Men's Bronze Medal Hockey Game

Fins beat the Slovs 5-3 . Hell of game. Nice warm-up to tomorrow.

 

Hard-fought battle.

Really sets tomorrow up nicely.

 

Just re-watched Bronze Medal game. As good as game was there is definite drop off in talent of the Fins and Slavs compared to USA and Canada.

 

So the Finns won the Bert Bell Benefit Hockey Game?

 

Canada, yes. But *nobody* in that tournament was close to Canada's talent. They're absolutely even with the U.S., though, IMO.

 

I thought we were just talking about sheer talent. And, sorry, but Canada had boatloads more talent. I'd argue that the U.S. team was better put together, but there's no way you could ever argue that Canada wasn't much more talented. At least IMO.

How many players off the U.S. team would have even MADE Team Canada?

 

I think that Burke did a masterful job assembling the team. Now, whether that was by design or just because we didn't have enough ultra-talented players, I don't really know.

In looking at the rosters, I think the highest you could go on USA players that would have made Team Canada is 3 (Miller, Kane, Parise). And even that might be high.

 

I think Kesler and Rafalski may have as well.
The future of American hockey is very bright.

 

It's astonishing but SEVEN of the Canadians on this team were on the 2005 WJ team which ran away with the gold in Grand Forks during the lockout.

Their talent level was off the charts.

I think it's safe to say that Canada/US has replaced Canada/Russia as hockey's biggest rivalry.

 

I'd say yes to Kesler, but not Rafalski.