USA crushes Norway, moves on to quarterfinals

In IIHF action on Monday, team USA demolished Norway 9-1 behind a hat trick by Brandon Dubinsky. Robert Esche was in nets again, and wasn't challenged much, but got the job done.

Timmmay Gleason, who was cheapshotted by Olli Jokinen on Sunday, did not play.

In another important game, Canada outlasted Finland 6-3 to remain perfect in the tournament. Cam Ward watched from the bench, and Eric Staal didn't register any points. Tuomo Ruutu scored one for Finland.

The wins by USA and Canada set up a rematch of the bloody USA-Finland game. They will meet on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the elimination round.

After sitting out with a suspension, Jokinen will return to play on Wednesday. David Backes and Anssi Salmela will return to their respective teams after also sitting out suspensions.

After the bad blood on Sunday, Wednesday's game should be a fun one to watch. I guess I'll have to subscribe to WCSN.

Video goal judge Peter Andersson (Sweden), who allowed Finland's bogus goal to stand, will not be working this or any game for the rest of the tournament.

USA beaten by bogus goal

In IIHF action on Sunday, team USA was beaten 3-2 by Finland. The game started chippy, anded chippy, and featured a bogus goal by the Finns.

Very early in the game, Olli Jokinen delivered a crushing blow, driving Carolina Hurricanes defenseman into the boards from behind. Jokinen, who has always been regarded with disdain by RBH, was ejected from the game. Gleason was woozy but okay.

USA got off to an early 2-0 lead in the first frame, but they wouldn't score any more after that.

In the third period, the Finns got on the board with a completely bogus goal. The puck clearly entered the net by going through the right side, under the skirt. The play was reviewed, but allowed to stand. TSN has the highlights. A fuming coach John Tortarella said after the game "I'm suggesting blindness" when asked about the call.

The phantom goal wasn't the game winner. It was the first of three. Team USA still has a very valid complaint about the goal, though.

As the game ended, there was a nasty bench clearing brawl that resulted in several ejections and suspensions.

For Today's Finland-Canada game, Finland will be without Jokinen because of the boarding incident. Anssi Salmela, who was pummeled in the fight, will also serve a suspension.

USA takes on Norway for the right to advance to the elimination round. USA will be without David Backes because of his role in the brawl.

According to the IIHF, they have acknowledged that the phantom goal should not have counted. The video judge has been suspended for the remainder of the tournament.

Staal has huge game as Canada pastes Germany.

In IIHF action on Saturday, Carolina Hurricanes star Eric Staal potted four goals and added one assist to lead the host Canada to a decisive 10-1 win over Germany. See the scoresheet and stats here.

Until today, Staal had been quiet. He hadn't scored a goal, and only had two assists in the four previous games played. Suddenly, he's second only to Dany Heatley (7) in goals scored for team Canada.

Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward earned the victory, his third. Canada is using a revolving goalie system. A lot has been written about the demerits of a two goalie system, but it's working just fine for now. Normally, I wouldn't find anything positive to say about Pascal Leclair, but he's really been doing a great job shouldering the other half of the load.

Canada, who is a perfect 5-0, will play their final qualifying game on Monday against Finland.

USA will play that same Finnish team on Sunday, followed by Norway on Monday.

Canda too much for USA

In IIHF play On Tuesday, team Canada and team USA played a great game in the final game of round robin play for their group. Both teams headed in undefeated, and Canada stayed that way with an exciting 5-4 win.

All accounts are that the American team outplayed the Canadians for most of the game, but Canada's Dany Heatley was again the hero. He tallied two more goals, including the game winner with less than a minute to play. Heatley leads the tournament in goals (six) and points (ten) after three games played.

Brent Burns, Jonathan Toews and Derek Roy also scored goals for Canada.

Tim Thomas started in nets for USA, but was replaced by Craig Anderson at the start of the third period. Cam Ward got the nod for Canada, and picked up the win despite giving up four goals.

Patrick O'Sullivan (Winston-Salem, NC) scored his second goal of the tournament for USA, and also added an assist. Also scoring were Jason Pominville (Buffalo, NY), Zach Parise (Minneapolis, MN / University of North Dakota) and Dustin Brown (Ithica, NY).

