International TournamentsDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
Canadians got to get over this philosophy/mindset of a team is built around a top 6 and a bottom 6. How about a Top 12 and the 4th line players who have skill but can adapt to slightly different roles, otherwise this Top 6 Bottom 6 setup is nothing more than a glorified club team..... and when Canada was sending club teams to this tournament prior to 1981 in the days before the national team was selected, how did we do?
Top 6 / bottom 6 is over the top but you definitely bring a couple guys for key roles. Patrice Bergeron and Brendon Morrow were awesome for Team Canada in the olympics as was Coutourier in the WJC's. You definetly don't bring an RNH to be the 4th C and kill PP's.
Yeah didn't Bob Mackenzie say first cuts are Wednesday? These predicted teams are good but too many OHLers. Every year I make a team with mostly OHL guys like you guys but HC always brings that extra WHL guy.
Top 6 / bottom 6 is over the top but you definitely bring a couple guys for key roles. Patrice Bergeron and Brendon Morrow were awesome for Team Canada in the olympics as was Coutourier in the WJC's. You definetly don't bring an RNH to be the 4th C and kill PP's.
Certainly not, RNH wouldn't be able to adapt to that role, I'm talking about other skilled guys who would be able to adapt to that role... RNH when he was 17 if I were picking the team would have been either the 2nd or 3rd line center. I have a different philosophy then the one HC employs. 3 scoring lines and plus a line that is equally skilled more or less, but are more polished in all 3 zones...The days of pounding teams into submission are over... over. And the sooner HC gets that through its thick scull, the better for us all.
Certainly not, RNH wouldn't be able to adapt to that role, I'm talking about other skilled guys who would be able to adapt to that role... RNH when he was 17 if I were picking the team would have been either the 2nd or 3rd line center. I have a different philosophy then the one HC employs. 3 scoring lines and plus a line that is equally skilled more or less, but are more polished in all 3 zones...The days of pounding teams into submission are over... over. And the sooner HC gets that through its thick scull, the better for us all.
Not making team canada was the best thing to ever happen to Nuge. He went on an absolute 2nd half tear, playing like a man possessed.
Couturier's confidence got destroyed a lot playing with the 19 year olds. (I think it's since returned, but it definitely affected him in his draft year)
Canadians got to get over this philosophy/mindset of a team is built around a top 6 and a bottom 6. How about a Top 12 and the 4th line players who have skill but can adapt to slightly different roles, otherwise this Top 6 Bottom 6 setup is nothing more than a glorified club team..... and when Canada was sending club teams to this tournament prior to 1981 in the days before the national team was selected, how did we do?
I agree 100%. Have people forgotten what kind of lineup Canada last won the WJC's with? You had Tavares, Hodgson, Eberle, Boychuk, Esposito and DiDomenico on the first two lines. The bottom two lines had the likes of Tyler Ennis, Evander Kane and Jamie Benn, all primarily offensive players who adapted to playing a two-way role because they have the talent and the system to support them. Note that the team was selected by a former NHL coach in Pat Quinn. There were close calls in the tourney, but that team had the scoring depth to provide a constant threat to opponents and, ultimately, scored when it mattered.
I want to get back to that idea of three lines worth of scorers. Teams are not afraid of top-to-bottom physicality: Russia sure as hell doesn't give a crap about that. This is especially true on big ice.
