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Post by mscaniac on Apr 27, 2007 10:57:26 GMT -5
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Post by tangledheart24 on Apr 27, 2007 13:07:15 GMT -5
Yay for Hutch, Cole and Crackers! They are all so awesomely awesome! ;D
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Post by mscaniac on Apr 27, 2007 14:17:13 GMT -5
Yes.. they are.. and I love that Johnny got a win!!!!!
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Post by golden grahames cracker on Apr 27, 2007 19:34:08 GMT -5
Yay for our guys!!!! Go Johnny!!!!!
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Post by kermelbar on Apr 27, 2007 19:59:14 GMT -5
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Post by turncoat on Apr 27, 2007 20:19:13 GMT -5
Cam and the Canadian team play on Sat.
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Post by 300section on Apr 27, 2007 22:27:27 GMT -5
Ahhh, it's so nice to see Crackers in his 'Canes helmet... kinda like it was to see Gerber in his for the Olympics last year. They can have whatever they want on there, but they chose to wear their team helmets.
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Post by kermelbar on Apr 28, 2007 7:12:47 GMT -5
www.hfxnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=25853&sc=92Canada moves on without marquee men
DAN BARNE CanWest News Service
Sidney Crosby would have packed star power, Ryan Smyth heart and Joe Sakic a steady hand.
But Team Canada has schlepped through Finland and on to Moscow for the world men's hockey championships without those marquee men and every other player who begged off to heal an injury, tend to family matters or simply because he didn't like the sound of three weeks in Russia's most infamous traffic jam.
The tournament began yesterday. Canada plays its first game today against Germany.
"We don't have any of the big, big names; your superstars," Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Mike Commodore said. "As nice as it would be to play with a Sidney Crosby or whoever, I think we're going to be just fine."
Faced with several frustrating refusals, general manager Steve Yzerman and coach Andy Murray have cobbled together a collection of St. Louis Blues, Hurricanes and Nashville Predators. More or less. The Blues and 'Canes each have four players here, while there are three Predators, two Penguins, two Blue Jackets, a Wild, a Flame, a King, a Coyote, a college kid, an Edmonton Oiler and a member of HIFK Helsinki.
They are led by Shane Doan, who was named captain yesterday, Eric and Jordan Staal and Rick Nash up front, Eric Brewer, Shea Weber, Commodore, Barret Jackman and Dan Hamhuis on defence, Cam Ward, Dwayne Roloson and Chris Mason in goal.
Roloson will get the start today against Germany.
They and 10 other Canadians jumped at the chance to wear the Maple Leaf when so many could not or would not do the same.
"The bottom line is we're excited about the guys who came," Murray said. "That's the position I'm taking. Those other guys don't know what they're missing. Especially the young guys. Especially the young guys," he said again for emphasis, and the irritation was evident.
"It's just hard to believe. You shake your head sometimes but you move on."
This is Murray's third worlds with his hand on the helm - his latest trip produced a gold medal in 2003 - and the native of Souris, Man., couldn't envision blowing off a call from Hockey Canada.
"I didn't know if they'd ask me again and you never know so you keep coming until they stop asking," he said.
"We wanted guys who wanted to be here, first of all. We didn't go back and ask guys two and three times. You don't do that. These players know what's at stake playing for their country. They know whether they should be here."
Both Crosby and Smyth are injured while Yzerman said recently that Sakic was not available. Smyth informed Team Canada before the first round of the NHL playoffs began that he wouldn't be able to attend because of a knee injury. Smyth had played in seven previous worlds.
"He would have been here. He cared about this team," Murray said.
Roloson and Doan said they understand why some players don't heed their country's call to arms.
"I've said no a couple times for different reasons," Roloson said. "For me personally, when Stevie calls and asks, it's hard for me to say no. I have a lot of respect for the man. But there are guys who had long years and are banged up. A couple guys on (the Oilers) were asked and physically couldn't do it."
It opened the door for the likes of 18-year-old Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect who saved Team Canada's bacon in the shootout at the world junior championship. And then there's Commodore, who hadn't played a game on international ice. Ever. He had never been called.
