Winter Olympic Men's Hockey Thread

[nl5xsk1 0]

It's funny that Nolan's blackballed for trying to get Muckler fired, while it would have been wiser to get rid of Muckler & keep Nolan. (ignoring the fact that Hasek would have demanded to be moved if they'd kept Nolan.)

 

Everytime the Bruins have an coachign opening (which is about once every 2 or 3 years now) I hope that they pick up Nolan. Hopefully I get the chance to have this hope again come April of this year.

 

Oh, and Kot909 ... ouch, that's a major Sucks Doughnut. Imagine the outcry if it was a CDN player or an international player from a CDN team? But, instead it's just a Slovak from the Kings, so it'll be a minor news story.

[Guest]

This sucks so fucking much. Now that he and Frolov are hurt, I want them to sell off some players to get a high pick in the draft. I'm not mad, but I'm real sad. I'm sick of seeing guys get hurt playing for teams that don't pay them. The players have an obligation to the owners.

 

Nolan won't take an assistant job or one in the minors because he says he's too good for it, that's why every GM hates the guy. He's a primadonna.

[nl5xsk1 0]

Nolan won't take an assistant job or one in the minors because he says he's too good for it, that's why every GM hates the guy. He's a primadonna.

He got fired after being the coach of the year ... he shouldn't have to be an assistant or an AHL coach. How a guy can be so blackballed, so quickly, immediately after such a good season, is insane.

 

I'd rather win with a prima donna than lose with Mike Sullivan or Steve Kaspar.

[Guest]

He got fired after being the coach of the year ... he shouldn't have to be an assistant or an AHL coach.

I don't get it either. I guess you have to make sacrifices. I wanted the Kings to fire Murray and hire him before the Olympic break, but with Demitra gone, I'm sure someone's going to have to shoulder some blame at the end of the year, because they've been a borderline playoff team for far too long. Murray's gonna be gone, maybe they can hire Nolan.

[CanadianChris 0]

Nolan won't take an assistant job or one in the minors because he says he's too good for it, that's why every GM hates the guy. He's a primadonna.

Looks like he's gotten some humility since then. He's coaching in the Quebec Major Junior League right now.

[Red Baron 0]

I thought it was AHL.

 

By the way, you'll probably hear Bobby Clarke firing up a storm stating that professional athletes shouldn't be at the Olympics because Gagne got hurt.

 

Also, what happened to Modano. Apparently he's bitter about Team USA.

[Guest]

I know. QMJHL, Moncton Wildcats. I understand that he loves to work with kids and natives, that's why he took the job. I've done a shitload of reading over the break. Modano's a fag. Everyone has to pay and make sacrifices to get to the Olympics.

[Red Baron 0]

True.

 

Anyways TSN had a good article on who should be coming back for 2010 because when you look at it, its going to be old people back there.

 

Sakic

Foote

Blake

Brodeur

Pronger

Draper

 

all of them are going to be 35+. Mind you four years is so much different, who knows who'd be on the team.

[Guest]

Good: Brodeur, Pronger (if his injury was the problem this year, that's no surprise), oh and Foote (great leader, real physical).

Bad: Everyone else. Do defensive forwards hold up well? I'm not sure.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

True.

 

Anyways TSN had a good article on who should be coming back for 2010 because when you look at it, its going to be old people back there.

 

Sakic

Foote

Blake

Brodeur

Pronger

Draper

 

all of them are going to be 35+. Mind you four years is so much different, who knows who'd be on the team.

 

 

I don't know, we pretty well knew in 2002 who wouldn't be back this year. Everyone else was in Torino.

 

The Score is also running a good piece now on a buinch of old school Team Canada-ers (Team Canadians?) and their reactions to Torino.

[treble 0]

For Canadians, CTV is going to be broadcasting the 2010 Olympic games.

 

Just wondering who would be the broadcasters for the game, since it wont be Bob Cole and Harry Neale and also Jim Hughston and Greg Millen.

