Well this is a combination kick in the shins and a punch to the teeth. Taking a 3-0 lead into the third period of the gold medal game, writers in the press box at HSBC Arena were already typing up their ledes for the next day's papers about how Canada found success as a lunchbucket team, a gritty group of 22 individuals who put the crest on the front of the jersey ahead of the nameplate on the back.
But they will all have been incredibly, absolutely wrong. Five Russian goals came against Mark Visentin, the weakest of the two goalies the Canadians employed, and his status as a cult hero on the level of Justin Pogge vanished in less than a 20-minute span.
Showing posts with label Team Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Team Canada. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Russian juniors do marginally better than Russian olympians
The Hockey Writers have sort of commandeered anything I'd be writing for this space, so instead I'll make jokes in the headlines.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Canadian Juniors with 8-0 pre-tournament win over Switzerland
If you're like me and live in a town with a really lousy junior hockey team, Monday night was probably your first chance to see the latest Canadian World Junior players in action.
This doesn't mean short clips and highlight videos that you'll typically see in some of the game promos or when TSN is introducing the team, but watching the players play with each other in a game situation, analyzing their mistakes, and where you choose the player you'll pick on all tournament. Last year's was Patrice Cormier.
From the get-go, with talent like Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Cam Fowler in the National Hockey League, we sort of knew that this team wasn't going to be as talented in years past, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. One comment that struck me early on was somebody noting that this team doesn't have any "Taylor Halls or Jordan Eberles on it," but I disagree. I think that this team is full of Jordan Eberles, but that's because I don't necessarily see Jordan Eberle as a skill player.
This doesn't mean short clips and highlight videos that you'll typically see in some of the game promos or when TSN is introducing the team, but watching the players play with each other in a game situation, analyzing their mistakes, and where you choose the player you'll pick on all tournament. Last year's was Patrice Cormier.
From the get-go, with talent like Jeff Skinner, Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin and Cam Fowler in the National Hockey League, we sort of knew that this team wasn't going to be as talented in years past, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. One comment that struck me early on was somebody noting that this team doesn't have any "Taylor Halls or Jordan Eberles on it," but I disagree. I think that this team is full of Jordan Eberles, but that's because I don't necessarily see Jordan Eberle as a skill player.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Your morning 'Eh' Factor headlines
Because we haven't done headlines in a while, why not?
Chris Pronger left the game in Philadelphia's 5-3 over Montreal last night. It is being called a 'lower-body injury' for now, because Pronger ran off with the medical reports.
Chris Pronger left the game in Philadelphia's 5-3 over Montreal last night. It is being called a 'lower-body injury' for now, because Pronger ran off with the medical reports.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Canada virtually eliminated from contention at worlds
It came down to a split-second, head-scratching decision by guard Denham Brown, but after a third consecutive game with a poor finish, the Canadian team at the FIBA World Championships find themselves at 0-3 and an almost inescapable hole after a 68-63 loss to the French.
The Canadian team has been bad in the fourth quarter this tournament. We can sugarcoat it as much as we like; 'It's a young team,' 'It's all a learning experience' and 'Heck--we weren't even supposed to be here anyway!'
Those are all valid points against Lebanon or Lithuania, where Canada fell into either foul trouble or poor shooting, but against France, with just seconds to go and down by three, Brown drove to the hoop for a layup instead of kicking the ball outside for a three-point play that would have tied the game. Perhaps Brown was thinking he could draw the foul, hence his awkward delivery.
It did not help that Canada was just 6 for 20 from beyond the arc in the game, including 0 for 6 in the fourth quarter, or that the team failed to make a field goal in the last 2:45 of the game, where Brown threw down a layup to give the Canadians a 60-59 lead.
An, err, out of shape Boris Diaw made a clutch three pointer for the French, and they held it together with better shooting from the line as the seconds ticked away.
For the geeks, here are the boxscores from Canada's first three games:
[Canada 63 - France 68]
[Canada 68 - Lithuania 70]
[Canada 71 - Lebanon 81]
By the time you're reading this, Canada will probably be playing against New Zealand. That will be on TSN2, and is Canada's best chance for a win down the stretch.
The Canadian team has been bad in the fourth quarter this tournament. We can sugarcoat it as much as we like; 'It's a young team,' 'It's all a learning experience' and 'Heck--we weren't even supposed to be here anyway!'