On Wednesday, the preliminary round will conclude, then Team USA will play the #3 team from pool C on Thursday. That will probably be Slovakia, unless Slovakia upsets Finland on Wednesday. If that's the case, it'll be Germany. On Sunday, USA will play Finland, who will be the #1 team from pool C. Then they'll play Germany (#2) on Monday. All of this assumes that Finland beats Slovakia and Germany beats Norway on Wednesday. That's not assuming too much.

Canada, USA roll to easy victories again

On Sunday, Canada and the United States again rolled to easy victories in IIHF play. Both teams are 2-0-0 and will face each other on Tuesday.

Dany Heatley scored a goal and three assists to lead Canada to a 7-0 drubbing of Latvia. Heatley has eight (4/4) points in two games played to lead all skaters in the tournament.

Bruins star Phil Kessel (Madison, Wisconsin/ University of Minnesota) notched a hat trick as the Americans cruised to an easy 5-1 win over Slovenia. The Slovenians could only muster 12 shots on net, and Anze Kopitar from the Kings potted their only goal. Three of USA's goals came via the power play, and by my count they were 3-5 on the power play. They are now a very scary 7-13 (53.85%) with the manpower advantage, leading all teams in that category. The Americans have killed all 10 shorthanded situations they have faced.

Canada has scored 12 goals and given up one while the United States has scored nine and given up one. Anze Kopitar has been the only one to score against both teams.

Kopitar, apparently was lit up by defenseman Keith Ballard (Baudette, Minnesota / University of Minnesota / Phoenix Coyotes) with a huge hit. Ballard was given a game misconduct penalty for a blow to the head and neck area. As of now, there isn't any video. I'll try to get some when it becomes available.

On Tuesday, the top two teams will face each other in what promises to be a great game. Tim Thomas should remain between the pipes for USA, and there's no telling for team Canada.

USA, Canada get easy wins

The IIHF World Championships began on Friday, and things went pretty much according to plan for the United States and Canada.

Cam Ward made 22 saves and Dany Heatley recorded a hat trick, leading Canada to a 5-1 win over Slovenia. Eric Staal had one assist.

Team USA, who wore vintage 1960 sweaters for the game, cruised to a 4-0 victory over Latvia. The Americans got all four goals via the power play. The Blackhawks' rookie sensation Patrick Kane (Buffalo, NY) netted one goal and two assists to lead the way. Devils' Defenseman Paul Martin (Minneapolis, MN ) registered three assists. Winston-Salem, North Carolina native Patrick O'Sullivan also potted a goal. The standout for the Kings most certainly became the first native North Carolinian to score a goal in international play.

On Sunday, Canada will play Latvia and the USA will play Slovenia.

NHL players by nationality since 2002

On Saturday night, I watched the game between the Flames and Oilers. I also watched the post game "After Hours" on Hockey Night In Canada. Ron Maclean made reference to a post written by Greg over at The Puck Stops Here about the dwindling Russian presence in the NHL. Before the lockout, there were 58 Russians in '01-02, 57 in '02-03, and 57 again in '03-04. Since the lockout, there were 40 in '06, 35 last season, and just 27 so far this season.

The TPSH post, and the panel on HNIC cited the lack of transfer agreement with Russia as a main reason. I'm not by any means an expert on the incatracies of the politics and economics of the transfer agreement, but Russia is the only European country who has refused to sign. The biggest benefit to Russia is that an NHL player who is unhappy with his small role as a fourth line winger or a seventh defenseman, can flee to Russia. His NHL contract wouldn't be binding, and he would be free to play for whichever Elite League team pays him the most. And there is big money. Unless he is an elite player, a young guy might decide to stay in Russia rather than enter the draft. An NHL veteran might decide to go back home for better money and a better chance at stardom.

Greg things that those roster spots that would have been filled by Russians are now being filled by "North Americans", and that it might compromise quality. I'm not sure that I agree with that. It would have to be looked at on a case-by-case basis, which is impossible.

I remember hearing at some point last season that the overall number of players in the NHLPA isn't what it was before the lockout. I can't recall, but it seems like I heard or read that there was a decrease of something like 5%. I might have made that up.

At any rate, that post, and the HNIC discussion about it got me thinking about a few things. First, I wondered if there was a sharp decline in the number of Russian defensemen. I don't know why, but that was one of my first thoughts. Then I wondered how much of an increase there was in US-born players in the NHL. So I did some research.

In terms of Russian players, the only thing that has been consistent is the number of goalies. Two. There were 38 forwards in the 2001-02 season, and just 15 have played so far this season. That's a pretty sharp drop. The ten defensemen today compared to the 18 in '02 is also a pretty significant decline. Are these positions really being taken by "North Americans"?

