Sweden men's hockey enter Olympics black and blue 0 2006 winners have a lot of question marks
SOCHI - They’ve already got some blue on the Swedish flag.
They might want to add a little black to sum up the physical state of the Swedish team heading into the Olympic tournament.
Everybody has got their share of nicks and aches heading into the Games, but the Swedes, especially at forward, have a lot of question marks.
Concussions have been an issue for Loui Eriksson of the Boston Bruins, Alexander Steen of the St. Louis Blues and Johan Franzen of the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg has had issues with a herniated disc, while teammate Daniel Alfredsson has been battling groin issues.
Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks had his iron-man streak end at 679 games with what appeared to be a rib injury in a game against Phoenix.
On the blue line, Coyotes defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed some time with a concussion, but returned to the Coyotes lineup, Detroit’s Jonathan Ericsson has had rib issues and Vancouver’s Alex Edler missed a month with a lower-body injury.
As of this writing, those ailments don’t look like they will keep any of those players from competing in the Olympics, but they do leave you wondering just what kind of level they will be capable of reaching when the puck drops.
The Swedes are also a country in transition with a few veterans left from their 2006 gold-medal winning team and a bunch of Olympic rookies. Can this combination get the job done?
It’s pretty much been all or nothing for Sweden at the Olympics since NHLers joined the party.
It won gold in Italy in 2006, but finished fifth in the three other Olympic tournaments, including an upset for the ages in 2002 with a loss to Belarus on the infamous Vladimir Kopat goal on Swedish goaltender Tommy Salo.
FORWARDS: Sweden has a mix of veterans (Alfredsson, Franzen, the Sedins, Zetterberg) who might be somewhat past their best-before date and some kids getting their first big chance on the international stage like Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Hagelin, Marcus Kruger and Jakob Silfverberg. That leaves just a handful of guys in their prime. Can they get enough out of each group to be contenders?
DEFENCE: The Swedes might come close to having the most mobile group of defenders in the Olympic tournament. Ekman-Larsson and Erik Karlsson can skate with the best of them, while guys such as Niklas Kronwall and Edler add physicality. This is a strong two-way group that can pretty much play it any way you want it.
GOALTENDING: Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers had what amounts to a poor start for him in the first half. When’s the last time you saw him miss multiple games because of performance? He has looked a little more like his old self lately and that’s good news for the Tre Kroner. They will go as far as Lundqvist wants to take them.
COACHING: Par Marts, who’s been a fixture on the international scene behind the bench for Sweden at the world junior championships and world championships, takes over the Olympic team from Bengt Ake Gustafsson. He won’t be afraid to push the attack, which could make for some entertaining hockey on Sweden’s part.
3. Last three Olympics: Vancouver: Fifth; Turin: Gold; Salt Lake City: Fifth.
4. The roster:
FORWARDS: Daniel Alfredsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals (NHL); Patrik Berglund, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Jimmie Ericsson, Skellefteå AIK (SWE); Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins (NHL); Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers (NHL); Marcus Kruger, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche (NHL); Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks (NHL); Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings (NHL).
DEFENCE: Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes (NHL); Jonathan Ericsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators (NHL); Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Johnny Oduya, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres (NHL).
GOALTENDING: Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres (NHL); Jonas Gustavsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (NHL).
NOTABLE SNUBS: Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman; Minnesota Wild defenceman Jonas Brodin.
5. Stevenson’s bottom line: Sweden heads into Sochi with the potential to be great, but there a lot of question marks. Looks like another all-or-fifth scenario.
Just read on nhl.com that Kris Letang had a stroke. Pretty crazy.
wow .... you don't expect it from pro athletes ... however Teddi Brushi from the Patriots had a stroke.
They are saying that he had a hole in his heart and it may have stemmed from that. Perhaps the craziest thing is that they think he may be ready to play again in 6 weeks.
I heard 6 weeks ... thats unbelievable, and with the break he'll only miss 4 weeks ... more importantly, here hoping for a good recovery.
heard 6 weeks but supposedly that is really the time frame until his next check up so they expect it to be at least 12 weeks. freaking crazy for a guy so young and healthy.
Montreal pre-game ceremonies honouring some of the gold winning female and male members of team Canada along with having the crowd sing the national anthem was exceptional.
Habs honour Canadian Olympic hockey gold medallists
crazy ... like only 5 teams truly out of playoff contention ... in the entire league ...
I imagine that's what the NHL was hoping for with the salary cap, and mission accomplished. I just wish they would move the trade deadline to early February.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
crazy ... like only 5 teams truly out of playoff contention ... in the entire league ...
