World cup of hockey

[Boges]

So both the fake teams won their opening games, in impressive fashion. The Euro team shutout team USA.

We'll see how the Euro team does against Canada BUT, if they do win then we'll see this plan backfire as the assembled teams are actually a lot more competitive than real national teams. If competitiveness is the Goal, then let Canada field a second team. That team could probably beat the Czechs too.

Did anyone catch what anthems the NA and Euro teams got played for them?

Edited September 19, 2016 by Boges

[overthere]

Did anyone catch what anthems the NA and Euro teams got played for them?

I think they played both the US and CDN anthems for the North America team, and nothing for the Yurpeens.

Maybe they should play the latest Eurovison song contest winner for the Euros, even though that dismal musical swill would drive the crowd shrieking into the night.

[Boges]

Ode to Joy is the EU's Anthem.

Google FTW though.

http://thecomeback.com/puckdrunklove/2016-articles/team-europe-will-have-its-own-anthem-at-the-world-cup-of-hockey.html

Edited September 19, 2016 by Boges

[Guest]

I'm going to the Team NA vs Russia game tonight. I expect the Russians will do what seems obvious and hit those fast little, younglings. This should be a much better game than NA vs the Fins.

[overthere]

I'm going to the Team NA vs Russia game tonight. I expect the Russians will do what seems obvious and hit those fast little, younglings. This should be a much better game than NA vs the Fins.

oooh, envy. And enjoy, it should be very quick!

I am enjoying the NA team because they play throwback hockey, the run n' gun style of the 80s. Super fast, lots of goals and 'what the hell is 'the trap'?'. I think they will do OK against teams like Russia. Where they might flounder is against hardcore defensive teams, and teams that have really good defencemen, like Canada and Sweden.

The Sportsnet Toronto- centric coverage of the games is getting very annoying. Last night they were bleating the idiocy that Auston Matthews has been the big story so far. Really? The reason he got 6 shots against the Finns was because he kept getting sweet feeds from McJesus.

[-TSS-]

I was surprised how good the NA young guys were. Have to also admit that Finland were appalling. I'm not saying that I was surprised how good the NA were that I didn't know that they have very good players but I thought those good players wouldn't make a cohesive team.

[-TSS-]

Perhaps when a tournament like this is played in North-America people who watch hockey know very well these players which make up the Team North-America, which couldn't have been said had there been teams like Germany or Switzerland players of which I guess North-American hockey-fans know nothing about.

Btw, the latest result tells that Team Europe has beaten the Czechs, so they are almost certainly through.

[Boges]

If the NA team beats Sweden today, then the two fake teams make it through to the Semis.

USA team was a big flop.

[overthere]

The young guns are in tough against Sweden, who play a really disciplined shutdown game, have a great defence and solid goalie.

I'd love to see them win though, I think they would play Canada in a semi final in that event, and Sweden would meet Europe.

It is also very possible that the North Americans could go through with a loss to Sweden, assuming that Finland beats Russia. NA has the best goal differential of Finland Russia and themselves.

If Sweden loses and Russia wins, Sweden goes through unless the Russians greatly improve their goal differential.

There are several permutations, my point is that NA is not in a bad position f they get into a tiebreaker, though of course winning is their easiest path.

[-TSS-]

If Russia beats Finland today they are through because they would be tied with NA and won the match between them.

[Boges]

If NA does make the final, doubtful with Finland pretty much out of it. You'll have 2 of the fake teams making the Semi's.

So I guess next WC we should have more assembled teams. Merge Finland and Sweden to have a Scandinavia Team, A Continental Europe Team, A U24 Europe Team AND Team USA can enter into the Rest of the World Team.

Edited September 22, 2016 by Boges

[Guest]

I'm not a Kessel fan, in fact I tend to despise most one dimensional floater types, but his tweet after the US was eliminated was great:

https://twitter.com/PKessel81/status/778426548651163648

[overthere]

That might be the only time in his life Kessel made a joke, and it really pissed off some of his Team America compatriots. It was directed at Team USA management for not picking him, but as noted he is a renowned floater. And he had hand surgery after the season.

