Team USA Roster

[Dean Ambrose]

Dustin Brown
David Backes
Ryan Callahan
Max Pacioretty
Ryan Kesler
Patrick Kane
Zach Parise
Joe Pavelski
Phil Kessel
James vanRiemadyk
Paul Stastny
TJ Oshie
Derek Stepan
Blake Wheeler

Ryan McDonagh
Justin Faulk
Brooks Orpik
Paul Martin
Can Fowler
Jon Carlson
Ryan Suter
Kevin Shattenkirk

Jonathan Quick
Ryan Miller
Jimmy Howard



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Uhhhhh no Ryan, Yandle or Bishop?

[Victor]

Re: Team USA Roster

Bishop isn't a major issue but the other two are definitely my thoughts exactly.

[matchesmalone]

Re: Team USA Roster

How Bobby Ryan isn't on this team is beyond me. I know which team I won't be cheering for at this year's tournament.

[Josh]

Re: Team USA Roster

Still a good team, but Ryan and Yandle omissions are very strange.

[Alfie11]

Re: Team USA Roster

The team would be much better with Bobby Ryan. There's very, very few players on that team who can create offense as good as Ryan can. There's maybe two, three forwards on that team who are as dynamic as Ryan. Especially in short tournaments like this...you need your game-breakers.

I guess it's good to see as a Sens/Canada fan, but Ryan deserved it.

[Josh]

Re: Team USA Roster

Burke's comments were ridiculous. As Ryan said, why didn't he just cut him? Why call him out publicly like that?

[Josh]

Re: Team USA Roster

Didn't Burke draft Ryan?!

[Victor]

Re: Team USA Roster

He did, yeah. :lol:

[Josh]

Re: Team USA Roster

He did, yeah. :lol:

Wow, what a short-sighted decision it was to draft someone who "lacks intensity" when your favorite quality in a player is ""truculence"... ;)

[Alfie11]

Re: Team USA Roster

Burke's comments were ridiculous. As Ryan said, why didn't he just cut him? Why call him out publicly like that?

To be fair to Burke, the comments were behind closed doors. He didn't call a press conference and destroy Bobby Ryan. I guess somebody thought it would give the fans more insight to the selection process and let some ESPN reporter in. The only logical explanation I can think of this is that the U.S. Hockey group assumed they'd have a final edit of whatever ESPN put out - which they clearly didn't. Now this has gotten out of hand and burned bridges.

An important thing we have to consider is now Ryan's relationship with Team USA. A very important competition is the World Championships, a tournament that helps rank you for the Olympics and a tournament that stereotypically have a tough time attracting home-grown talent. Ryan has participated in the past. It's easy to say he should be professional, put this behind him and represent his country. But he's an elite player from that country, and their management have scooped to pretty low levels attacking him even though he's done nothing wrong.

Overall, this has been a really sloppy situation from every point of view...save Ryan. He's been playing very well. I don't think Burke's comments were 100% false..Ryan isn't the most intense player for the most part. He's also not a fast player. That's not his game and it is what it is. Obviously saying he can't even spell intense is taking it too far, and I can easily see why Ryan felt a little hurt by those comments from his own country. Burke comes out looking like a complete tool by disrespecting one of his countries better talents, burning bridges and doing it all in a very arrogant way. And finally, Hockey USA in general for mishandling this entire process for letting a reporter into the room and not controlling what it written.

[Alfie11]

Re: Team USA Roster

He did, yeah. :lol:

Wow, what a short-sighted decision it was to draft someone who "lacks intensity" when your favorite quality in a player is ""truculence"... ;)

I haven't actually read the full article, and just saw the quotes on TSN and such, but apparently Burke also said something on the lines of "I should have drafted Jack Johnson ahead of him". I'm not sure if he was on drugs to think that..

[Matt the Aussie]

Re: Team USA Roster

Burke's comments should not be taken out of context. The context is that you have a bunch of US Hockey guys discussing several bubble players and trying to find strengths and weaknesses in each one. In that context, the comments are entirely appropriate, and I happen to agree with Burke to a certain extent. Bobby Ryan is not the most intense skater on any team.

The issue here is:

1. Why on earth would you make these comments available for public consumption?
2. There are about 3-4 forwards I would swap for Bobby Ryan, no questions asked, on that team (Derek Stepan anyone?).
3. A lack of intensity should not matter when you score goals at the rate Bobby Ryan has? Did anyone comment on Phil Kessel's "intensity"?

[Josh]

Re: Team USA Roster

Good points, Matt. I'd like to add - what does it say about the NHL if a player like Bobby Ryan can score at the rate he does yet, supposedly, lack intensity? Is it not an intense enough league then? Why isn't Nick Foligno on the US team? He plays with intensity.

[Alfie11]

Re: Team USA Roster

Good points, Matt. I'd like to add - what does it say about the NHL if a player like Bobby Ryan can score at the rate he does yet, supposedly, lack intensity? Is it not an intense enough league then? Why isn't Nick Foligno on the US team? He plays with intensity.

I think it says a lot about Bobby Ryan's skill that he can score 30+ goals every year, along with usually 30+ assists while not being considered intense (which I do agree with). His shot is phenomenal. He can shoot the puck from pretty much anywhere in the offensive zone and have a great chance of scoring. His vision and playmaking is an overlooked aspect of his game...he makes players around him better.

The ironic thing is Bobby Ryan can be intense. Remember in the Phoenix game when he crushed a defenseman in the corner which led to a too many men on the ice call which we scored on?