2009 World Junior Championship thread

[JLP]

PK Subban with the first goal Can 1 Swe 0

[JoeLassister]

38 seconds !!! Great PK Great !!!

[JLP]

Very physical game, I think the small rinks are reallty hurting the Swedes. Announcers are Canadian homers crap

[JLP]

Subban named one of the top three Canadian players!

[Doktor Kosmos]

Crap.

The Canadians were the better team when it counted, I'll give you guys that. Sweden had how many powerplays and it felt like we barely managed to hit the goal with any shots at all. Backlund's penelties were costly. Esposito and Della Rovere can drown in their bathtubs for all I care. Too bad the refs had to suck. Stinking cowards. That was embarrassing. If any of our players had run over the Canadian goalie like that they would have had to be escorted out of the place by the RCMP.

[jetsniper]

I dunno, I thought Sweden was getting away with murder for the last half of the game while Canada was getting everything called. Big props to our PK and especially to Tokarski for keeping it together. Sweden outshot us 40-31 based only on all those powerplays they got because we were easily the better team for the entire game.

No respect for Jacob Markstrom either, I couldn't believe some of the antics he pulled because the game wasn't going his way. I'd be embarassed if I were a Swedish fan and I'm glad Tokarski had more class then to go yapping/punching everyone in his sight. The embellished dive was especially poor when his own player bumped him. Tokarski legitimately got ran over and there was nothing called. I was glad the Canadian crowd got on him for the rest of the game, we were booing him at home too.

Solid game from Canada though, easily the best game they played for the entire tournament. They really addressed all of the issues that were left over from the Russia game and you've got give a lot of credit to the entire coaching staff for that. I personally didn't think this team was good enough to win again, I thought the US and Sweden were easily superior and I'm glad I was proven wrong.

DRIVE FOR FIVE! CANADA VICTORIOUS AGAIN!

[habs rule]

Crap.

The Canadians were the better team when it counted, I'll give you guys that. Sweden had how many powerplays and it felt like we barely managed to hit the goal with any shots at all. Backlund's penelties were costly. Esposito and Della Rovere can drown in their bathtubs for all I care. Too bad the refs had to suck. Stinking cowards. That was embarrassing. If any of our players had run over the Canadian goalie like that they would have had to be escorted out of the place by the RCMP.

I don't know what game you were watching but the swedes got the better of the penalty situation simply because of penalties not called. The goalie should have been thrown out of the game for being a plain old asshole with all the diving he was doing. Is it that he can't skate or is he prone to falling on his face, nah he's on the swim team, HE WAS AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE TOURNEY and will never survive in the nhl with that shite. hard fought game sweden did not look like gracious losers and I lost a lot of respect for them. I was suprised at their complete lack of class and their attempt to intimidate us, like that is going to happen. We played smart and won very deservedly. Try again next year.

[JLP]

For the record I saw solid contact on Markstrom when he went down. Might the constant "embellishment!" cries from the Canuck announcers have influenced your perceptions just a bit?

[jetsniper]

For the record I saw solid contact on Markstrom when he went down. Might the constant "embellishment!" cries from the Canuck announcers have influenced your perceptions just a bit?

Haha, I don't need someone to influence me when he barely gets tapped and goes down like he got shot. He was clearly diving around, the crowd booed him for the rest of the game. And there was no one to influence them, was there?

Although I don't agree that all of Sweden was being unclassy, just their immature goalie. Shitty display on the world stage, Markstrom

Edited January 6, 2009 by jetsniper

[sbhatt]

Markstrom was a joke...throwing himself to the ice in a corkscrew and flinging off his loose-fitting mask (purposely loose, no doubt). Also, the gutless little cheap shots taken by Hedman and one other Swede that were miraculously not called penalties...just pathetic.

[Habitforming]

For the record I saw solid contact on Markstrom when he went down. Might the constant "embellishment!" cries from the Canuck announcers have influenced your perceptions just a bit?

Come on now, once he was hit by his own player and he threw his head back like he was hit with a bat. The other time was on his way to the bench (on a delayed penalty to Canada) and he was the one who made contact with the Canadian forward and then threw his own legs out from under him while going down to embellish it. It was bad enough the refs called him on it.... FINALLY.

