H e a d l i n e s : Gretzky drop your purse! Where is Bertuzzi?
GOALTENDERS: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils), Roberto Luongo (Florida Panthers), Ed Belfour (Toronto Maple Leafs).
DEFENCEMEN: Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey), Rob Blake (Colorado Avalanche), Adam Foote (Colorado), Ed Jovanovski (Vancouver Canucks), Chris Pronger (St. Louis Blues), Eric Brewer (Edmonton Oilers), Wade Redden (Ottawa Senators), Robin Regehr (Calgary Flames).
FORWARDS: Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins), Joe Sakic (Colorado), Joe Thornton (Boston Bruins), Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings), Brad Richards (Tampa Bay Lightning), Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks), Kris Draper (Detroit), Jarome Iginla (Calgary), Martin St. Louis (Tampa Bay), Dany Heatley (Atlanta Thrashers), Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes), Simon Gagne (Philadelphia Flyers), Ryan Smyth (Edmonton), Brenden Morrow (Dallas Stars), Kirk Maltby (Detroit).
Yzerman all the way. Bertuzzi has the talent but you need the leadership that Yzerman brings. He is THE LEADER now that Mess has retired and I think they may be the two best leaders ever. Not having Messier in 1998 IMO was a big part of the reason that Canada did not win. That was a time was Yzerman was becoming the leader he is now, but was not at the Messier level yet.
Bertuzzi is good, but this guy can be a loose cannon. Not only because of the Moore hit, but if anybody really watched the 2000 world championships, this guys penatly trouble was a big part of the reason that Canada did not go further. He can win or lose a game for you. He is a game breaker, but not always in the right direction. Yzerman is not as skilled (anymore) but he is still good and brings more intangibles than anybody else on the team. Now if this was Draper or Maltby vs Bertuzzi you would have gotten a different response from me. We seem to be going back to the "ghost" roster which we abandoned in 2002 and with it regained hockey supremency.
yzermans days are over,bertuzzi is more skilled and to blame him for the loss in 2000 worlds is unheard of.with the nhl rink this year bertuzzi would make more of an impact then yzerman ever would.leaders are there,mario is the captain for a reason talent wins games,not leaders.jmo
Post by FincanSJGM on Jun 11, 2004 19:09:39 GMT -5
I said Big part not only part of the reason they lost in 2000. Did you watch it? He was more of a head ache then a help to that team.
Mario is the Captain because he is Mario Lemieux. Yzerman will be the leader though. Like I said earlier much like Mess and Gretz in Edmonton. Canada has an abundance of skill, a true leader like Steve Y is not a luxury it is a neccessity. Besides you make it sounds like he sucks, LMAO, he still had 51 pts in 75 games. Yeah Bertuzzi could outscore him and dominate physically but he does not bring the defensive game or the leadershipe skills and many other intangibles such as versatality. It was Yzermans pressence that calmed and brought order to "Captain" Mario and Kariyas line in 2002, that rourny showed who Canadas leader is right now. But like I said it is ludacris that this is Bertuzzi vs. Yzerman, it should be Bert vs Maltby or something.
yzerman is a great leader yes, but I just dont think hes got enough gas left in the tank. I think leaving bertuzzi off was a smart move as well because of the whole moore incident, it would create more attention to that then the tourney itself. Lecavalier and/or Primeau would have been wiser choices than yzerman or bertuzzi after the show they both put on during the playoffs.
Come on I think this is a no brainer. Stevie Y. showed his worth this playoffs when he carried a Red Wings team. Health issues do raise major concerns. But when he is on the ice he has enough heart and talent to show up. He is all class and all competitor. Guys like him, Mario, Mats Sundin, Joe Sakic just find ways to make big plays when the team needs them. It is the playing at the highest level under the highest pressure that makes superstars great players. Maybe Bertuzzi will be that eventually too but right now you can't leave a healthy Steve off the list. I think that with the upcoming trail Bertuzzi would be too much of a distraction and not sure he would be able to focus 100% on the game.
I do think there are other questionable picks. Leaving off LeCavailier? Primeau? Karyia?
Draper? Doan? Maltby? I know checking lines are good but how the heck can Canada have a checking lines without Primeau? And I know that this three-some has played well in prior international play but still I just don't see how you could choose them over some of the others out there. Hopefully it will all work out for the best.
Post by Eric - Washington GM on Jun 27, 2004 16:08:55 GMT -5
Stevie Y deserves to be on the team probably more than anyone, same goes for Sakic, Lemieux and Brodeur. He brings every aspect of the game to the table, and the only small strike against him might be his aging body. I do think that Gretzky did make a big mistake by not selecting Keith Primeau, he had such a strong season, and re-established himself as one of the elite centermen in the NHL.
I wont lose sleep over it, because the USA will just end up winning