Team Canada 2014 -- who will be on it?

LeKing wrote:Serious question: there are actually people in here who would take Spezza over Datsyuk?

I would only right now because one is 35 years old.

LeKing wrote:Serious question: there are actually people in here who would take Spezza over Datsyuk?

Only at the Royal Ottawa.

NEELY wrote:
Ah yes, this old gem.  Only in Ottawa would this even be a statement.  People who defend Spezza when ever they feel he needs defending uses the PPG argument but never ever would they ever admit that he hasn't won much of anything at the Jr. or pro level and then it's the "well it's a team sport".  Well if it's a team sport then individual stats shouldn't matter like PPG when describing how beneficial a player his to his team, right?  

Glad the higher ups in the hockey world agree with my take and a few others and not blind fan boys.

I really think you're selling stats short. They are not the be all and end all, but you win games by outscoring your opponent. So I'll admit that not every point is equal (scoring a bunch of goals to make a 3-2 game 6-2, empty netters, etc.) but to completely discount someone's offensive production?

If your team wins and you score a bunch of points it's great.

If your team loses and you don't score a bunch of points (assuming you are a scorer and not a checker), then that's not so great.

If your team wins and you don't score a bunch of points, or if your team loses and you *do* score a bunch of points, then those have to be looked at in greater detail.

Spezza *will* make some players better (look no farther than Greening two years ago); he will not make *everyone* better.

NEELY wrote:

LeKing wrote:Serious question: there are actually people in here who would take Spezza over Datsyuk?

Only at the Royal Ottawa.

Datsyuk took a while to get to that place, though. And he was playing on a stacked team.

Spezza is a #1 center in the NHL and a good one. There are pretty close to a dozen centers I would take over him and a lot of them produce a less and probably won't have a career PPG like Spezza does at 30. Bergeron, Toews, and Datsyuk comes to mind right away. Either way, people need to get off that one and ONLY point they seem to make when ever Spezza's reputation or on ice play is in question.

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

LeKing wrote:Serious question: there are actually people in here who would take Spezza over Datsyuk?

Only at the Royal Ottawa.

Datsyuk took a while to get to that place, though.  And he was playing on a stacked team.

Datsyuk got there and figured it out at the same age Spezza is now. We'll see if it happens when he gets the "C" and hopefully it does because the Sens and the city need him to be that leader. Datsyuk is also a lot harder on the puck and a much better skater than Spezza ever was, he's always the first one in the corner and first on the back check, Spezza is never that.

I can't believe we are even talking about the two in the same breath. May as well be talking about Crosby vs Spezza too.

NEELY wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

LeKing wrote:Serious question: there are actually people in here who would take Spezza over Datsyuk?

Only at the Royal Ottawa.

Datsyuk took a while to get to that place, though.  And he was playing on a stacked team.

Datsyuk got there and figured it out at the same age Spezza is now.  We'll see if it happens when he gets the "C" and hopefully it does because the Sens and the city need him to be that leader.  Datsyuk is also a lot harder on the puck and a much better skater than Spezza ever was, he's always the first one in the corner and first on the back check, Spezza is never that.  

I can't believe we are even talking about the two in the same breath.  May as well be talking about Crosby vs Spezza too.

Well, if anything can do that, this latest development will -- daddy just left and told all the kids that he doesn't think they'll ever amount to much. Time for Jason (and the others) to grow up, grow a set, and prove "daddy" wrong.

By the way, we are not comparing skill level, just the career trajectories.

Not a shot against Spezza, but Pavel is an offensive wizard while being at the top of the NHL in takeaways year in year out. He's the forward Karlsson.
Yes I love intangibles  
As for career trajectories, I don't think Spezza has the skating style to become a defensive monster.

Time to revisit this thread I guess... 11am... here we go...

TSN's prediction: http://www.tsn.ca/montreal/story/?id=440484

I think they've made some changes today though...

Hamhuis in for Boyle I think.

I'd have Seabrook and James Neal on my team.

TSN also took Giroux and Couture off and put Kunitz and Carter in.

Kunitz/Crosby/Stamkos
Nash/Getzlaf/Perry
Sharp/Toews/Tavares
Couture/Bergeron/M.Richards
St.Louis, Grioux

Keith/Doughty
JBo/APeit
Vlasic/Weber
Boyle/Seabrook

Luongo
Price
Smith

Best guess

Jeff Carter blows

If Subban is off the team, prepare for riots in Montreal. Heh heh.

Kunitz/Crosby/Neal
Couture/Getzlaf/Perry
Sharp/Toews/Stamkos
Giroux/Bergeron/Tavares
Marleau, Duchene

Keith/Seabrook
JBo/Pietrangelo
Weber/Doughty
Vlasic/Boyle

Price
Luongo
Crawford

That's who I would take, not who I think will be picked.

Brophy: Hearing Kunitz in; Giroux out

shabbs wrote:If Subban is off the team, prepare for riots in Montreal. Heh heh.