Congratulations Team USA...
Diligence paid off in the third. I was impressed with the patience of this year's team, and their dedication to a team system. Hopefully the victory won't be in vain, and American sports channels pick up this awesome tournament in the near future. If you enjoyed olympic hockey, this is the next best thing.
Good things about the tournament:
- tag-up offsides... limits the whistles, and doesn't interfere with the tempo of the game. That is a great rule implementation.
- north american dominance... the two systems most successful, focusing on scoring, physical presence, and to a certain degree team depth. Hopefully in the future the American team can afford to role 4 lines.
Bad things about the tournament:
- Marc Andr? Fleury's paddle... his goal stick caused massive problems in the third period for Canada, and he will have to improve his skills in visual adjustment and puck communication with his defenseman. If not, he will only be a successful goalie on a Roy-style team. Keep the paddle down Marc! Two goals buddy, two goals.
- European Impotence... awful showing for the eastern teams. There's some major flaws with the junior development programs in Russia and the Czech Republic.
- Austria and Ukraine... nice try guys. But you've been relegated. Bring on Belarus and Germany for next year.
- Canadian impatience... bad luck happens sometimes, but I hope my fellow countrymen will embrace the fact that the team played excellent and just came up short of expectation. Lest we forget that the Americans were a heavy favorite entering, and didn't disappoint.
Congratulations for a great effort from both teams... and a special shoutout to my defected cousin Brady Murray. Keeping the Gold Murray tradition.
