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If the olympics were still amateur...

I

irishfan85

New member
Folks, I know that the olympics is not amateur anymore and I loved every minute of this year's olympic hockey tournament. I also know that in 1980, many of the US team members had already finished their eligibility, but let's pretend we had to pick the USA team from current college players. Who would make the team?

Here some of my possibilities:

Forwards:
Rhett Rakhshani (Denver)
Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver)
Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin)
Michael Davies (Wisconsin)
Chase Polacek (RPI)
Ryan Lasch (SCSU)
Garrett Roe (SCSU)
James Marcou (UMass-Amherst)
Bobby Butler (UNH)
Brian Gibbons (BC)
Cam Atkinson (BC)
Broc Little (Yale)
Brian O'Neill (Yale)
Brian Flynn (Maine)
Austin Smith (Colgate)
Brian Day (Colgate)
Jack Connolly (Duluth)
Nick Bonino (BU)
Andy Taranto (UAF)
Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force)

Defense:
Will O'Neil (Maine)
Dave Warsofsky (BU)
Kevin Shattenkirk (BU)
Colby Cohen (BU)
Blake Kessel (UNH)
Nick Schaus (UML)
Thomas Dignard (Yale)
Justin Braun (UMass-Amherst)
Nate Prosser (CC)
Gabe Guentzel (CC)
Zach Redmond (FSU)
Ed Del Grosso (UNO)

Goaltenders:
Cody Reichard (Miami)
Riley Gill (WMU)
Pat Nagle (FSU)

I will admit I don't see much of the western teams. I've seen DU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Miami, Omaha, Notre Dame on tv a few times and a few games in person when they've been out east, but just threw some names out.

Edit to add some players I forgot.
 
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Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

I would have to nominate Jeff Petry of Michigan State on defense. It will only be a matter of days following his exit from MSU that he will be in the Edmonton Oilers lineup.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

If you are picking college age kids, wouldn't you start with the WJC team members? They just won gold after all.

1 CAMPBELL Jack GK US National U18
2 RAMAGE John D University of Wisconsin
4 DONOVAN Matt D University of Denver
5 WARSOFSKY David D Boston University
8 KRISTO Danny F University of North Dakota
9 McRAE Philip F London Knights
10 JOHNSON Tyler F Spokane Chiefs
11 CARLSON John D Hershey Bears
14 WALKER Luke F Portland Winterhawks
16 ZUCKER Jason F US National U18
17 BOURQUE Ryan F Quebec Remparts
18 LASHOFF Brian D Kingston Frontenacs
19 SCHROEDER Jordan F University of Minnesota
20 KREIDER Chris F Boston College
21 STEPAN Derek F University of Wisconsin
22 JENKS Aj F Plymouth Whalers
23 PALMIERI Kyle F University of Notre Dame
24 FOWLER Cam D Windsor Spitfires
26 MORIN Jeremy F Kitchener Rangers
28 GARDINER Jake D University of Wisconsin
29 D AMIGO Jerry F Rensselaer University
30 LEE Mike GK St. Cloud State
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

JF, Some of those kids aren't college kids and there are possibly some older players that are better and more ready to compete. I count 9 major junior players on that WJC team. Technically, you lose your amateur status once playing in MJ.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

irishfan85 said:
JF, Some of those kids aren't college kids and there are possibly some older players that are better and more ready to compete. I count 9 major junior players on that WJC team. Technically, you lose your amateur status once playing in MJ.
Click to expand...

which, curiously, would make one wonder what a Canadian line up look like. What was the rule before amateurism was lifted? Whom did Canada send?
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

irishfan85 said:
Folks, I know that the olympics is not amateur anymore and I loved every minute of this year's olympic hockey tournament. I also know that in 1980, many of the US team members had already finished their eligibility, but let's pretend we had to pick the USA team from current college players. Who would make the team?

Here some of my possibilities:

Forwards:
Rhett Rakhshani (Denver)
Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver)
Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin)
James Marcou (UMass-Amherst)
Brian Gibbons (BC)
Cam Atkinson (BC)
Broc Little (Yale)
Brian O'Neill (Yale)
Brian Flynn (Maine)
Austin Smith (Colgate)
Brian Day (Colgate)
Jack Connolly (Duluth)
Nick Bonino (BU)
Andy Taranto (UAF)
Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force)

Defense:
Will O'Neil (Maine)
Dave Warsofsky (BU)
Kevin Shattenkirk (BU)
Colby Cohen (BU)
Blake Kessel (UNH)
Nick Schaus (UML)
Thomas Dignard (Yale)
Justin Braun (UMass-Amherst)
Nate Prosser (CC)
Gabe Guentzel (CC)
Zach Redmond (FSU)
Ed Del Grosso (UNO)

