What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

Well now, the consideration, interviewing, further consideration and eventual hiring of Team Canada's Women's hockey team's head coach was done with lightning speed subsequent to Church's "resignation" a few days ago. Right? Right? ;)
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

This is absolutely a fantastic choice for Team Canada. He is a great guy and knows the game at an elite, expert level. He has some brief coaching of girls youth hockey in Maine before he signed on in Florida. A handful of those players are now playing DIII hockey in the east. Speaking from a distance (of Calgary) I sense the players will respond very enthusiastically to his presence. This is a game changer for the team. There is no chance whatsoever he will get out coached. This is a decisive advantage for Team Canada. Just look him up on HockeyDB for the details.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

Eeyore said:
Does Dineen have any experience coaching women at all? I can't find any. Does Hockey Canada think there is no difference between coaching men and women, either tactically because of the rules differences or in terms of motivation? Do they think Dineen is so awesome that these differences don't matter?
Click to expand...

Yeah, the first thing that crossed my mind was "so much for the experience coaching women" that seemed to be important to Hockey Canada five days ago.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

This coaching debacle has to be one of the weirdest collection of events Hockey Canada has had in a long time.

Too much of the roster was decided to really believe that it was an issue of pushing the old guard out (there's only one cut to go for forwards). The surprise from the players we saw seemed genuine and the manner in which it was broken to them is pretty standard for a guy who has been fired on the spot. The one thing that certainly isn't up in the air is that this was a firing, not a resignation.

The timing was certainly clever. While it seems like the wheels were in motion for a few days at least I bet HC couldn't believe it's luck when the Flames called their press conference to provide the best cover imaginable. Not only would the sports stations be preoccupied, but all the reporters they have in Calgary would be as well. A PR dream for such an announcement.

What I can't put together is if this was put in motion when they got contact from Dineen for a WHC job or if it was just lucky timing. I mean they couldn't possibly know if he would even be interested in coaching the women's team but I have trouble believing this was just a coincidence.


I really, really want the details to be leaked because this is just too good of a story.

As for his experience, I guess he's helped coach his daughters teams in the past, so it isn't completely foreign to him.


On a side note, I noticed for that game that Wickenheiser was dressed but Ward was wearing the C. Has this been a common thing?
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

OneTimer said:
This is absolutely a fantastic choice for Team Canada. He is a great guy and knows the game at an elite, expert level. He has some brief coaching of girls youth hockey in Maine before he signed on in Florida. A handful of those players are now playing DIII hockey in the east. Speaking from a distance (of Calgary) I sense the players will respond very enthusiastically to his presence. This is a game changer for the team. There is no chance whatsoever he will get out coached. This is a decisive advantage for Team Canada. Just look him up on HockeyDB for the details.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that coaching girls club hockey in Maine, where the local USA Hockey state org has basically abandoned girls hockey and the vast majority of talented girls abandon the state for MA/Southern NE prep schools, and producing a few D3 players (who would have ended up there anyway) really qualifies as sufficient experience to be the Head Coach of the Canadien Olympic women's team. By that barometer, I should be coaching an NHL team .... :)
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

The two things the job has that most coaches don't have experience with is coaching women and coaching elite athletes.

While a low level he at least has some exposure to the former and will need to lean on his assistants, but coaching in the NHL (including several players who will be playing in the men's tournament) gives him more than enough experience with the latter.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

Cutting Birchard was a mistake for Canada, she is an amazing player, with great offensive talent and tremendous defensive skills.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

imafan said:
Cutting Birchard was a mistake for Canada, she is an amazing player, with great offensive talent and tremendous defensive skills.
Click to expand...

Congrats to Brianne Jenner on making the Canadian Olympic team. Very well deserved, great player and a very humble, genuine person
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

From a far, specially after their last 2 games vs each other, I give the edge to team USA over Canada in Sochi. It seems like the Americans are quicker, more skilled and (guessing) younger.
When looking at the 2 rosters , there is a lot of CWH players on the Canadian roster, seems like the Canadian brass likes veterans over younger more skilled players, not sure if that's the way to build a winner. That said, at the 4 nations, the Americans finished 4th..
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

BigSandy said:
From a far, specially after their last 2 games vs each other, I give the edge to team USA over Canada in Sochi. It seems like the Americans are quicker, more skilled and (guessing) younger.
When looking at the 2 rosters , there is a lot of CWH players on the Canadian roster, seems like the Canadian brass likes veterans over younger more skilled players, not sure if that's the way to build a winner. That said, at the 4 nations, the Americans finished 4th..
Click to expand...

Third, actually. Sweden were fourth.
 
imafan said:
Cutting Birchard was a mistake for Canada, she is an amazing player, with great offensive talent and tremendous defensive skills.
Click to expand...

Agree. Interesting that she was recalled with the injury to Watchorn....and was used in all situations, including OT. I think the new coach has more faith in her than the HC management.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

They need to bring Bendus and Bram back and reevaluate the situation.

Would love to bring home gold, but not because HC is in shambles..,
 
RStarr said:
They need to bring Bendus and Bram back and reevaluate the situation.

Would love to bring home gold, but not because HC is in shambles..,
Click to expand...

Bram is the big one. Makes you wonder about the other gals cut. A couple of vets. Who's running the show?
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

Based on the few games I've seen, I cannot justify why Wickenheiser is still on the team.

While the situation with Birchard seems weird simply because of how much playing time she got after being cut, the level of defensemen beyond Ward and Fortino is such you could have basically rolled the dice on who to cut. However Bram and Bendus (and even Kohanchuk) all have more to offer than Wick does IMO. Hefford and Ouellette at least seem to be able to keep up even if their best days are clearly behind them, but Wickenheiser doesn't seem fast enough or strong enough to play at this level anymore.

Things just don't seem right with this team.
 
Re: Team Canada U18/U22/ Centralized Olympic Roster

west said:
Based on the few games I've seen, I cannot justify why Wickenheiser is still on the team.

While the situation with Birchard seems weird simply because of how much playing time she got after being cut, the level of defensemen beyond Ward and Fortino is such you could have basically rolled the dice on who to cut. However Bram and Bendus (and even Kohanchuk) all have more to offer than Wick does IMO. Hefford and Ouellette at least seem to be able to keep up even if their best days are clearly behind them, but Wickenheiser doesn't seem fast enough or strong enough to play at this level anymore.

Things just don't seem right with this team.
Click to expand...

Agree with your first and last comments. Birchard's situation is strange...Bonhomme I was more surprised with but maybe her injury over the summer contributed to the ultimate decision. I think Bram is almost there, (maybe there), Bendus I have no opinion about since I have rarely seen her play but I don't think Kohanchuk is there and am quite surprised she made it as far as she did.

Hopefully, Team Canada will make it as exciting a game tonight as their junior men did today vs Slovakia...the last period was a barn burner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top