“We’re all a little surprised at how good everyone is”, he said.
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Playing for your country carries a different set of rules for the captain of the Montreal Canadiens.
Team Europe leads all clubs in the field with five players who participated in the last World Cup, held in 2004 as the final event before the lockout that canceled the 2004-05 season.
“I’ve noticed we have the right kind of language in the dressing room and based on the character we have on this team the players have responded to the spirit of this team”.
The European squad had only two practices with their full squad as several players arrived late from an Olympic qualifying tournament. Although it must be said, John Tortorella has not been impressed by his performance so far, dropping him from the first line after game one and limiting his minutes in game two. There is nothing new to report in regards to negotiations with the Sabres, a source said, and the 21-year-old will play in the global tournament without a deal in place. You can’t, you’ve got to get guys into situations where you think they’re going to produce for you.
What team is going to prevail in the World Cup of Hockey? Canada won gold in Sochi by having the puck in the offensive zone so much that opponents got worn down and couldn’t create chances. Well see where it goes. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve got some talent on the blue line, but it doesn’t wow me like some of the other rosters in this tournament.
“You can’t do that. you can’t play aggressive, you can’t play straight ahead and you can’t think about just your team unless you get into that mindset”.
A series of other National Hockey League players have also been selected on the USA leadership team for the competition, including David Backes of the Boston Bruins, the Anaheim Ducks’ Ryan Kesler, Ryan McDonagh, who plies his trade for the New York Rangers, and Minnesota Wild alternate captain Zach Parisé.
Captain Sidney Crosby, who was roughed up Friday in a 4-2 loss in Columbus, sat out Saturday while winger Corey Perry played in his place.
Crosby is projected to center Boston stars Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, while Getzlaf might center John Tavares and Steven Stamkos. But led by consummate professionals and team players in the Sedin twins, the Swedes will do their best not to be trifled with.
“That’s the way our team is built and what coach has talked about even this summer”, United States of America center Zach Parise said. “When we did, I just think we need to be closer there”. “That’s the unique part of this tournament, is your team is littered with really good players, or they wouldn’t be playing for their country”, Tortorella said. When you don’t score, you press.
The Muskoka cottage region in Ontario is flawless for families looking for a few days of fresh air. In a short tournament, there is no time to put the pieces in place and let the team grow together, which is why some success against the US was paramount. It’s more that the US has to be sharper, especially in the tournament showdown against Canada on September 20.
“We were pretty happy with our game (Friday), and the difference was we weren’t able to capitalize on our chances”, said Duchene. Seguin took a rough, feet-first spill into the boards early in the second period and temporarily went to the Canadian locker room to get looked at by team staff.
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“There’s rust coming out of the summer”, said Matt Duchene, who also scored for Canada. Everything was there (Friday) but the finishing. Babcock might have some tough calls to make in net once the tournament actually gets underway.