If Markstrom thinks that was hard to handle, wait until he goes to Florida.

Someone biting Hickey in a scrum, Hedman throwing punches on Esposito, Tedenby trying to push a Canadian players head through the ice after punching him while he was down, a highstick on Ennis, those are all calls that went uncalled...Sweden fans should be happy about that not in a forum bitching about refs.

Edited January 6, 2009 by Habitforming

[Doktor Kosmos]

This homerism is pretty hilarious.

[Mont Royale]

This homerism is pretty hilarious.

Those who disagree are automatically homers?

I thought the game was refereed reasonably well under the circumstances... the fact that both sides have cause to be disgruntled about the refs implies there was some balance.

I'll agree with the others about Markstrom. Sure, there was some uncalled contact (as there was at the other end), but his flopping and flailing at every turn was disgusting.

[Habitforming]

This homerism is pretty hilarious.

You can't deny any of what I wrote...it happened, it's all on film.

How is that homerism?

[Prime Minister Koivu]

Markstrom obviously buys his masks at Ikea.

Every time he threw himself to the ground, sent his mask flying and flopped about like fish, I had to laugh. I haven't seen anything like it before. Others have done it but not with such consistency and flair.

[CerebusClone]

It's funny how Habs' fans were whining about the Flyers crashing the net a lot in the last playoffs, and how it seems to have become a good thing, and just a normal part of hockey...

Canada spent the entire night assaulting Markstrom, running into him every chance they got, and this was obviously the strategy used by the coaching staff. I'm guessing that Markstrom isn't used to this at all, and that a lot of those plays would have penalized in the SEL. Therefore I can understand why he would become frustrated, and would try to embellish some of the contacts to get the penalties he Canada deserved.

This is just a learning process for this very young goalie who isn't fully familiar yet with North American hockey.

[Doktor Kosmos]

Yeah, whatever. I don't think we're going to get anywhere from here.

I said I thought I was the Canadian team was better and I would cincerely like to congratulate you for winning the gold. You guys were better when it counted. That don't mean I gotta like it tho.

[JoeLassister]

It's funny how Habs' fans were whining about the Flyers crashing the net a lot in the last playoffs, and how it seems to have become a good thing, and just a normal part of hockey...

Canada spent the entire night assaulting Markstrom, running into him every chance they got, and this was obviously the strategy used by the coaching staff. I'm guessing that Markstrom isn't used to this at all, and that a lot of those plays would have penalized in the SEL. Therefore I can understand why he would become frustrated, and would try to embellish some of the contacts to get the penalties he Canada deserved.

This is just a learning process for this very young goalie who isn't fully familiar yet with North American hockey.

There is a difference between rushing the crease and hitting the goalie in a run for the puck OUTSIDE of the crease.

[brobin]

The only goalie who was "run" was the Canadian goalie. The swede came in late, snowed him in the face, then pushed him over. No call. The swede goalie was embarrassing himself. As my son the goalie said "its a crease. not a pool, stop the diving".

The swedes had a ton of PP chances and couldn't cash in, it was as simple as that. The Canadian PK was fantastic.

The Canadian's had better goaltending, plain and simple.

[Neech]

Usually I get annoyed with all the ra-ra Canada cheerleading that accompanies this tournament, but in this final Sweden was the team that displayed less class. I don't know how someone could say that the reffing was in Canada's favour, it was Sweden after the whistle that was working the goonery, and Markstrom's diving antics are undeniable. Hedman punching Esposito in the head as he lay on the ice?

[saskhab]

The reffing was fine, quite good for the WJHC actually. Sure, Markstrom did some embellishing, but nothing that Marty Brodeur or Dominek Hasek don't do as well. Hedman didn't get called for hitting Esposito, but Esposito didn't get called for tripping Markstrom (which he did do, that wasn't a dive, a later one in the corner was as was the brush back from his own player). As for the Hickey "biting" thing, you couldn't actually see that the player did that, all that you could see was Hickey's reaction, which was embellishment even if he was bit. No way does it hurt that badly if a guy with a mouthguard on bites down on a heavily padded glove. Besides, that also tells me that Hickey got away with an excessive facewashing.