On the other hand, team USA was really short on offence- which is where Kessel shines. He might be a floater, but he undeniably gets it done on offence. In balance, Phil should have kept his piehole shut.....

Go Finland!!!

I think they have a very legitimate shot at winning, which is enhanced by their loathing of Russia and Russians.

[-TSS-]

I understand that the NA-team is quite popular in both countries; not because they represent"North-America" but because they are young guys and familiar from their clubs.

[overthere]

Team North America were expected to do poorly here, or at best were an unknown quantity. Their defence was seen as a weak spot. But they followed the old quote from Wayne Gretzky, who said ' defence is less important when your team always has the puck'.

What stirred the drink for hockey lovers was the insane speed that they played at, very exciting firewagon hockey. They won two out of three games, and should have beaten Russia......

If they had hung in and beaten the Swedes in regulation rather than overtime, they would have ended up in a 2 way tie for first place, and would have gotten through on goal differential tie breaker.... they were that close.

[overthere]

Finland just did not have enough offence this tournament, only scored one goal in three games. But the future looks OK, they have some really good young forwards in Laine , Pululjarvi, and Aho, some promising defencemen and Finnish goalies are always great. Next time!

[-TSS-]

Too bad for the NA-team but I think it is better advertisement for the tournament to have a Canada-Russia semi-final than Canada-NA. Would the NA-team even have been allowed to beat Canada?

[Guest]

Too bad for the NA-team but I think it is better advertisement for the tournament to have a Canada-Russia semi-final than Canada-NA. Would the NA-team even have been allowed to beat Canada?

Allowed, sure. Would that be possible? Not even close.

[overthere]

It is certainly possible that NA could beat Canada, though admittedly Canada looks really strong.. The record of North America against the semi finalist is very strong after all. North America beat Europe- a semi finalist- twice and beat them handily both times. They also defeated the other semi finalist, Sweden. They should have beaten Russia too, in a very close game.

Canada- Russia depends a lot on the goalies. Bobrovsky looks very good, and Carey Price will have to play well.

[-TSS-]

A one-off match gives the chance for a surprise as even the best teams can have a bad day.

[Boges]

So! Canada gets to face a fake team of European NHLers from nations that can't field full team teams of NHL players.

World Cup indeed.

I'm cheering for the fake team of Europeans.

[Benz]

Very surprising final. I did not expect it. On paper, it should be a demolition. Canada is so strong, it's like comparing two different levels of EAsport NHL video game. But that European team has been so surprising so far, they should be able to give a good opposition. Maybe surprise them if Canada relaxes too much. But I wouldn't bet on that.

[-TSS-]

I guess this competition will be binned for good after this tournament is over. It has not been a commercial success and its only purpose was to generate money. Failing to do that it is a useless competition.

[overthere]

I guess this competition will be binned for good after this tournament is over. It has not been a commercial success and its only purpose was to generate money. Failing to do that it is a useless competition.

I think it will be back for at least one more time. The NHL/NHLPA want the international exposure. There just aren't many options for exposure, and they want to keep the game on the international stage. The World Championships are a flop financially and have second rank teams. THe NHl won't be going to the next Olympics in Korea in a fight over money with the IIHF and IOC. They will probably go to the 2022 Games in China, because money is never a problem in China- and China is up to the task of bullying the IOC anyway.

It was never going to be a success anywhere except Canada anyway. Any slim possibility of the USA watching hockey ended when the American team crapped the bed early in the tournament. It was a very slim hope anyway, since the US sporets community is watching baseball pennant races and the monster that is the NFL at this time of year. The WCH organizers had a number of games scheduled in European TV prime time, but I don't know if they attracted an audience. The most telling signal is that in hockey crazy Toronto, they failed to sell out the building for the Canada-Europe game last night.

[Boges]

It's very ironic that they make these fake Allstar teams to help increase the competition. And then when on of the Fake Allstar teams actually make the finals it's the worst imaginable result as it's met with a Meh from both sides. There are no European team fans really and there's no rivalry between nations like with the USA and Russia.

It was nice seeing Canada beat Russia on Saturday, last night was very meh.