The tournament starts in a few days. What lines would you go with for Team USA? What about the defensive pairings? Who are you going with in goal, Miller or Quick?
I would go: Forwards: Parise-Kesler-Kane Pacioretty-Backes-Oshie Callahan-Stepan-Brown Kessel-Pavelski-van Reimsdyk Defensemen Suter-McDonagh Orpik-Shattenkirk Fowler-Faulk Goaltenders: 1)Miller 2)Quick 3)Howard I'm not sure how healthy Quick is at the moment which is why I'd go Miller. Our defensive pairs are (edit) pretty solid. I think keeping the Cally-Stepan and Oshie-Backes pairs together is important because they are familiar with each other.
Hahaha Wow. That's slightly embarrassing. That's what happens when you read a page too quickly :drunk: Fuck Canada though. Oh my God.
My opinion is very different from yours Lines: Parise/Pavelski/Kane Van Riemsdyk/Kesler/Kessel Pacioretty/Stastny/Wheeler Brown/Backes/Callahan Stepan Oshie Pairs: Suter/Martin McDonagh/Shattenkirk Fowler/Carlson Orpik Faulk Goalies: Miller Quick Howard I think lines 1,2 and 4 are pretty much set. Parise and Kane are going to play on the top line and JVR and Kessel will play together on the same line. They will not be fourth liners. Parise, Kane, JVR and Kessel are the top four wingers on the team. You also have JVR and Kessel on the wrong sides. JVR plays the left and Kessel plays the right. The top two centers are Pavelski and Kesler. I'd put Pavelski with Parise and Kane, and Kesler with JVR and Kessel. Line three should have Patches and Stastny, but I'm not sure about Oshie or Wheeler. I'd opt for Wheeler. The fourth line is going to be the defensive and toughness line. Brown, Backes and Callahan are as good of a skilled fourth line who can actually play the role of 4th liners as you will see in Sochi. I really hope those three play together because I really think that they can give the USA a big advantage. Stepan is definitely the 5th center. He isn't playing that well, and doesn't have the Olympic experience that the other four centers have. McDonagh won't play with Suter because neither can play the right side. I'd love to see the two best paired together, but Bylsma seems set on playing Paul Martin first pair minutes. I think that is a huge mistake. I wouldn't have Martin playing anything more than third defensive pair minutes. I'd have Fowler with Suter, McDonagh with Shattenkirk and Martin with Carlson, but I think Fowler and Martin are going to play in the opposite roles that I think they should. Orpik will be the 7th defenseman and Faulk will probably be the 8th. Lets hope that there are no injuries because those two are the big weakness of the team. I'd be frightened if either of them saw the ice. I'd opt for Miller in goal because he has the experience and is playing very well, but I am also comfortable with Quick.
Would like to see the Americans win gold. Canada is obviously stacked but anything can happen. We saw Miller get hot last Olympics and they came as close as you can to taking it. If the USA can't win I hope for anyone but Russia haha. It would be really nice to knock the Canadians off. But it will be tough. Don't count out Sweden either.
starts tomorrow. Here's vbetting: http://forums.theganggreen.com/showthread.php?t=80238 I think he accidentally posted Canada's D or something, then fixed it.
It was originally Canada's D except for McDonagh. I don't have a good feeling about this tournament, mainly due to the coaching staff overrating certain players (Brown, Martin, Orpik, maybe Callahan.)
Martin and Orpik are being overrated because of who is the coach, and Brown and Callahan are being overrated because of their perceived intangibles. I didn't think any of the four should have made the team.
As a Hurricanes Season Ticket Holder who sees him play night in and night out. You couldn't be more off base with your assessment of Justin Faulk. He was pretty much locked in on the team pretty early in the decision making process, if you check out what was released about the selection process. He plays top minutes against the top lines night in and night out, he is just fundamentally sound defensiively. Faulk should play more in the top 4 than not be on the bench, but with Blysma who knows about Orpik. I have my doubts about Martin also. Faulk has also been very effective and successful playing on the big ice (I can't imagine what Orpik will look like) in international competion for USA. I agree with you about Orpik -- but JF is clearly better than Fowler and I believe Shattenkirk. EDIT: Just read that Blysma hinted that Martin/Orpik will be paired and in the lineup Thursday. Looks like Faulk and Fowler will sit the first one, I guess one of the perks of being coach is being a homer and playing your guys over ones deserving.
I don't think you understand what I am saying. This team doesn't have any bad players with maybe the exception being Orpik. Its a very talented team with a lot of very good players. When it comes to the defenseman, I'd like to see Orpik and Martin as the two that won't be in the lineup, but that won't happen with Bylsma as the coach. It looks like Martin is going to play big minutes, and surprisingly Orpik might be in the lineup as well from how the pairings have been set up in the first few days of practice. Someone that deserves to play is going to have to be one of the odd men out. If Orpik and Martin are both playing, I think Faulk and Carlson are the two that will sit.
I'm really worried about a Martin/Orpik pairing. Orpik had no business even having his name brought up in the discussion to make the Olympic team. He is the outlier on the team. He is a below-average hockey player. The rest of the players on the team are all all-stars or borderline all stars. I'm not as worried about Martin. I wouldn't have picked him, but I think he could play well at the Olympics. Bylsma should have been in the dark about the team selection. His job is to coach the team. Its the GM's job to pick it.
After the first two practices, the lines and pairings that I expect have changed Lines: JVR/Pavelski/Kessel Pacioretty/Kesler/Kane Parise/Backes/Callahan Brown/Stastny/Oshie Stepan Wheeler Pairings: Suter/Shattenkirk McDonagh/Carlson Fowler/Martin Orpik Faulk Goalies: Miller Quick Howard
Well you were saying Orpik and Faulk were the weakness, not just Orpik. Also: http://www.pensburgh.com/2014/1/1/5...-paul-martin-brooks-orpik-dan-bylsma-usa-best Sounds like Orpik's past Olympic experience played a part, and also being able to pair him with Martin.
I can't believe the 42 yr old Petr Nedved is playing for the Czech rep. haven't heard that name in years. and how did Ted Nolan score the Latvian head coaching job? seems kind of random. looking forward to the games..
I'm still not sure why Olympic Ice Hockey is a professional sport? I realized recently that the moment I stopped taking the Olympics seriously was the games after the basketball dream team. That's when it became clear that we were just watching a made-for-TV event of no real merit. Does anybody really think that trained professionals who are paid millions aren't going to beat the amateur athlete every time?
I do think Orpik, Martin and Faulk are weaknesses. In the elimination rounds of the Olympics, there are going to be a lot of very good players on the ice. There are naturally going to be players on each team that are weak compared to the rest of their teammates.