I also took a look at the other five major nationalities in the NHL. The majority of players come from (in this order) Canada, the United States, Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. We've already looked at the Russians, and we'll save the big dogs for later.

I guessed that there would have been more Czechs in the NHL today than there were six years ago. Not quite. The tiny dip in the number of forwards isn't worth talking about, but there were 31 Czech defensemen in 2002 and just 18 today. Another notable shift. Not as big, though, as the extremely sharp drop in Czech netminders. There were seven in 2002 and just three today. More on that in a bit.
As Greg mentioned, the Russian Elite leagues aren't completely populated with Russian-born players. There are a number of Ukranian, Czech, Slovakian, even Finnish players. Again, this is a guess, but it might be the case that some Czech players who might make a marginal impact in the NHL are opting for more money in the Russian Elite league.
Next up are the Swedes. You buy a Volvo, you know what you're getting. Nothing too flashy. Consistent, reliable, in it for the long haul. There's no way to tie that in, and I'm not a Volvo driver, but I just wanted to make the a car reference. Like the Volvo, the Swedish hockey players aren't making any ripples one way or the other in terms of growth or decline. In 2002, there were a total of 53 Swedish players in the NHL. There were 49 last year and 46 so far this season. A tiny, insignificant dip. Note that there were, and still are, exactly four Swedish goaltenders. And they're not the same four. Unlike the Czechs and their Skoda, the Swedes and their Volvo are keeping on at basically the same rate.

No more car jokes. To be honest, I don't know anything about Skoda aside from the fact that they're made in Czech Republic. Added to that, I don't know if there are any cars manufactured in Finland.
There hasn't been any fluctuation to speak of with the Finns. There were 42 in 2002, and there were 42 last season. So far this year, just 31, but it's still a young season. If there's anything worth noting, it's that there used to be 15 Finnish defensemen and there are just 8 today. Small sample size, I know, but it stands out.

There has been a good deal of change in the numbers of US-born NHLers.The number of American forwards has risen and fallen. While there is a general uptrend, there are two fewer today than there were who played in the 2002 season. Last season, there was an all-time high of 104 US-born forwards. The numbers of defensemen have been steadily growing. 42 in 2002, and 60 to this point in the 2008 season. For three years running, there were exactly 13 American goaltenders. After the lockout, there were 20. 14 last year, and just a sad six today. There were four straight years of slight growth in terms of total American NHLers. By the time this season is over, we'll probably see another small increase. Maybe by 2010, there'll be 200 US-born players in the NHL.

Last but obviously not least is the Canadians. They are by far and away the most represented in the NHL. However, it's a little surprising. The Canadian contingency enjoyed rapid growth in the first three years of this study. Then the lockout happened. After that, there has been a drop in the number of Canadians in the NHL. There were 339 Canadian forwards in 2004, and to this point, just 239 this year. Almost an identical percentage decline in defensemen. There were 155 in 2004, and 109 this season. Not much change in goaltenders. There were 51 Canadian netminders in 2002, 54 in 2004 and 43 last season. There have been 37 this season.
It's the overall numbers, though. The high mark was 548 Canadians in 2004. 517 in 2006. 495 in 2007. So far this season, only 385 have played. A downtrend not as dramatic as that of the Russians, but way bigger in numbers.

This season is still in its infancy and all of these figures will adjust. However, I don't think they'll adjust enough to back up the claims that Russian roster spots are being given to North Americans. Certainly not to Canadians. They themselves have to wonder where their roster spots have gone.

And the Americans have to wonder where their goalie spots have gone. In that case, it's easy to blame the helpless Swiss and their four goaltenders or the French, but even those five don't account for a drop from 20 all the way to six.



The answer is that these jobs haven't been taken away and given to other nationalities. There are just simply fewer total players. With the exception of the United States, which has had a marginal amount of growth, every other major hockey nationality has been stagnant or experienced a decline.

If we were to do a different study where all we counted was players on the normal every-day roster, we might have different findings. If we're going to count every player that plays at least one game, we have to accept the fact that it isn't an anti-communist conspiracy.

Overall, there were 68 fewer players in the NHL last year than there were the year before the lockout. In that time, Canada had a net loss of 53. Russia had a net loss of 22. Sweden had a net loss of four. Czech had a net loss of nine. Finland had a net gain of three. USA had a net gain of 22.

