World Championship 2012

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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Puck »

Hey Per,

Are you going to be at any of the games?
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

Puck wrote:Hey Per,

Are you going to be at any of the games?
No, I'll just follow them on TV. It's a three hour drive to Stockholm, one way. Sure, it's doable, but I'm rather busy, and the semi finals and final will be played in Finland any way. Maybe next year.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by CFP! »

Uncle dans leg wrote:Anyone know which network carries this tournament?
Was watching on TSN this am.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

CFP! wrote:
Uncle dans leg wrote:Anyone know which network carries this tournament?
Was watching on TSN this am.
According to the official website ( http://www.infrontsports.com/mediaright ... /bplist00/ ) it seems TSN, RDS and CTV all have purchased some games.

You may also be able to watch the games att the IHWC youtube channel: http://m.youtube.com/#/user/icehockey?client=mv-google

There are recaps and stuff at the top, but if you scroll down there are also two live channels, one covering Helsinki (where Canada plays) and one Stockholm. There are regional blocks, but from what I can see it should not be blocked in Canada.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

Huh? No one watching the Canada vs USA game? Oh well. 1-1 after the first period.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

Canada loses in ot.

Sweden otoh, beat the Czechs 4-1! :D
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by SKYO »

WTF! Booooooo, lucky there are more games to go!
HELSINKI – Jack Johnson scored his second power-play goal of the game at 1:47 of overtime with John Tavares in the penalty box for delay of game to give the United States a 5-4 win over Canada. This was the first U.S. win over their rivals since 2010 and only second since 1985 (18 games).

Team captain Johnson, a defenceman, also played a game-high 25:44. Tavares had a goal and assist for Canada.

“It’s never fun to lose," Canada's goalie Cam Ward said, "no matter if it’s in regulation or on overtime. They scored a big goal to force it into OT and we took a bad break on the penalty to give them an opportunity to score."

“It’s an easy game to get up for," Jimmy Howard, Ward's counterpart said. "You’re having fun out there, and that’s exactly what it was today--fun. It’s great to get a good start. We’re now 2-0, and we just have to build off it."

Indeed, the U.S. is off to a great start while Canada is 1-1 in Group A action. Both teams have five games remaining in the round robin.

The young Americans opened the scoring off a harmless-looking rush. Jim Slater carried the puck into the Canada end with some speed, and while players from both sides gathered in front of goalie Cam Ward, Slater fired. His shot through a maze of players beat Ward cleanly.

Canada tied the game on a pretty goal. The puck came back to the point to Duncan Keith. He spotted John Tavares alone in front and fired a quick pass to him, and Tavares smartly outwaited Jimmy Howard before backhanding the puck in.

Canada was lucky to escape the first in a 1-1 tie. The Americans were faster and more creative off the rush, and only several fine saves by Ward kept the score close. Most impressive, Kyle Okposo had an open net off a rebound off the back boards, but Ward dove back and got his stick on the puck in the dying seconds.

Canada weathered two penalties in the first part of the middle period and then took the lead thanks to a nice play from Tavares again. Coming in with Jeff Skinner on a two-on-two, Tavares criss-crossed and left the puck for his teammate. Skinner then ripped a shot to the far side past Howard’s blocker to make it 2-1 Canada at 7:34.

Penalties caught up to Canada later in the period, though. Johnson tied the game when a loose puck squirted his way. He drilled a quick shot to the back side of Ward’s goal before the goalie could follow the puck over.

Special teams played a role again in a goal-filled third. Canada got a power play halfway through, but it was American Patrick Dwyer who stuffed the puck in on a wraparound at 6:43 to give the U.S. a 3-2 lead.

Evander Kane tied the game midway through on a great shot. He skated in over the blue line and a space opened, allowing him to move in. He ripped a shot over Howard's glove to make it 3-3.

The U.S. went ahead again with only 3:41 to go when Nate Thompson got his own rebound and backhanded a dribbler over the goal line. But with just 1:39 left, Duncan Keith ripped a slapshot past Howard to tie the score 4-4.

The game took one final turn in regulation when Tavares batted the puck out of play, earning a penalty with 1.1 seconds left before the overtime period. That set the stage for Johnson's overtime heroics, as he snapped a quick wrist shot past a surprised Ward to win it.

The Americans play Slovakia next, on Monday, while Canada battles France earlier that day.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by orts »

Since the abrupt end to the Canucks season, and given the teams that remain, I can't get interested in the NHL at all, which is unusual for me. Living in Europe now, the games are too late to stay up for anyway. The WC, on the other hand, is great; the free youtube channel makes all the games accessible, and it's very high-quality hockey with some familiar faces and lots of underdogs to cheer for.

