2016 World Cup thread

[DON]

And Subban has a gold medal for being the waterboy.

[dlbalr]

Plekanec gets the winner for the Czechs this afternoon in their final tune-up game against Gimmick Team A (aka North America).

[Scott462]

Tough game against the Ruskies. 3-2 win in overtime.

Bobrovsky was standing on his head made some of those glove saves look effortless.

Carey Price played really well a little sloppy with his glove but looking to be returning to his old self. The two goals he let in was a bomb from Ovi on a 5-3 and the other was a unlucky rebound off a rushing play where I think he got knocked away from the net.

Canada also took a million penalties

[Guest Stogey24]

Tough game against the Ruskies. 3-2 win in overtime.

Bobrovsky was standing on his head made some of those glove saves look effortless.

Carey Price played really well a little sloppy with his glove but looking to be returning to his old self. The two goals he let in was a bomb from Ovi on a 5-3 and the other was a unlucky rebound off a rushing play where I think he got knocked away from the net.

Canada also took a million penalties

This tourney is a good thing for Price. Let him work all that shit out now.

He still looks so solid in net though. Cool as a Cucumber

[Scott462]

Carey is solid as ever and you can tell he just needs games under his belt and he will be right as rain.

Also Weber getting praise:

https://www.wch2016.com/news/team-canada-has-high-praise-for-shea-weber/c-281818882

[Link67]

Carey is solid as ever and you can tell he just needs games under his belt and he will be right as rain.

Also Weber getting praise:

https://www.wch2016.com/news/team-canada-has-high-praise-for-shea-weber/c-281818882

Couldn't agree more with what is being said. From an observational stand point Weber has played 3 games at a high level, each one nearly identical. And at the same time has been very solid to the point where he has made me cringe in my chair the least of all the guys playing on that D.

He has certainly made it easy for Babcock to play him those minutes by being steady as a mountain each game so far.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

Canada looks like Floyd Mayweather-boring as sin and impossible to beat. They've got 2/3rd of the league's talent and they're all buying into the system.

[dlbalr]

The real games get underway tomorrow. While you wait, here's a report card from the not-as-real games: http://www.habsworld.net/2016/09/world-cup-of-hockey-pre-tournament-grades/

[Habsfan84]

Canada is well on their way to a great showing at the Tournament. USA is obviously the biggest disappointment of the Tournament and are taking quite a bit of heat for it.

My biggest pet peeve about this tournament so far other than the gimmick format, has to be the use of the CGI (virtual) boards for advertising during the telecast. I find it to be a huge distraction. The ads keep changing during every camera transition and it is of great annoyance. You get glimpses of the regular boards during replays or from certain cameras.

The technology is not without its flaws either. The colour of the CGI boards doesn't match the colour of the regular boards so you see a contrast. The CGI also goes glitchy whenever a player sprays up snow near the boards since it must work by omitting any moving object from getting covered up by the CGI.

Anyways that's my mini rant. I really hope they never bring the technology to the "real" games as it takes away from the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

[Commandant]

Canada is well on their way to a great showing at the Tournament. USA is obviously the biggest disappointment of the Tournament and are taking quite a bit of heat for it.

My biggest pet peeve about this tournament so far other than the gimmick format, has to be the use of the CGI (virtual) boards for advertising during the telecast. I find it to be a huge distraction. The ads keep changing during every camera transition and it is of great annoyance. You get glimpses of the regular boards during replays or from certain cameras.

The technology is not without its flaws either. The colour of the CGI boards doesn't match the colour of the regular boards so you see a contrast. The CGI also goes glitchy whenever a player sprays up snow near the boards since it must work by omitting any moving object from getting covered up by the CGI.

Anyways that's my mini rant. I really hope they never bring the technology to the "real" games as it takes away from the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

Seeing as the tv network gets paid for the CGI ads, and doesn't get paid for the regularboard ads, expect this to be a more and more common occurrence unfortunately.

[dlbalr]

Price sits tonight (won't even dress) while Pacioretty/Plekanec will finish up their tournaments tomorrow. They won't miss too much training camp time after all.

[Habsfan84]

Seeing as the tv network gets paid for the CGI ads, and doesn't get paid for the regularboard ads, expect this to be a more and more common occurrence unfortunately.

Oh agree 100% it's coming. Just wish there was enough backlash to make them think twice but so far they say that people are taking positively to it. Whether that's true or not is another question.

Teams will make less on those ads in the arenas though cause of it since the ads won't get as much TV time.

[Commandant]

Oh agree 100% it's coming. Just wish there was enough backlash to make them think twice but so far they say that people are taking positively to it. Whether that's true or not is another question.

Teams will make less on those ads in the arenas though cause of it since the ads won't get as much TV time.

