U.S. names Olympic roster
by James Mirtle on Jan 1, 2010 3:35 PM CST
111 comments
Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas
Defence: Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter
Forwards: David Backes, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny
Notable omissions: Craig Anderson, Ryan Whitney, Tim Connolly, Bill Guerin, Jason Pominville, Scott Gomez, Kyle Okposo, Brian Rolston, R.J. Umberger, Mike Modano, Keith Tkachuk
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Chris Drury? Really?
Umm, Go Finland!
But he's clutch!
He scores big goals! And he was in a Little League World Series – nothing says “proven winner” like Little League!
//bangs head against desk in frustration
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
(Please note that the frustration is for those who put him on the team, not for people who can’t understand how important intangibles such as winning at every level of multiple sports can be.</end sarcasm>)
I wouldn’t want to be misunderstood because there is no tone of frustration on the internet as clear as in an actual voice.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
Hate may be a strong word, but I severely dislike Drury. Yet, I still defended Burke’s thinking on his choice. Yuck.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
And that thinking is what, exactly? That Drury is a leader? Give me examples why. That he scores big goals? Give me an example from the last 3 years.
Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.
http://glensathersucks.com/
http://twitter.com/ThGeneralissimo
Let me be clear in my distaste for Chris Drury – he is the single most overrated player in the league.
Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.
http://glensathersucks.com/
http://twitter.com/ThGeneralissimo
My hate for Drury is well fueled as well. But I’m assuming his veteran experience in the Olympics was key to a team full of youth and inexperience. If I recall, Drury is just one of three players with any Olympics experience on this team right now. In addition, I’m fairly certain Drury is going to be a bottom-six forward, which he will play without complaint or disruption. I think that’s much easier to take than bringing along another young scorer and force him to adapt in such a short tournament. I’m not saying he’s the right choice at all, but it’s how I interpret his choice for Brian Burke and company.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
I don’t know about being the most overrated in the league, I think that moniker belongs to Phaneuf in Calgary myself but oppinions vary.
Drury had a lot of great years in Colorado and Buffalo. For whatever reason, he is not fitting in New York, which is not necessarily his fault. It just illustrates the point of not signing free agents to long term deals, you never know if they will fit in with your current roster.
I don’t know about being the most overrated in the league, I think that moniker belongs to Phaneuf in Calgary myself but opinions vary.
Mine lines up with yours on this one. Phadouche is ridiculously over-rated.
"I know everyone has their own opinion, but your opinion is wrong. "
GWG against the Caps in Game 4 of the playoffs last year.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 6:49 PM CST up reply actions
I assume you’re being sarcastic. I mean, Brandon Dubinsky scored the GWG in Game 1. HE SHOULD BE THE CAPTAIN!!!
Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.
http://glensathersucks.com/
http://twitter.com/ThGeneralissimo
I’m being sarcastic. Drury did score that GWG but it was a flukey goal and doesn’t erase his past 2 years of invisibility. I’d take Dubinsky on the team over Callahan or Drury. Didn’t even realize he was American until just now.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:12 PM CST up reply actions
I have an Islanders bias
but I honestly have to think Okposo deserves a spot three times more than Drury.
there are tons of guys
you could put in there over Drury. Okposo is one of them
Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog
I’m a fan of both Oshie and Okposo, but at this point I’d trust Okposo more. Oshie probably has more one-on-one skill, but he still needs to learn to treat every shift with importance. Can’t remember the last time I saw Okposo float.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
???
There are things you could criticize Oshie about when comparing him to Okposo, but “floating” ain’t one of em. Try again.
Actually, my first attempt sufficed:
still needs to learn to treat every shift with importance.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Yeah, he and Okposo both how that admirable youthful trait of being constantly in motion, though not always directed in the smartest way. However, there was a good portion early in this season where Oshie was hit-and-miss, as if the local hype got to his head.
Oshie’s been better lately, but in a fourth-line or jack-of-all-trades role, right now I’d pick Okposo. Alas, it’s doubly moot now.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Me, too
I wasn’t going to join the “what about my team’s guy!!” chorus until I saw Drury on there. Amazing. I honestly didn’t think he had even a SatherThink’s chance.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Nice James
Using a picture of Pavs. I love it.
Go U.S.A.!
"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra
I bet he’s got a higher profile after the Olympics. He’ll be a big part of this team.
Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com
He’s been on quite the roll in the last couple of games. His teammates on that team will definitely love the way he plays.
"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra
Right on. We love the way he plays on the best team in the West.
