Perry Set To Join Exclusive Hockey Group
If Team Canada and Corey Perry are able to win the World Cup, one of hockey’s most elite groups will double in size. In an article by The Hockey News’ Ken Campbell, he points out that only Perry’s former teammate and current Ducks assistant coach Scott Niedermayer has won a Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Junior Championship, Memorial Cup, and World Cup. With everything else all checked off, Perry just needs three wins to join his friend in hockey’s winningest (albeit obscure) group.
Perry, who was a late addition to Team Canada following the injury of Jeff Carter, is just happy to be on the team and hasn’t given much thought to his potential history-making achievement. Ironically, it all began with him being a late addition to another team. Perry barely made Canada’s World Junior team in 2005, where he played alongside future team mate Ryan Getzlaf, Sidney Crosby, tournament MVP Patrice Bergeron and more on one of the best World Junior teams of all-time. After easily taking the Junior tournament, Perry returned to the OHL’s London Knights, where he finished off a 130-point season with help from Dave Bolland, Marc Methot, and more and then led the team, with a stellar playoff performance, to the Memorial Cup title. Perry made his NHL debut the next year, in 2005-06, and just one year later, he contributed 44 regular season points and 15 postseason points en route to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship. With the stats and titles to back him up, Perry was an easy choice for Team Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and again in 2014 in Sochi, winning a gold medal at each Games. Finally, Perry won a World Championship for Canada this past spring, joining the team after the Ducks were upset early in the playoffs.
Perry, who is also a three-time All-Star, Hart winner, and Maurice Richard winner, among many other accolades, still holds on to his humility. Although he is on the cusp of joining a group that Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky, and Mario Lemieux could not even make it in to, his sights are still just set on helping out his team mates and winning for his country. He’s grateful just to be on the team and to get the chance to enjoy the opportunity. Perry is a proven winner, and don’t be surprised to see his name join more elite groups as his decorated career continues.
World Cup Notes: USA Loss, Clinching Scenarios, Price
Hours before being eliminated from the World Cup at the hands of their bitter rivals, Team USA forward T.J. Oshie told reporters, “If it comes down to 100 per cent skill, I think they win; 100 per cent grit, I think we win.”
During the first intermission, with Canada up 3-1, smiling Team Canada forward Joe Thornton told Sportsnet, “We have a good mixture of skill and grit on our team.”
While Canada entered the tournament as the favorite thanks to their stacked roster of elite NHLers, the USA entered as underdogs with a roster designed to defeat Canada. Highly skilled forwards like Phil Kessel, Tyler Johnson, and Kyle Okposo were left at home; so were elite offensive defensemen like Keith Yandle, Justin Faulk, and Kevin Shattenkirk. In their places went Justin Abdelkader, Brandon Dubinsky, David Backes, Jack Johnson, and Erik Johnson. Two of those were healthy scratched last night, while the other three combined for six hits, 4 PIM, and a -3 rating.
According to Sportsnet’s Luke Fox, a reporter asked coach John Tortorella after the game if he would “change the makeup” of the team in hindsight, and he received a short answer.
“No.”
NHL MVP and American assistant captain Patrick Kane told reporters “I’ll never say a bad thing about [Tortorella]. He’s just a great coach, and we didn’t show up for him.”
Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshnyski was a little harsher, calling the game “60 minutes of apathetic Americans flinging shots and Canadians poking a dead carcass with a stick.”
It’s time for USA Hockey to adapt to the new style of international game. They need look no further than the reason behind Team North America’s success in this tournament: fast and skilled. While the Americans didn’t have the choice of taking Johnny Gaudreau, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Dylan Larkin, or Brandon Saad, one has to wonder how many of those would have made the cut of a team based on grinding and physical play. That needs to change, if the Americans want to have a chance to beat the Canadians at future tournaments.
This edition of Team USA was designed to beat Canada; it turns out the only team they’ve been able to beat is themselves.
- The clinching scenarios for tonight’s games are as follows: North America can clinch a berth in the semi-finals with a regulation win over Sweden, or be eliminated if they lose by five goals or more. Finland will be eliminated if North America gets at least one point. Sweden can clinch Group B if they earn at least one point versus the North Americans tonight. Meanwhile in Group A, with the eliminated Americans and Czechs set to play a meaningless game, the winner of Canada and Europe will clinch the Group.
- Incredible stat from Tom Gulitti’s game recap over at the World Cup website: Ryan McDonagh‘s goal in the first period ended Carey Price‘s international shutout streak at 228.41. That dates back to Canada’s semi-final win over Latvia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Price proceeded to shutout the Americans in the semi-finals, Sweden in the finals, and the Czechs in the World Cup opener.
