World Juniors

[Neo]

...and, the Russians immediately take their own offensive zone penalty when a forward uses his stick to knock a Canadian defenseman’s stick into the air ....  back to even strength until ... Russia takes another penalty and goes man down for the last minute.

 

3, 2, 1 ....  CANADA GOLD!
 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Neo

[bunomatic]

I was on the road so spent the game listening on the radio. Sounded like a great game. Nice to see cozens chip in. Lots of ticky tack penalties in this tournament but they usually call all infractions rather than the NHL model come playoffs where they let everything go. I’m not sure what is worse. Anyways good redemption game for Canada against the Russians. 

[French Collection]

I watched the 2nd and 3rd in the Montreal airport.

Penalties and lucky breaks went Canada’s way at the end. Pretty good game and I love the result.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

NS reporting for duty.

I'm ready.

When's puck drop.

MUST WIN!!

GO CANADA!!

 

[Neo]

Early in the tournament I said the USA was slightly better than Canada, despite its loss.  I changed my mind.  The Canadian team finished the tournament like it had to.  Any of five could’ve won.  The best team did.

[GASabresIUFAN]

Stats (from eliteprospects.com)

Cozens - tied for 7th in total points 2g ,7a and 9 pts in 7 games +6

Pekar - 1a in 5 games -1

Samuelsson 0 pts in 5 games but +3

Portillo - no games played.

Edited January 6, 2020 by GASabresIUFAN

[PerreaultForever]

I saw all the Canada games and Cozens was impressive. At worst, he will be Sam the 2nd. At best, he will be more Messier/Getzlaf like.  Feisty, has an attitude, goes to the dirty areas, plays hard. If he continues to develop and puts on muscle we have a solid player there. 

What pissed me off was hearing how other names were picks we could have had, like the goalie (a 4th rounder to St. Louis). The absence of developing later round picks is a big part of the cause of our lack of progress. Draft better and all your problems go away. 

[LGR4GM]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I saw all the Canada games and Cozens was impressive. At worst, he will be Sam the 2nd. At best, he will be more Messier/Getzlaf like.  Feisty, has an attitude, goes to the dirty areas, plays hard. If he continues to develop and puts on muscle we have a solid player there. 

What pissed me off was hearing how other names were picks we could have had, like the goalie (a 4th rounder to St. Louis). The absence of developing later round picks is a big part of the cause of our lack of progress. Draft better and all your problems go away. 

There is a reason I get annoyed by what I see us do in the 2nd and 3rd rounds most years. But as I was told multiple times in the draft thread, "shut up, if your opinion mattered you would get paid for it." 

[GASabresIUFAN]

And it’s not like we didn’t have later round picks playing this year or in recent years. UPL, Lakksonnen, Portillo and Pekar are all later picks that played this year or in recent years.  

[erickompositör72]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I saw all the Canada games and Cozens was impressive. At worst, he will be Sam the 2nd. At best, he will be more Messier/Getzlaf like.  Feisty, has an attitude, goes to the dirty areas, plays hard. If he continues to develop and puts on muscle we have a solid player there. 

What pissed me off was hearing how other names were picks we could have had, like the goalie (a 4th rounder to St. Louis). The absence of developing later round picks is a big part of the cause of our lack of progress. Draft better and all your problems go away. 

I thought the same thing about the goalie. But, then again, we don't know how he'll look in the NHL. Let's just hope UPL is everything they say he is. 

[French Collection]

52 minutes ago, erickompositör72 said:

I thought the same thing about the goalie. But, then again, we don't know how he'll look in the NHL. Let's just hope UPL is everything they say he is. 

Yeah, I was just reading a story about guys whose careers peaked at 19. Two examples were Canadian goalies Jeff Glass and Justin Pogge. They were outstanding in the WJHC yet only have a handful of NHL games between them.

[Curt]

32 minutes ago, French Collection said:

Yeah, I was just reading a story about guys whose careers peaked at 19. Two examples were Canadian goalies Jeff Glass and Justin Pogge. They were outstanding in the WJHC yet only have a handful of NHL games between them.

Casey Mittelstadt???? ?

This is in part a joke, but the point is, WJC performance is not the end all, be all indicator of future NHL success.

Edited January 6, 2020 by Curt

[jsb]

I'm kind of disappointed in the USA team, supposedly had an elite squad for the U18 tournament last year and this year they squandered it again. I'm beginning to wonder if all those hyped players aren't as good as advertised.

[LTS]

Being successful against your own age is one thing.  Being successful against those older, bigger, and more experienced is another.

You need to be able to be successful against the latter group to have NHL success.  If you are only successful against the former group you'll find yourself relegated to the AHL or elsewhere until such a time you are too old to be of use anyway because someone who is younger is better than you are.

