Canada crushin it 6-1. USA won 3-0 winning bronze with Amateurs against pros. I wish the US pros would play in this tourny. This would be a much better tourny if it was played after the Cup finals.
hardly. Team USA had over 70% pros . In addition the non-pros , young kids Team USA brain trust chose all have international hockey experience including Vessey, Matteau,Eichel.
actually that was a very decent team they put together, good mix . Keep in mind this is the first medal for USA since 2004.
Canada has always had difficulty at this tournament - NHL's players that don't make the playoffs often decline- bodies worn, or mentally fried. One yr, GM Fletcher had 51 players decline to play for Canada. Ugh. This year was different, and seeing Sidney hop on board was extra cool
speaking of the 1st ballot Hall of Famer, Sidney's resume is stunning...
2-time Olympic Gold
World Jr Champion
Stanley Cup Champion
World Hockey Championship Gold
and he remains always the humble chap;
"It is a great honor joining the Triple Gold Club. I've been fortunate to play for some great teams," Crosby said, according to the IIHF website. "You need some luck too. Guys have played in different events and sometimes you don't get the luck. I feel pretty fortunate to be a part of this and we could do it as a group."
next year we get the IIHF World Championship and the NHL version of the World Cup
The pros that played were almost all 4th liners in the NHL, I think they only had one Olympian on the team. None of USA's good players played in the tourny, and historically they don't for some reason. The Goalie was playing in college a couple of weeks ago and Eichel hasn't been drafted yet. USA's best player was a KHL player. Canada, Russia, Sweden, Finland, Czech, were pretty stacked with all star talent in comparison. It was good experience for the young guys though. There were a lot of pros but they're guys that are either very green or barely making it in the NHL.
It it was fantastic job by USA hockey especially including Eichel - hopefully he's a leader . USA desperately needs one aka Roenick , Chelios.
anyway my post was to correct your statement about 'Amateurs vs pros ' ; so anyone reading isn't mislead