Where hockey injuries in San Diego are thumb blisters from playing too much NHL 09
by Will Bulldozer on Jan 1, 2010 7:24 PM CST up reply actions
Jack Johnson and Mike Komisarek over Ryan Whitney… what’s wrong with Ryan Whitney?! I can’t understand this.
Interesting to see Matt Carle not make the team. Ron Wilson must still hate the guy.
"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra
Over who? Carle has some offensive skill but he needs to be protected defensively. They already took JJ so that’s pretty much the only guy he could replace, but I don’t think he’s as good as JJ.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 6:55 PM CST up reply actions
He's paired with Chris Pronger.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 7:57 PM CST up reply actions
Carle should have made it
He could replace Komisarek, who has 4 points in 33 games and is minus 9. I think the only reason he made it was because of Wilson. He is overrated.
Empty net goals are for homos. --Al Iafrate
no, Komisarek was brought in to be a pure shut down guy. his point totals dont matter in the slightest. the past 20 or so games he has been playing excellent
Puns, Innuendo and Bad Spelling, Yes We Got That
by JaredFromLondon on Jan 1, 2010 10:54 PM CST up reply actions
Exactly. He had a slow start to this season but for the last 2-3 years he was in MON he was against the opponent’s top line every night and did pretty well with it. He’s one dimensional, but it’s the opposite kind of one dimensional as Carle. You wouldn’t swap those two, you’d swap Carle and a Johnson.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 11:03 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe Carle shouldnt have gone for Komisarek but he is not one-dimensional like you think he is. He is in the top 25 in TOI and plays against quality competition most of that time as he plays with Pronger. And you can’t say Pronger holds him up singlehandedly because if he could do that they would just play four forwards. You, like most people, put a label on Carle that he is bad in his own zone because he is talented offensively, similar to Mike Green.
Empty net goals are for homos. --Al Iafrate
Many of a discussion has been made about Mike Green and his “one-dimensional” play. But Carle isn’t in the same league as Green in terms of offensive ability anyway. Carle would probably liken himself to Brian Campbell and Campbell would probably make Team Canada’s “B” team. Carle wasn’t needed on Team USA’s so-called top team, so he’ll likely make Team USA’s second team.
And your argument about Pronger not wholly affecting Carle’s play has some truth to it, but your reasoning is off. Niklas Lidstrom is widely considered to be the best defenceman of his generation, but even he doesn’t play with a forward as his partner. Basically, by not putting a player out of position is your example for not singlehandedly improving someone else’s play? That doesn’t logically work because a forward shouldn’t be playing on the back end in the first place, so you can’t make that comparison.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
Mike Green is much better in his own zone than Carle is. Look at the work Mirtle or Alan Ryder did. Look at how Beauchemin looked when he was asked to carry a pair and wasn’t covered by Pronger. Maybe Pronger couldn’t make a F look good on D but he sure can make other D look much better than they are.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:13 PM CST up reply actions
As well, if you take Carle, you’re taking him based on three good months out of pretty much his whole career. Really, you’re taking him because of a fantastic October and not that much since. I’d rather have JJ.
I've been looking at the sky
by Back In Black on Jan 2, 2010 10:50 AM CST up reply actions
Are you serious? Carle has been good since his second year (06-07) with San Jose. Just because you’re just now hearing about him doesn’t mean he is just now getting good.
Empty net goals are for homos. --Al Iafrate
I'm very serious
Carle did put up extremely strong rookie numbers in 06-07, and has barely managed to match those totals in two and a half combined seasons since. They didn’t ship him out of San Jose because they thought he was the defenceman of the future, and Tampa sure didn’t get much for him when they flipped him to Philly. This season he had 12 points and +9 in October and then 7 points with +3 since then (-5 since November). Take away October and you’re much closer to the numbers he had the previous two seasons.
He’s a decent defenceman and all, but no-one’s going to lose a game in the Olympics because they didn’t have Matt Carle. I’d rather have the seven guys they took, and Ryan Whitney was a much more notable omission.
I've been looking at the sky
by Back In Black on Jan 2, 2010 2:56 PM CST up reply actions
And he had a 4 assist game in October. Not that the game or points don’t count but in a small sample size one big game sure makes him look much better.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:15 PM CST up reply actions
I’d have to think that if David Booth wasn’t injured, he would have been a lock for Team USA. As for Chris Drury, I’m not a fan of him at all, but he fits in with the whole “Top-6, Bottom-6” mentality of Burke. I think the Burke and co. sees Drury slotting into as the 3rd line centre, which players like Okposo and Connolly don’t fit as primarily scoring forwards.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
Drury has got to be 4C. No way he can play top 9 on this team. If Ron Wilson doesn’t have Stastny, Pavelski, Kesler as the 1-3C then there is no chance USA does anything.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 6:56 PM CST up reply actions
Well Burke basically explained Chris Drury’s entire career in this one quote:
“We picked Chris Drury ‘cause he’s Chris Drury,” the U.S. general manager said Friday after the American delegation unveiled its Olympic roster following the Winter Classic at Fenway Park. “We know what he can do. We think he provides essential leadership – he’s as good as another coach in the dressing room as far as what he provides. He was one of the first players we reached out to when we put this team together, so he’s been involved from the get-go. I don’t have to say anything else about Chris Drury except that he’s Chris Drury. He represents a lot of things that we need if we’re going to be successful.”
