The Knucklehead Strikes Again
Just over two days since I was roundly impressed by the Swiss in their upset of the Czech Republic in men's ice hockey, I felt like I might even choose them to beat Canada. The Czechs, I reasoned, were probably a little better and a little faster than the Canadians coming into the tournament, so I felt it was possible that the Swiss could hang with the Canadians, for a short while. Maybe a period, period and a half. The reasoning for this, of course, is that the Canadian team is very large, in the sense that they have but three skaters under 6'1", while the Swiss have but three players over 6'1". Switzerland's aggressive forecheck, good backcheck and smashmouth, blanketing team defense worked against the lighter-weight Czechs, but the Canadians would surely outlast their scrappiness.
"Meanwhile, David Aebischer and the Swiss rebound from getting blanked by the Fins 18 hours earlier to put a royal beatdown on the Czech Republic. The article doesn't do it justice, though it does observe in a roundabout fashion that the Swiss have already matched their '02 win total. They're a bunch of no-names, except for Aebischer, but if they keep forechecking and hitting like that, they could make some noise and break into the medal round. Once there, anybody has a shot. However, they've got a game left against those huge Canadians, with their similar styles and superior talent, so I don't see them putting up much resistance in that match. No Swiss round robin games will be broadcast on the NBC Mothership, but if you get a chance to watch them on one of the satellite networks, take a close look at they way they fly around - Martin Pluss, Paul DiPietro and Thomas Ziegler in particular. I've not seen anyone that aggressive and smart applying puck pressure in the NHL this season to date. The Czechs are a great skill team, but Switzerland just outworked them. Playing together year-round does wonders for that kind of teamwork and chemistry, an element that even the mighty Canadians, for all their talent, cannot replicate."
This is what I wrote. Mad props to the Swiss, but I gave them no chance.
Switzerland, I'm so sorry I dissed you, but I'm thrilled I was dead wrong.
Martin Gerber, one of two NHL goaltenders - the only regular NHL players on the Swiss roster - shut out the Canadians today, stopping all forty-nine shots on the way to a 2-0 Swiss win. Despite the shots on goal disparity, you never really got the impression that Canada was going to win this game. Gerber was in total control and the Canadians had few of what I'd call quality scoring opportunities. Gerber saw the puck clearly and Paul DiPietro was huge again, scoring both goals and making a serious statement: The Swiss are going to be a major factor in this tournament. They have the toughest teams in their pool out of the way, Finland, the Czech Republic and Canada - they should beat Italy and Germany handily, which means they'll sit at 4-1 and may finish first in the pool, should Finland stumble against the Czechs and Canada. The Fins take on the Czechs today at 3:00 in what could be a pivotal matchup in Pool A.
More pandemonium later!