Those are all valid points against Lebanon or Lithuania, where Canada fell into either foul trouble or poor shooting, but against France, with just seconds to go and down by three, Brown drove to the hoop for a layup instead of kicking the ball outside for a three-point play that would have tied the game. Perhaps Brown was thinking he could draw the foul, hence his awkward delivery.
It did not help that Canada was just 6 for 20 from beyond the arc in the game, including 0 for 6 in the fourth quarter, or that the team failed to make a field goal in the last 2:45 of the game, where Brown threw down a layup to give the Canadians a 60-59 lead.
An, err, out of shape Boris Diaw made a clutch three pointer for the French, and they held it together with better shooting from the line as the seconds ticked away.
For the geeks, here are the boxscores from Canada's first three games:
[Canada 63 - France 68]
[Canada 68 - Lithuania 70]
[Canada 71 - Lebanon 81]
By the time you're reading this, Canada will probably be playing against New Zealand. That will be on TSN2, and is Canada's best chance for a win down the stretch.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Meet Team Canada... no, no, the OTHER Team Canada
The Canadian team, ranked 19th in the world, for the 2010 World FIBA basketball championships in Turkey was officially announced Friday afternoon.
The full roster can be found at the Official FIBA tournament website.
There are some familiar names for hardcore fans in there. Andy Rautins, of course, started for Syracuse in the Big East last season and was drafted this summer by the New York Knicks. Joel Anthony, the only other NBAer on the roster came off the bench and played 16 minutes a game with the Miami Heat last season. The 28-year old post has played all three of his seasons there.
Rautins has had injury troubles in the lead-up to the tournament but it does not look like that will be a problem heading into the tournament.
Canada plays in Group D, with Lebanon, Lithuania, France, New Zealand and Spain. The top four teams after group play advance to the Round of 16, which will then lead to a single-knockout tournament until the final on September 12th.
Here's the Canadian schedule,
August 28th, 11:30 am EST - vs. Lebanon
August 29th, 9:00 am EST - vs. Lithuania
August 31st, 11:30 am EST - vs. France
September 1st, 9:00 am EST - vs. New Zealand
September 2nd, 9:00 am EST - vs. Spain
All games will be on TSN2, who broke down and got the TV rights to the tournament earlier this month. The network will also show the semifinal and final.
The full roster can be found at the Official FIBA tournament website.
There are some familiar names for hardcore fans in there. Andy Rautins, of course, started for Syracuse in the Big East last season and was drafted this summer by the New York Knicks. Joel Anthony, the only other NBAer on the roster came off the bench and played 16 minutes a game with the Miami Heat last season. The 28-year old post has played all three of his seasons there.
Rautins has had injury troubles in the lead-up to the tournament but it does not look like that will be a problem heading into the tournament.
Canada plays in Group D, with Lebanon, Lithuania, France, New Zealand and Spain. The top four teams after group play advance to the Round of 16, which will then lead to a single-knockout tournament until the final on September 12th.
Here's the Canadian schedule,
August 28th, 11:30 am EST - vs. Lebanon
August 29th, 9:00 am EST - vs. Lithuania
August 31st, 11:30 am EST - vs. France
September 1st, 9:00 am EST - vs. New Zealand
September 2nd, 9:00 am EST - vs. Spain
All games will be on TSN2, who broke down and got the TV rights to the tournament earlier this month. The network will also show the semifinal and final.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
White beats Red at junior camp intrasquad game
That's a shame. I'm a Red fan.
Highlights can be found At the TSN site, of course. Right at the start of the package, we see Jeff Skinner twirl around before taking a faceoff. Between that and falling over at a breakaway in practice, a lucky guess might be that he doesn't even tie his own skates.
Scores a tonne, "slightly above average skater" and undersized? Jordan Eberle 2.0?
Aah... *swoons*... Jordan Eberle...
This was the last chance for the juniors to perform before the team is created, except for the entire first half of the hockey season and December team-selection camp.
Highlights can be found At the TSN site, of course. Right at the start of the package, we see Jeff Skinner twirl around before taking a faceoff. Between that and falling over at a breakaway in practice, a lucky guess might be that he doesn't even tie his own skates.
Scores a tonne, "slightly above average skater" and undersized? Jordan Eberle 2.0?