The game was filled with cheap nasty behaviour from both sides. Hard to expect much different from a group of teenagers in a highly charged competition. Heck, PK's display there after Tokarski got run was quite immature as well.

All of that doesn't take away from the actual play... which for Canada was very strong, and for Sweden not forceful enough.

[CerebusClone]

There is a difference between rushing the crease and hitting the goalie in a run for the puck OUTSIDE of the crease.

Canada did a lot more than rushing the crease, they purposely ran into Markstrom all night long, inside and outside the crease. And there's nothing wrong with that, Markstrom is probably the best junior goaltender in the world, and they needed to get under his skin, not unlike what Sean Avery did with Martin Brodeur during the last playoffs. You can argue that trash talking and waving your arms like an idiot to affect the goalie' concentration is classless and whatever, it's not any worse than physically assaulting the goaltender. When you're facing an difference-making goaltender, you need to do whatever it takes to remove him from the equation.

Canada's strategy was to crash the net, the referees decided it was legal by not calling penalties, and therefore Canada kept doing it. The Swedes even tried to do the same later on during the game. It's all fair and good.

[Habitforming]

The reffing was fine, quite good for the WJHC actually. Sure, Markstrom did some embellishing, but nothing that Marty Brodeur or Dominek Hasek don't do as well. Hedman didn't get called for hitting Esposito, but Esposito didn't get called for tripping Markstrom (which he did do, that wasn't a dive, a later one in the corner was as was the brush back from his own player). As for the Hickey "biting" thing, you couldn't actually see that the player did that, all that you could see was Hickey's reaction, which was embellishment even if he was bit. No way does it hurt that badly if a guy with a mouthguard on bites down on a heavily padded glove. Besides, that also tells me that Hickey got away with an excessive facewashing.

The game was filled with cheap nasty behaviour from both sides. Hard to expect much different from a group of teenagers in a highly charged competition. Heck, PK's display there after Tokarski got run was quite immature as well.

All of that doesn't take away from the actual play... which for Canada was very strong, and for Sweden not forceful enough.

Yeah that's what my coaches always told me and I now tell my kids... "If a player is "excessively face washing" you go ahead and bite him, it won't hurt because of the mouth guard and thick gloves"

I cant believe you are trying to justify biting in hockey!!!!!

Shake your head

Edited January 6, 2009 by Habitforming

[thib46]

Canada did a lot more than rushing the crease, they purposely ran into Markstrom all night long, inside and outside the crease. And there's nothing wrong with that, Markstrom is probably the best junior goaltender in the world, and they needed to get under his skin, not unlike what Sean Avery did with Martin Brodeur during the last playoffs. You can argue that trash talking and waving your arms like an idiot to affect the goalie' concentration is classless and whatever, it's not any worse than physically assaulting the goaltender. When you're facing an difference-making goaltender, you need to do whatever it takes to remove him from the equation.

Canada's strategy was to crash the net, the referees decided it was legal by not calling penalties, and therefore Canada kept doing it. The Swedes even tried to do the same later on during the game. It's all fair and good.

I was watching the game when the first penalty was called against Sweeden, the wrong player was called for the penalty, it was Markstrom with his goalie stick who tripped the Canadian Player. True Backsrom (sp) was called but it clearly shows Markstrom using his stick as a hook. He came to the game with an attitude and it went downhill from there.

[saskhab]

Yeah that's what my coaches always told me and I now tell my kids... "If a player is "excessively face washing" you go ahead and bite him, it won't hurt because of the mouth guard and thick gloves"

I cant believe you are trying to justify biting in hockey!!!!!

Shake your head

Where did I try to justify biting? I was simply saying a lot of stuff was happening in those scrums from both sides that the refs didn't call. The point I was debating was that Sweden got away with a ton and Canada was somehow facing an uphill battle vs. the refs... which I did not find to be true at all.

I also said you can't even see the guy biting Hickey on camera. You see Hickey's reaction, but not the action itself.

Sweden was obviously going in with the attitude that they wouldn't be pushed around, since that's Canada's strategy in every single WJHC final. They were overzealous in their actions, as could be seen right from the first penalty by Backlund on the first shift of the game. It cost them.