Snapshots: USA-Canada, Abdelkader
John Tortorella has found himself and his team in a challenging situation following their 3-0 loss to Team Europe on Saturday. Though critiqued by many for their roster selection, few expected a shutout loss to Team Europe. But that’s exactly what happened, putting the Americans in an absolute must win against arch-rival Canada. Stephen Whyno writes that while the game has to result in an American victory for any sort of hope, it’s just another game for the Canadians. Tortorella called the Tuesday’s contest its “championship game,” and had this to say regarding the potential elimination game:
“Playing there, against them, everybody wants us knocked out,” Tortorella said Monday. “I can’t wait and I think our players can’t wait for this game to start. It’s going to be a blast.”
Team Canada bench boss Mike Babcock on the other hand, takes the approach that every important game in the tournament is the next one, and while Canada fended off the Czech Republic with ease, they certainly won’t be overlooking a desperate American squad. Whyno reports that Canada isn’t concerned with eliminating the US for extra motivation. Instead, it’s a business as usual approach for the team that has been dubbed by many as having few to little weaknesses.
In other hockey news:
- Justin Abdelkader will be placed on a line with Patrick Kane in the tilt against Canada writes Puck Daddy’s Greg Wyshynski and it could be another in a line of head scratching Tortorella moves. Tortorella claims that anyone questioning his “thinking” is simply reporters “overthinking” it. Further, he writes that Abdelkader, based on his play, has earned more ice time. Wyshynski argues that Abdelkader is generally considered to be a third or fourth line player, but Abdelkader makes this point:
“I’ve played with some good players in Detroit and it’s similar to him. You want the puck on his stick. But you can’t just think you’re going to throw pucks all the time at him. It’s the right opportunities. I think we’re a better team when Patrick Kane has the puck on his stick, that’s for sure.”
Abdelkader also points out that he’ll play “wherever” Tortorella puts him. Wyshynski also points out that this is an old hat strategy by Torts: those who play hard will play more and those who don’t will sit. While that strategy seems subjective, and many would argue that it is, if it works, then Tortorella looks like a genius. If not, then it’ll add to the litany of missteps Team USA has made through the World Cup experience.
Snapshots: Lundqvist, Rantanen, Crosby
In a shocking turn of events, Henrik Lundqvist has been scratched from today’s matchup with Russia at the World Cup. As of this morning, Lundqvist was the expected starter, but came down with an illness that is making him unable to play in the game. Jacob Markstrom will take his place in net, while the backup will be Jhonas Enroth.
For Sweden, it’s a huge blow to their chances against the high-powered Russians who will ice a top line of Nikita Kucherov, Pavel Datsyuk and Alex Ovechkin. That trio had 96 goals between them last season, even with Datsyuk obviously in the tail end of his career. While the Russian defense isn’t nearly as strong, their top two lines can play with anyone in the world, and probably outscore the majority of them. Lundqvist would have been a huge part in any Swedish victory.
- According to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post, the injured Mikko Rantanen will not play today against Anaheim in the Colorado rookie showcase. While it was reported yesterday that his sprained ankle isn’t as bad as originally thought, the Avalanche have now released that it will keep him out 2-4 weeks. Rantanen is trying to show that he has developed enough to be considered for a full-time NHL job this season, after dominating at the AHL level a season ago.
- Sidney Crosby is one of, if not the, best players in the world and no one denies it. But when you hear his teammates on Team Canada speak so highly of him, like Matt Duchene did with TSN today, it really drives the point home. Duchene says “He’s not a guy who’s winning Selke trophies, but he easily could be.” Jay Bouwmeester chimed in as well, saying “He’s not just a pure goal scorer, a guy who’s just hanging out and getting points. He plays the game and he makes a lot of things happen out there, just through the way he moves, and what a powerful skater he is and how smart he is. It’s pretty impressive.”
Snapshots: Team USA Reaction, Prospect Tournaments, Rantanen
It was paramount for the United States to put themselves in a good position heading into its tilt with Team Canada on Tuesday. Instead, they made things even tougher on themselves. Lauding a gritty style that would intimidate opponents, the US looked anything but intimidating in a 3-0 loss to Team Europe. Until the third period, the US seemed to lack any sense of urgency.
USA Today’s Kevin Allen writes that while the US can still hypothetically advance, it would take a number of scenarios for that to happen. Further, Allen reports that giving up three goals in just shots never allowed the US to get control of the game. Puck Daddy’s Jen Neale writes more about how even before the game, Team USA was making odd decisions.
Head coach John Tortorella had defenseman Dustin Byfuglien as a healthy scratch, a befuddling move that had every analyst wondering what was going on. Neale goes on to write that the US team looked “listless” and then more telling, that after scoring its first goal, Team Europe sat back to allow the US to “implode on themselves.”
