The Olympic hockey tournament is 16 months away, but what a response we got from our ESPN.com puckheads to our weekly question. Simply put, who do ya like for gold in Vancouver?
I took the time to read all of the responses -- I'll never get that 30 minutes back in my life. Just kidding! There were some great, thought-out responses, as usual. I saw that a few readers were upset at the question because there's a lot of time between now and the tournament, but the point is, if you're Brian Burke or Steve Yzerman (who should soon be named Team Canada's GM), right now, you're already going through this exercise.
And so am I as an NHL columnist. Every game I'm watching right now, I've got the Olympics in the back of my mind, wondering which player is doing enough to get noticed.
Why not include the fans in the process!?
As for the answer to the question, Sweden, Canada and Russia were far and away your most popular choice for gold.
What surprised me the most was there wasn't a lot of love for the Czech Republic, a perennial powerhouse at the IIHF World Championship. There also wasn't a lot of love for Finland, a silver medalist in Torino and runner-up at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.
Let's take a look at a few of the posts:
rjs162: I will take first shot at this. I think Russia will be the top team. The pressure will be on them in '10 much like the pressure was on the Canadian team to win in Salt Lake. It will have been 18 years since they won the gold. With the youngsters Ovechkin and Malkin already partaking in an Olympics and knowing what will be expected of them. Nabokov is easily one of the top performers in the NHL and should excel here as well. Add in pieces like Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, Gonchar and they will be a tough team to play.
CapsAvsBravesRVA: I think Russia is going to roll over everyone. They have so much young talent in the NHL right now a lot of whom are only going to get better by time the Olympics roll around. Speaking of which, I think Semin has a breakout year and nets at least 40. The Russian team is going to score more goals than they know what to do with and if Nabokov can stay sharp in net they will take home the gold.
pher66: Well, it's time to face the facts. Russia is stacked and they're gonna take it all. They've got all the young hot shots who know how to pass and find the back of the net as well. It's going to be all about the dangles, and snipes coming from Russia.
And if Russia doesn't come through, then maybe Sweden?
My take: Russia will indeed be stacked, as usual. Its depth in goal is as good as it has been since some guy named Tretiak tended net. Nabokov, Bryzgalov and Khabibulin are an impressive 1-2-3. About a year ago, I made the early, early prediction that Russia would win gold in Vancouver. Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalev, Datsyuk, Semin up front; Markov, Gonchar on defense ... And while I still love this team, chemistry could be an issue.
I won't elaborate because quite frankly I can't, but there's some bad blood right now between Malkin and Ovechkin, and I wonder how that will affect team chemistry come Vancouver. Of course, maybe they'll make up by then.
CoyoteRic: What an incredibly easy question! Gee, I wonder who are the reigning Olympic champs? Whose country had the first European captain of a Stanley Cup champion? Who is Dominating the world hockey scene?? The answer of course is TRE KRONOR!
prashanthiyer: Caution with Sweden, though. Everybody thinks they have a shot at repeating. Keep in mind that that talent is getting much, much older. Sweden never had much depth at defense and with Nicklas Lidstrom being 40 when the Olympics start, there is no guarantee of him even playing. That leaves basically Kronwall as the top defenseman in Sweden.
When the Olympics starts:
Alfredsson (38 years old)
Holmstrom (37)
Lidstrom (40)
Naslund (37)
Nylander (38)
Ohlund (34)
Samuelsson (34)
Forsberg, if he plays (37)
Sundin, if he plays (39)
So, can Sweden win with a bunch of geezers led by Zetterberg (30 when Olympics start), Sedin twins (30), Johan Franzen (31) and Co.? I don't think so.
Saulribinowitz: Are you kidding? The Red Wings, I mean, Sweden, will repeat as champions! Tomas Holmstrom, Johan Franzen, Henrik Zetterberg, Mikael Samuelsson, Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja, and some guy named Nicklas Lidstrom? How much coaching genius does it take to leave the Wings together on respective lines in the Olympics? If I remember correctly, all of the Swedes' goals in the 2006 gold-medal game were scored by Red Wings with Kronwall and Lidstrom on the blue line.
charleshrg20: It's definitely going to be the Swedish team from Detroit again. They have amazing chemistry. Most of them play together anyway. How can they not win. When you have Henrik Zetterberg and Nick Lidstrom leading the team you can't go wrong. Throw in the rest of the Swedes and you got yourself a gold medal.
My take: Between the defending Olympics and Stanley Cup champions, it's hard not to like Sweden again. Interesting point by "prashanthiyer" about some of the aging core players, but it's not like the Swedes aren't replenishing. Nicklas Backstrom of the Caps, anyone? Patrik Berglund of the Blues? Tobias Enstrom of the Thrashers? And Zetterberg and the Sedins will still be very much in their prime. Not to mention the most important player on their team, Henrik Lundqvist. I'd be shocked if the Swedes don't bring home a medal of some color.
jackcstrap: Being Canadian, obviously I want Canada to win. But let's be a little objective here. Who has the most talent and depth? Canada. Who has the best coaching and team management? Canada. Where will the Olympics be held? Canada. What highly favored team did not even finish in the top three at the last Olympics and definitely do not want to repeat this on home ice? Canada.