Personally I bet at least 75% of people haven't noticed that they are CGI ads.

Of the 25% who did notice, i don't know how many it bothers... me I could care less, its not a big thing.

On the second point, Yup, the tv networks are converting it instead of the teams. Of course those tv networks are also paying the league the highest rights fees in history too, so there is that.

[dlbalr]

Two of the four remaining Habs will be eliminated tonight, either Price/Weber (both will play after sitting on Wednesday) or Emelin/Markov.  That means most of the team will be around for the bulk of training camp at least.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

On 2016-09-21 at 4:12 PM, Habsfan84 said:

Oh agree 100% it's coming. Just wish there was enough backlash to make them think twice but so far they say that people are taking positively to it. Whether that's true or not is another question.

Teams will make less on those ads in the arenas though cause of it since the ads won't get as much TV time.

 

There is never 'enough backlash' to stop terrible ideas from being imposed upon us by the NHL. I'm old and senile enough to remember when ads were first introduced on the boards and the ice. Everyone hated it, but none of us did anything about it.

Hell, just look at the World Cup itself - a transparent attempt to undermine NHL participation at the Olympics, being happily gobbled up by fans and media.

There will be advertising on team jerseys soon enough. It will start subtly and gradually get worse and worse. Fans will grumble but will continue to buy the product. And that's all the NHL gives a flying f**k about.

[KoRP]

You are absolutely right CC... no doubt about it.

[dlbalr]

Weber had himself quite the game tonight, I thought he was Canada's best defenceman.  On the flip side, Markov and Emelin both struggled and Price looked shaky at times.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

Really sucks that Canada won. I've been hoping all along that the profitable teams would get eliminated and render this whole insult to hockey a bust. But seeing as the whole thing is basically rigged to ensure Canadian success (and that Canada is simply a hockey-winning machine), I suppose this desirable outcome was always far-fetched.

[Lovett's Magnatones]

3 minutes ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

Really sucks that Canada won. I've been hoping all along that the profitable teams would get eliminated and render this whole insult to hockey a bust. But seeing as the whole thing is basically rigged to ensure Canadian success (and that Canada is simply a hockey-winning machine), I suppose this desirable outcome was always far-fetched.

Why don't you like the tournament? Tonight's game was a lot of fun. I don't really do TV or movies, so I'm really glad to have hockey back in any capacity.

[Scott462]

27 minutes ago, dlbalr said:

Weber had himself quite the game tonight, I thought he was Canada's best defenceman.  On the flip side, Markov and Emelin both struggled and Price looked shaky at times.

Weber looked really good.

 

He shut down every rush he came up against. When you think that Russia has some of the best forwards in the tournament that's impressive.

 

The first goal Price faced was a perfect shot right on the tip of the crossbar on his off side. The second goal Piet did not cover his man and the Russian knocked it out of the air. And the third well what can you say the Russian player was almost standing on top of him lol. I thought in the third once Price started facing some shots he settled down.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

55 minutes ago, Lovett's Magnatones said:

Why don't you like the tournament? Tonight's game was a lot of fun. I don't really do TV or movies, so I'm really glad to have hockey back in any capacity.

 

I don't like the tournament because:

 

1. It is designed primarily to strong-arm the IOC. The more successful it is, the less likely it is that the NHL participates in the next Olympics (unless the IOC caves). Since NHL players in the Olympics is the single greatest thing to happen in international hockey in decades, this tournament should be opposed by every fan who cares more about the game than the NHL/IOC competition for the title of Most-Self-Important-Greedy-Sports-Scumbags-This-Side-of-FIFA.

 

2. It's not a bona-fide 'world cup,' since countries with strong hockey programs, like Slovakia and Switzerland, are arbitrarily excluded by the NHL gods who get to decide who plays and who doesn't. Naturally countries without a critical mass of NHLers don't get to participate. Allowing them in might 'grow the game,' but not the NHL brand, which is all they give a wet fart about.

 

3. In place of actual countries, therefore, we get this asinine make-believe teams - gimmicky sh*t for a sh*t gimmicky tournament.

 

(1) is of course the really important issue. It beats me how fans cannot see that by supporting this horse-manure bogus event, they are facilitating the NHL's kneecapping of the Olympics - which, if successful, would deprive us of ANY uncompromised international hockey tournament. The World Championships are marred by the overlap with the NHL playoffs; the Olympics will revert to being a grab-bag joke; and the World Cup is anything but.

 

I haven't watched a minute of it and I haven't given the relevant websites any hits. Alas, most fans seem all too happy to crawl up Bettman's butt-crack. All that's left, then, is hoping the IOC bends its rules to please the NHL. If they don't, the Olympics are toast, thanks to this successful farce of a tournament.

