cupforwings

Why isn't Zubov on this team?

they should pull Nabokov.... he ******* sucks

Ok, so who is better? I don't think any other coach has had the success Babcock has had since he came into the league, including his time in Anaheim. Who would you want coaching the Olympic team then? I doubt any other coach in the league would have had any effect on the outcomes of the first few games. Babcock can't score when it matters, and neither can the Canadian players apparently. Blaming Babcock is scapegoat for the players, period.

it looked worse because he fell awkwardly and his head hit the ice... but it wasn't the worst hit I have ever seen.. Hope the guys alright

I wonder if Maltby is worth 2 other players that will have to be cut.

Datsyuk is goint to shut down either Crosby's line or Heatly's line.

I hope Russia wins for two reasons. One, I think the Americans will have a better chance to beat Russia than Canada (if it came down to the gold medal game), mostly because Canada will be out for blood in a game like that. Second, I would like to see Pavs win a medal. That being said, I think this game will come down to goaltending, and unfortunately, Canada has the better goaltending IMO. Contradicting myself, my gut tells me Russia will win this game... Russia 4 Canada 3 in OT with goals from Ovi, Datsyuk x2, and Fedorov. Crosby, Heatly, Toews. go Pavs!

hahahaha, that made me crack up. Thank you.

Yeah, that's what I figured. Semin would be good, but I think Backstrom would be a better fit for the wings.... too bad I guess.

Zetterberg is a great player, but he is not the best Swede. Lidstrom is still the best. Next, I would have to go with Backstrom. That kid is good, really good, and he is only 22. Zetterberg is probably the better defensive forward, but offensively, Backstrom has him beat. Would it be possible to get Backstrom next year? He is a restricted free agent this summer....

Apparently Ovechkin is mission one tooth, and it happened when he was playing basketball... go figure.

hahahaha, this is hilarious.

Comparing this years canadian team to the team in 2002 in an unfair comparison. No player is even close to the status those players had reached in their careers. On a team with Yzerman and Lemiux, I can see how there would be no need to panic. But this team is very very different, and the Canadians are going to have to play some GREAT hockey to beat both the Russians and Swedes.

I agree!!

Really? I take it you haven't been following the Detroit Red Wings this year. Last I recall, there was a point in the season where we had 9 injuries at once... They have gotten better as of late too, and will hopefully go on a roll after the break. But now that Babcock lost one game in the Olympics because his PLAYERS, the great, unstoppable, unbeatable Canadian PLAYERS, choked on home ice in front of their nation, it is all the coaches fault. What happend in 2006 without Babcock? Oh yeah, they finished 6th. It looks to me the common denominator in Canada's olympic problems is the players inability to come together and win, period. Blaming the coach is a scapegoat for fans who don't want to blame the great players of Canada. Babcock is a great coach and he has proven it over and over. I'm not saying Canada won't win gold, but to put the blame on the coach to this extent is not facing the facts of what is happening.

Hahaha, this makes me laugh. Either Canada or Russia will not get a medal! This is great, the match up everybody thought would be the gold medal match-up is now a game just to see who will get A medal. Go USA!

Canada will have to beat Russia and Sweden.... this will be a very entertaining week. Finals Prediction: 1. USA 2. Sweden 3. Russia I had USA from the beginning and am sticking with them until the end. GO USA!

Very true... IDK then, maybe Green would have been better.

I don't know about Mike Green... He gets caught rushing the puck a lot and he isn't as good defensively as either Pronger or Nieds

Exactly. Blaming the coach in this situation is a cover to protect the greatest players in the world from the scrutiny of not being so great. I mean, how did they almost lose to Switzerland? It's can't be the coach... it has to be the players.

Ryan Miller played great last night, but I think that is more of an excuse for Canadians as to why the lost. Yeah, he stopped 42 shots, but a lot of those were not scoring chances. From what I saw, it came down to Canada not finishing. The one play I remember was when a Canadian player (Nash maybe?) was right on the doorstep with the whole net to shoot at, but instead, shot it into Miller's foot. That was one of many missed opportunities. This win wasn't a fluke. The U.S scored when they had to. They didn't miss the open net they had when Marty pokechecked, they buried it. Shots on goal can be misleading. Yes, Canada controlled the puck more and had more shots. Yes, Canada has more skill than USA. But, USA finished, played a strong defensive game, and EARNED the win against the "mighty" Canadians--the players and the goalie. Babcock is not at fault for the lack of goaltending and finishing by his players.

Yeah, his players don't know how to win in pressure situations apparently. Coaching is part of the problem, but a majority of the blame goes to the players not performing when they need too. Hockey is a team game and the best TEAM usually wins. I still think Canada will start playing better, but just because they have the best players doesn't make them a great team.

No, I want the wings to make it to the finals. But he wouldn't jump anyway, nor could he.

Yeah, Z has looked pretty bad offensively this entire year. The thing that scares me is how much he looks like Foresberg now out there, and the fact that he is 7 years younger than him.

First off, this thread made me laugh, thank you Kwame. Second, ^this is what I used to think, Thornton's mindset as the problem. But Kwame brings up a good point on how Joe seems to have a slower game. When you watch him in the regular season, he seems to be moving slower and game the speed is slower. But when it comes to the playoffs, or in this case the Olympics, the came speed is much higher and intense and he just doesn't know how to perform in those situations. Why else would he completely disappear in clutch situations?