It's Bell (CTV and TSN) and Rogers (Sportsnet) combined coverage, so some games will probably have the TSN guys (Miller, Maguire [if he's not still with NBC], Healey) and some games will have Sportsnet guys who do the NHL regional coverage or CHL/AHL games.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

Revisionist history has been FAR too kind to Ted Nolan.

 

First off, in regards to Muckler, I think the way that Nolan treated him was very shady. This was a guy who gave Nolan his first opportunity in the NHL and after differing views on player selection, Nolan goes behind his back and over his head and badmouths the guy. It's certainly a two-way street and Muckler is anything but innocent in their negative relationship (and I believe management at the time intentionally pitted one against the other). However, why is Muckler always portrayed as the villain here?

 

In regards to his coaching abilities, Nolan was one game over .500 in his two seasons in Buffalo. True, he did win the Jack Adams in 96-97 and I hope he handed the trophy over to Dominik Hasek. The Sabres averaged over 33 shots against per game. Furthermore, their record that season was 40-30-12, yet only 3-10-2 when Hasek didn't play.

 

I'll give Nolan credit that he is extremely good at getting the most out of his players and getting them to outwork the opposition. However, this isn't the only requirement of good coaches.

 

I once read an article which cited an NHL head coach whose staff looked at film in 96-97 and struggled to figure out what system the Sabres used, until it hit them that there was no real "system". The team pretty much played hard and outworked teams and Hasek took care of everything else.

 

Finally, Nolan always questions why he can't get a job in the NHL (and often unfairly insinuates the race card) when the fact is that he had two opportunities.

 

When Regier took over, he offered Nolan the opportunity to coach through the 97-98 season (and look at a raise/contract extension in the future), which Nolan refused, at which point he was dismissed.

 

Shortly thereafter, Esposito offered him the head job with the Lightning (I believe when Crisp was fired) and Nolan again refused.

 

Personally, I think Nolan is an excellent coach at the Junior level and really admire his work with young aboriginals. Nolan is probably good enough to coach in the NHL again as well, but he needs to drop the attitude.

[Dogbert 0]

Good: Doan, Draper, Smyth, Blake, Brodeur

 

Bad: Everyone not mentioned above and below

 

Awful: Pronger, Bertuzzi, Thornton, Nash, McCabe

[Red Baron 0]

McCabe can't play on the big ice I found, but he wasn't the worst defencemen out there for Canada (that belongs to Pronger).

[Guest Rrrsh]

Dodgebert:

Blake was not good because he did zero offensivly and was slow as DEATH bringing up the puck.

 

Smyth was invisable. No way you play good when you dissapear.

 

RedBarron and Dodgebert:

Todd Bertuzzi was fine defensivly and spotty offensivly. He was juts as good/bad and Lecalv., Reddan, Bomister and Rehger.

[CanadianChris 0]

McCabe can't play on the big ice I found, but he wasn't the worst defencemen out there for Canada (that belongs to Pronger).

That's not saying a lot when you consider that Pronger was out there on a broken foot. Whether he couldn't do any more damage to it or not, I have absolutely no idea why he was even in the lineup.

[Red Baron 0]

Then why the hell was he playing and not Phaneuf?

 

I know it shows toughness but a broken foot is a broken foot. Who's he trying to be Bobby Baun (yes i know Baun had a broken leg and froze it).

[Red Baron 0]

Wow. The Swedes pounded the Czechs 7-3.

[Guest CurryMan]

wooo Sweden in the finals

 

I´m hoping that "we" get Finland in the final, always good grudge-matches when we face off against eachother.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

Kot909, any definite word on how long Frolov is out for?

[Red Baron 0]

Who ever thought that Finland would have been 7-0 so far in the Tourney considering that seven of their players did not want to be part of the team.

 

And why hasn't anyone picked up Ville Peltonan up for a season or two.

[Guest]

Kot909, any definite word on how long Frolov is out for?

Week to week. Considering Miller and Belanger were also week to week earlier this year, I'll say 3 weeks. I think they'll have to make a trade to compensate, hopefully Jokinen.

