With the Stanley Cup Playoffs all done with, it's time for the World Cup of Hockey!
SKED: August 30: Czech Republic vs. Finland [at Helsinki] August 31: Germany vs. Sweden [at Stockholm] August 31: Canada vs. USA [at Montreal] September 1: Czech Republic vs. Sweden [at Stockholm] September 1: Canada vs. Slovakia [at Montreal] September 2: Finland vs. Germany [at Cologne] September 2: USA vs. Russia [at St. Paul] September 3: Germany vs. Czech Republic [at Prague] September 3: USA vs. Slovakia [at St. Paul] September 4: Sweden vs. Finland [at Helsinki] September 4: Canada vs. Russia [at Toronto] September 5: Russia vs. Slovakia [at Toronto] September 6: 1st & 4th European teams [at higher seeded home arena] September 7: 2nd & 3rd European teams [at higher seeded home arena] September 7: 1st & 4th NA teams [at higher seeded home arena] September 8: 2nd & 3rd NA teams [at higher seeded home arena] September 10: Semi-Final [at St. Paul] September 11: Semi-Final [at Toronto] September 14: Final [at Toronto]
PLAYERS BY NHL TEAM: ANAHEIM [4]: Vaclav Prospal [F/CZE], Sergei Federov [F/RUS], Vitali Vishnevski [D/RUS] & Samuel Pahlsson [F/SWE] ATLANTA [6]: Dany Heatley [F/CAN], Frantisek Kaberle [D/CZE], Kari Lehtonen [G/FIN], Ilya Kovalchuk [F/RUS], Ivan Majesky [D/SLV] & Daniel Tjarnqvist [D/SWE] BOSTON [6]: Joe Thornton [F/CAN], Jiri Slegr [D/CZE], Sergei Samsonov [F/RUS], Sergei Gonchar [D/RUS], P.J. Axelsson [F/SWE] & Brian Rolston [F/USA] BUFFALO [4]: Jochen Hecht [F/GER], Maxim Afinogenov [F/RUS], Miroslav Satan [F/SLV] & Chris Drury [F/USA] CALGARY [8]: Robyn Regehr [D/CAN], Jarome Iginla [F/CAN], Miikka Kiprusoff [G/FIN], Toni Lydman [D/FIN], Ville Nieminen [F/FIN], Marcus Nilson [F/SWE], Jordan Leopold [D/USA] & Craig Conroy [F/USA] CAROLINA [1]: Josef Vasicek [F/CZE] CHICAGO [1]: Tuomo Ruutu [F/FIN] COLORADO [11]: Rob Blake [D/CAN], Adam Foote [D/CAN], Joe Sakic [F/CAN], Milan Hejduk [F/CZE], Ossi Vaananen [D/FIN], Teemu Selanne [F/FIN], Riku Hahl [F/FIN], Peter Budaj [G/SLV], Tommy Salo [G/SWE], Peter Forsberg [F/SWE] & Steve Konowalchuk [F/USA] COLUMBUS [2]: Jaroslav Spacek [D/CZE] & David Vyborny [F/CZE] DALLAS [7]: Brendan Morrow [F/CAN], Teppo Numminen [D/FIN], Jere Lehtinen [F/FIN], Niko Kapanen [F/FIN], Valeri Bure [F/RUS], Mike Modano [F/USA] & Bill Guerin [F/USA] DETROIT [12]: Kris Draper [F/CAN], Kirk Maltby [F/CAN], Steve Yzerman [F/CAN], Robert Lang [F/CZE], Pavel Datsyuk [F/RUS], Nicklas Lidstrom [D/SWE], Tomas Holmstrom [F/SWE], Henrik Zetterberg [F/SWE], Chris Chelios [D/USA], Derian Hatcher [D/USA], Mathieu Schneider [D/USA] & Brett Hull [F/USA] EDMONTON [4]: Eric Brewer [D/CAN], Ryan Smyth [F/CAN], Radek Dvorak [F/CZE] & Ty Conklin [G/USA] FLORIDA [3]: Roberto Luongo [G/CAN], Olli Jokinen [F/FIN] & Branislav Mezei [D/SLV] LOS ANGELES [8]: Roman Cechmanek [G/CZE], Martin Straka [F/CZE], Esa Pirnes [F/FIN], Lubomir Visnovsky [D/SLV], Zigmund Palffy [F/SLV], Jozef Stumpel [F/SLV], Mattias Norstrom [D/SWE] & Aaron Miller [D/USA] MINNESOTA [2]: Antti Laaksonen [F/FIN] & Marian Gaborik [F/SLV] MONTREAL [4]: Saku Koivu [F/FIN], Alexei Kovalev [F/RUS], Andrei Markov [D/RUS] & Richard Zednik [F/SLV] NASHVILLE [5]: Tomas Vokoun [G/CZE], Marek Zidlicky [D/CZE], Kimmo Timonen [D/FIN], Vladimir Orszagh [F/SLV] & Andreas Johansson [F/SWE] NEW JERSEY [6]: Martin Brodeur [G/CAN], Scott Niedermayer [D/CAN], Patrik Elias [F/CZE], Victor Kozlov [F/RUS], Brian Rafalski [D/USA] & Jamie Langenbrunner [F/USA] NY ISLANDERS [5]: Roman Hamrlik [D/CZE], Oleg Kvasha [F/RUS], Alexei Yashin [F/RUS], Rick DiPietro [G/USA] & Jason Blake [F/USA] NY RANGERS [2]: Jaromir Jagr [F/CZE] & Darius Kasparitis [D/RUS] OTTAWA [10]: Wade Redden [D/CAN], Martin Prusek [G/CZE], Martin Havlat [F/CZE], Christoph Schubert [D/GER], Anton Volchenkov [D/RUS], Zdeno Chara [D/SLV], Peter Bondra [F/SLV], Marian Hossa [F/SLV], Daniel Alfredsson [F/SWE] & Brian Smolinski [F/USA] PHILADELPHIA [14]: Simon Gagne [F/CAN], Joni Pikanen [D/FIN], Sami Kapanen [F/FIN], Dennis Seidenberg [D/GER], Alexei Zhamnov [F/RUS], Danny Markov [D/RUS], Michal Handzus [F/SLV], Branko Radivojevic [F/SLV], Radovan Somik [F/SLV], Kim Johnsson [D/SWE], Marcus Ragnarsson [D/SWE], Robert Esche [G/USA], Tony Amonte [F/USA] & Jeremy Roenick [F/USA] PHOENIX [3]: Shane Doan [F/CAN], Radoslav Suchy [D/SLV] & Ladislav Nagy [F/SLV] PITTSBURGH [3]: Mario Lemieux [F/CAN], Martin Strbak [D/SLV] & Dick Tarnstrom [D/SWE] ST. LOUIS [7]: Chris Pronger [D/CAN], Petr Cajanek [F/CZE], Alex Khavanov [D/RUS], Pavol Demitra [F/SLV], Christian Backman [D/SWE], Keith Tkachuk [F/USA] & Doug Weight [F/USA] SAN JOSE [7]: Patrick Marleau [F/CAN], Vesa Toskala [G/FIN], Christian Ehrloff [D/GER], Marco Sturm [F/GER], Marcel Goc [F/GER], Evgeni Nabokov [G/RUS] & Nils Ekman [F/SWE] TAMPA BAY [5]: Brad Richards [F/CAN], Martin St. Louis [F/CAN], Pavel Kubina [D/CZE], Nikolai Khabibulin [G/RUS] & Fredrik Modin [F/SWE] TORONTO [8]: Ed Belfour [G/CAN], Tomas Kaberle [D/CZE], Robert Reichel [F/CZE], Aki Berg [D/FIN], Mikael Tellqvist [G/SWE], Mats Sundin [F/SWE], Ken Klee [D/USA] & Brian Leetch [D/USA] VANCOUVER [11]: Ed Jovanovski [D/CAN], Marek Malik [D/CZE], Martin Rucinsky [F/CZE], Sami Salo [D/FIN], Jarkku Ruutu [F/FIN], Artem Chubarov [F/RUS], Jaroslav Obsut [D/SLV], Mattias Ohlund [D/SWE], Markus Naslund [F/SWE], Daniel Sedin [F/SWE] & Henrik Sedin [F/SWE] WASHINGTON [4]: Olaf Kolzig [G/GER], Dainius Zubrus [F/RUS], Rastislav Stana [G/SLV] & Jeff Halpern [F/USA]
PAST WINNERS: 1976: Canada over CSSR 1981: USSR over Canada 1984: Canada over Sweden 1987: Canada over USSR 1991: Canada over United States 1996: United States over Canada
2004 CALGARY FLAMES: 42-30-7-3 in 82 games for 94 points in the regular season 15-11 in 26 games in the playoffs 2004 Western Conference Champions
Hockey in fucking August ... the world just ain't right at the moment.
If I could fix me up a week of twilight hours we'd sit on the point and watch the sun continually flounder. Bathed in gold we'd plug into some kind of power and connect with those days back before all of this went sour.
I think the World Cup will be decent hockey. It won't be Olympic caliber because they're playing on NHL sized rinks and it's not nearly as important.
It'll be interesting because Canada is the favourite going in because you'd think the NHL ice surface would favour them more then the Olympic sized ice. They also appear to have the best team on paper but in such a short tournament, I wouldn't want to play Russia or Finland because Khabibulin and Kiprusoff can easily steal one game and knock a team out.
I'm probably most looking forward to that first Canada-US game in Montreal. Montreal has proven to not be shy about showing no respect to the US anthem so the atmosphere is going to be incredible. Canada/Russia in Toronto will be a throwback to 1972 Summit Series and a few of those Canada Cups.
I don't really think the Pools are even, though. Canada, US, Russia, and Slovakia in one pool. While Czechs, Sweden, Finland, and Germany in the other? I wonder how they decided that one.
Originally posted by fuelinjectedI don't really think the Pools are even, though. Canada, US, Russia, and Slovakia in one pool. While Czechs, Sweden, Finland, and Germany in the other? I wonder how they decided that one.
Without looking too in-depth, I'd guess the thinking is some combo of Canada/US finishing 1-2 in their pool...therefore having the best chance to meet in the final.
I have to admit that the scheduling took real talent to fit ALL the games in between the end of the Olympics and the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement.
Color me impressed.
Are you a professional halfwit or talented amateur?
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