Right on Burkie! He’s got that intangible – leadership! He carried teams on his back when they are down! He leaps tall buildings in single bounds!
I’ll say it again – there is not a single player in sports that I can think of who’s gotten so far on so little.
Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.
http://glensathersucks.com/
http://twitter.com/ThGeneralissimo
And don’t forget “grit” or “grease” or “sand” or whatever they want to call it. Whichever term sounds more like it belongs in a Home Depot commercial. :-)
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
In NY, the MSG announcers like to talk about the players Jam.
Glen Sather is a Hockey Genius.
http://glensathersucks.com/
http://twitter.com/ThGeneralissimo
- The radar, sir. It appears to be…jammed!
- Raspberry? There’s only one man who would dare give me the raspberry…Lone Starr!
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
by Doogie2K on Jan 3, 2010 1:14 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
So little? That might be a stretch. He’s been a big part of championship teams before, and had huge goals for COL when they won the Cup. Granted, that was a long time ago (in sports time) and it doesn’t matter now, but there are definitely guys that have gone further on less.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:17 PM CST up reply actions
Don’t forget his time in Buffalo as the defacto captain. People would be singing a different tune about his credentials if Buffalo hadn’t lost the entire D-corp to injury during that playoff run in 2007 and if they could have dispatched Ottawa in 2008.
"I know everyone has their own opinion, but your opinion is wrong. "
Matt Carle screwed
And what the hell is Chris Drury doing on this team? Aside from two bad decisions I actually like the youth movement here.
Proprietor of Hockey Wilderness - We take Minnesota hockey WAY too seriously.
I’m going with Fear the Fin conspiracy theory that Wilson still doesn’t like Carle and kept him off the team.
"It ain't over till it's over." - Yogi Berra
If he’s letting personal feeling affect this then he’s an idiot. They don’t have to be best friends, they don’t even really need to talk to each other – the other coaching staff can do that – all Wilson has to do is tolerate him for a couple of weeks.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
Did Carle participate in the US orientation camp? Honestly, I don’t think Carle was even on Team USA’s radar. My guess would be Paul Martin that they were really hoping to recover in time, so in that case, Carle’s chances weren’t too high. Whether right or not, I don’t know, but too much competition for two spots.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
Hate to double reply here
But if anyone could decipher what I just said above, glove tap to you. I absolutely butchered proper sentence structure there.
Supporter of the Sergei Berezin "Give and Go" - You give me puck, then you go to hell
I understood it.
But I’ve also had to decipher college freshman writing in the past, so I have an advantage in detangling mangled sentences. :-)
Now that you mention it, I’m not sure if he was in the orientation camp.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
If he’s letting personal feeling affect this then he’s an idiot.
True, and he’s being perfectly consistent with USA Hockey’s previous behavior.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 1, 2010 6:57 PM CST up reply actions
A list of the players loaned by each NHL team may be found here:
http://www.puckreport.com/2010/01/2010-olympic-hockey-rosters-by-nhl-team.html
The Sharks lead with 8 loaners. The Islanders pull up the rear with one.
MG
by puckreport on Jan 1, 2010 4:58 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
Surprised the kid representing Ryan Kesler didn’t flop when his name was announced.
And um, lol @ Chris Drury.
Slicing up the Olympic hockey rosters by league.
http://www.puckreport.com/2010/01/2010-olympic-hockey-rosters-by-league.html
In terms of player count, the big contributors are the NHL (141), KHL (59), DEL (21), NLA (17), and SEL (16).
MG
No Gomez?
I’m pretty surprised that Drury was picked and Gomez wasn’t. Is there anything that Drury can bring that Gomez can’t do better?
(Other than win the LLWS that is…)
by Richard S. Argent on Jan 1, 2010 9:44 PM CST reply actions
Drury’s gotten jumped on here (deservedly so) but I think he can contribute as a 4th line center. Gomez or a guy like Tim Connolly doesn’t fill that type of role as well.
You come at the king, you best not miss.