Nobody wants to talk about Canada's loss or America's gain because neither is as statistically significant as Russia's loss.

Kaberle under the knife, Sutter helps team Canada, and more

Here's a couple of quick hits for this lovely Monday evening.

For the second summer in a row, Frantisek Kaberle will have to undergo surgery just before the start of camp. This is not good news. Kaberle, who scored the Cup-winning goal in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, missed the first half of the 2007 season after having shoulder surgery two days before the start of camp. This summer, he underwent surgery on Saturday to replace torn cartilage in his right knee. He is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Although camp officially opens on the 14th, most players have been participating in the voluntary "Camp Brind'Amour". Kaberle has skated a little bit while the trainers hoped that his knee problems would "just go away". They thought the same thing about his shoulder last summer. Six weeks would put him one week into the regular season, but still six weeks behind in terms of training.
The so-called "depth" that the Canes have at the blueline is now under serious scrutiny. Kaberle probably won't play until late October. Bret Hedican's status is still very much in question. Now is the time for the Canes to make a decision. in my opinion, Hedican will be able to give (at best) 45 games this season. Carolina will have consider asking Hedican to retire. The will have to consider re-signing David "Snuggles" Tanabe on the cheap, or sign one of the available free agent defensemen such as Brent Sopel. They will also have to take a long look at youngsters from within "the system" such as Noah Babin and Brett Carson. Babin has already made a lot of fans.
The perpetually on point Scott Cason doesn't want to see the Canes' management sit on its hands like they did last year when the defense was hurting. I'm with him.

Canes draftee Brandon Sutter helped the Team Canada Junior squad defeat the USSR Russian team 4-2 in game one of the "Super Series". He had one assist and had a good shorthanded scoring chance. Game two will be Wednesday. The first four of the eight game series will be in Russia, while the final four will be in Canada. Check the schedule for more details.

Join me and Carolina on Ice in trying to jam the ballot box over at NHL Tournament of Logos. The Canes logo is battling the Devils logo, and frankly, we're getting our butts kicked. So far as I can tell, it doesn't reject multiple votes from the same ISP, so plug away. Vote early, vote often.
That main site has been doing some really cool stuff with looking at the new logos/sweaters. It's a very good way to spend a few minutes or an hour, or whatever. Anyway, go vote for the Canes logo, then spend a while exploring around.

Carolina "officially" unveils its new sweater on September 16, during the first preseason game.

Canada advances

Canada has advanced to the Final of the IHWC tournament by defeating reigning World Champion Sweden 4-1. Eric Staal had a goal, his fourth. Cam Ward got the win, his fourth.
Finland, who sent the United States packing, also won their semifinal game 2-1 over Russia.

Both the Bronze Medal game and the Gold Medal game will be played Sunday.

Canada beats USA 6-3

On Monday, Canada beat the United States 6-3 in IHWC action. This means that Canada gets the #1 seed out of group F and USA gets the #2 seed.

Finally, we are in the elimination round. Canada will play Switzerland and USA will play Finland.

No Hurricanes players scored in the Canada-US game, but Eric Staal had two assists, and Chad LaRose had a breakaway attempt foiled by Cam Ward.

John Grahame gave up four goals in the first period and was lifted after two.

Staal nets two, Canada wins in OT

On Sunday at the IIHF World Championships, Canada got past Czech 4-3 in overtime. On Monday, they will face USA for the #1 seed in group F.

Eric Staal scored two goals on Sunday, including the game winner in overtime.

Canada has four regulation wins, one overtime win, and no losses. This gives them 14 standings points. They have 24 goals for and 15 goals against for a differential of +9. The United States has four regulation wins and one regulation loss for a total of 12 standings points. They have 18 goals for and only 7 goals against for a differential of +11.

Dwayne Roloson was in nets for Canada today, and if they stay with the rotating system, Cam Ward will get the nod tomorrow. This will create the unusual scenario of two teammates starting against each other in goal. There will be a total of eight Hurricanes in that game. USA features forwards Erik Cole and Chad "Sharpie" LaRose, defenseman Andrew Hutchinson and netminder John "Crackers" Grahame. Canada features forwards Eric Staal and Justin "Viva" Williams, defenseman Mike Commodore and goaltender Cam Ward. All eight should be in action tomorrow.