I imagine that's what the NHL was hoping for with the salary cap, and mission accomplished. I just wish they would move the trade deadline to early February.
it's good now as it gives teams a better indication whether they are contenders or not
Tough loss by the Bruins after making a great comeback.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Must suck to be a Canuck fan ... You've now traded Luongo less than a year after trading Crawford. Hard to believe tis team was 1'win away from a cup just a few years ago.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Must suck to be a Canuck fan ... You've now traded Luongo less than a year after trading Crawford. Hard to believe tis team was 1'win away from a cup just a few years ago.
Luongo has not been happy in Van for a couple of seasons now and he has been playing like it. I am sad merely because I have never liked the guy and now it will be a titch harder to make fun of the Canucks. I agree with you about Crawford he was good for that team.
Anything you lose from being honest You never really had to begin with.
Sometimes it's not the song that makes you emotional it's the people and things that come to your mind when you hear it.
Must suck to be a Canuck fan ... You've now traded Luongo less than a year after trading Crawford. Hard to believe tis team was 1'win away from a cup just a few years ago.
Luongo has not been happy in Van for a couple of seasons now and he has been playing like it. I am sad merely because I have never liked the guy and now it will be a titch harder to make fun of the Canucks. I agree with you about Crawford he was good for that team.
He may not have been happy but his stats are solid ...
The problem with Vancouver are the Sedins, Boston threw them around like rag dolls in the finals ... they are not playoff caliber type players in my opinion. You don't let Marchand use you as a punching bag and not even so much as shove him back. Life in the NHL playoffs is far different that the regular season.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
If Tampa can sign Callahan then Yzerman might have fleeced the Rangers, Tampa gets a player 10 years younger, and 2 picks and if they can't sign Callahan they still have the picks ... good deal for Tampa, beside Tampa's biggest deadline move is getting Stamkos back this week.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
8/28/98- Camden, NJ
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Tres Mts.- 3/23/11- Philly. PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
scary seeing the story about it. can't imagine being on that bench seeing that. hope he is good and can live a long time even if hockey isn't a part of it any longer.
Parity or mediocre hockey ... Isn't all that surprising, the ducks are struggling, it's getting near crunch time and Bruce Beadreau's teams usually tank, just so happens it's a little earlier than the playoffs. The illusion of parity has been created by awarding losing teams a point ... is that like a participation ... and the fucking ridiculous shoot out, send that straight back the IIHF.
I have certain rules I live by ... My First Rule ... I don't believe anything the government tells me ... George Carlin
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
no ... because 1. if the scoring system results in parity in the league then that's the result ... it's like saying if it weren't for offsides - the game would suck ... 2. teams still have to tie other teams in order to get that extra point ... 3. chicago has like 14 OTL - are you saying they aren't a playoff team without the scoring system 4. even if you took out OTL ... there are only 3 teams in the eastern conference are more than 10 pts out ... and 5. this should all be obvious ...
lots of examples of weaker teams beating better teams ... buffalo beat the rangers last week ...
Comments
http://www.torontosun.com/2014/02/05/sweden-mens-hockey-enter-olympics-black-and-blue
Sweden men's hockey enter Olympics black and blue 0
2006 winners have a lot of question marks
SOCHI - They’ve already got some blue on the Swedish flag.
They might want to add a little black to sum up the physical state of the Swedish team heading into the Olympic tournament.
Everybody has got their share of nicks and aches heading into the Games, but the Swedes, especially at forward, have a lot of question marks.
Concussions have been an issue for Loui Eriksson of the Boston Bruins, Alexander Steen of the St. Louis Blues and Johan Franzen of the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg has had issues with a herniated disc, while teammate Daniel Alfredsson has been battling groin issues.
Henrik Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks had his iron-man streak end at 679 games with what appeared to be a rib injury in a game against Phoenix.
On the blue line, Coyotes defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson missed some time with a concussion, but returned to the Coyotes lineup, Detroit’s Jonathan Ericsson has had rib issues and Vancouver’s Alex Edler missed a month with a lower-body injury.
As of this writing, those ailments don’t look like they will keep any of those players from competing in the Olympics, but they do leave you wondering just what kind of level they will be capable of reaching when the puck drops.
The Swedes are also a country in transition with a few veterans left from their 2006 gold-medal winning team and a bunch of Olympic rookies. Can this combination get the job done?
It’s pretty much been all or nothing for Sweden at the Olympics since NHLers joined the party.
It won gold in Italy in 2006, but finished fifth in the three other Olympic tournaments, including an upset for the ages in 2002 with a loss to Belarus on the infamous Vladimir Kopat goal on Swedish goaltender Tommy Salo.