 

The final for this tournament is perfect. Both countries care so much about hockey, and it's regional. They're going to shut down just to watch this game, and I like it.

[Red Baron 0]

I'm stoked about because a) Its going to be pure hockey. b) Its the best teams in the tourney playing for it and c). A chance to see Saku Koivu grabbing the gold medal for Finland.

[Guest Princess Leena]

Revisionist history has been FAR too kind to Ted Nolan.

 

I don't disagree with that. All his success is only due to Mr. Hasek, and I also would have let Nolan go if Hasek had any sort of dislike to him.

 

But, the fact is that he did win the division for the Sabres. Something which Lindy Ruff never did in nearly 10 years now, many of which with Hasek.

 

When Regier took over, he offered Nolan the opportunity to coach through the 97-98 season (and look at a raise/contract extension in the future), which Nolan refused, at which point he was dismissed.

 

No. He was only offered one year, when Nolan specifically stated beforehand that he wanted a long-term contract. Again, I don't blame the Sabres organization for not wanting to keep him... but, that contract was basically a "Hey fans, we did an offer to keep him! Don't hate us any more than you already do!"

[mike546 0]

Sweden brings home the gold, with Henrik standing on his head making a couple ridiculous saves in the last minute.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

I don't disagree with that. All his success is only due to Mr. Hasek, and I also would have let Nolan go if Hasek had any sort of dislike to him.

 

But, the fact is that he did win the division for the Sabres. Something which Lindy Ruff never did in nearly 10 years now, many of which with Hasek.

 

Nolan's playoff record in his two seasons (while one, considering they missed the playoffs his first season) with the Sabres was an outstanding 5-8, whereas the two seasons after Ruff took over, they apparently nosedived posting a 24-12 record in the playoffs, including a trip to the Cup finals and a loss in the conference finals.

 

Furthermore, Nolan posted a 73-72-19 record in his two seasons with the Sabres whereas Ruff posted a 73-57-34 record with them the first two seasons after taking over.

 

By the way, Ruff only had Hasek for three healthy seasons, and, I don't know about you, but I don't consider 3 out of 10 many.

 

Another funny fact, before Nolan took over, the team had made the playoffs for eight straight seasons. His first season there, they miss them.

 

But you're right, fuck all of that, because Ted Nolan won a regular season division championship (with a solid 92 points, while Ruff's team four years later had a 98 point season, just ignore that though)!

 

 

No. He was only offered one year, when Nolan specifically stated beforehand that he wanted a long-term contract. Again, I don't blame the Sabres organization for not wanting to keep him... but, that contract was basically a "Hey fans, we did an offer to keep him! Don't hate us any more than you already do!"

 

Yeah, he was offered the opportunity to coach the one season AS I MENTIONED. His one series playoff win in two years isn't exactly enough to dictate his contract demands with new management. Often times, understandably so, new management likes to take a wait and see approach and Regeir wanted to do likewise here. Nothing wrong with that.

[Guest Princess Leena]

No, it wasn't AS YOU MENTIONED. It was a token deal to show fake interest that they wanted to bring him back. They never planned on signing Nolan, re-signing Nolan, or anything of that ilk.

[Red Baron 0]

Sweden brings home the gold, with Henrik standing on his head making a couple ridiculous saves in the last minute.

 

 

Agreed, lets just hope he doesn't pull a Tommy Salo.

 

I thought the game was very sluggish throughout the first/second period of game, as it was a 1-4 style forechecking (Sweden) up against a 1-2-2 style (Finland). I missed the third period because of work though.

 

 

Oh ya, Aki Berg > Bryan McCabe.

[Guest CurryMan]

Woooo finally the team got some revange since Salt Lake City and the awfull Belarus game, I´m so glad to see that Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Niklas Lidström and everyone else from the so called golden generation over here finished of with a gold and got rid of that awful memory that was Salt Lake City 02.

[Guest]

I'm just sad that Norström wasn't there.