Crosby Leaves Me Uncomfortably Numb

I sincerely hope that yesterday's gold medal game and really, the entire Olympic hockey tournament will bring a new wave of fans to the sport.

For as great as last year's NHL playoffs were, I think this two week exhibition was some of the best hockey we have ever seen.

Outside of die-hard hockey fans and maybe some gamers of EA's NHL series, who had ever heard of guys like Tore Vikingstad and Hnat Domenichelli before?

Who knew Belarus had a hockey team that could actually put a scare into some of the world powers?

Who knew the USA would actually get the easiest road to the gold medal game by beating their rivals to the north in the round-robin?

Here's the thing, no one could have predicted the United States coming together as well as they did.

I will say that some of my prognosticating was spot on.

First off, Ryan Miller was what kept this team alive for the entire tournament except for the semifinal game against Finland where an orange cone in net would have done the job after the Americans jumped out to a 6-0 lead early.

Against Canada, Miller sparkled and made two or three game-changing saves in the third period to keep USA within striking distance.

Would he love to have the overtime goal by Sidney Crosby back?

Absolutely.

Can anyone really place any blame on Miller for giving it up?

Hell no and if you're of that mentality, you need electroshock therapy.

Which brings me to why I have no emotions about the game other than a vast appreciation for how great the game was.

Had anyone else scored the game-winner I'd be sitting here right now ripping someone apart (Ryan Whitney most likely) about the loss.

But it was Crosby.

The same kid who delivered a Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh this past June. The kid who is the captain of my beloved Penguins.

How can I hate him for realizing a childhood dream?

My captain beat my country and I am left uncomfortably numb. I'm in hockey fan purgatory like I was when the Red Wings pasted the Flyers in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Crosby's goal robbed me of elation or depression and I think this feeling might be worse, but I still like the guy.

I feel like I'm being torn apart inside. I really wanted to jump off my couch screaming like an idiot as the boys in blue piled on top of Miller as the hushed Canadian crowd looks on.

If that couldn't happen, let me be pissed off when someone like Jarome Iginla scores to knock us off.

Had Jeff Carter scored, I might have needed a new television, but at least I'd have closure.

Maybe this numbness will wear off tomorrow when Sid's back in the black and gold and I no longer have to root for Zach Parise to put the team I'm rooting for on his back.

All I can say is thankfully Martin Brodeur wasn't in net and that I can be happy that I said Canada won't win gold with him in net.

If he was in net yesterday, this whole post becomes a thank you letter to the aging wonder.

Nothing made me happier than seeing the look on his face while sitting on the bench sulking. He looked like someone told him crepes were outlawed and that Quebec's official language was being changed to English.

I will say that I feel lucky enough to have witnessed this display and can only hope that yesterday's game helped to grow the game in the country.

Everything that is good and great about the game was on display for two weeks. Hopefully someone took notice.

2010 Olympic Predictions

After a huge glitch during the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we're off to an exciting start.

The women's hockey tournament is already underway and I propose we just let Finland and Sweden play for bronze and let USA and Canada battle it out for gold.

Imagine how intense the rivalry between USA and Canada will be if they meet in the men's and women's tournament. They already met in the Juniors in one of the most thrilling games ever played, with the red white and blue stunning the Canadians....on their home ice.

Of course, there's no way the United States men make it to the gold medal game.

Ok ok, so there's a chance of it happening, but unless Ryan Miller is the second coming of Jim Craig ala 1980, they make it out of group play and that's about it.

I just think that this team is too young and inexperienced and I'm not just talking about at the international level. I'm talking about the NHL.

Guys like Patrick Kane, Bobby Ryan, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson and Ryan Suter are all studs in the NHL for sure, but what have any of them played for that meant anything in their professional careers?

What pressure is there playing for Team USA for that matter? Has anyone really expected the United States to do anything in hockey at the Olympics....ever?

Now, teams like Canada, Russia, Sweden, etc., those guys grew up feeling the pressure of winning gold in the Olympics. That was the pinnacle of hockey in their minds.

Maybe that's another reason the United States' miracle in 1980 resonates to this day.

Don't get me wrong, I'll be rooting for our boys (and I stress, boys) in these Games, but I'm just not expecting much.

Not to mention the goaltending is atrocious.

Should something happen to Miller, this team is beyond screwed.

Tim Thomas is not a big game goaltender and has proven it over his career. When the big games come up in the playoffs, he folds like a lawn chair.

Jonathan Quick is a solid young talent, but that's the problem. He's too young and has only been the starter in Los Angeles for a short time.

He's still learning to deal with pressure and Thomas can't deal with pressure.

Anyway, let's break down the groups.

Group A

Canada
USA
Switzerland
Norway

Clearly, the best teams in this group are Canada and the United States.

Here's how I see the standings after the round robin opening round.

