Canada vs. Russia

[esad]

And the excuses begin:

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Defenceman Chris Pronger said his team had a tough time adjusting to the new rules early on, believing the game was going to be called to NHL standards.

"At times we got caught up in what was going to be called and what wasn't, and what other teams were getting away with," said Pronger, who finished the tournament with three points. "It's a matter of adjusting and understanding what they are and aren't going to call.

"At times we got caught thinking we could get away with something and weren't able to."

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Blame officating for really bad play. Maybe he thinks nobody actually watched the games.

[fyodor]

No Staal is a crime too. In 4 years we may have 2 Staals on the ice.

[damaniac]

Too bad for Canada that all the NHL players filling all the other rosters were somehow able to adjust.

[fyodor]

The players can make all the excuses they like but facts are facts. They took too many stupid penalties and couldn't put the puck in the net.

[Pudge714]

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I would've loved to see the Olympic version of Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

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No Crosby is a crime.

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Who do you take off?

I think a big difference that has not been mentioned is the international ice surface. Consider that the 2006 WJC, 2005 WJC, 2004 World Cup, 2002 Olympics were all played on NHL ice surfaces, and Canada won all of them.

[Triumph36]

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I would've loved to see the Olympic version of Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

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No Crosby is a crime.

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Who do you take off?

I think a big difference that has not been mentioned is the international ice surface. Consider that the 2006 WJC, 2005 WJC, 2004 World Cup, 2002 Olympics were all played on NHL ice surfaces, and Canada won all of them.

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This is a great point, both about Crosby and ice surfaces. Who is off Team Canada for Crosby, Shane Doan? I think Doan was mostly brought on as a PK guy and he was probably Canada's best forward in the game.

To me both the US and Canadian method of scoring goals just doesn't work in international play. The US only scored on the power play and Canada not at all. Even strength both teams were absolutely horrible. Every decent European team controlled the middle of the ice all game against them and ended up winning a majority of the games. The US and Canada rarely got odd-man rushes or breakaways, and especially with the US, the puck would inevitably end up on the stick of a stiff like Jason Blake.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

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I think a big difference that has not been mentioned is the international ice surface. Consider that the 2006 WJC, 2005 WJC, 2004 World Cup, 2002 Olympics were all played on NHL ice surfaces, and Canada won all of them.

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There is definitely something to be said about this. Even at a youth level, it makes a difference. I grew up playing on an olympic-sized ice rink and it was a pretty good home rink advantage. Then again, as one of the bigger guys playing defense, I enjoyed banging around on the smaller rinks, too. The smaller rinks are definitely better suited to the North American style.

[esad]

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I think a big difference that has not been mentioned is the international ice surface. Consider that the 2006 WJC, 2005 WJC, 2004 World Cup, 2002 Olympics were all played on NHL ice surfaces, and Canada won all of them.

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2002 Olympics was not played on an NHL surface.

[Puckhead]

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The smaller rinks are definitely better suited to the North American style.

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Absolutely. A guy like Pronger can't rely on sheer size to clog up the zone on a big sheet of ice. I think the game flows a lot better on international size rinks, and allows skill players to shine a little more.

As for who I'd take off for Crosby- Doan or Nash for sure, possibly Bertuzzi or Lecavalier.

[TorpedoBreath]

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No Staal is a crime too. In 4 years we may have 2 Staals on the ice.

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There will be 4 Staals...