If the United States wins that game in regulation, they will earn the #1 seed and a date with the Swiss. Win in overtime or lose at all, and they get the #2 seed and a date with Finland.

Oh yeah. In Stanley Cup playoffs action, the Senators advanced last night and the Sabres are about 15 minutes away from finishing off the Rangers. My second round predictions have gone horribly wrong.

Still no word from the Hurricanes camp on Scott Walker.

USA shuts out Germany

On Saturday, the United States beat Germany 3-0 in IHWC play. USA now is guaranteed a slot in the medal round and will play its last qualifying game against Canada on Monday.

Canada will have a very tough qualifier against Czech on Sunday and will have no rest, as they face the Americans less than 24 hours later. USA has a record of 4-1 with a goal differential of +11. Canada is 4-0 with a goal differential of +8. If Canada should beat Czech and lose to the Americans, the goal differential will come into play in determining the #1 seed. If Canada loses to Czech, then only the outcome of Canada-USA will be important in determining seeding.

John Grahame picked up the shutout for his fourth win. Erik Cole had three assists.

Yesterday, Cam Ward got his second win when Canada defeated Belarus 6-3.

Canada squeaks past Norway

On Monday, Canada played another game that was much closer than it should have been, but they still emerged with three standings points by outlasting Norway 4-2. They are guaranteed a trip to the elimination round, and they are also guaranteed a high seed.

Like the Germans before them, the Norwegians have no NHL players on their roster, and they are a country that does not have a rich history in IIHF play. Last year, they finished 11th at the IIHF World Championships. Their best finish ever was 10th place in 2000 tournament. They've also spent five of the last ten years playing in "Division I" with the likes of hockey powerhouses such as United Kingdom, France, and China.

Canada, who was considered to be a favorite in this tournament, is not looking so good. They struggled against Germany. They struggled against Norway. Neither is a test for them. On Wednesday, they'll face a "real" opponent in Slovakia. Slovakia won the tournament in 2002, and has not finished lower than 9th in the past 10 years. It has never been demoted to "Division I" with Japan and Norway and South Africa.

Which Canada will show up on Wednesday? The one who struggles to get past vastly inferior opponents, or the one who is a prohibitive favorite? What will happen to them when they have to play much stronger opponents in elimination play?
Are they sandbagging?

Anyway, Justin "Viva" Williams had a goal, and Cam Ward was in nets for the win.

Team USA meets Czech Republic for a huge game on Tuesday.

In NHL play, the Sens have taken a 2-1 series lead over the Devils and the Sharks have taken the same lead over Detroit

Canada squeaks past Germany

In IIHF play today, Canada just barely got past Germany 3-2 in the opening game of the Group C round robin. Germany, who has zero NHLers on its active roster, wasn't expected to have any chance, but thanks to a big mistake by Dwayne Roloson, they found themselves right in the thick of things against the favored Canadians.

Eric Staal had one of Canada's goals, and it was assisted by Justin Viva Williams. So far, then, four of Carolina's eight participants in the IIHF tournament have tallied points, and John Grahame picked up a win for USA. Only Mike Commodore and Chad LaRose have yet to make a mark. And Cam Ward didn't play. For some reason, Frantisek Kaberle isn't on Czech Republic's team.

Early in the game, there was a call that I wish would happen in the NHL. Shea Weber, who was second among Predators defensemen with 40 (17/23) points in 06-07, delivered a high hit to the head of Germany's Yannic Seidenberg (little brother of Carolina's Dennis) as the German was coming through center ice. The call against Weber was five minutes for checking to the head and neck area and a game misconduct. It's the penalty specifically for hitting to the head and neck that I like. In many leagues at every level, and in international play, it is illegal to hit a player in the head. The NHL stubbornly refuses to ban that type of hit, and its disciplinarian routinely defends players who deliver high hits by blaming the victim for "not skating with his head up", or "failing to anticipate the hit". I don't think we'll see any NHL rule changes any time soon with respect to that, but I'll keep bitching about it.

Apparently, Dwayne Roloson fell asleep for a second, and allowed a goal from a center-ice shot. This made things very tense, and it wasn't until midway through the third that the Canadians got the go-ahead goal.

Also, in early games on Saturday, Switzerland beat Latvia 2-1 in group A play. Two other games are in progress. Sweden is playing Italy in group A, and Slovakia is playing Norway in group C.

For all the info you need on the IIHF World Championship tournament, go here.