Canada 3-0-0
USA 2-1-0
Switzerland 1-2-0
Norway 0-3-0

Canada gets a decisive 5-1 victory over the Americans in the final round-robin game to go undefeated and has no trouble with the other two teams.

USA gets a good fight from the Swiss, but ultimately get the win behind the play of Miller who steals one. USA 4 Swiss 2. USA also has no problems dispatching Norway.

Switzerland plays a close game against Norway, but Jonas Hiller stands tall in what will be their only win of the tournament before an early and expected exit. Swiss win that one 5-2.

Group B (The Group Of Death)

Russia
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Latvia

Here's how I see this one going down after round-robin play.

Russia 3-0-0
Czech Republic 2-0-1
Slovakia 1-2-0
Latvia 0-3-0

While this may not be going out on a limb, I think the Slovaks actually put a scare into both the Czechs and Russians.

It also would not surprise me if they steal a game from one of those two teams either.

Jaroslav Halak has been playing very well for the Habs this season and seems to be coming out of his shell and their roster is littered with current and former NHL stars.

This would be my darkhorse in this tournament by far.

The Czechs and Russians have more pressure on them given history and recent success respectively, but the Slovaks scare me.

Anyway, Russia and the Czechs play to a draw through 60 minutes, but the Russians get it done in the extra frame with Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin on the ice.

The Czechs squeek by the Slovaks in regulation 3-2.

Latvia shows up and gets pounded like a two-dollar whore for three games.

Group C

Sweden
Finland
Belarus
Germany

Here's how I see the standings following round-robin play.

Finland 3-0-0
Sweden 2-1-0
Germany 1-2-0
Belarus 0-3-0

What I'd love to know is how Belarus even made this tournament, but whatever.

I don't have a good feeling about the defending gold medalists at all and I think it's because of their goaltending.

I respect Henrik Lundqvist a lot and think he's a hell of a goalie, but he hasn't been his normal self this season and I think that keeps them from repeating. If he can't do it, Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson is the next choice followed by HV71's Stefan Liv.

Does that really scare anyone? Not me, that's for sure especially with the trio of goaltenders Finland is sporting.

Nick Backstrom, Antero Niittymaki and Miikka Kiprusoff. I'm not a fan of Nitty, but Backstrom and Kipper are clearly capable of putting this team on their shoulders.

Anyway, Finland drops Sweden 4-1.

Sweden has no trouble with Belarus and Germany.

Germany might give the Swedes or Finns a small scare as they always seem to play at least decently in these tournaments, but they down Belarus 4-2.

Belarus gives a valiant effort, but just gets out gunned all around.

Now, from here the top four teams get byes into the quarterfinals.

Based on this Canada, Russia and Finland are automatically in. I really think the fourth bye comes down to Sweden and Team USA.

However, based on the rankings and weaker division, I give the edge to Sweden, which means Team USA has to play one more game as the 5-seed against the 12 which should be Latvia or Norway.

If I'm ranking them, I think it comes out like this overall after the round-robin:

Finland
Canada
Russia
Sweden
USA
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Switzerland
Germany
Belarus
Norway
Latvia

Based on this, the 5 plays the 12, 6 vs 11, 7 vs 10 and 8 vs 9

Matchups come out as:

USA vs Latvia
Czech Republic vs Norway
Slovakia vs Belarus
Switzerland vs Germany

Advancing are:

USA 8-0
Czechs 6-1
Slovaks 6-0
Swiss 4-1

No surprises here.

Now we're left with the following in the quarterfinals.

Finland vs Switzerland
Canada vs Slovakia
Russia vs Czech Republic
Sweden vs USA

Who advances?

Finland 5-2
Canada 6-1
Russia 5-4 OT
USA 3-2

Matchups in the semifinals:

Finland vs USA
Canada vs. Russia

Moving on:

Finland 4-1
Canada 4-2

Bronze Medal Game

Russia 6
USA 3

Gold Medal Game

Canada 4
Finland 1

On the medal stand:

Gold - Canada
Silver - Finland
Bronze - Russia

The tournament sets up well for the United States, but they ultimately don't have the firepower or experience to hold up with the big boys.

Finland's goaltending will get hot and carry them to silver.

Evgeni Nabokov will choke when it matters just like he does in the NHL playoffs and the Russians will have to settle for bronze.

Again, this is all hypothetical and I'm sure by tomorrow none of this will be relevant anymore.

Either way it was fun to do and I can't wait to watch the games.

Proposed 2010 Olympic Roster: Out with the Old, In with the New

We are about one year away from the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and within a couple of months, the US will need to announce its roster. Four years ago in Turino, the US team embarrassed the country by going 1-4-1 with an old, slow team and a goalie (Ricky 5 Hole) that couldn't stop a beachball. This year's proposed team will get rid of some of the old blood and will look to rejuvenate the US Hockey team.

First, here is a list of this years "snubs"

Center
Mike Modano: Just misses the cut. While Modo has the history and experience, the has lost a couple of steps and isn't the threat he once was.
David Legwand: I would love to put him onto this list for some grit and defense from the center position, but in these Olympics, I think that games will be shootouts rather than low scoring affairs and there are better distributing center options.

Right Wing
Bill Guerin: Refer to Mike Modano.
Brian Gionta: Refer to David Legwand

Left Wing
Erik Cole: Too injury proned and hasn't looked the same since leaving Carolina and Eric Staal's side. Four years ago, there was a lack of options and he needed to be put on the team. This year, his services aren't necessary.
Ryan Malone: Signed a big contract and then went into hibernation for the winter. Doesn't seem to have the fire to compete on a grander stage.

Defensemen
Matthieu Schnieder and Chris Chelios: Chelios should be brought on as a coach because he has seen it all in the Olympics. Both are older and too slow to keep up with the speed of Canada, Russia, Sweden, or the Czechs.

And now onto the team. This team is being put together with multiple considerations being taken. Speed and scoring ability top the list. The other is youth that can get valuable experience now and be put together and gel over the next couple of years for the World Championships and 2014 Olympics.

Centers
Paul Stasny: Gritty center man that has showed the ability to fill it up despite the lack of assistance in Colorado. He averages a point a game and has the ability to distribute the puck putting his wings in the best scoring positions.
Scott Gomez: With scoring talent around him last year, Gomez showed the ability to orchestrate a high powered offense. Hopefully he can bring that back to the table again.
Tim Connolly: Cross our fingers that he can stay healthy through a full year of practicing and training. When he is on the ice though, he has the ability to make an impact on the game. Has shown the ability to average almost a point a game over the last three years when on the ice. Comes with the added bonus of a penalty killer.
Chris Drury: Penalty killer extraordinaire and has shown the panache for the big moment in the past.

Right Wing
Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel: No brainers. Young, physical, scorers.
Bobby Ryan: Young, tough, and seems to have a chip on his shoulder. I love that. To quote Cool Runnings, "I see pride, I see power, I see a bad ass motha, who don't take no crap from nobody."
Jamie Langenbrunner: Has shown a rebirth this year and kills penalties with the best of them. Also has the leadership abilities to be the captain of this team.

Left Wing
Zach Parise: Has absolutely exploded onto the scene this year as one of the best young players in the league. Parise has already surpassed his career high in points with 24 games still to play and is on pace for a 100 point season.
Jason Blake: Has had a great year this year despite the fact that he has absolutely no help up in Toronto. Is gritty and has some of that experience that the rest of this younger team will be looking up to.
Keith Tkachuck: Is the Jason Blake of St. Louis. Put him back with some real talent and he has the ability to shine through.
Dustin Brown: Due to the lack of real US depth at the position, Brown makes the cut. If he was left off of the team for someone with more size or defense like a Malone or Rolston, I would not be able to argue. Brown does bring more scoring ability to the table than those other two however.

Extra Forward:
Kyle Okposo: Poor kid is basically stuck on a minor league team. He has shown flashes of being a promising scorer and can bring instant energy into any game. This will be great experience for him for the future.

Line Combo's (LW, C, RW)
Parise, Stasny, Kessel
Blake, Drury, Kane
Thachuck, Gomez, Ryan
Brown, Connolly, Langenbrunner

Defensemen:
John Michael Liles: Plays solid defense and has the ability pinch in and jump into the offensive zone with a scoring mentality. Nice two way player.
Jack Johnson: On this list for his defensive ability. And you never know, maybe this summer while practicing with some offensive talent he picks up a thing or two.
Ryan Suter: Starting to notice a theme of my fast young defensemen who have the stamina to play big minute multiple days in a row?
Ryan Whitney: Someone has to be able to blast it from the point on the power play.
Brian Rafalski: Experienced, and someone has to pass it across to Whitney to blast it from the point on the power play.
Mike Komaserik: Big defenseman who will not get pushed around. Good on the penalty kill and can handle the size of a Malkin or Ovechkin or Jagr (few can handle the speed or the skill)
Matt Carle: Has the endurance to stay on the ice for long stretches and the speed to keep up with quick wingers.

Goalies:
Tim Thomas: Hard to argue against a 2.1 GAA and a 93% save percentage.
Ryan Miller: Should have been on the team in Turino and should have played over Ricky. When he's hot, he's scary good.
Craig Andersen: Ricky sucks and will be coming off of surgery anyway. Andersen is a nice 3rd string fill in and even though he probably won't see much ice time, the experience will be good for him.

Does this team have enough to pull a Lake Placid? Probably not. But with this roster right here, they may be able to sneak into the medal round depending on who else they are paired with in their group. Get to the medal round and anything is possible.