 0 comments » -
World Junior Blowouts
A lot of hockey writers have been writing about the problem with the World Junior Hockey Championship and the blowout scores (see Yahoo’s Bruce Peter and James Mirtle). They’re 100% right in that it’s absolutely ridiculous. In my opinion, there’s a pretty easy solution that would help to alleviate (although not entirely eliminate) some of the shoddy play we’ve seen at the tournament. Because of the format the IIHF uses, the bottom teams in the A division (the tournament we in Canada are familiar with) play a relegation round to determine who is sent to the B division next year.December-28-09 at 6:37:53 AMFiled under | 0 comments » -
Glen Healy, Idiot
On Saturday night’s “Hotstove”, the topic of Olympic team selection came up. After offering their own picks for Team Canada, Glen Healy couldn’t resist the temptation to offer up some criticism of the recently announced Russian roster. To paraphrase… “How can they pick all these guys that aren’t even good enough to play in the NHL?” Does Healy not know about the KHL? You know, the Russian league that pays Russian players on par with the NHL. The Russian league that has been the home to some pretty good hockey players over the last few seasons. When Alexander Radulov skippedDecember-26-09 at 1:05:33 PMFiled under | 0 comments » -
A Quick Retrospective
Your name is John Ferguson Jr. You have 2 highly valued assets, young goaltending prospects; the type of prospects that most teams covet. I speak of Justin Pogge and Tuukka Rask, of course. Another young goaltender, a former standout in the NHL, has been down on his luck and can be had via trade. This can only be Andrew Raycroft. You choose one of your goaltending prospects (Rask, apparently under the belief that Pogge will become the better player), and make the trade for Raycroft. Fast-forward a few seasons. Andrew Raycroft, following 2 abysmal seasons in Toronto, has moved onDecember-11-09 at 12:54:23 AMFiled under | 0 comments » -
Playoffs? Don’t Talk to Me About Playoffs!
Is anyone else sick and tired of the TV talking-heads and their playoff talk? For that matter, the Internet is full of it too. People, it’s December. There are 50 games left to be played. The fact that a given team is 3 points out of 8th with 5 teams to pass does not mean that they can’t make the playoffs. It means that the season is still in it’s relative infancy. I remember when nobody talked about the playoffs until the trade deadline was approaching. That’s when it’s relevant. But in December? There are too many games to beDecember-09-09 at 11:17:28 PMFiled under | 0 comments » -
Mike Fisher, Olympian?
So I’m watching the Leafs and the Islanders on TSN tonight, when the 1st intermission quick comes on. Normally these are pretty entertaining; on rare occasions there’s some valuable insight. Tonight? Idiocy ruled supreme. First question. Would you build a team around John Tavares or Tyler Myers? Is this meant to be a trick question? Myers is a great rookie, and could develop into one hell of a player, but Tavares has been a coveted prospect since he started high school. He was the #1 overall draft pick back in June, and has done absolutely nothing to detract from theDecember-09-09 at 12:18:43 PMFiled under | 0 comments » -
The Case for Suspending Keith Ballard
Keith Ballard’s accidental 2-handed slash to Tomas Vokoun’s head will go unpunished by the NHL. Most people seem to think that’s the right decision, believing that the guilt Ballard has to live with is penalty enough. I call bullshit. Hockey players are supposed to be role models, and are repeatedly reprimanded for failing to fit the mould (I refer you to Sean Avery). Hockey players are supposed to demonstrate virtue, honour, class, and respect for their fellow competitors. Keith Ballard did none of this. It’s become far too common to see NHL players take out their post-goal-frustrations by destroying theirDecember-02-09 at 11:14:11 AMFiled under | 0 comments » -
Alexander the Suspended
Word came down this afternoon that Alexander Ovechkin will face a 2-game suspension for his knee-on-knee “hit” on Tim Gleason. You have to think the Capitals are thankful for the suspension, since it will ensure that Ovechkin doesn’t attempt to rush back from the injury he suffered while delivering the hit. I’m not a big believer in punishing most knee-on-knee collisions; at least not for the same reasons as most people. Players know that knee-on-knee hits are bad. Nobody, Ovechkin included, intends to deliver a knee-on-knee hit. I’ve always viewed those kind of hits as a reflex thing rather thanDecember-01-09 at 2:56:02 PMFiled under | 0 comments »