World Juniors 2016

[Per]

Too bad. I was kind of looking forward to a Sweden vs Canada semi final.

Anyway, here are some highlights from them squaring off in the group play:
https://vimeo.com/150446328

[Per]

OK, so it is the winner and the runner up from both groups who have qualified for the semi finals, but still I cannot help but think that the groups were lopsided.

Sweden and the US crushed the opposing CzechoSlovaks 6-0 and 7-0 respectively, whereas Russia and Finland had severe problems getting it done. The Danes actually took a 3-2 lead against Russia with 5 minutes remaining. The Russians tied the game with just 44 seconds on the clock and then won in overtime. Finland also just barely scraped by with a 6-5 victory against Canada, and imho it was mainly the stupid penalties the Canadians took against Finland that decided that game. We saw some of the same against Sweden. It just seems the Canadian coach did not manage to convey to his team how important it is to keep your head cool and stay out of the penalty box. Too bad. I assume he won't be at the helm next year.

[Topper]

OK, so it is the winner and the runner up from both groups who have qualified for the semi finals, but still I cannot help but think that the groups were lopsided.

Sweden and the US crushed the opposing CzechoSlovaks 6-0 and 7-0 respectively, whereas Russia and Finland had severe problems getting it done. The Danes actually took a 3-2 lead against Russia with 5 minutes remaining. The Russians tied the game with just 44 seconds on the clock and then won in overtime. Finland also just barely scraped by with a 6-5 victory against Canada, and imho it was mainly the stupid penalties the Canadians took against Finland that decided that game. We saw some of the same against Sweden. It just seems the Canadian coach did not manage to convey to his team how important it is to keep your head cool and stay out of the penalty box. Too bad. I assume he won't be at the helm next year.

Canada usually benefits from a doddle against lesser lights to start the Tournament giving them more time to gel as a team before the real competition hits. This year they were challenged from the get go and never came together.

Lack of talent, poor defense and goaltending, small ice team on big ice......they never figured it out.

[Doyle Hargraves]

I have never understood why they change the coach every year . If a guy rips off a couple good medals than let him continue. Lowry looked out of his element in this tournament .

[Island Nucklehead]

I have never understood why they change the coach every year . If a guy rips off a couple good medals than let him continue. Lowry looked out of his element in this tournament .

Yep. Took the easy route and continuously looked to the 19 year olds when it became readily apparent fairly early that the 19 year olds weren't up to the task.

Easily the worst Canadian team since 1998.

[Strangelove]

Rummy was actually defending Canada's cause!

... by saying things like Canada's best young players are too good for this tourney (they're playing in the NHL).

You need to sober up and go back and read it again.

Do you think folks are piling on you here because it's a Popularity Contest?

WAKE THE FUCK UP REEF.

Rummy has been telling Per for years about how much better Canada's prospects are than Sweden's.

BTW still waiting for you to say one single positive thing about Team Canada...

If you actually think I care about what others post then you are sadly mistaken

So you don't care that you misunderstood Rummy's post and embarrassingly lashed out needlessly?

And hey, you seemed to "care about what others post"

... what with all your lashing-out in this thread about the Great Strangelove's post-count.

Reef, you're a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enema!

[Topper]

One good thing about Canada being eliminated. I don't feel a need to watch and have to listen to Ray Ferraro's need to fill every moment with inane banter. Someone, please, send Ray a Thelonious Monk disc and forse him to shut up and listen to the silence.

To paraphrase
When doing colour commentary, you can pretend to be anyone or anything

I'm amazed that someone would choose to be Pierre McGuire.

[Doyle Hargraves]

Reef, you're a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enema and strangled by a coiler

[Rumsfeld]

Ole reef is a good guy, no big deal. If I drank as much whiskey as he does while posting I'd have been banned years ago.

[Strangelove]

Too bad. I was kind of looking forward to a Sweden vs Canada semi final.

No doubt!

You're likely going to get awful lonely in this thread moving forward good buddy!

Tell you what, if William Nylander returns to action and gets another concussion

... I'll be back.

[2Fingers]

Ole reef is a good guy, no big deal. If I drank as much whiskey as he does while posting I'd have been banned years ago.

Again if there was a yawn/fart emo I would use it but there isn't so yawn fart.....

Game over Canada just didn't click for 60 minutes and are now out, Jake is villain and everyone can jump all over him especially the panel from TSN.

[Meds]

Apparently Canada had the youngest team at the tournament. Ironically it was our returning players that played stupid hockey too often.

This was Virtanen's best game of the tournament, and it was actually a very good game for him with the exception of that first penalty. He was physical, made some great reads on the forecheck and picked off several passes turning them into scoring chances. A beautiful forecheck, interception, and setup for the 3rd goal by Crouse.

His tripping penalty when he didn't have his stick was boneheaded, who knows what he was thinking. The 2 penalties in the 3rd were soft. The Fin defender was holding Virtanen's stick and then it got tangled up and he got nailed for tripping, he should have dropped his stick, but whatever. The subsequent slashing penalty was beyond weak. The Fin had one had on his stick and they had chopped sticks out of Canadian hands like that a bunch in the first period with no calls.

People need to quit focusing so much on the 2 errors and pissing all over the place about this kid.

As for the overall game, Canada owned the run of play for most of it with the exception of the penalties we took. Many of which were soft and there could easily have been the same number of soft calls going against the host Finnish team, but that didn't happen because Euro's are clean players.

I thought every game in this tournament saw Canada victimized by international officiating. We know it's going to be called, but it just seemed that it was too one-sided in that regard.

Overall Canada wasn't strong defensively or in goal, that much has been said many times already, and ultimately that was the difference here.....especially in the crease.

[Island Nucklehead]

I get a kick out of people who blame the refs at these international tournaments whenever Canada loses. Are you actually waiting for them to change the way these games are called? Did they change things up from last year? The last 5 years? Last 10? Have none of these players played for Canada internationally before?

As far as international games go, the reffing didn't seem that bad. I thought Laine might've gotten a 5+game for the Strome hit, until I saw Strome look for the ref immediately upon hitting the ice, and then coming back to the bench immediately upon confirmation it was a 2 minute minor. It was a good attempt a sell-job.

Penalties were 9 against Canada, 6 against the Finns. 3 times Canada either nullified, or reduced a powerplay opportunity. They were called for delay of game twice. Canada could of taken over the game just after the half-way mark, when the Fins were already short-handed and being called for a check from behind, before Jake sunk that with one of the more blatant penalties you'll ever see.

Sorry, those wounds were self-inflicted today. If they could've played like they did in the first period for the entire game they'd be onto the semis, and maybe if they could've figured it out earlier in the tourney they could've avoided Finland in the quarters.

[Topper]

She's done for the tourney

[Island Nucklehead]

She's done for the tourney

She's gonna have to learn how to play with men if she's got any chance at an NHL career.