wildboy26
3-30-06, 9:19 AM
If Canada does these 8 things in picking their future World Cup and Olympic teams they will definitely win every one:
1)No free passes on the team for players with "legendary status". Before this year Lemieux and Yzerman were gauranteed spots on the team if they wanted them no matter how they were playing. That has to change in the future. In other words Joe Sakic should not be told he is in Vancouver if he simply chooses to be, no matter how he is playing as a 41 year old in 2010. If his play warrants it he should be there but that is it.
2)No free passes on the team for "loyal solier" kind of players. Players who are automaticaly put on the team because of their loyalty to past Team Canadas should no longer be an automatic. Players like Ryan Smyth and others like him should be put on a level playing field with others on making the team. For the record I am not saying Ryan Smyth neccessarily did not deserve a spot on the Olympic team this year, just that players like him should always in the future not be gauranteed spots because of past loyalty to the country, no matter how they are playing that year.
3)No personal alliances/friendships determining spots on the team. There were some people who were on Team Canada at the past Olympics, that seemed to be only there because they were from a team that a person in management or coaching positions on Team Canada were from. There are past examples of this as well(Eric Brewer on the 2002 Olympic Team, LOL!).
4)Really strongly look at Eric Staal everytime, much more strongly than they did this time. This guy is an unbelievable player, who can do a bit of everything and is an offensive powerhouse. If he mantains his current level of plays and does the natural develop with age he should be on every Team Canada in the next 8 years atleast!
5)No Rick Nash on the team ever again. If you put this guy on the team it is a gaurantee Canada will not win gold, Canada has lost the gold medal everytime Nash has been on any team, and won everytime he has not. He has never been part of a major winning team in his life, and never will, so dont bring the team down with having an incapable winner on the team.
6)Use a couple of pairings on lines of people who are both reasonably worthy of spots on the team individualy but are showing awesome chemistry that year together in the NHL(Cheechoo-Thornton in San Jose this year).
7)Actually pick the team just before the major event, not 5 months before the event as they have done in the past, especialy when picking this years Olympic team.
8)Factor in players who play really well on the big ice, not just NHL ice.
1)No free passes on the team for players with "legendary status". Before this year Lemieux and Yzerman were gauranteed spots on the team if they wanted them no matter how they were playing. That has to change in the future. In other words Joe Sakic should not be told he is in Vancouver if he simply chooses to be, no matter how he is playing as a 41 year old in 2010. If his play warrants it he should be there but that is it.
2)No free passes on the team for "loyal solier" kind of players. Players who are automaticaly put on the team because of their loyalty to past Team Canadas should no longer be an automatic. Players like Ryan Smyth and others like him should be put on a level playing field with others on making the team. For the record I am not saying Ryan Smyth neccessarily did not deserve a spot on the Olympic team this year, just that players like him should always in the future not be gauranteed spots because of past loyalty to the country, no matter how they are playing that year.
3)No personal alliances/friendships determining spots on the team. There were some people who were on Team Canada at the past Olympics, that seemed to be only there because they were from a team that a person in management or coaching positions on Team Canada were from. There are past examples of this as well(Eric Brewer on the 2002 Olympic Team, LOL!).
4)Really strongly look at Eric Staal everytime, much more strongly than they did this time. This guy is an unbelievable player, who can do a bit of everything and is an offensive powerhouse. If he mantains his current level of plays and does the natural develop with age he should be on every Team Canada in the next 8 years atleast!
5)No Rick Nash on the team ever again. If you put this guy on the team it is a gaurantee Canada will not win gold, Canada has lost the gold medal everytime Nash has been on any team, and won everytime he has not. He has never been part of a major winning team in his life, and never will, so dont bring the team down with having an incapable winner on the team.
6)Use a couple of pairings on lines of people who are both reasonably worthy of spots on the team individualy but are showing awesome chemistry that year together in the NHL(Cheechoo-Thornton in San Jose this year).
7)Actually pick the team just before the major event, not 5 months before the event as they have done in the past, especialy when picking this years Olympic team.
8)Factor in players who play really well on the big ice, not just NHL ice.