Goaltenders:
Cody Reichard (Miami)
Riley Gill (WMU)
Pat Nagle (FSU)

I will admit I don't see much of the western teams. I've seen DU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Miami, Omaha, Notre Dame on tv a few times and a few games in person when they've been out east, but just threw some names out.
Click to expand...

colby cohen would get absolutely destroyed playing defense on an international level. his shot is one of the best in the nation, so his only shot would seemingly be as a forward. more likely, sub warsofsky for him if this is a non-NHL tournament.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

slurpees said:
colby cohen would get absolutely destroyed playing defense on an international level. his shot is one of the best in the nation, so his only shot would seemingly be as a forward. more likely, sub warsofsky for him if this is a non-NHL tournament.
Click to expand...

I agree with you regarding Colby Cohen's play in his own end, but he has a tendancy for big goals in big games and there was another BU player who wasn't even close to being the best player on the team in 1980, but he also scored a kind of big goal. ;)
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

irishfan85 said:
JF, Some of those kids aren't college kids and there are possibly some older players that are better and more ready to compete. I count 9 major junior players on that WJC team. Technically, you lose your amateur status once playing in MJ.
Click to expand...
Is it amateur status...or just NCAA eligibility?
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

irishfan85 said:
Folks, I know that the olympics is not amateur anymore and I loved every minute of this year's olympic hockey tournament. I also know that in 1980, many of the US team members had already finished their eligibility, but let's pretend we had to pick the USA team from current college players. Who would make the team?

Here some of my possibilities:

Forwards:
Rhett Rakhshani (Denver)
Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver)
Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin)
Michael Davies (Wisconsin)
Chase Polacek (RPI)
James Marcou (UMass-Amherst)
Bobby Butler (UNH)
Brian Gibbons (BC)
Cam Atkinson (BC)
Broc Little (Yale)
Brian O'Neill (Yale)
Brian Flynn (Maine)
Austin Smith (Colgate)
Brian Day (Colgate)
Jack Connolly (Duluth)
Nick Bonino (BU)
Andy Taranto (UAF)
Jacques Lamoureux (Air Force)

Defense:
Will O'Neil (Maine)
Dave Warsofsky (BU)
Kevin Shattenkirk (BU)
Colby Cohen (BU)
Blake Kessel (UNH)
Nick Schaus (UML)
Thomas Dignard (Yale)
Justin Braun (UMass-Amherst)
Nate Prosser (CC)
Gabe Guentzel (CC)
Zach Redmond (FSU)
Ed Del Grosso (UNO)

Goaltenders:
Cody Reichard (Miami)
Riley Gill (WMU)
Pat Nagle (FSU)

I will admit I don't see much of the western teams. I've seen DU, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Michigan, Miami, Omaha, Notre Dame on tv a few times and a few games in person when they've been out east, but just threw some names out.
Click to expand...

If you're looking for a defender to put a hurt on someone, then yes, Nick Schaus from UML is the one to take. However, if you're looking to have one of the most sound, all-around defensive guys in the country, then you go with Jeremy Dehner. The 'Big Cheese' from Wisconsin.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

Patman said:
which, curiously, would make one wonder what a Canadian line up look like. What was the rule before amateurism was lifted? Whom did Canada send?
Click to expand...

Great question. Here's what I put together.

Forwards:
Joe Colbourne (Denver)
Marc Olver (NMU)
Mario Valery-Trabucco (Union)
Mike McKenzie (St. Lawrence)
Justin Fontaine (Duluth)
Peter LeBlanc (UNH)
Chris Barton (Merrimack)
Tanner House (Maine)
Louis LeBlanc (Harvard)
Matt Read (Bemidji State)
Dion Knelsen (UAF)
David McIntyre (Colgate)
Blair Riley (FSU)
Blake Gallagher (Cornell)
Colin Greening (Cornell)
Riley Nash (Cornell)

Defensemen:
Alex Biega (Harvard)
Brendan Smith (Wisconsin)
Brad Hunt (Bemidji)
Eric Gryba (BU)
Maury Edwards (Lowell)
Martin Nolet (UMass-Amherst)
Brendan Nash (Cornell)
Patrick Wiercioch

Goaltenders:
Alex Beaudray (PC)
Ben Scrivens (Cornell)
Marc Cheverie (Denver)
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

bottomdweller said:
Hutton over Millan...

both over Beaudry
Click to expand...

Agree. I wish I had the time to think about these lists all day, but just did it quick so I'm not saying I included everyone and/or put the players who should be there. Beaudray makes some good saves, but leaves a lot of fat rebounds. Milan was great last year, but was awful first half of this season, but I would take him and Hutton over Beaudray.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

I wondered the same thing a few weeks ago and put together my roster. Here is from a post I did on the Badger blog.