Frank Seravalli was even more blunt:
Just about everything Team USA had been billed as before the tournament started did not show up on Saturday for the first game of the tournament. They weren’t rugged or tough to play against. In fact, they played most of the game like the environment inside the arena: quiet and without much intensity.
The US will have to find that intensity quickly or else they will have a short stay in the tournament.
In other hockey news:
- Gustav Forsling had an impressive showing for the Blackhawks during a 5-0 whitewashing of the Red Wings prospects at the Rookie Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan. Forsling had three points, with one coming as a goal. Nathan Noel, and Alex DeBrincat each added a goal while Alexandre Fortin scored two. In other action from Traverse City, the Rangers knocked off the Stars 5-4 in overtime. Jimmy Vesey had an assist and a shootout goal in the win.
- It appears that Mikko Rantanen‘s injury is not a serious one. Mike Chambers tweets that the Avs classified it as an ankle sprain and nothing more. It was reported earlier that Rantanen suffered an apparent right leg injury that looked troubling.
Full World Cup Of Hockey Schedule
The World Cup officially kicks off today with a match-up between Team USA and Team Europe. After some interesting scratches announced earlier today, the American team will look to kick off the tournament with a win over Anze Kopitar and the European collection. Here’s a look at the entire schedule in Toronto (all times Central):
Saturday, Sept. 17
Team USA vs. Team Europe, 2:30 pm.
Team Czech Republic vs. Team Canada, 7 pm.
Sunday, Sept. 18
Team Sweden vs. Team Russia, 2 pm.
Team North America vs. Team Finland, 7 pm.
Monday, Sept. 19
Team Europe vs. Team Czech Republic, 2 pm.
Team Russia vs. Team North America, 7 pm.
World Cup Notes: Team USA, Seguin, Olympics
The World Cup of Hockey starts today in Toronto, and Team USA will take on Team Europe in the first game of the revamped tournament. While the American team has one of the strongest teams in their history, head coach John Tortorella has made some interesting decisions going into the opener. As Dan Rosen of NHL.com tweets, the infamous head coach has scratched Kyle Palmieri, Dustin Byfuglien and Cory Schneider for the afternoon matchup.
Byfuglien, part of the team’s original 16 named players, was expected to be a big part of the top pairing on this team and a weapon on the powerplay. As Tom Gulitti adds, Tortorella said just this week that he was excited about the Jets’ blueliner’s big shot. Instead, Erik Johnson will suit up as the team’s sixth defenseman.
- Tyler Seguin, who injured his foot this week in a pre-tournament match, is not expected to miss any training camp, as Mike Leslie of WFAA in Dallas reports. The hairline fracture that the Stars’ forward suffered is not serious enough to warrant him missing much time, and did not come as a surprise to the Dallas medical staff. Seguin was replaced by Ryan O’Reilly on Team Canada’s roster.
- In a new column from Helene Elliott of the LA Times, she examines how any success at the World Cup will give the NHL leverage in any Olympic negotiations down the road. With players and fans getting their international fix from the pre-season tournament, the league is not necessarily obligated to send players to the Winter Games, which usually causes an ugly stoppage mid-season, and prevents the league from hosting their all-star events. With the build up for the tournament being mixed, but overall fairly positive, it seems the league and NHLPA will have a strong bargaining chip to play to try and get a pay structure put in place for any player headed to the Olympics.
Snapshots: Ovechkin, Cleary, World Cup Predictions
If the NHL won’t send players to the 2018 Olympics, it won’t stop Alex Ovechkin from representing Team Russia. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the superstar simply said “I will go there,” and elaborated a bit more on his wording:
“My decision is the same,” Ovechkin said. “So, I don’t know what’s going to happen right now, but we just have to wait what they say and we’ll see. …It’s a situation where you don’t know what’s going to happen. But obviously I said I’m going to play.”
The major hangup over participation is 2018 is insurance costs for players should they play in South Korea. The IOC, according to LeBrun, have expressed hesitancy over covering travel and insurance costs for those playing in the Olympics.
In other hockey news:
- The Detroit Red Wings have offered Dan Cleary a professional tryout tweets Ansar Khan. Cleary spent the season in Grand Rapids, and was not re-signed by the organization. However, this news will certainly rankle many Detroit fans who point to Cleary as one of the many reasons the Red Wings have continued to slide. Cleary had a hand shake deal with general manager Ken Holland to return following the 2013-14 season, a season where his decline began. Since then, he played sparingly and was relegated to the AHL after the emergence of Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou.
