brief thoughts on canada @ sweden (iihf world championship qualifiers)
- Got to the first late, about halfway through the frame.
- Aw, Skinner got an assist and basically made the play for the second goal! He's so cute. His little faaaaaaace.
- Duchene, stop taking penalties. The Avs had a penalty problem toward the end of this year, too. I like you because you seem like you have a personality, so shape up, kiddo.
- I love how the Canadian team is basically a bunch of 18yr olds and Nash. Oh, Nasher. Must feel good to play with a talented hockey team for a change.
- I've missed watching Laddie kill penalties. I'm glad he got to play for Canada this year.
- Hi Foppa! How are you still standing up on skates, you are something like a bajillion years old.
- Why are these announcers continuously having difficulties with Evander Kane's name? They can handle the Swedish names like Paajarvi-Svensson, but they have trouble with Kane? IDGI.
- Well, that was a good period. It's always so much fun to watch Canada hockey. James Neal is the intermission interview? Weak sauce. Give us a treat and put Skinner on. Parise is a commetator? rarstdhneirstdhn!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And he sounds smart and coherent and better than 80% of VS announcers, and he's exceedingly pretty. Somebody get this kid a secondary career in broadcasting, a la Patrick Sharp, stat!
- Hot damn, Skinner even backchecks like a demon to play defense. Kid is a stud.
- SO WEIRD to see Spezza wearing the #19 instead of Toews. I mean, I know Toews wore 16 for Canada in the Olympics, but still. It's a red uniform and Laddie's out there on the ice; Toews should be the #19.
- Yay Bernier! I'm pulling for you in the goalie battle. I've always liked your style, kiddo, and you're wasted behind Quick. Rather see you take it and get some recognition at last than Reimer hop in again. PS: talk to your agent about a trade. You're No.1 material, and you're not going to get that spot behind Quickie. Swap to a team that genuinely needs a #1.
- LOL at the broadcast coming on early, to hear one announcer explaining to the other how to pronounce Pietrangelo's name: "Like the word 'pet', then 'trangelo'.... [conspicuous silence as they both realize that was on air]... WELL! Welcome back to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia!"
- See, what did I say about Sweden's goalie being good stuff? Ersberg needs to get his ass back across the Atlantic, and back on track to an NHL career. At this point, he could be a #1 in the A, or a backup in the N. Maybe talk to the Oilers, I imagine they're entertaining all comers at this point.
- AWWWW! Look at that! Our very own bbHawk Marcus Kruger completely set up that play for a goal! Way to go kiddo! Keep showing class, and maybe we'll get lucky and they'll keep you with the big club next year! Still love seeing you play! Also, I like that Tedenby scored that goal. He flew under the radar this season in the NHL, but he's a damn good player.
- Spezza's puckhanding on the half-boards leaves... much to be desired? There, was that polite enough?
- Stay closer to the net, Bernier, bb. Can't go wandering near the blueline in games like this.
- Tedenby stickhandled himself out of that shot. Simplify, bb, all this fancy stuff just gives the defenders more time to solidify their game.
- Ersberg nearly got a stick in the head from his own guy, there. Careful, everyone, no one needs a Ballard in this tournament.
- Ahahahaha. Nasher forgets that it's not the NHL and you're not supposed to skate through dudes when they've got their heads down in the center. BOOM! Hitchcock is secretly smiling at how pretty that hit was.
- Aw. Our bb Kruger is all grown up and killing penalties for Canada! I feel warm and fuzzy. How cute is his smile when he hits the bench, all triumphant about his PK? Help me, Q, I NEED to see more of him next year. NEED IT.
- Tie game at the end of the second. Awesome hockey to watch, just a ton of fun!
- Okay, that's better. Schenner is the second period interview, and sounds exceedingly Canadian, eh, you know. PARISE IS STILL PRETTY AND SMART AND REMARKABLY POISED AND WELL-SPOKEN! And his analysis is more cogent than it has any right to be. I like it that he doesn't talk down to fans when analysing plays. That Nash hit doesn't get less funny when they replay it. Dude just explodes. BOOM, and suddenly the opposing player just disappears. What a satisfying hit. Parise explains Nashville's style as 'scoring by committee' which is pretty spot-on.
- To steal a phrase from Hawks fans, Canada's PP is total clownshoes right now. Complete disorganization. Players not where they're supposed to be, bad passes, whole nine yards. It's a national-team thing; these guys haven't really had a chance to rehearse this all that much, or figure out a system that really fits the specific talents of the players.
- Okay, kids. Didn't they tell you there's no fighting in international hockey? LOL at it being Burns and Berglund, too. Aren't they teammates IRL?
- Bernier swaps blockers midgame? Don't know that I've ever seen a goalie do that.
- This game is insane!
- Bernier's like, "Bow-chika-bow-wow!"
- Lulz. Whenever someone makes a big hit in this tournament, everyone on the ice looks around like "Oops. I forgot that's badwrong here. Was that a penalty?"
- Bernier has a bigger dick than you. Also he has a mask that says 'Hollywood'. Your argument is invalid.
- Not real sure what Canada's been trying to do for the last five minutes. They need to get organized and simplify. Blind passes don't usually work when you've been playing with your linemates for less than a week. Stop trying them.
- Stewart, I love you and feel sorry that you got traded to the Blues, but let's face reality, man. You need to shave the beard. It's just not sexy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
- Aw, Brent Burns scored! I like Brent Burns, he always seemed like such a teddy bear of a guy.
- Watch the way Sweden skates curves and diagonals. It's such a contrast to North American hockey, which is for the most part straight lines. This distinction used to be even more apparent, but it's still there and you don't even have to look particularly closely to see it. Ken Dryden talked about this in his book The Game, and the difference is attributable to the way the game developed fairly separately in Europe and N.America. Fascinating to see it play out in real life, especially comparing the Swedish forecheck and zone entry to the Canadian version of the same.
- Bad time for a penalty, Burnsie.
- Bernier: Smash! My diiiiiiick. Is bigger than youuuuuuuuurs.
- Kruger gets a penalty for (and these are the announcers exact words) "poking the goalie". Technically it's a slashing penalty (brb, LOLing for ever), but no, in reality, it's a penalty for poking the goalie. They give slashing penalties for poking the goalie. Just you TRY and convince me this isn't the most homoerotic sport ever.
- Jonathan Ericsson's brother is also pretty. Good to know.
- AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What actually happened: Petrasek took a slashing (hee) penalty for hacking at Skinner. Announcer's words: "And Petrasek takes a slashing penalty for banging Skinner." It's okay, Petrasek, I'd bang Skinner too.
- Looks like Canada will be facing Russia in quarters. That's a match I think Canada can win. Ironic if Canada knocked Russia out of the quarters, just like the Olympics. Exciting!