| 2026 Mens Olympic Team [message #848876] |
Mon, 08 December 2025 19:21  |
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 Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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So.. apparently the IOC has totally f'd up the hockey facilities in Italy..
Construction is late.. still not functional.
I criticize the NHL all the time.. but they have been after the IOC since the summer about the facilities.. and the IOC just brushed them off.. arrogant clowns that they are..
Rink is 4 ft. SHORTER than an NHL rink.. why?.. how?.. does nobody review a design drawing?
The TWO rink facilities they have built there.. are not intended to operate as rinks after the games.. so.. the ice plants they will install are TEMPORARY units .. not permenent.. so the integrity of the ice during the games is very much in question.. based on their incomptenec in building the rink the likelyhood the ice plants are undersized and will experience major operating bugs when running continuously at full capacity .. is very high.
There is real potential the NHL will refuse to play and the Olympic hockey will play somewhere else.. maybe even North America.. easier.. all the players are here alreaady. F the money grubbing IOC.
They have 8 years to build this thing and its a total F up.. should have been operating a year ago and hosting test events..
[Updated on: Mon, 08 December 2025 19:22]
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
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 Mike
Messages: 1943
Registered: August 2005
Location: Moncton, New Brunswick
1 Cup
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The 4' difference - whatever. Shrink the neutral zone, no biggie IMO.
But the ice plant stuff - that is certainly a concern. Right now they are tracking to complete 3 days before the women's tournament starts. Insane. So not even any kind of soft opening. Just flip the switch and go...almost zero chance there aren't issues.
Worst case I would think they could play the hockey in other Italian cities, no? I mean I assume Turin's Olympic rink is still functional, and that is less than 2 hours away. Or even in Switzerland. I'm sure there are rinks in the area - but what a clusterF.
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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| Mike wrote on Tue, 09 December 2025 06:07 |
The 4' difference - whatever. Shrink the neutral zone, no biggie IMO.
But the ice plant stuff - that is certainly a concern. Right now they are tracking to complete 3 days before the women's tournament starts. Insane. So not even any kind of soft opening. Just flip the switch and go...almost zero chance there aren't issues.
Worst case I would think they could play the hockey in other Italian cities, no? I mean I assume Turin's Olympic rink is still functional, and that is less than 2 hours away. Or even in Switzerland. I'm sure there are rinks in the area - but what a clusterF.
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Ideally if they have rinks available in Italy from the last Olympics there (but probaly "re-purposed" the facilities for something else.. like indoor soccer) .. You're right lots of rinks elsewhere in Europe.. closest is Switzerland (and the Swiss can be counted on for good ice!) but if you do that .. why not just stay in North America.. save the travel?
No matter where you go it'd be a challenge to find 2 decent rinks that are available to hold a 2 week world class tournament
IOC --> gong show
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
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Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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.. watched the end of the St. Louis v.s Chicago game tonight, off a face off in the last seconds looks like Bedard might have separated his shoulder.. crap.
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
Tic-Tac-Tao!
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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Team Canada announced.. Bedard not on it
Wilson and Cellebrini added from last time.. as well as Horvat (w t h?)
Horvat is an awful call, mediocre wheels and skill..
Schaeffer not added on D..
They omitted these guys.. Wyatt Johnson, Scheifele, Hyman, Bennett, Blackwood in goal
Johnson and Scheifle especially are way way better than the Tampa crew.
This is Nagano level decision making by Team Canada.. just awful. Brutal
The guys I was dissappointed in from the 4 nations were Cirelli.. Marner.. Point.. Hagel.. Rheinhart.. Stone.. they didn't do much.. I was surprised they didn't live up to reputation.. I don't expect better in the Olympics.. likley much worse.. having poor seasons
Marner 9 goals... Stone 9 goals .. Cirelli 10 goals .. Point 6 goals ...
W. Johnson 20 goals .. Schieffle 18 goals (and a center) ..
They still brought Binnington.. who's having a terrible year.. (Armstrong influence?)
Seems like the coach had too big a say in who was on this team.. super Tampa heavy.. selfish.. they're hoping they can all ride in the wagon pulled by McDavid, McKinnon, Crosby to a gold medal.
FYI Team Canada management; Armstrong (St. Louis), Cooper (Tampa), Brisboise (Tampa), Cassidy (Vegas) .. I think that factored in the decisions for Cerelli, Point, Hagel, Binnington, Stone, Marner
This roster could be 25% better.. and Team Canada management is hoping they can win at 75% of best capacity.. which they sometimes do.. in spite of themselves.
Guarentee USA brings their best.
As always.. in order for Team Canada to win gold.. they must first defeat Team Canada.
[Updated on: Wed, 31 December 2025 17:46]
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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BTW .. the Olympic jerseys are butt ugly .. one of the worse yet.
The TC logo is the best ever.. why not use it.. always
Team Canada .. always out thinking themselves.. its an art form.
[Updated on: Wed, 31 December 2025 17:36]
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
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Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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Prediction, the forwards on this team (outside the top 5) will get criticized.. it will be too easy to shut down Team Canada goal scoring.. the other forwards will struggle to drive the play.. lock down McDavids and Crosby's line and you've given yourself a very good chance to win in one game contests.
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
Tic-Tac-Tao!
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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Kr55
Messages: 12320
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton
6 Cups
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What is parayko doing on this team? Dude has had endless injuries and is having one of his weakest seasons ever. Armstrong just couldn’t help himself.