FORWARDS: Sweden has a mix of veterans (Alfredsson, Franzen, the Sedins, Zetterberg) who might be somewhat past their best-before date and some kids getting their first big chance on the international stage like Gabriel Landeskog, Carl Hagelin, Marcus Kruger and Jakob Silfverberg. That leaves just a handful of guys in their prime. Can they get enough out of each group to be contenders?
DEFENCE: The Swedes might come close to having the most mobile group of defenders in the Olympic tournament. Ekman-Larsson and Erik Karlsson can skate with the best of them, while guys such as Niklas Kronwall and Edler add physicality. This is a strong two-way group that can pretty much play it any way you want it.
GOALTENDING: Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers had what amounts to a poor start for him in the first half. When’s the last time you saw him miss multiple games because of performance? He has looked a little more like his old self lately and that’s good news for the Tre Kroner. They will go as far as Lundqvist wants to take them.
COACHING: Par Marts, who’s been a fixture on the international scene behind the bench for Sweden at the world junior championships and world championships, takes over the Olympic team from Bengt Ake Gustafsson. He won’t be afraid to push the attack, which could make for some entertaining hockey on Sweden’s part.
3. Last three Olympics: Vancouver: Fifth; Turin: Gold; Salt Lake City: Fifth.
4. The roster:
FORWARDS: Daniel Alfredsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals (NHL); Patrik Berglund, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Jimmie Ericsson, Skellefteå AIK (SWE); Loui Eriksson, Boston Bruins (NHL); Carl Hagelin, New York Rangers (NHL); Marcus Kruger, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado Avalanche (NHL); Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks (NHL); Alexander Steen, St. Louis Blues (NHL); Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings (NHL).
DEFENCE: Alexander Edler, Vancouver Canucks (NHL); Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Phoenix Coyotes (NHL); Jonathan Ericsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Niklas Hjalmarsson, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Erik Karlsson, Ottawa Senators (NHL); Niklas Kronwall, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Johnny Oduya, Chicago Blackhawks (NHL); Henrik Tallinder, Buffalo Sabres (NHL).
GOALTENDING: Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo Sabres (NHL); Jonas Gustavsson, Detroit Red Wings (NHL); Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (NHL).
NOTABLE SNUBS: Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman; Minnesota Wild defenceman Jonas Brodin.
5. Stevenson’s bottom line: Sweden heads into Sochi with the potential to be great, but there a lot of question marks. Looks like another all-or-fifth scenario.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Habs honour Canadian Olympic hockey gold medallists
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/habs-honour-canadian-olympic-hockey-gold-medallists-1.2552986
with video
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
2010: 5/20 NY, 5/21 NY ... 2011: 6/21 EV NY, 9/3 WI, 9/4 WI ... 2012: 9/2 PA, 9/22 GA ... 2013: 10/18 NY, 10/19 NY, 10/21 PA, 10/22 PA, 10/27 MD
2015: 9/23 NY, 9/26 NY ... 2016: 4/28 PA, 4/29 PA, 5/1 NY, 5/2 NY, 6/11 TN, 8/7 MA, 11/4 TOTD PA, 11/5 TOTD PA ... 2018: 8/10 WA
2022: 9/14 NJ ... 2024: 5/28 WA, 9/7 PA, 9/9 PA ---- http://imgur.com/a/nk0s7
You never really had to begin with.
Sometimes it's not the song that makes you emotional it's the people and things that come to your mind when you hear it.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8466141
The problem with Vancouver are the Sedins, Boston threw them around like rag dolls in the finals ... they are not playoff caliber type players in my opinion. You don't let Marchand use you as a punching bag and not even so much as shove him back. Life in the NHL playoffs is far different that the regular season.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
http://espn.go.com/dallas/nhl/story/_/id/10585935/rich-peverley-dallas-stars-collapses-ice-game-postponed
10/31/09- Philly
5/21/10- NYC
9/2/12- Philly, PA
7/19/13- Wrigley
10/19/13- Brooklyn, NY
10/21/13- Philly, PA
10/22/13- Philly, PA
10/27/13- Baltimore, MD
4/28/16- Philly, PA
4/29/16- Philly, PA
5/1/16- NYC
5/2/16- NYC
9/2/18- Boston, MA
9/4/18- Boston, MA
9/14/22- Camden, NJ
9/7/24- Philly, PA
9/9/24- Philly, PA
Eddie Vedder- 6/25/11- Philly, PA
RNDM- 3/9/16- Philly, PA
any word on letang in pittsburgh ... also scary to associate stroke at that age ...
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
lots of examples of weaker teams beating better teams ... buffalo beat the rangers last week ...
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon