Like I said, I'd take Sweden....when you watch them they may not be as talented, but they look like theyve all played together for years.
It's not always about talent bud....how many superstar American basketball teams got dealt losses by not great but solid European squads....tons. And its because those countries play as a team.
Canada's 12 F are deeper, but cannot match the first 6 of Russia. And even though Canada's D is better....there are still alot of question marks on the younger guys.
Some of those Russian D-men you cast aside are REALLY GOOD hockey players.
+100....no value whatsoever and not realistic if you look at what history has to say about this.
Like I said, I'd take Sweden....when you watch them they may not be as talented, but they look like theyve all played together for years.
It's not always about talent bud....how many superstar American basketball teams got dealt losses by not great but solid European squads....tons. And its because those countries play as a team.
Canada's 12 F are deeper, but cannot match the first 6 of Russia. And even though Canada's D is better....there are still alot of question marks on the younger guys.
Some of those Russian D-men you cast aside are REALLY GOOD hockey players.
+100....no value whatsoever and not realistic if you look at what history has to say about this.
Sweden has a good chance and I never said they didnt. The fact that you are potraying them as some experianced laden team is somewhat arguable. They have 10 players who will be new members on the team. Sure that might be less then Canada but having that many guys playing on a smaller (greatly favours Canada more then Russ/Swe) I wouldnt use this as a HUGE contributing factor.
Russia has electric offensive players but having a good forward core isnt just about offence. What about solid role playing forwards who will do the dirty work like checking the other teams top lines and penalty killing. Canada has a HUGE advantage in this regard over Russia. Again If this was a shootout, sure Ill take Russias forwards over the Canadians but there are other dimensions besides offence. Russia has noone on there roster that can bring the same type of impact on the bottom lines like a M Richards, Toews, Morrow.
Ive seen plenty of Tyutin, Kalinin, Volchenkov, Grebechkov, Kornanyev. They are decent players but at a best on best tournament I would be very nervous about having them take up the bottom 4 of my defence core.
Russia's lineup has more question marks then Canada's. Canada's defence/goaltending is less of a concern then Russia's is.
We cannot look at the history of the games as a factor because nhl players have only gotten to play in the LAST 3 GAMES. where sweden, canada, and the czechs have won gold. Therefore no team can be labelled "choke artists" like the Canadians. People are also forgetting that this will be played in vancouver, on an nhl size rink, unlike the games in turin. From a betting standpoint it is clear that the canadians have no value at their current odds.. Sweden appears to offer the best value (+648) along with Finland (+2200). From a non-betting standpoint I dunno how you can put any question marks on team canada. This team has 8 CAPTAINS on it. The defense has great chemistry, as 2 OF THE 3 PAIRINGS will be the exact same as they are in the nhl (neidermayer-pronger, seabrook-keith).
He was there for his offensive prowess.
The defence has enough offence without Green. His defensive lapse's and untimely turnovers are what cost him a spot on the team.
You just have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. In the playoffs nabokov has a .915 save percentage and a 2.23 GAA. in the last olympics he had 3 shutouts in 7 games. Not exactly a choke artist. Luongo wont even be the starting goalie! it will be brodeur who has WON A GOLD MEDAL and multiple stanley cups. Please just dont even add anymore to this thread you have absolutely nothing to contribute
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