 

[French Collection]

9 hours ago, jsb said:

I'm kind of disappointed in the USA team, supposedly had an elite squad for the U18 tournament last year and this year they squandered it again. I'm beginning to wonder if all those hyped players aren't as good as advertised.

It is tough in the elimination round, one so-so game or your opponent bringing their A+ game and you’re out.

I found the USA team to be underwhelming overall, lots of top prospects who had played together at USNDP, couldn’t get in the ‘zone’.

I watched Canfield closely for 3 games, I wanted to see what the hype was about. He showed me nothing except on one shift in a 3 on 3 overtime where he had room to move and unleashed a game winning shot. Otherwise he was invisible, a puny guy easily pushed around and a perimeter player. He may be the next Debrincat but I didn’t see it.

Zegras was a difference maker.

Another disappointment was Canada’s Bowen Byram, Colorado’s 1st rounder. He played hurt for the last two games but he showed nothing special for the tournament.

The WJHC doesn’t make or break an NHL career but it can be a big step in developing elite talent. It has got to help your confidence to be among the best in the world.

[Curt]

29 minutes ago, French Collection said:

It is tough in the elimination round, one so-so game or your opponent bringing their A+ game and you’re out.

I found the USA team to be underwhelming overall, lots of top prospects who had played together at USNDP, couldn’t get in the ‘zone’.

I watched Canfield closely for 3 games, I wanted to see what the hype was about. He showed me nothing except on one shift in a 3 on 3 overtime where he had room to move and unleashed a game winning shot. Otherwise he was invisible, a puny guy easily pushed around and a perimeter player. He may be the next Debrincat but I didn’t see it.

Zegras was a difference maker.

Another disappointment was Canada’s Bowen Byram, Colorado’s 1st rounder. He played hurt for the last two games but he showed nothing special for the tournament.

The WJHC doesn’t make or break an NHL career but it can be a big step in developing elite talent. It has got to help your confidence to be among the best in the world.

Watched him closely but didn’t see the back of his sweater, did you?  I kid, I kid.

[French Collection]

Ray Ferraro (TSN colour analyst for WJHC) was asked which “under the radar” Team Canada player impressed him the most.

He said Dylan Cozens was really good and will be a good pro player. Size and speed were the things he highlighted.

[Curt]

6 hours ago, French Collection said:

Ray Ferraro (TSN colour analyst for WJHC) was asked which “under the radar” Team Canada player impressed him the most.

He said Dylan Cozens was really good and will be a good pro player. Size and speed were the things he highlighted.

Not just because he said this about Cozens, but I’ve always thought that Ferraro was one of the relatively few talking heads who isn’t a dummy.  He speaks openly and honestly, and makes sense when he talks.

[bunomatic]

2 hours ago, Curt said:

Not just because he said this about Cozens, but I’ve always thought that Ferraro was one of the relatively few talking heads who isn’t a dummy.  He speaks openly and honestly, and makes sense when he talks.

Anyone with the nickname ‘Little ball of hate’

can’t be all that bad a guy.

[Taro T]

39 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Anyone with the nickname ‘Little ball of hate’

can’t be all that bad a guy.

His teammate was the Little Ball of Hate.  Not Ferraro.

[bunomatic]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

His teammate was the Little Ball of Hate.  Not Ferraro.

Funny but thats what I’ve heard the sports talk guys up here call Ferraro . He does a weekly segment and they’ve joked about the nickname. What team mate would you be talking about ? Perhaps they’ve appropriated the nickname for Ray cause they feel its apt ? I’m so confused.

[bunomatic]

Verbeek. You’re right. Strange i’ve heard Ray introduced as the little ball of hate. Must have been an inside joke ?

[inkman]

Patrick "The Little Ball of Hate" Verbeek (born May 24, 1964 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a former Canadian NHL ice hockey right winger who played 21 seasons in the NHL. He was given the nickname "The Little Ball of Hate" by Glenn Healy because teammate Ray Ferraro was nicknamed "Big Ball of Hate".

-wiki

[bunomatic]

1 minute ago, inkman said:

Patrick "The Little Ball of Hate" Verbeek (born May 24, 1964 in Sarnia, Ontario) is a former Canadian NHL ice hockey right winger who played 21 seasons in the NHL. He was given the nickname "The Little Ball of Hate" by Glenn Healy because teammate Ray Ferraro was nicknamed "Big Ball of Hate".

-wiki

Ok now it makes sense. I heard it wrong. Wait wut ? Is that shrimp Ferraro bigger than Verbeek ?

[inkman]

18 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Ok now it makes sense. I heard it wrong. Wait wut ? Is that shrimp Ferraro bigger than Verbeek ?

I'm guessing it was figurative rather than literal.