"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013
"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015
5 x $5,000,000
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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| Kr55 wrote on Wed, 31 December 2025 19:07 |
What is parayko doing on this team? Dude has had endless injuries and is having one of his weakest seasons ever. Armstrong just couldn’t help himself.
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.. a lot of vested interests running the show..
I'm already getting flash forwards of Team Canada unable to score except for heroics from 97, 87, 29 and Cellebrini.. don't see a lot of goals coming from anyone else.. oh wait.. I think management are hoping "The Committee" is going to score the goals.. my mistake.
Month and a half away.. I only need one gold medal from the winter Olympics.. Mens Hockey
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Adam
Messages: 7644
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
6 Cups
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Looking at the defence further - the brass clearly doesn't really value point production from the blueline (bafflingly).
Here's the top eight scorers among Canadian defencemen this year:
Makar 45*
Bouchard 37
Morrissey 30*
Chychrun 30
Raddysh 29
Dobson 27
Rielly 25
Schaefer 25
How do the guys they did take stack up?
Theodore 20 (9th)
Sanheim 17 (17th)
Harley 14 (25th)
Doughty 13 (T-29th)
Toews 13 (T-29th)
Parayko 11 (38th)
So what are the criteria?
Time on ice? Probably not. Only Makar, Sanheim and Morrissey are top-10 in the league there.
+/-? Nope. Only ones in the top ten are Makar, Toews & Doughty.
Scoring since 2020-21? Makar still tops and Morrissey is 2nd, but after that only Theodore and Toews are even in the conversation.
This feels like Armstrong grabbing his guy and the group just going by archetype after that. These aren't the best Canadian defencemen - not by a long shot. But they're the kind of defencemen that old hockey guys think SHOULD be the best.
"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks
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Skookum Jim
Messages: 5651
Registered: March 2006
Location: Burnaby, BC
5 Cups
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| Adam wrote on Thu, 01 January 2026 08:30 |
Looking at the defence further - the brass clearly doesn't really value point production from the blueline (bafflingly).
Here's the top eight scorers among Canadian defencemen this year:
Makar 45*
Bouchard 37
Morrissey 30*
Chychrun 30
Raddysh 29
Dobson 27
Rielly 25
Schaefer 25
How do the guys they did take stack up?
Theodore 20 (9th)
Sanheim 17 (17th)
Harley 14 (25th)
Doughty 13 (T-29th)
Toews 13 (T-29th)
Parayko 11 (38th)
So what are the criteria?
Time on ice? Probably not. Only Makar, Sanheim and Morrissey are top-10 in the league there.
+/-? Nope. Only ones in the top ten are Makar, Toews & Doughty.
Scoring since 2020-21? Makar still tops and Morrissey is 2nd, but after that only Theodore and Toews are even in the conversation.
This feels like Armstrong grabbing his guy and the group just going by archetype after that. These aren't the best Canadian defencemen - not by a long shot. But they're the kind of defencemen that old hockey guys think SHOULD be the best.
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Defence is less of a problem for me.. I can see why you'd want a pair that play together in Makar and Toews.. Theodore is good.. Harley has talent and can skate.. guys I question is Doughty, Sanheim and Parayko .. Parayko and Doughty maybe for veteran presence.. Sanheim I've never noticed.. even in the 4 nations.. Shaefer and Dobson probably bring more over Sanheim..
The real problem I have is with the offence..
Cirelli doesn't belong.. full stop
Hagel, Point, Reinhart, Marner, Stone were all mediocre in the 4 nations.. I was surprised how ineffective they were.. there's a reason we had to win the 4 nations from a McDavid OT goal.. only the top 4 guys could put the puck in the net.. the rest of the Florida crew sucked swamp water.. except Bennet.. and they left him off the team..
Suzuki and Horvat will turn out the same.. they standout on teams with weaker forwards.. but against elite skaters and bigger size.. which are the other countries best players.. they'll wilt.
This smells like a Nagano level Team Canada roster .. Trevor Linden, Rob Zamuner, R Brindamour, K Primeau .. Bottom 6 guys that couldn't score to save their life.
This team should have been built around speed, skill and compete.. elite speed being an absolute requirement
We'll all have to hope the top two lines can't be shut down (the Latvian/Swiss manouvre) and instead.. can fill the net to compensate for the ineptness of the rest of the forwards
[Updated on: Thu, 01 January 2026 14:33]
McDAVID! Oh YEAH Baby!! (Thank you Lord!)
Tic-Tac-Tao!
Keep on Rockin' in the Free World
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Adam
Messages: 7644
Registered: August 2005
Location: Edmonton, AB
6 Cups
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| Kr55 wrote on Wed, 31 December 2025 20:07 |
What is parayko doing on this team? Dude has had endless injuries and is having one of his weakest seasons ever. Armstrong just couldn’t help himself.
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Apparently Jon Cooper was given a promise that he'd get to pick some number of the players - and voila! Hagel and Cirelli (!!!) make the team.
So would not surprise me at all if Armstrong is just picking a couple of Blues to come along too, whether deserving or not.
I suppose we can't complain TOO much. Brewer and Smyth were probably the weakest inclusions on the 2002 team - so this has been going on forever.
I would not have Cirelli, Horvat, Sanheim or Parayko on the team if it were me. Probably not Binnington too - given how bad he's been this year. That said, the team should still be the favourite for gold. And I don't mind less Oilers going to Milan - if Bouchard and Hyman aren't on the squad, that's less chance of them getting hurt for the playoff run here.
"Thinking that a bad team's best players are the reason the team is bad is the "Tambellini re-signing Lennart Petrell" of sports opinions." @Woodguy55
#FireBobbyNicks
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