Not super-invested in Canada winning, but hate to see them lose to the US :p Pretty decent game, but it seemed like the Sweden-Czech game afterward was more physical; probably a function of the larger ice surface? i.e. the North American players were still figuring out how far they'd have to go out of position to make hits?

Speaking of which, watching Hedman smite Hemsky in the corner made me an instant fan. If we could get Hedman (maybe with someone like Lecavalier) for one of our surplus goalies (probably plus a defender), I'd be pleased.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

All teams have now played two games. What can we say so far?

Looking good:
Russia has started with two wins; 5-2 against Latvia and 4-2 against Norway. In all fairness, they haven't been tested yet, but Malkin has looked just as good as he did in the NHL. 5 points in 2 games and counting... :o

Sweden also has two wins; 3-1 against Norway and 4-1 against the Czechs. The first game was no real test but beating the Czechs, nay, humiliating them, was. The Detroit players (Zetterberg, Franzén, Kronwall) have played an important part.

The USA started by blowing the French out of the water in a 7-2 win. They then followed this up by defeating Canada in ot. They've been tested and proven to be on the right track.

The Finns, what can I say? They have scored a total of two goals and won two games (vs Belarus and Slovakia). No goals against so far. Shutdown hockey at its finest... :wink:

The Swiss also have a perfect record so far, but looking at who they played (Kazakstan and Belarus), I think it's too early to say that they're a contender. Will definitely reach the quarter finals though.

Mixed record:
Well, obviously, Canada. They did beat Slovakia, but only by one goal (3-2) and they lost in overtime against the USA. No need to be alarmed though. It'd take a miracle for them to miss the quarter finals, and once there, they will elevate their game. Canada has a long history of playing like shyte in the roundrobin but bringing it in the elimination games. I think it's a combination of jet lag, unfamiliarity with the bigger (wider) rink, and not really feeling that the roundrobin games matter. Getzlaf and Perry were out on the town last night, into the wee hours. The coach didn't seem to mind. I think they might get a curfew once the important games start though.

France. Big loss against the USA (7-2) Pretty big win against Kazakstan (6-3). They're not going to reach the quarter finals, but they won't be relegated either.

The Czechs beat Denmark 2-0 but then lost to Sweden 4-1. Not impressed. Still, they're the Czechs. They are the masters of the universe when it comes to trapping and holding on to a lead. If they get the first goal they can beat anyone. They will make the quart finals, and once there they can be a real pain for whoever faces them.

Germany. They beat Italy (wow! :roll: ) but lost against Latvia. Realistically they will be fighting for the last playoff berth with the Latvians, and if they are tied at the same points total, the Latvians will get that slot.

Which brings us to Latvia. They were ahead 1-0 after the first period against Russia, until Malkin revved up his engine and turned the game around by scoring two goals and having one assist. And then they beat Germany. I've always liked the Latvians. They are a tiny little hockey nation that basically consists of Dynamo Riga and friends and the most fanatic die hard fans the hockey world has ever seen. What I like about them is, apart from them being a perennial underdog, that they tend to try to play a skillls game, not trapping, and they are darn good at it, but lack the depths of bigger nations, so the games will be a bit of a roller coaster depending on who is at the ice at a given moment. :P
They tend to put up a good fight against better teams, but every now and then lose to the Belarus type ones. Having won the game against Germany, who is their prime rival in securing the fourth place, I say they have a really good shot at reaching the quarter finals this year.

Italy! Yup, they actually won a game, in ot, against Denmark, but still. Pretty much everyone thought this was the worst team in these championships, but apparently not. Lost 3-0 against Germany though...

Downright miserable:
Slovakia. Oh, how the mighty have fallen... :( Well, not that Slovakia ever was mighty, but they used to be part of Czechoslovakia, who were a pretty good team. Still. They did some pretty good tournaments right after they gained their independence. Unfortunately it seems hockey in Slovakia is now falling apart. Maybe they should apply for a new merger with the Czechs? Then again, they have two straight losses, but those are against Finland and Canada. They still have a shot at stealing fourth place, and a playoff berth, from teh Swiss, but it ain't going to be easy. The game against the Swiss will be key.

Belarus. Two one goal losses, against Finland and Switzerland. Not reaching the quarter finals, but probably won't face relegation either.

Norway has two losses so far, but against Sweden (3-1) and Russia (4-2). I don't think anyone expected they would win those. They won't be reaching the quarter finals, but they should be able to stay ahead of Italy and Denmark.

Kazakstan. They lost big to Switzerland and France. Nuff said. Is Borat coaching?

Denmark. They looked pretty decent in their 2-0 loss against the Czechs, but losing to Italy? Seriously! :lol:
Last edited by Per on Tue May 08, 2012 3:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Cookie La Rue »

Watched last night for the first time, Sweden - Denmark and they started like hell, this goal by Eriksson was so well played, respect. But how they let back Denmark in the game wasn't so convincing.