Other think to keep in mind, the size of the rink. Game will be at GM Place, which is NHL-size, NOT Olympic-size. Teams favored: USA and Canada. I think Canada has the most chances of winning gold. Russia has to be second with Ovechkin and Malkin. USA, not as much as the other two teams, but if they pick the right players, they might surprise. The Swedes and Finns will also be good, but not as good as in 2006. I think it will be Canada-Russia-USA.
Ottawaman43: Canada; for no other reason than being at home to defend what we still consider as "our game," no need to be the friendly hosts here. The others are unwelcome and will be made to feel that way. Certainly will be a tough task, and that's why I think Mike Babcock will be the coach for Canada, as well. He's proven to be able to work with the best players, and he understands how the Europeans play.
smokerocks4567: Well, well, well, the Olympics. Wouldn't it be nice if the Canadian team won? Too bad the immense pressure placed on them by the media and the hockey world will never let them have a break. Canada comes in fourth. Team Finland plays very well overall and the players mesh together well, but they just don't have the talent to go any farther than third. Team Sweden is an all around powerhouse with Zetterberg leading the charge. However, there will be no stopping Russia, which could boast a top line of Ovechkin-Malkin-Kovalchuk. Those are three of the top five forwards in the world and they won't slow down over the next few years. Russia will win with some spectacular scoring.
ekeman86: i think that the goaltending for Canada will be very strong; luongo brodeur and, most likely fleury, is the best trio of any of the other teams. also with sid, vinny, iginla, heatley up front, and phaneuf, the best hitter in the game, among other great defensemen -- it makes Canada the favorite, in my opinion. the only thing that hurts them is home pressure, but with crosby as the captain (he's been in the spotlight since he was a teen) i don't see that as being as big of a problem as most others do.
My take: First of all, the 2010 tournament will be played on the smaller ice, just to take care of that argument among readers. And, of course, that helps Canada.
I'm fascinated by the fact home ice is such a controversial factor in all the posts regarding Canada, and almost a 50-50 split. Some believe there's too much pressure at home and it will suffocate Canada, while others believe it's a huge advantage to have the home fans supporting the team in the rink.
The reality is, I think the pressure would be huge on Canada even if the Games were on Mars. Believe me, having covered Salt Lake and Torino, these guys feel it no matter where they are. If you're going to feel that immense pressure, might as well have the crowd on your side when the puck drops, right?
On paper, no other country ever matches Canada's talent. But that doesn't win gold medals. Teams must quickly develop chemistry and cohesion in a short tournament and that's always been Canada's biggest problem, even looking at the World Championships. In large part that's because other countries draw from a smaller pool of elite players. The flip side to that is that largely the same stars play together for their countries most of their careers and develop chemistry.
Think Koivu with Lehtinen and Selanne. All the time. Even Forsberg and Sundin, etc. For Canada, Crosby will be wearing the same uniform as Lecavalier and Heatley for the first time ever. Can they jell in a matter of days? Canada certainly didn't come together in Torino. This is Canada's biggest challenge -- getting the team on the same page.
bluesfan31393: i think the U.S. has a chance to medal with all the young talent like Kane, Oshie, Gerbe (even if he is small), Erik Johnson, Kessel, and Jack Johnson to name a few. Give them two years to mature and then add the veterans like gomez, tkachuk, and maybe chelios will come back for one more. No matter who wins it will be fun to watch.
imperialbigbri: I think the USA will win the gold in 2010 because of the mixture of gritty veteran leadership and a gang of young highly productive point getters skating around in the NHL right now. Plus, Ryan Miller will be included this time which was a overlooked commodity in 2006. Chris Drury will be the team captain and I don't think anyone can argue with his leadership and toughness.
anderwho2513: The U.S. has absolutely no chance in the Olympics. Russia seems to be the trendy pick given their star power, but I worry about their defense and grit. Sweden will be the best team at the Olympics, and Canada will be the most complete team. Like the NHL playoffs, it will come down to who has the hottest goalie going into the later rounds. (See Finland and Antero Niittymaki in Torino for details.)
Gutsch90: I might get berated for this answer, but I am going with the good ol' USA. They will have a very hungry and young team this time around. Unlike the Torino team that was old and slow and had too many mainstays from the 1996 World Cup and 2002 Salt Lake Teams' on it. They will have players like Kane, Kessel, Pominville, Jack Johnson and others who have played well on the international stage in either World Juniors or World Championship. The question will be in goal, but I think Ryan Miller will separate himself from Rick DiPietro by then.
My take: I don't know what it is, but I can't shake a gut feeling that Team USA will surprise in Vancouver. Not sure if that's good enough for gold, but I think they'll take down one of the big dogs before all is said and done. And any team Brian Burke assembles will have some element of snarl to it, I can guarantee you.
This won't be a fun team to play against. Like his Cup-champion Ducks from 2007, expect a nice blend of skill and grit. Smaller ice surface, tournament in North America, a young, hungry team ... I don't know, it just feels like a recipe for a medal of some color for Team USA.
"On paper, we're going to be a clear underdog," Burke told ESPN.com Wednesday. "USA Hockey continues to upgrade the pool and continues to infuse young players into the National Hockey League. That being said, if you look on paper, Canada is a probable team, Russia is a probable team, Sweden is a probable team. I think we'll be an underdog.
"But the fact it's in North America on a North American ice surface, certainly we'll take that. We like the sheet. We know it's going to be a hostile environment there in Vancouver, but we're not going there to do anything but win. Whether we can do that or not, that remains to be seen."
Pierre LeBrun
