Meh. It looks like they were shooting for experience in other similar tournaments. I would have picked him, but it's not a big deal... the roster looks pretty solid. I'm more interested in the World Juniors anyway.
Give Gretzky a break, man, his mom just died. RIP Phyllis - it was sorta weird to drive past your and Walter's house all the time and go "That's where Wayne Gretzky grew up!"
The argument I heard, and that I agree with, is that Sid's got too much of a circus following him around. Sure he's great (and he's only going to get better) but having him on the team over another excellent player wouldn't add much beyond media hype. If you live in Canada you know the kind of hype our Olympic hockey gets anyway, and adding to that could only be a distraction. Anyway, I think the logic is reasonably sound. It also helps that by the next olympics he'll be 22, the craziness will have died down, and he'll have four more years of pro experience to draw on. If he's not on the 2010 team, then we start to get upset. We've been debating this team for weeks already. I for one am glad I live in a country where we could concievably put together three separate teams that could compete at this level. Just about any collection of 23 of those guys could make us proud, why be upset that one kid wasn't on the list? -Nate
That makes sense. As a foreigner (Yank), I'm on the outside wondering why. If he's going to get better, which I agree with, don't you think the hype will be that much more?
The hype is his age mixed with his skill. Sure he's shown us signs of brilliance, but he's not exactly leading the league anywhere (which might be due to the fact that he's on a pretty bad team). In comparison, look at guys like Spezza and Stahl. Spezza was leading the league in points and Stahl is leading his team (by a very large margin). Both of these guys are young and exceptionally talented, but the hype around them isn't anywhere near the same level. Incidentally, both of them are being brought along as alternates, not players. Four years should be more than enough for the world to accept that a guy like Crosby can exist. Right now most of us are just waiting for him to fall flat on his face, and that's why all the media attention is fun. If he stays consistent for the next four years, we'll just expect it from him and move on to the next young phenom. -Nate
I don't know squat about Hockey, but I always dug that Tragically Hip song about the Hockey Player that vanished up north. Can't think of the name of it though.
very sad to see that thug Bertuzzi is allowed to play at all let alone on the olympic team!! sid would have been a much better choice
Craziness? I've been to a Pens game this year and the only points of madness surrounding the team (not Crosby) is if they'll actually win 20 games this year or if they'll be around in Pittsburgh after a while. I know the Olympics are a totally different game, but I sure would like to see Crosby on the Canadian team for the Pens' sake.
I was a proponent for having Bertuzzi banned from the league entirely. I don't care how much talent you have, make a knuckleheaded move like what he did in the '03, '04 season and you should be gone forever. It's not like Moore is able to play anymore, let alone even walk under his own power. :scowl: Bertuzzi is just a douche and should be treated like one. [rant off] AuG
If they were looking for someone with more experience, why didn't they pick Brendan Shanahan of the Detroit Red Wings? He's having a heck of a season, leading his team with 20 goals scored!
Crosby was picked because...too inexperienced, sure he has shown some scoring prowess this season...but is that going to hold up all season long? Crosby is playing with the likes of Lemieux, Recchi, Leclaire and Palffy, all great scorers. Its easy to look good when you are playing with great players. Ovechkin= WAY better than Crosby. He plays on a team with absolutely no good players and has to come by most of his points by himself. Also, Crosby plays centre. He would be playing fourth line centre at best, and I don't think he would make a good checker(especially when you have Joe Thornton). Simple as that. Draper was a good choice. Reliable, good at face-offs, speedy, gritty, can kill penalties and win that last minute face off when you are up by a goal and need the critical defensive zone faceoff win. He is also able to change positions and play as a winger if need be. And as for Bertuzzi...what more do you want from the guy? He really put the hurt on Steve Moore, and its probably going to plague him for the rest of his life. He has to deal with it. That doesn't change the fact that he is a good power forward. Steve Moore IS able to walk under his own power, don't know where you got that from. And if we are going by ability to play hockey still, what about Dany Heatley? He was the reason Dan Snyder is not alive today. Why is he still playing hockey, and playing it well?! Surely killing someone is worse than temporarily immobalizing someone? I don't condone what Bertuzzi did, and I really don't like him, but I think the decision already reached should be the final one. Situation is over, why keep dragging it out? Its like something I recall from the local news. This cop killed someone while on the line of duty. This thing went to trial FIVE times. The first four times he was found innocent by the jury. The fifth time, he was found guilty and then sent to jail. I'm sure if the fifth time he was found innocent, they would've kept going until a jury found him guilty. WHY?! Four seperate juries found him innocent, yet the only one that found him guilty gets the final say. How come? Same thing with Bertuzzi. He's allowed to play hockey and hasn't been put in jail, so people are still trying to get him banned from the NHL and sent to jail. It happened this way, let it go. Use your time and money elsewhere - possibly to decrease rape and pedophilia instead of trying to get a hockey player behind bars. They are more important issues.