 

 

 

[xXx..CK..xXx]

1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said:

 

I don't like the tournament because:

 

1. It is designed primarily to strong-arm the IOC. The more successful it is, the less likely it is that the NHL participates in the next Olympics (unless the IOC caves). Since NHL players in the Olympics is the single greatest thing to happen in international hockey in decades, this tournament should be opposed by every fan who cares more about the game than the NHL/IOC competition for the title of Most-Self-Important-Greedy-Sports-Scumbags-This-Side-of-FIFA.

 

2. It's not a bona-fide 'world cup,' since countries with strong hockey programs, like Slovakia and Switzerland, are arbitrarily excluded by the NHL gods who get to decide who plays and who doesn't. Naturally countries without a critical mass of NHLers don't get to participate. Allowing them in might 'grow the game,' but not the NHL brand, which is all they give a wet fart about.

 

3. In place of actual countries, therefore, we get this asinine make-believe teams - gimmicky sh*t for a sh*t gimmicky tournament.

 

(1) is of course the really important issue. It beats me how fans cannot see that by supporting this horse-manure bogus event, they are facilitating the NHL's kneecapping of the Olympics - which, if successful, would deprive us of ANY uncompromised international hockey tournament. The World Championships are marred by the overlap with the NHL playoffs; the Olympics will revert to being a grab-bag joke; and the World Cup is anything but.

 

I haven't watched a minute of it and I haven't given the relevant websites any hits. Alas, most fans seem all too happy to crawl up Bettman's butt-crack. All that's left, then, is hoping the IOC bends its rules to please the NHL. If they don't, the Olympics are toast, thanks to this successful farce of a tournament.

 

 

 

 

I think most fans who are supporting the tournament enjoy hockey, period. I wasn't a fan of the tournament going in but I'm not going to boycot watching the games just to prove a point. I was thinking while watching today how the reason you gave would be a bit of a silly reason not to watch the game. Because many people feel the same way I'm sure. I wasn't too excited about the game going in simply because I think Canada is too dominant. The contest today wasn't bad, though, and I think that should really be how the tournament is judged. By the quality of its matches.

[dlbalr]

11 hours ago, Scott462 said:

The first goal Price faced was a perfect shot right on the tip of the crossbar on his off side. The second goal Piet did not cover his man and the Russian knocked it out of the air. And the third well what can you say the Russian player was almost standing on top of him lol. I thought in the third once Price started facing some shots he settled down.

 

I wasn't as concerned with the goals Price allowed as I was with some other things.  He seemed hesitant at times, especially when the Russians had scored two in the second.  He also shot past his post a few times going side to side which created a couple of openings.  I agree he looked better when he started to face more shots though.  It wasn't a bad game by any stretch but some of those rust-based issues were present at times.

[The Chicoutimi Cucumber]

11 hours ago, xXx..CK..xXx said:

 

I think most fans who are supporting the tournament enjoy hockey, period. I wasn't a fan of the tournament going in but I'm not going to boycot watching the games just to prove a point. I was thinking while watching today how the reason you gave would be a bit of a silly reason not to watch the game. Because many people feel the same way I'm sure. I wasn't too excited about the game going in simply because I think Canada is too dominant. The contest today wasn't bad, though, and I think that should really be how the tournament is judged. By the quality of its matches.

 

Well, I have no illusions about the effectiveness of my personal "boycott." But if someone accepts my arguments above, I would think that watching the tournament is what's silly. Why on earth would anyone even be interested in a totally bogus tournament conceived with the intent to destroy the greatest international tournament in the sport, i.e., the Olympics? It's not like I've been at all tempted and have had to will myself not to watch, The whole thing is B.S.. 

 

(The response that "it's great hockey" is no response, at least to me. The Olympics are even greater hockey, so our best interest lies in rejecting anything that jeopardizes that. And there's always lots of "great hockey" around that we don't watch, e.g., junior hockey; so the mere claim that such-and-such a thing provides "great hockey" doesn't translate into a knockout argument for the necessity of watching it).

[Commandant]

I love Olympic hockey, but I can't blame the owners for not wanting to shut down their season for two weeks, plus foot the bill for insurance, with the IIHF and IOC picking up none of the tab, and the IOC and IIHF raking in the money on ticket sales and tv contracts for the event. I rarely, if ever, sympathise with the NHL owners, but they have a damn good argument here.  Doesn't help that the IOC is the only organization on the planet that rivals FIFA in terms of corruption running rampant (and I'm including all organizations, not just sports). 

 

That said, this tournament does not necessarily mean NHL participation in the Olympics is dead either. But yes, you are right in that it is a shot across the bow of the IIHF and IOC.  

 

I can't blindly support boycotting something just cause it is meant to screw with the IOC's stranglehold on things though.  The IOC is not an organization I can get behind.