2006 World Juniors Hockey Championship

[Flubber]

Originally posted by trickey
I'm really looking forward to watching these two semi final games.

Pekka-- I think you hit the nail on the head-- Rask was AMAZING but a team that allows 50 shots has big problems.

The flip side is that Canada will NOT be overconfident. Seeing that performance, they will be saying " We have to play our best or that goalie can steal the game"-- Canada knows they can outplay the Finns and lose so they will want to play amazing.

I hope Canada can take out the Finns but a stellar goalkeeper can changes things a lot PLUS the Finns have more talent than they showed against the Swedes.

For the Swedes, a major disappointment. After that opening loss to the Russians I thought they might be another weak team but they showed up!! In the end results matter and this will be what, 4 years without a medal for them?? They have actually been a disappointment for a number of years

[Footie Mad]

Unfortunate for the swedish team but in my opinion wether it's football, hockey or whatever. If you don't score goals you don't deserve to win even if you have 50 shots. It's like the greeks winning in 2004, they beat all the "best" teams by being defensively good and seizing any opportunity that came their way. Rightful champions.

[Pekka]

Yeah that's something I think you guys should look out for, the team played bad last night, again, it's not that bad of a team. For example, they have way better offense (on paper and usually in every game), but today they lacked. There are many reasons why that happened, and the smallest one is not the fact that Swedes played with heart and worked hard and wanted to win.

But I think other reasons are that our defense is surprisingly bad. I mean yesterday they played good in a way that they eliminated the best of scoring chances, keeping the front sector tight and no rebounds loose. But that was the only thing they did good.

They couldn't match the Swedes in the corners, but they Swedish offense was unable to use that to their advantage, they weren't able to come out of the corners so good to great chances and rebounds, they tried to play it to the blue line few times but it was not a threat and there was no quality shots. They weren't really able to generate those GREAT chances a lot.

Still they outplayed us 100-0, I think the lack of our offense is due to our bad defense. You don't see a leader in defense, you don't see good passing, you don't see well structured offenses that start from defense really often. Our offense is definitely not that bad, like said, it includes first round drafts and they're well deserving of it, few of them, but they are not supported by defense at all.

Like yesterday, only real chances they got was turnovers, individual plays from Korpikoski and Tukonen. That's it. They weren't able to come with solid offenses at all, and it wasn't only because Swedes were doing a lot of work preventing it, it was also because the defense in that sense SUCKS. THere's no prospects in the defense, I mean we'll see if they ever grow into average league players in here, there's lots of defense men out there that have no future in hockey. It's just that bad IMO.

There's no hands, there's no legs, there's no physicality except for Wirtanen, there's nothing in there that poses any kind of .. support/help to the offense. So every real offense starts from forward getting the puck themselves, rising to the center of hte ice themselves, then hopefully passing or what ever etc. They have difficulties at that very basic thing, because they can't make their normal moves trying to set themselves free for a pass, they have to come lower, they have to come closer, and slow down, they have to break away from that path they were to help the defense that has problems with one single opposing player, you know you can't even start attacking at all if you have to do that all the time and it's risky, it's magnet for fumbles and turnovers too, and since the defenders know that, they get nervous and they just want to get rid off the puck.. you know that's just not the level of play you need to have in here today.

So I'm afraid, that even though they fight as a team, it relies on good goalie day, it relies on defense getting lucky, it relies on few individuals on the offense working hard, making those turn overs and capitalizing on it.

My only wish for the defense today is, that they don't play religiously trap, but actually try to open the game for our offense every now and then, take those risks passing since no passing generates 0 offense to begin with. I hope they still clean the front of the net and help Rask, and I fantasize that they actually hit the forwards in our corners and every now and then actually have the 'eye for the game' to see momentum and come forward instead of backing down, to hit the forward in between the blue lines.

I just hope it'll be at least entertaining.

[Pekka]

Flubber, this will be 10 year without medal for Sweden in these games.. that's certainly a huge disappointment for sures.. even more so since they had every opportunity yesterday and managed to drop out. I guess that was bad luck ^1000.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Pekka
Flubber, this will be 10 year without medal for Sweden in these games.. that's certainly a huge disappointment for sures.. even more so since they had every opportunity yesterday and managed to drop out. I guess that was bad luck ^1000.

wow-- I didn't realized they had sucked that bad. Given that there are only 6-7 teams that ever get a medal, going 10 years without is quite an accomplishment

[Pekka]

yeah... that kind of explains why they wanted to win so bad yesterday, and why they got so much pressure and frustration when the OT started.

This year will be even more frustrating for Tre Kronor after we drop them from medal games in Olympics and also the WC games..

[Flubber]

Pekka

For all that criticism, this Finnish team has made it to medal round, so in many ways they are already a bit of a success. Finland has won gold in this thing what, twice?? ( and in one of those Canada and the Russians were disqualified for a brawl)

Seriously-- Finland at 2/4/6 has 12 medals and usually is a threat to get a medal but golds are exceptional-- So being where they are is a pretty usual situation . . . In the medal round but not favored . . .