"I've got something to prove. This is a special thing to me," he said.
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Post by kermelbar on Apr 28, 2007 7:14:42 GMT -5
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070428.HKYWORLD28/TPStory/SportsGold medals hard to come by Canada has won world championship just four times since NHL players signed on CHRIS JOHNSTON
Canadian Press
MYTISCHI, RUSSIA -- Shane Doan keeps his locked in a display case at home. Eric Brewer stores his in a bank vault. Justin Williams has his hidden in a safe.
Gold medals from the International Ice Hockey Federation world championship are hard to come by. Canada has won the world championship just four times in the 30 years National Hockey League players have been participating.
Chalk that up, in part, to the fickle nature of the tournament. The winning team will play nine games and has to win its final three.
"It's like playing a Game 7 every day, basically," Canadian coach Andy Murray said after practice at the Mytischi Arena yesterday. "You can't afford sit back in any game."
In preliminary-round action yesterday, the United States defeated Austria 6-2, Ukraine shut out Finland 5-0, the Czechs hammered Belarus 8-2 and Russia beat Denmark 9-1.
Murray recently visited Switzerland to get a sneak peak at the Germans in an exhibition game and came away impressed.
"They play an aggressive style and their hockey is really starting to come on," said the St. Louis Blues' coach, who has two gold medals in his safety deposit box after coaching the 1997 and 2003 world championship teams.
It's the sort of thing that can be said of almost any team in the tournament. Hockey is growing in a number of countries and no opponent can be taken lightly at this level.
Williams won the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes last spring and has come here to try to add to the gold medal he won at the 2004 world championship in the Czech Republic. He knows it won't be easy.
"There's no tap-in games," Williams said. "Everything's tough. Winning gold medals takes those intangibles. It's the little things in the game that will ultimately decide if you're going to win or not."
The Canadian team isn't favoured to win the tournament, but that's of little importance to the 22 players wearing red and white. Mike Cammalleri (34), Williams (33) and Eric Staal (30) are each coming off 30-goal seasons in the NHL and will be counted on for offence along with Rick Nash and teenagers Jordan Staal and Jonathan Toews.
Leadership will come from veteran Doan, who was appointed captain yesterday. Like Brewer, the alternate captain, he won gold at the world championships in 2003 and 2004. The second alternate position will be rotated through the veteran players.
Murray hopes his team comes to be defined by its strong defensive play. Brewer, Shea Weber, Barret Jackman, Dan Hamhuis and Mike Commodore will anchor the Canadian blueline. Veteran Dwayne Roloson is expected to get the start in goal today against the Germans.
It's a blue-collar lineup, especially compared with the star-studded Russian squad, which features Alexander Ovechkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Frolov.
Russia is the early favourite to win the gold, while Slovakia is also expected to challenge for the title. Sweden is the defending champion, but is missing key players such as Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg.
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Post by golden grahames cracker on Apr 28, 2007 7:29:20 GMT -5
I love the pictures that they posted on that site but unfortunately I can't figure out how to save them. But heres one from Getty.
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Post by Melindaaaaaa [26] on Apr 28, 2007 7:55:57 GMT -5
Ooooooo JWillie looks good.
Anyone find anything of Colesy?
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Post by golden grahames cracker on Apr 29, 2007 15:55:06 GMT -5
Yay!!!! Johnny gets his second win and Chad LaRose scores a goal. Way to go guys!!!! I've got the subscription so I've been watching the games online (which is nice cause you can either watch live or go back later and watch it when they post them). But anyways, thought I let everyone know they showed Johnny stretching (the split and back bend) during the first game.
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Post by kermelbar on Apr 29, 2007 16:21:16 GMT -5
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Post by Melindaaaaaa [26] on Apr 29, 2007 16:25:12 GMT -5
Rosieeeeeeee! <3
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Post by golden grahames cracker on Apr 29, 2007 16:36:38 GMT -5
I admit I'm steeling these (the Johnny one from the main Canes site and the LaRose one from Lets Go Canes and from the first game) but they deserve to be posted here too.
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