Editors Note: This story first ran April 8, 2009 and has been updated to reflect current changes.

Obviously, this list is flawed for a few reasons. Number one, there are players on this list that have already turned professional. For this article, I'm going to assume that these players would have kept their amateur status so that they could stay eligible for the 2010 games. Some players listed below turned pro early over this past summer, or were college seniors last season. Number two, It's hard to judge if players that went pro more than a year ago would have stayed in school in order to make a run at playing for this team.

Any ways, here is the list...let the debate begin:

Forwards (13, alphabetical order) :

Blake Geoffrion-Wisconsin-WCHA
Jacques Lamoureux-Air Force-Atlantic Hockey
Ryan Lasch-St. Cloud-WCHA
James Marcou-UMASS-Hockey East
Aaron Palushaj-Michigan -CCHA
Rhett Rakhshani-Denver-WCHA
Chad Rau-Colorado College-WCHA
Jordan Schroeder-Minnesota-WCHA
Dan Sexton-Bowling Green-CCHA
Ryan Stoa-Minnesota-WCHA
Eric Tangradi-Belleville-OHL
James van Riemsdyk-UNH-Hockey East
Colin Wilson-Boston University-Hockey East

Defense (7, alphabetical order) :
Jonathon Blum-Vancouver-WHL
Greg Flynn-Air Force-Atlantic Hockey
Matt Gilroy-Boston University-Hockey East
Jamie McBain-Wisconsin-WCHA
Ryan McDonagh-Wisconsin-WCHA
Kevin Shattenkirk-Boston University-Hockey East
Chris Summers-Michigan-CCHA

Goaltender (2, alphabetical order) :
Zane Kalemba-Princeton-ECAC
Alex Stalock-Minnesota Duluth-WCHA
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

BU Fan 84 said:
Amateur status. Canada refused to send a team to the Olympics in the '70s to protest not being able to use MJ players while the Soviets could use their guys.
Click to expand...

That rule was scrapped later. Hell, Corey Hirsch played in 4 NHL games for the Rangers in 1992-1993 and played in the 1994 Olympics for Canada.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

Some of the 1980 USA players played pro in the minors or Europe (Eruzione, Harrington, Verchota) before having their amateur status "restored" prior to the Lake Placid. And do we have to be reminded about the "amateur" Soviets, who trained 10 months a year together away from their families, got army salaries for no army duties, and got nice apartments and cars from the Soviet State?

The whole amateur thing was a sham from the beginning perpetrated by the rich euro Olympic Founders who didn't want to compete against tradesmen but against other rich gentlemen. (See the movie 'Chariots of Fire' for more on this). This forced many athletes into poverty. Give me pros anyday and remove the hypocrisy. Money for performance has been part of the Olympics since the very beginning. Even the ancient Greeks Olympians received huge prize packages for winning at the Ancient Olympics from their city-states.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

irishfan85 said:
Great question. Here's what I put together.

Forwards:
Joe Colbourne (Denver)
Marc Olver (NMU)
Mario Valery-Trabucco (Union)
Mike McKenzie (St. Lawrence)
Justin Fontaine (Duluth)
Peter LeBlanc (UNH)
Chris Barton (Merrimack)
Tanner House (Maine)
Louis LeBlanc (Harvard)
Matt Read (Bemidji State)
Dion Knelsen (UAF)
David McIntyre (Colgate)
Blair Riley (FSU)
Blake Gallagher (Cornell)
Colin Greening (Cornell)
Riley Nash (Cornell)

Defensemen:
Alex Biega (Harvard)
Brendan Smith (Wisconsin)
Brad Hunt (Bemidji)
Eric Gryba (BU)
Maury Edwards (Lowell)
Martin Nolet (UMass-Amherst)
Brendan Nash (Cornell)
Patrick Wiercioch

Goaltenders:
Alex Beaudray (PC)
Ben Scrivens (Cornell)
Marc Cheverie (Denver)
Click to expand...
Since this is make believe anyway...Chay Genoway should be on this list...
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

As has been mentioned in other threads, anyone who thinks NCAA athletes these days are "amateurs" are seriously kidding themselves.

"Full ride" scholarships worth up to $200,000 plus perks, travel, gear, coaching, weight training, facilities, housing, food, insurance, doctors, rehab, tutors, equipment repair...all tax-free.
 
Re: If the olympics were still amateur...

If I read this right, you US team right? If so Dion Knelsen is incredible, but he is canadian. So we'll give you Andy Taranto, and blue liner Joe Sova (very under rated UAF d-man)
 
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