Personally I always fear a team with a hot goalie and in particular a team that my be a little embarrassed by their weak performance. They should step it up.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Pekka
yeah... that kind of explains why they wanted to win so bad yesterday, and why they got so much pressure and frustration when the OT started.

This year will be even more frustrating for Tre Kronor after we drop them from medal games in Olympics and also the WC games..

I just checked and only Eight teams have ever won a medal at the juniors-- Switzerland and Slovakia each have a single bronze and the US only has four medals. Czech, Finland, Sweden have 13, 12 and 11 respectively while Russia/USSR leads Canada 23-21 but are tied with 11 gold each.

Canada has medaled in each of the last 7 years but only one was gold. Finland had medalled 4 straight years until that string was broken last year.

By contrast the US scored gold in 2004 but their last prior medal was in 1997. That US gold was the ONLT medal since 2000 NOT to be won by Russia,Canada, Finland or Czech.

[Pekka]

of course the junior teams in general are succesful, however we have had 2-3 bad years as in new players, who aren't top notch, just average, excluding goalies.

So as far as getting everything out of the machine that we can use, well, that has been a great success. But we need to build better machine soon, because 5 or more years like these and we are looking seriously to a future where we can't get a world class adult team together.

And right, if you look at the stats, the junior games have been dominated by few teams, with few extra contenders. That's it. It doesn't mean everything, but it gives a sample of what's wrong with few teams in general, as in if you have not made to the medals in 10 years and still are one of the good hockey nations, there's something very badly wrong in the system that produces the players.

[Flubber]

Pekka-- we seem to be agreeing here-- For a member of the big 5 nations like Sweden to go 10 years without a medal is horrific. They have definitely fallen from the days when they were routinely considered a threat for the gold

[Pekka]

Right, and they haven't produced those... say let's compare to Canada, that produces many good players, the smaller nations like Sweden, they can't come up with same amount of top players, that's just impossible right now, it's just a fact.

Now, to compete, they don't need to come with 10 top teams, they only need to come up with one, however it's a concern if they can't come up with one team that is a serious contender. THis team, it was good, but it didn't make it to the top 4 so it doesn't really matter.

They didn't have the top players, we don't either except for a goalie and few offensive players but it took us further already since the rest of the team sucked but they were able to hang on. The few hot players decided this game for us, that's it. So small nation like we are and Sweden, you need to have those top players, because you can't come up with full strength during dry years. And those players need to be able to make the deciding plays, that turns the games for them. Sweden hasn't come up with those very top players lately, I mean name one? Name one top prospect from last 5 years.

Granted, we are not much better if in fact any, but I can name 10 top prospects from last 5 years, I can name a team of those, unfortunately they aren't in this team except for few of them, but you need to have those players in order to turn the games for you, or then you need to be lucky in the process.

Needless to say that Sweden should have gotten a medal during this 10 years none of the less, but my point is, where are the future stars, I don't see them right now. Of course there are good ones, I really liked Bäckström but is he future NHL star? No.

edit: of course put aside junior games, their team for Torino is a concern Monster team.

[Pekka]

The biggest problem I see is our systems after the ages of 15.. basically when the pure talents also need to start working hard, and hard workers can become late bloomers. We don't have college leagues, we have none of that. We just have the regular leagues, and if you want to study something as well, you know you make your decision at the age of 15 or 16. I made mine at the age of 15 and that was not to play anymore, since I figured I wasn't going to be good enough when I'd be 18-19 years old. I figured I wasn't going to be drafted or make the elite league adult teams. So I quit. There's no room for intelligent decisions at all.

Many players have concerns, they reach that age and they have to make the few elite league teams, if they don't, they won't be having any kind of career, and now they have nothing, no degree, nothing. So we need those college etc leagues, but we don't have that many schools to make those leagues, because we don't have that many people living in here too, so it's impossible.

I feel that's oen big fail in our system of producing more top players. Because they either are world class at the age of 16 or most of them quit. Few years at that crucial age, I bet we'd have twice as many top players and Sweden as well. Something we can never do though.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Pekka
edit: of course put aside junior games, their team for Torino is a concern Monster team.

Sweden?? They look ok but that more a reflection of a time 10 years ago when they WERE a great hockey nation


Canada could send a crazy good team to Torino and its unfortunate that we can only send one team. Canada could send a second team to the games that would also be a gold medal threat


Too bad they don't allow that . . . you know multiple teams-- Canada two could go to the "B" pool at the worlds using all players not playing in the "A" pool. probably only Russia could come close to matching the Canadian depth


None of this makes Canada a shoo-in for gold at Torino-- The fact of the matter is that there are probably 3-4 really good teams that could legitimately take gold

[Footie Mad]

Maybe the decline in hockey has something to do with the rise of football. Football has risen even more in popularity to become the undoubted number one spectator sport the last ten years, once it was actually hockey that was more popular. So maybe talented kids go more for football.

Anyway Sweden never seem to perform at youth level in any sport, we never have those really young prodigys in tennis, swimming, gymnastics or any sport. Might have something to do with how hard they train and at what age. So that we fail at junior level in ice hockey does not surprise me since it's the same in all other sports.

[Asher]

decline in hockey? Must be a European thing.

NHL attendance and viewership is up, even after a year-long lockout.