3 reasons why Canada will win men’s hockey gold

Okay, I know, we choked against the States and almost blew it against the Swiss. But fear not, there is still a lot of hockey left. As it sits right now, nobody has won the gold and everyone is playing in elimination games. We have every opportunity to win... and we will for 3 reasons.

1. An extra game

If we had beaten the States we would have received a direct pass to the quarter-finals. Big woop, one less game to be played against a weak opponent. But losing to the States was the best thing that could have happened. Team Canada, made up of superstars, haven’t meshed yet and it’s only a matter of time until they find their chemistry together. This one extra game, against Germany, offers us more time to come together and find some much needed chemistry. We will wallop Germany and gain back our confidence before playing a tough Russia squad. Practice makes perfect.

2. Adios Marty Brodeur

Sure, Brodeur is the best goalie to ever play but he is past his prime and the game against the states proved this. After giving up 4 relatively weak goals, it was apparent that he isn’t our number 1 goalie. We were scared to admit that Brodeur is old and tired but this loss made it easier to recognize this. His past accolades are great and all, but they won’t help us now. Luongo is now the undisputed number 1 goalie and he can now focus on winning us a gold. Again, losing so badly to the States was the best thing that could have happened for us as it answered our goalie question.



3. Talent

Crosby, Nash, Iginla, Pronger, Heatley, Toews, Getzlaf, etc. etc. etc. the list goes on and on. Our players are the best in the world. They are too talented to roll-over and lose. Sure, the Russians have Ovechkin, Malkin and several other stars, but they lack the depth of the Canadians. The States are riding a high and it’s only a matter of time before their energy runs out and they find it hard to compete with the world’s best players. Face it, the States have a couple solid players but lack a much needed powerful core. They will perish, quickly. The Czechs, Swedes and Finns are all good, but again lack the depth and grit to win it all. Canada has the depth.

Just wait, in a week we’ll have our gold.

Oh and FYI, our record in the opening round is 1-1-1... the same record we had in the 2002 opening round (1-1-1) and we won gold that year.

Leafs Nation can slowly start beLEAFing

Finally, the Leafs have done something positive. They have shed useless baggage and acquired some heavy duty talent. Beautiful! Here’s how the shake-up went down:

In the Calgary deal, the Leafs traded Ian White, Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers to the Calgary Flames for all-star defenceman Dion Phaneuf, six-foot-six defenceman Keith Aulie and winger Fredrik Sjostrom.

In the Anaheim deal, Leafs traded Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake for JS Giguere.

TSN has done an excellent job covering the trade story. Check out: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=308479 for all the details.

With regards to all these trades, all I can say is ‘beautiful!’ ... for 3 distinct reasons.

1. Dion Phaneuf.
What a stud. Enough said. He may not be having his best season, but he is young and incredibly talented; he’ll be dominating again in no time. Straight-up, when Phaneuf is on, he is unstoppable. Bone crushing hits, a dynamite shot and some much needed leadership, he is the complete package. I give it a month before he wears the Leafs’ C.



Are you kidding me? What an animal.

2. JS Giguere.
This guy was once a top NHL goalie and it’s only a matter of time before he returns to his great form. Heck, even if he doesn’t become a top level goalie again, he’s still infinitely better than Vesa Toskala. He can back up Gustavsson and come in to any gaming confidently. He’s a big goalie who squares himself well to every shot. And with a Stanley cup win under his belt, he knows how to win. A Great move.

3. Jason Blake – Goodbye and good riddance.
Thank God, he’s gone...finally. Blake has been nothing but an overpaid, undersized, third liner who’s done nothing for the Leafs. I know as soon as we acquired him, he wouldn’t be nearly as good as he was with the New York Islanders. Yeah yeah, he once had an impressive 40 goal season, but seriously, that was a fluke. He lacks skill, size and game saavy. And with his huge $5 million a year contract, he is the most overpaid player in the NHL. Now we can move on and use that money elsewhere.

Good riddance Blake.




To see what Brian Burke and the rest of Leafs Nation has to say about the trades, check out: http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/index.html

And to see what is in store for the Leafs, check out The Globe and Mail's David Shoalt's report. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/whats-next-for-leafs/article1452609/