- With the World Cup of Hockey beginning its first slate of tournament games today, analysts have started releasing their predictions. NHL.com had a slew of analysts picking their favorites and there were three analysts (Amalie Benjamin, Michael Langr and Dave Stubbs) to reach the championship round. Langr believes that Team USA will win Group A. As for the champions, it was either Team Canada or Team Sweden from the handful of analysts. Puck Daddy’s crew of Greg Wyshynski, Sean Leahy, Josh Cooper and Jen Neale all have Canada being crowned as champions. The runner ups varied from the US (Wyshynski and Neale) to Sweden (Cooper and Leahy). Neale adds that the matchup the NHL desires is USA-Canada, but Sweden–or possibly Team North America, could certainly prevent that.
- Puck Daddy’s writers also conducted a roundtable where they discussed what must happen for the World Cup to be considered a success. Wyshysnki is conflicted because the success of the World Cup–which he calls a negotiating tool against the IOC–may encourage the lack of NHL participation in the Olympics. This is less about national pride, Wyshynski writes, and more about showing the viability of international hockey outside of the Olympics. WCOH gear is selling well and advertisers are aplenty. Josh Cooper writes that North America, USA, and Canada all need to be successful because it was placed in the North America timezone to cement its support. Neale adds that every game needs to be competitive in order to keep the casual fan interested. Ryan Lambert just hopes for more entertainment than an NHL exhibition game, calling that a moral victory for the NHL.
World Cup Notes: Team USA Cannot Afford A Letdown
It’s now or never for Team USA. ESPN’s Scott Burnside writes that Team USA is in an absolute must win today against Team Europe and can’t afford any sort of letdown. While he explains that every team is in the same boat, it’s the construction of the US team that makes a victory today imperative. Pundits and analysts have all sounded off about the hard nosed, tough style the United States wishes to play while wondering if it can stand up against the speedier, skilled teams like Team Canada, Team Sweden, and Team North America. Beating the Czech Republic and Team Europe then, is “imperative” with Canada looming over the Americans. Burnside reports that Team Europe came back strong against Sweden and will hardly be the pushover that many initially thought. Canada, meanwhile, outplayed the United States in both meetings, despite an American victory in the exhibition opener for both squads. Jonathan Quick will start in the net for the US today while forward Justin Abdelkader appears to be the extra forward.
- The New York Post’s Larry Brooks strikes a similar chord, saying that this may be the USA’s best chance to ease the pressure of the tournament with a win over Team Europe. Otherwise, Brooks writes, they make the contest with Canada a do-or-die affair, something the US can ill afford. Brooks also calls the US team one that is hardly the fastest or most skilled and echoing Burnside, notes that it’s all by design. Forward Max Pacioretty calls his American teammates a “lunch pail” group that will “make life difficult” for other teams. Pacioretty should know well, as Brooks writes that the Canadiens forward irritated coach John Tortorella with an early hesitation to play hard nosed hockey by skating around the perimeter. But changes were made and now Pacioretty is one of many American players altering their game to fit the “blue collar” hockey America was designed to play. Though they have snipers in Patrick Kane and Blake Wheeler, Team USA appears ready to live and die with the blueprint of toughness.
Seguin Expected To Miss World Cup With Injury
UPDATE (8:20pm CT): Buffalo Sabres forward Ryan O’Reilly will replace Seguin on Team Canada, the league announced in a press release tonight. Although O’Reilly was not considered one of the most likely replacement candidates (the Hall omission continues to puzzle many), he brings a strong all-around game and two-way ability, adding some versatility and defensive presence to the Canadian forward corp. Seguin has officially been ruled out of the World Cup.
It seems as though another Team Canada forward has fallen victim to the injury bug. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos first reported that Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin sustained an injury during the pre-tournament for the World Cup of Hockey and is now likely to miss the actual event. Kypreos added that the injury, believed to be concerning his right knee, is not deemed to be serious. However, Seguin likely needs a week or more to recover, which is time that Team Canada does not have. They are likely to leave Seguin off of the roster, meaning he will miss the entirety of the World Cup. Elliotte Friedman has corroborated the story, and reports that an official announcement is expected tomorrow.
This injury comes after fellow Team Canada forward, Los Angeles Kings center Jeff Carter, was hurt while training for the World Cup. As they did when Carter went down and was replaced by Corey Perry, it seems likely that Canada will add another winger to a center-heavy roster. The team has 24 hours to make an addition before the tournament officially begins. The top candidate is likely to be the newest New Jersey Devil, Taylor Hall, who would be a fitting replacement for Seguin, as the top two 2010 draft picks will forever have their careers compared to one another. Depth is hardly an issue for the Canadian side though, and there are any number of options should they choose to add another body to the roster.
Seguin meanwhile will look toward getting healthy for the start of the NHL season. With line mate and fellow NHL star Jamie Benn also on the shelf, recovering from injury, the Stars hope that the pair can rest up and be ready for puck drop on the 2016-17 campaign. The team is hopeful that Benn will be at 100% by game time, and Seguin’s injury is not considered serious, so he too is likely to be ready for action when the new season begins next month.