The Sheet Blog: Reivsiting the latest Canada/USA hockey classic
Just a couple of quick thoughts about Saturday in Montreal.
The booing – this went completely according to script, and nobody can be surprised at the action or reaction. We knew no matter what, the audience was going to have a go at the U.S. anthem, and people would go banana sandwich about it online.
Both happened.
Personally, I have no time for anthems before hockey games (or any sporting event) other than the Olympics or World Championships, and I have long lobbied against them. Now, we watch to see what our neighbors do with the Canadian anthem on Monday afternoon.
It was a great start to the game, with three fights in succession, but by the time the game settled in sometime early in the second period, it turned into a defensive struggle with little sustained offensive pressure from either team. A major tip of the cap to the Americans who suffocated and creativity from Canada’s elite weapons.
Major praise is due to Jaccob Slavin and Brock Faber, the U.S shutdown pair who extinguished every Canadian attack that came their way. The entire American defensive posture was tremendous.
After the fights that were the main story of the game, as someone mentioned to me this weekend, the game started off like Hagler/Hearns but finished like Mayweather/Pacquiao.
This was not Crosby’s finest game, and he’d be the first to admit that. The turnover in high ice that led to the Larkin goal is not something we’re used to seeing from the Canadian captain.
Connor McDavid’s goal was gorgeous, but at times, he doesn’t seem to be getting any support out there and must skate distance before any options open. Yesterday, someone mentioned to me that this is why Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman are brilliant — they can read his mind and be in the right place at the right time.
Jordan Binnington needed to be better. In a tournament where one bad goal can make the difference between winning and losing, he allowed two. Full credit to Jake Guentzel and Dylan Larkin for scoring but Binnington needs to stop at least Guentzel, Larkin’s was a perfect shot so good luck with that one.
Was great seeing Georges St Pierre at the Bell Centre on Saturday introducing Team Canada. I was at UFC 158 for his fight against Nick Diaz and the ovation he received was the loudest I ever heard in that building.
Absolutely deafening.
More dark vs. dark jerseys, please
Also, Red vs Blue looked fantastic.
I know I’ve sounded like a broken record about this for years but it’s something the NHL (and other leagues) should all look at doing.
White is the worst colour on a screen. It’s jarring to the eyes and shy of colouring the ice (I’m never going to win that fight, am I?) hockey should be looking at ways to make the players contrast the playing environment. White sweaters, white socks, white helmets all vying for eyeball attention playing over the backdrop of white ice and white boards. Talk about making your players invisible out there.
What a treat for a viewer’s eyes seeing dark colours ‘pop’ against a white background.
Video coach Andrew Brewer’s on board with the idea adding ‘Five weeks before the game the home team gets to select what colour they wear, then four weeks before the game the away team has to file their selection that meets certain guidelines.’
That’s plenty of lead time for equipment guys to get everything in order.
International hockey must-reads
I’ll talk more about these on The Sheet this week, but considering people have international hockey on their minds right now, these are a few of my favourite international hockey books.
Road to Olympus: How to win the Olympics by Anatoli Tarasov.
One of my all-time faves and one of the best books ever written about hockey. The legendary Russian coach spells out his philosophy of the game and you haven’t lived until you’ve heard him wax poetic about…passing the puck.
Then Greatest Game: Then Montreal Canadiens, the Red Army and the Night That Saved Hockey by Todd Denault.
Dec 31, 1975. One of the most important dates in hockey history as the Montreal Canadians faced off against the Central Red Army at the Forum in a match considered ‘the greatest game ever played’. Denault weaves the numerous stories surrounding this game together brilliantly.
Coming Down the Mountain: Re-thinking the 1972 Summit Series edited by Brian Kennedy.
A collection of thirteen essays looking back at the ’72 Summit Series that challenges long-held beliefs and myths about eight games Canadians still can’t stop talking about.
Freedom to Win by Ethan Scheiner. The most impactful hockey book I’ve read in years is the story of the Holik family set against the backdrop of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the hockey games that defined that countries resistance against their occupiers. These were the most intense games of hockey ever played.
Hockey Canada is hiring
A couple of new job postings with Hockey Canada have popped up with eyes to returning the World Junior team to gold medal status.
The GM of the Program of Excellence will be responsible for the National Junior Team’s roster management and staffing decisions and will also advise on the U-18 and U-17 programs.
VP of Hockey Operations will implement Hockey Canada’s vision and strategies for men’s, women’s and para teams. There is also a business operations piece with this position.
The decision to hire a full-time World Junior coach will be made when these roles are filled, which Hockey Canada hopes to have wrapped up in the Spring.
The GM role will certainly be on interest to some CHL + PWHL GM’s and depending on the salary perhaps even some NHL AGM’s.
Rink Fries – Congrats to Brantford Bulldog players Nick Lardis (CHI), Cole Brown (NJ) and Marek Vanacker (CHI) who all recorded hat tricks in a 10-1 blowout of the Niagara IceDogs…if you’re wondering if that’s ever happened in the NHL the answer is yes. The Montreal Canadiens hold the record, scoring four hat tricks in a single game against the Quebec Bulldogs in 1920. In the post-’67 expansion, era it’s only happened three times and all in the early 1980’s by the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Quebec Nordiques…speaking of hat tricks, draft-eligible Michael Misa recorded one Saturday picking up with 50th goal of the season in the process…before he got hired by an OHL team, I wondered if Kris Mallette would be considered by Hockey Canada for the full time World Junior coaching position…
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