Team Czech Republic @ Vancouver 2010

[Guest mindfly]

It's official

Goalies

Ondrej Pavelec, Atlanta

Tomas Vokoun, Florida

Jakub Stepanek, Vitkovice

Defensemen

Miroslav Blatak, Salavat Julajev

Janne Hejda, Columbus

Tomas Kaberle, Toronto

Filip Kuba, Ottawa

Pavel Kubina, Atlanta

Zbynek Michalek, Phoenix

Roman Polak, Saint Louis

Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota

Forwards

Petr Cajanek, Sankt Petersburg

Roman Cervenka, Slavia Prag

Patrik Elias, New Jersey

Martin Erat, Nashville

Tomas Fleischmann, Washington

Martin Havlat, Minnesota

Jaromir Jagr, Omsk

David Krejci, Boston

Milan Michalek, Ottawa

Tomas Plekanec, Montreal

Tomas Rolinek, Magnitogorsk

Josef Vasicek, Jaroslavl

Can't see them playing for the medals though

[mjlegend 155]

Unless Vokoun stands on his head, that team isn't contending for anything.

No Hudler, I note. Probably a mistake, given they found a role for Cajanek and Rolinek.

[FinWing 26]

Unless Vokoun stands on his head, that team isn't contending for anything.

No Hudler, I note. Probably a mistake, given they found a role for Cajanek and Rolinek.

Spacek and Hejduk weren't chosen either.

[hallelujahlogic 1]

holy crap how freaking old is jagr now?

i wouldn't be too concerned about this team winning any medals in vancouver.

[Guest mindfly]

Jagr is 2 years younger than Lidstrom, 1 year younger than Sundin and as old as Alfredsson... ^^

[action jackson 6]

lol no super hudler?

[Reds4Life 51]

Well, I like that Ruzicka selected great PKers and defensive players over softies like Hudler. I like this team quite a lot.

[Guest mindfly]

Well, I like that Ruzicka selected great PKers and defensive players over softies like Hudler. I like this team quite a lot.

Why no Hammrlik or Hejduk?

You're right defensively sound but not much creativity... Hudler should also been on the team imo

[Reds4Life 51]

Why no Hammrlik or Hejduk?

You're right defensively sound but not much creativity... Hudler should also been on the team imo

Not much creativity? Why? Yeah sure, compared to Canada or Russia, but rest of the teams?

Sweden is probably little better overall but that's it.

USA and Finland are not any better, Slovakia is a joke of a team.

Hamrlik - too old, never great on national team

Hejduk - called Ruzicka and told him his leg is not 100% ok

As for playing for medals, iirc our team played like s*** last time around but then beat first-place Slovakia in quarterfinals and Russia for the bronze. Canada and USA did not even make the top4.

Edited December 30, 2009 by Reds4Life

[T-Ruff 47]

Damn, no Hasek

[mmamolo 287]

I'm really surprised Hudler didn't get the nod over some of those other choices

[stevkrause 1,247]

I'm really surprised Hudler didn't get the nod over some of those other choices

didn't he get some sort of international competition ban from the whole arbitration/fleeing to the KHL thing with the IIHF?

Edited December 30, 2009 by stevkrause

[stevkrause 1,247]

didn't he get some sort of international competition ban from the whole arbitration/fleeing to the KHL thing with the IIHF?

or was that nixed when he got his ITC?

[Reds4Life 51]

didn't he get some sort of international competition ban from the whole arbitration/fleeing to the KHL thing with the IIHF?

No. He is eligible to play, coach just do not think he is better than the rest of the guys.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Damn, no Hasek

Dom out of Olympics

Just FYI. He injured his thigh back in October and said then that he doubted he would be able to play in the Olympics. I am sorry Dom isn't playing, merely for the sake of the story it would be, to have a legend back on the ice more than a decade after pretty much single-handedly winning a medal for his country. Vokoun will do fine for them, I have no doubt.

Hudler would have been a good addition to the squad. I am sure Ruzicka has his reasons, however. I bet Dom will be there at the games, just not on the ice for his country. His presence alone will be a motivating factor.

BTW, he just came back from injury a week or so ago, and won his first game back for Pardubice Moeller.

[Outsider 42]

Loo: Truly sorry you won't get to see your boy play for CR in the 2010 Games.

That's gotta be disappointing.

[puckloo39 5,686]

Loo: Truly sorry you won't get to see your boy play for CR in the 2010 Games.

That's gotta be disappointing.

Aw, thanks! It is a bit disappointing, as I know he really wanted to represent his country one more time. But, he seems pretty practical/OK about it, so I guess that's the important thing.

Maybe they will let him play one period, just for old times' sake?

[Datsasuk 2]

I can't see this team competing, but crazier things have happened.

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Cant wait to see Jammy back on TV! Not a bad looking team either.

[BeeRYCE 2]

Elias, Jagr, Havlat, Krejci, Plekanec, Kubina, Vokoun... Some household names, and I honestly think this team will be better than a lot of people give them credit for.

[titanium2 867]

No Hudler? But he's the new Wayne Gretzky!

[eva unit zero 271]

Of the four forwards taken from KHL, all of them are offensive forwards who play little to no defense. Of the four, only Jagr could even be argued as better than Hudler based on performance last year and this year.

And that's just KHL forwards. Hudler belongs over Cervenka (Czech league) as well as Erat, Fleischmann, Michalek and perhaps even Havlat.

The Czechs have left perhaps their best playmaker home when they need better offense. They have several finishers, but few highly skilled passers. This combined with the fact that if you put him on in place of someone else Hudler would likely have been the 5th or 6th best defensive forward on the team, and perhaps even play on the PK, So you have to wonder if they just forgot about him, because there's no reasonable explanation why he's not there.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Of the four forwards taken from KHL, all of them are offensive forwards who play little to no defense. Of the four, only Jagr could even be argued as better than Hudler based on performance last year and this year.

And that's just KHL forwards. Hudler belongs over Cervenka (Czech league) as well as Erat, Fleischmann, Michalek and perhaps even Havlat.

The Czechs have left perhaps their best playmaker home when they need better offense. They have several finishers, but few highly skilled passers. This combined with the fact that

if you put him on in place of someone else Hudler would likely have been the 5th or 6th best defensive forward on the team, and perhaps even play on the PK, So you have to wonder if they just forgot about him, because there's no reasonable explanation why he's not there.[/font]

Maybe they just haven't analyzed Hudler statistically the way that you have over the years.

[Zetts 236]

Of the four forwards taken from KHL, all of them are offensive forwards who play little to no defense. Of the four, only Jagr could even be argued as better than Hudler based on performance last year and this year.

And that's just KHL forwards. Hudler belongs over Cervenka (Czech league) as well as Erat, Fleischmann, Michalek and perhaps even Havlat.

The Czechs have left perhaps their best playmaker home when they need better offense. They have several finishers, but few highly skilled passers. This combined with the fact that

if you put him on in place of someone else Hudler would likely have been the 5th or 6th best defensive forward on the team, and perhaps even play on the PK, So you have to wonder if they just forgot about him, because there's no reasonable explanation why he's not there.

Maybe they want defensive specialists/role players on their fourth line. Because if Hudler couldn't crack the top two lines on the Wings, he's not doing it on an Olympic team.

[RedWings Gone Wild 6]

Since 1962:

Canada: 1 Olympic gold, 5 World Championship gold.

Czech Republic (not a country until 1993): 1 Olympic gold, 5 World Championship gold.

Underestimate this team at your own peril.