This (not so) stupid 4 Nations Crap tournament

[Strangelove]

Frankie said that.

Nah

[Argay Ham]

I like Frankie's analyses generally speaking, but he's a biased Leaves-lover.

Yes the dman (Fox) fucked up, but he was on his way towards Marner.

Pigman should not have left McDink alone in front of the net.

Nah yeah.

My 2 shakes on the matter is, when you are playing as fast a game the two teams played, you're much better off going man-to-man. That's the simplest secret to playoff hockey.

Poor Frankie was taught zone defence too early. Brilliant hockey mind, but not the fastest guy out there which leads inevitably to injuries that don't get caught as early as they should. You're lucky to make it out of the league with two functioning knees, ask Bobby Orr who once said to a reporter who asked him why he wore a jock but not a helmet, "I can always get someone to do the thinking for me".

To wit, what the American market does not appreciate is why Marner might be a winner in this league one day, I'm not so sure Matthews will ever be. I think Matthews was the guy Friedman referred to as "one or two guys might want to win the scoring race rather than the Title". I think 34 was one of them. I also think Friedman has or would say this cold-blooded to his face as well, knowing him.

[Topper]

Theodore out. Possibly the Tampa Turtle gone long term.

Does player and fan love, ratings and merch sale windfall surpass owners ire as their star players head to the infirmary to allow this tournament happen again anytime soon?

Thinking injury toll in the Olympics will have a big influence.

[donlever]

Brady gimpy and out last night as well for a Sens team looking to qualify for post season play.

McAvoy. Allegedly the Bruins are unhappy as to how USA hockey dealt with his issue.

Yeah.

Not great.

[Tciso]

Brady gimpy and out last night as well for a Sens team looking to qualify for post season play.

McAvoy. Allegedly the Bruins are unhappy as to how USA hockey dealt with his issue.

Yeah.

Not great.

What do players and teams expect? They wanted NHL playoff hockey at this tournament, and they got it. Guys played way harder for those 3 or 4 games than any time outside the playoffs, and the Canada/USA games were some of the roughest games I've seen in years.

If this was an IIHF tournament, there would be less physicality and less injuries. And it would have been a boring tournament too.

So, without some real info and not heresay, I am staying neutral on this topic, as it looks a lot like sour grapes by Boston. We don't know how bad his injury was, or if playing again made it worse. We don't know if McAvoy was honest to the doctors or not either. Players will say anything to play.

[donlever]

Yeah...pretty safe to say the inevitable was discussed prior to this event being rubber stamped.

The point being put out to ponder here is does this make this a one off or do they suck it up for the greater good (more eyes on the game, enhanced revenue streams et cetera)?

New ownership in Ottawa wants in the playoffs.

If Brady is shot the rest of the season and they fall out of contention how happy are they?

Florida has their eyes on a repeat.

No Matthew no way.

Does this in any way potentially stall the upward swing of the game in Florida?

Be interesting to see local commentaries if QH played and snapped a knee.

[Meds]

At this point I think any local commentaries would have been in principle only as, even with a healthy Quinn, the Canucks are not in the conversation for anything more than a W/C berth.

But certainly the media would have run amok. Probably finding a way to blame the team.

[Cornuck]

There's obviously risk involved, and of course, we would be calling for Bettman's head if Hughes had been injured.

But so what - the league owners, the players, everyone knew the risk going in. Deal with it.

As for the 'roughness' level - I think the players were hitting, but not with (near) intent to injure you see in the playoffs. You didn't see the cheap shots and hits to the head (other than fighting). That is what I enjoyed about the series, it was tough, but mostly clean, hockey.

The players wanted it, the fans wanted it, the owners wanted it. It put the game in the spotlight (in a good way). And yeah, there were a couple of inevitable injuries.

[Meds]

That’s a good take Corn.

As a Canadian, I am glad Hughes didn’t play. He probably would have been the best player on Team USA. A toss up between him and Matthews.

The way we have watched Hughes control the game in Vancouver, I think he puts them over the top in the tournament.

[donlever]

Once again we are speaking in the now and not the future (other events, Olmypics) which was what the intent of the discussion was trying to be pushed towards.

I'll try another subject matter down the road.

Moving on....

[Meds]

The only Olympic hockey I’ve watched that may have matched the intensity of what we just saw was the Canada vs USA in Salt Lake City and the rematch in Vancouver.

[Topper]

Once again we are speaking in the now and not the future (other events, Olmypics) which was what the intent of the discussion was trying to be pushed towards.

I'll try another subject matter down the road.

Moving on....

They're livin' in the past.

[donlever]

Once again we are speaking in the now and not the future (other events, Olmypics) which was what the intent of the discussion was trying to be pushed towards.

I'll try another subject matter down the road.

Moving on....

They're livin' in the past.

..or on a prayer.

Seems to me a pertinent discussion with respect to the continued growth and evolution of the game (and how to make that happen without raping what currently exists) and the relevant risk/reward ratios involved especially when we consider financial impact for the local team what with OEL buyouts and 11.6 potentially hampering our cap moving forward when considering a 15, 16, 18 million dollar long term deal on the horizon..

...and the above does not even touch on the upcoming CBA negotiations nor the fact that the league will be under new stewardship sooner than later.

Extra-curricular events and their positive versus negative effects harbour real time impact on the league as a whole but also our local team (and their 18 million dollar (sic) defenseman noted above)....

[Topper]

That is why I asked the question.

Four and counting, top players in the league not playing when the league returns and teams are heading to a playoff run.

Owners pay the bills and pocket profits from playoff games, not mid season out of league tournaments.

It may grow the game, but how many patriotic Americans changed their habits and tuned into their local NHL broadcast on Saturday after they had pounded their chests online on Thursday morning? For many, it was a first since they read about the Miracle On Ice the day after the game.

[Meds]

I believe my pre-tournament opinion of what this ASG replacement would be was predicated heavily on what you’re talking about Donny in regards to the impact on the local team. I was very very surprised by the physical intensity of the Canada vs US games and relieved that Quinn wasn’t cleared to play while still recovering.

What about local representation? I haven’t scrutinized it heavily, but the cursory once over I gave saw that Seattle wasn’t even represented. I also didn’t notice any players from Washington who have been 1-2 with Winnipeg this season. What happens in the scenario where Hellebuyck gets injured and Kyle Connor comes back a bit banged up while the Capitals hit the home stretch of the season with all of their best players having had 2 weeks to rest and recoup?

This sort of thing could be season altering for a team.

As for cap implications, if the revenues from this are factored into the upcoming CBA, it could help teams find some flexibility when they are staring down the barrel of wasted or dead cap space.