Also watched parts of the last period of USA - Slovakia, the Slovaks didn't look bad to be honest.

Tonight i'm going to watch Germany - Russia :mrgreen:

ps: Why there's not so much interest? The reporters told because of the super expensive ticket prices but they already lowered them...
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Re: World Championship 2012

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Cookie La Rue wrote:Watched last night for the first time, Sweden - Denmark and they started like hell, this goal by Eriksson was so well played, respect. But how they let back Denmark in the game wasn't so convincing.
Yeah, Sweden played like they were possessed for two periods, creating a 6-1 lead and the Danes were reduced to mere spectators. Then the Danes scored their second goal in the waning seconds of the second period and went on to score two more in the third. Basically I think the Swedish players lost their focus because they were too superior. They were playing too fancy, trying to show off. And the Danes do have a handful of good players, especiaclly their three NHLers, Nielsen, Eller and Hansen. Five on five, the Danes were really struggling, but they had an excellent power play, which is how they got three of their goals (even if the 6-4 goal is listed as EQ since Hedman was let out 2 seconds before the goal fell). Still, I watched the game and never felt worried. In a way this may actually be better, because now the players won't feel cocky and they know they have to improve parts of their game, especially playing short handed.
Cookie La Rue wrote:Also watched parts of the last period of USA - Slovakia, the Slovaks didn't look bad to be honest.
No, they bounced back quite nicely, beating the USA, who in turn had beaten Canada... This makes this group far more interesting! 8-)

Also, Norway forced the Czechs into overtime and a penalty shootout before being defeated. The one point they got from that game can be crucial in teh end, and the Czechs still fail to impress.
Cookie La Rue wrote:Tonight i'm going to watch Germany - Russia :mrgreen:
Just don't hope for Germany to win, eh? :lol:
Cookie La Rue wrote:ps: Why there's not so much interest? The reporters told because of the super expensive ticket prices but they already lowered them...
It's scandalous imho. Creating a lot of badwill. Initially they sold the tickets in packages, which is why there are fewer people in the arena than the official count, as some obviously just skip the games they weren't interested in to begin with. Also, it made the cost steeper for those who might just want to watch the odd game. Then when they did release single game tickets, they charged too much. Nose bleeds were about CAD60, and the prime seats cost more than CAD200. They've now switched a lot of the medium priced seats to the nose bleed level (the best seats sold out anyway), and I think they've cut prices in half for games with little "local interest", but I still think they should have gone even further, giving away tickets to schools and youth hockey teams and such to fill the arenas in games no one cares about.

A tournament like this should not primarily be about making money, but about marketing the game, and you don't do that with half empty arenas. A lot of the games are day time on regular work days, so they should have realised people aren't going to take a day off to watch Belarus playing Slovakia. That's when you should give away tickets to a local school or something. Fill the arena and help create future fans. Poor planning. Poor thinking.
They get an F for this in my book. :evil:
Last edited by Per on Wed May 09, 2012 1:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Cookie La Rue »

The Germans didn't play bad for their capabilities. Just 2 nothing is nearly a success.
Sweden will score more tonight if they're playing together not like the Russians, just being single warriors.

I'm still wondering why it is half empty even at the late games, i guess most people giving an F now.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Per »

Cookie La Rue wrote:The Germans didn't play bad for their capabilities. Just 2 nothing is nearly a success.
Sweden will score more tonight if they're playing together not like the Russians, just being single warriors.
We should. The Russians have had a problem playing as a team ever since the breakup of the Soviet Union. It's odd, because the old Soviet team were the ultimate team players, but now that they have some more freedom in their life, it seems they have forgotten that there's no I in team.
Cookie La Rue wrote:I'm still wondering why it is half empty even at the late games, i guess most people giving an F now.
It's funny, but remember in my last post I suggested they should give away tickets to schools and youth teams? Apparently the organisers must have been eaves dropping, because last night they announced that they will do exactly that! Schools and youth teams in the Stockholm area can now apply for free tickets. Of course it didn't have an effect the same night, but hopefully there will be a difference in the games to come. :)

I was pleased to see the Latvians win big against Italy (5-0) and it seems the Finns finally got their aim right, beating Switzerland 5-2.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by Cookie La Rue »

:mrgreen: Totally unexpected, 3-2 after two periods.

Final 5-2 Sweden, that was expected for this doubleheader. Now Germany has 2 days of rest and i think this team will fight like beasts against Denmark, Norway and finally the Czech Rep. It's not impossible to reach the 4th place.
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Re: World Championship 2012

Post by SKYO »

Eberle might as well prepare for the 2014 winter Olympics, he's the next Joe Sakic except as a winger.
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