Aah... *swoons*... Jordan Eberle...
This was the last chance for the juniors to perform before the team is created, except for the entire first half of the hockey season and December team-selection camp.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Briefing - Thursday May 27
-The CFL has announced that a deal has been made between the CFL and the CFLPA. The deal has not been ratified so explicit terms were not announced, but the CFL presser confirms that there will be a drug testing policy as part of the new agreement, as well as a clause that sends Jason Armstead to remedial math classes on the league's dime.
-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his team is not having a problem adjusting to the Suns' 2-3 zone. He's probably right, and if Phoenix's bench plays for the remainder of the series as it did in Game 4, Los Angeles is proper fucked. Particularly when Derek Fisher and Ron Artest are undressed by Slovenian backup point guards while Kobe watches:
-So, uh... I did some quick calculations, and it seems that 84 per cent of the 38 players who played in the last game for Chicago and Philadelphia are Canadian. Not only that, but there's a certainty that at least two players will win both a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger on Philly, and Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith on Chicago. Only three players have ever done that before, being Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan in 2002, and Ken Morrow in 1980 with the New York Islanders. Also, to bring up old stereotypes, not a single Russian or Swede are in the Stanley Cup Final (UPDATE: Not name Hjalmarsson). Compare that to both team's failure to make the semifinals at the Olympics, it looks like Canada is pretty much the best country for hockey on the planet. Neener, neener, neener.
-Without playing, Toronto F.C. won the Voyageurs Cup as the Canadian Nutri-Lite Soccer Champions. Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. drew 1-1 in Montreal against the Impact, clinching the title for the Reds with still one fixture left between the Whitecaps and TFC. When asked about how it was to win such a prestigious championship, Preki said "huh?"
-The Arcade Fire have two new songs out. This one is called The Suburbs, and it's leak this morning pretty much broke the Internet:
-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that his team is not having a problem adjusting to the Suns' 2-3 zone. He's probably right, and if Phoenix's bench plays for the remainder of the series as it did in Game 4, Los Angeles is proper fucked. Particularly when Derek Fisher and Ron Artest are undressed by Slovenian backup point guards while Kobe watches:
-So, uh... I did some quick calculations, and it seems that 84 per cent of the 38 players who played in the last game for Chicago and Philadelphia are Canadian. Not only that, but there's a certainty that at least two players will win both a gold medal and a Stanley Cup in the same year. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger on Philly, and Jonathan Toews, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith on Chicago. Only three players have ever done that before, being Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan in 2002, and Ken Morrow in 1980 with the New York Islanders. Also, to bring up old stereotypes, not a single Russian or Swede are in the Stanley Cup Final (UPDATE: Not name Hjalmarsson). Compare that to both team's failure to make the semifinals at the Olympics, it looks like Canada is pretty much the best country for hockey on the planet. Neener, neener, neener.
-Without playing, Toronto F.C. won the Voyageurs Cup as the Canadian Nutri-Lite Soccer Champions. Vancouver Whitecaps F.C. drew 1-1 in Montreal against the Impact, clinching the title for the Reds with still one fixture left between the Whitecaps and TFC. When asked about how it was to win such a prestigious championship, Preki said "huh?"
-The Arcade Fire have two new songs out. This one is called The Suburbs, and it's leak this morning pretty much broke the Internet:
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Thursday, May 20 - Morning briefing
-Calgary defeats Brandon 5-1 in an utterly meaningless game in the final round robin game of the Memorial Cup. Fun fact: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart, who gave his name to the Hitmen, visited the team after they won the WHL championship. No word as to whether or not brother Owen's path is mimicking the Calgary Flames most recent season.
-The Blue Jays defeated Seattle 3-2 at Safeco Field, in a game that was televised, only on a delay. Except in the Pacific and West regions. Kevin Gregg pitched himself in-and-out of a 2-out, 2-runners on jam in the bottom of the 9th, and now leads the American League in saves. The losing pitcher in this game for Seattle was Doug Fister. (Fister? I barely know her!)
-Steve Nash and the Suns now find themselves down 2-0 to the Lakers after a miserable fourth quarter. Coming back in the third to have the game tied at 90 after 36 minutes, Pau Gasol pumped through 14 of the Lakers' 34 fourth quarter points and they won handedly 124-112. Nash had 11 points and 15 assists.