I think it’s kind of hard to switch over on the thinking about Drury as overrated because of his salary even though this will be in the Olympics. I know I found myself thinking about how useless he was for the cap space he would take up before I remembered there is no salary cap in the Olympics. That would make the Canadian team impossible.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
Are you referring to checking? Cause that’s about the only area where I can see Drury outperforming Gomez. Otherwise I fail to see why a defensively responsible, veteran playmaking Centre (who is still 5th amongst American players in Assists) would not make the team and Drury would.
by Richard S. Argent on Jan 2, 2010 1:04 PM CST up reply actions
Agreed, but I’d still rather have several other 4C guys than Drury.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:18 PM CST up reply actions
I’m surprised there isn’t more of a lament over Gaustad and Byfuglien not making the team. I think both are perfect for the third and fourth lines.
Most?
Really? I’d take those guys over maybe 3-4 guys. Maybe.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:19 PM CST up reply actions
Try explaining. Or even communicating in complete sentences.
Now let's say you and I go toe to toe on bird law and see who comes out the victor.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 4, 2010 3:46 PM CST up reply actions
He may struggle with that given he’s banned.
Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com
by James Mirtle on Jan 4, 2010 9:24 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Out with the old
Say what you will about the snubs on this roster. But, I love the fact that the old relics from previous USA teams have all been cut away. We had some good name recognition with the previous teams but, they had been running on reputation and fumes instead of performance and production. It will be interesting to see how the new group of players play.
"I'm gonna hire you as my latex salesman? I don't think so. Why would I do that?"
"Vandelay! Say Vandelay Industries!"
"And you wanna be my latex salesman?"
Very true.
At some point they were going to have to switch from the Modano generation to the younger players, and there is a bit of a gap in experience. Sometimes you just have to yank off the bandage quickly to minimize the pain (or so I am told). It would be ideal if there were a bunch of experienced, talented players in the 27-33 range or so – but it seems like the talented players are all either younger or older than that range. Given that option, going younger is the better option than going older. The end result might be the same, but going younger is the better option for the future without doubt.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
Yeah, if I were American I’d be glad to see the last of the ‘96 guys gone. They don’t have it any more.
This is a good team full of veteran guys, hard workers, and two-way players. I would not want to meet them in the quarterfinals, and as a Canadian, I just hope they play the hell out of Komisarek and give Drury lots of powerplay time.
I've been looking at the sky
by Back In Black on Jan 2, 2010 10:56 AM CST up reply actions
It is an absolute shame that Jack Johnson was picked ahead of Tim Gleason…. (who didn’t even make your notable omissions…)
Cheap… I think I’ll go w/ an underdog like… oh…. Latvia? Anyone?
by Mateos_Canes_Lamp on Jan 2, 2010 11:37 AM CST reply actions
Elaborate please. He plays against top competition every game, is tough, is a leader, and brings all the intangibles Team USA could look for. How does a guy like that have no chance? If Komisarek made the team then almost by definition Gleason had a chance. They are extremely similar players; maybe they thought they were redundant but I don’t think you could just write Gleason off (especially with the way you stick up for Carle).
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:21 PM CST up reply actions
Gleason plays against top competition and Carolina is worst in the league. Komisarek does the same and the Leafs aren’t too far in front of Carolina. Looks like he picked the better or the no so good.
"When I look at the net I don't see a goalie." - Pavel Bure
It’s a little more complicated than that but I don’t have a problem taking Komisarek over Gleason.
Now let's say you and I go toe to toe on bird law and see who comes out the victor.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 5, 2010 6:37 PM CST up reply actions
Drury & Lagenbrunner
The only reason I see those two in uniforms are because of their “veteran leadership”. Beyond me hating that phrase, I think Guerin’s a better candidate.
He’s having a great year and considering he’s keeping up with Crosby on the Pens first line, I’m fairly certain he’d more than carry his own weight.
That’s just incorrect. Langenbrunner is the captain of one of the best teams in the NHL and is coming off a 30-goal, 70-point season. He’s having another great year this season.
Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com
by James Mirtle on Jan 2, 2010 12:37 PM CST up reply actions
Exactly. He has quietly great season every year for NJD it seems. He definitely deserves to be on there.
In an ideal world all ten fingers would be on my left hand so my right hand could just be a fist for punching.
by Fehr and Balanced on Jan 3, 2010 4:22 PM CST up reply actions
I’m not sure that scoring barely half as many points qualifies as “keeping up”. It’s better than Semenko did with Gretzky I guess…
And trust me, don’t badmouth Langenbrunner on this blog. You’ll be corrected.
I've been looking at the sky
by Back In Black on Jan 2, 2010 3:14 PM CST up reply actions
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