-Breaking tonight, Floyd Landis reportedly admitted to his blood doping use at the Tour de France. The PED-crazed media can now finally look away from Toronto.
-It's Thursday. The Canadiens are in action at 7 Eastern on CBC, Steve Nash is down in his series so the basketball playoffs are pretty much over (seriously, off-day until Saturday, oddly enough) there's an off-day at the Memorial Cup so that means we'll see Ricky Romero pitch against Jason Vargas in a matinee on Sportsnet, unless that's pre-empted for reality show repeats like last night's game was. Also, Gibson's Ryan Dempster is on the hill against the Phillies for the Cubs.
-Oh right, and Canada is playing Russia at the World Championship. Catch the inevitable loss on a repeat on TSN2 during primetime hours, followed by some mock shame from the TSN panel. Then we'll be over it in time to ignore the Spengler Cup come December.
-The Blue Jays defeated Seattle 3-2 at Safeco Field, in a game that was televised, only on a delay. Except in the Pacific and West regions. Kevin Gregg pitched himself in-and-out of a 2-out, 2-runners on jam in the bottom of the 9th, and now leads the American League in saves. The losing pitcher in this game for Seattle was Doug Fister. (Fister? I barely know her!)
-Steve Nash and the Suns now find themselves down 2-0 to the Lakers after a miserable fourth quarter. Coming back in the third to have the game tied at 90 after 36 minutes, Pau Gasol pumped through 14 of the Lakers' 34 fourth quarter points and they won handedly 124-112. Nash had 11 points and 15 assists.
-Breaking tonight, Floyd Landis reportedly admitted to his blood doping use at the Tour de France. The PED-crazed media can now finally look away from Toronto.
-It's Thursday. The Canadiens are in action at 7 Eastern on CBC, Steve Nash is down in his series so the basketball playoffs are pretty much over (seriously, off-day until Saturday, oddly enough) there's an off-day at the Memorial Cup so that means we'll see Ricky Romero pitch against Jason Vargas in a matinee on Sportsnet, unless that's pre-empted for reality show repeats like last night's game was. Also, Gibson's Ryan Dempster is on the hill against the Phillies for the Cubs.
-Oh right, and Canada is playing Russia at the World Championship. Catch the inevitable loss on a repeat on TSN2 during primetime hours, followed by some mock shame from the TSN panel. Then we'll be over it in time to ignore the Spengler Cup come December.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Breaking: Corey Perry somewhat of a dick
Down 3-1 to the Czechs, Corey Perry ran Tomas Vokoun behind the Czech net, knocking him out of the play and allowing Matt Duchene to score. No call was made on the play due to Vokoun actually trying to get up, rather than flop around as Roy or Luongo would.
[Skip to 0:27 in, unless you want to endure the Czech Dave Randorf in slow motion]
At the end of the game, one heroic fan captured a video of a mix-up. Guess who's at the bottom of the pile restrained by both linesman?
At his best, Corey Perry is one of the best players in the world. He's one of only two players to win a Memorial Cup, World Junior Championship, Olympic Gold and Stanley Cup Championship. At his worst, Perry is a man who can act like a dick, begging for trouble and giving fat Czech fans [end of the second video] a chance to act like Philadelphia fans.
As for his team in Germany at the World Championships, Canada is forced to play another game against Russia, who seem to be the only team that sent a complete roster. A Russian win ensures that they take over the top spot in the official IIHF rankings.
It's raining outside, and now Coronation Street is over. What will I do with myself tonight?
[Skip to 0:27 in, unless you want to endure the Czech Dave Randorf in slow motion]
At the end of the game, one heroic fan captured a video of a mix-up. Guess who's at the bottom of the pile restrained by both linesman?
At his best, Corey Perry is one of the best players in the world. He's one of only two players to win a Memorial Cup, World Junior Championship, Olympic Gold and Stanley Cup Championship. At his worst, Perry is a man who can act like a dick, begging for trouble and giving fat Czech fans [end of the second video] a chance to act like Philadelphia fans.
As for his team in Germany at the World Championships, Canada is forced to play another game against Russia, who seem to be the only team that sent a complete roster. A Russian win ensures that they take over the top spot in the official IIHF rankings.
It's raining outside, and now Coronation Street is over. What will I do with myself tonight?
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