i have a hockey card of dale hawerchuk!

some quick thoughts then off to bed...
first off, Canada's men's hockey team is about to start competition in the olympics starting tomorrow. my thoughts on the team are as follows:
1. Coaching - i don't like Pat Quinn, though i respect him as a decent coach. i think Canada could have made a different choice here, but as much as i am biased against him, pat quinn will certainly not hurt the team as he brings alot of experience and past success to the team...Jacques Martin is my boy and a good choice for assisstant caoch...that is all i have to say about coaches.
2. Goaltending - Brodeur is the "DUH" choice of this whole team. he is the best goalie in the NHL and in the world and he is still in his prime years. there simply is no other choice for the #1 spot on this team. Having said that, Roberto Luongo is being groomed as Brodeurs successor and it won't be more than a few years before he dethrones Brodeur as the best of the best. Luongo will likely see at least 1 maybe 2 games in net in the round-robin games against some of the weaker teams as he should a) to get some playing time and be ready if they need to call on him and b)so he can get more international experience in preparation for future years as Canada's #1. Turco has had a stellar year and though i hate the Dallas Stars who he plays for in the NHL, he deserves to be in there(though he likely won't see any playing time as #3).
3. Defense - A solid group. The only concern i have is due to injury. and that is that Scott Niedermayer, who is in my opinion one of the best defenseman in the world(possibly the best cause i like him that much), and is certainly the best defenceman Canada has, is injured and will be unable to compete in the olympics. Otherwise, Canada's defence is extremely solid with a good mix of offence and defence, youth and experience, size and for the most part it is a group of good skaters.
4. Forwards - Here is where my biggest problem with this team lies. though i agree with the majority of the picks, there are a couple exceptions that i take. first, KRIS DRAPER DOES NOT BELONG AT THE OLYMPICS. i don't mean to take away from him as i do believe he is a good player, a very solid defensive forward, pesky to other teams and gritty, but i repeat KRIS DRAPER DOES NOT BELONG AT THE OLYMPICS. especially considering that the team includes shane doan who can perform the same role as draper only better and with more offensive capabilities. I think that Draper should be dropped in favour of someone else. My next problem player is Martin St. Louis. i don't think he's anywhere near as bad a pick as draper, but i just think there are better choices out there. St. Louis has been in the NHL for many years now and has had one very good season and many other average or slightly above average seasons(including this current season). he is a good player and i think maybe his already present chemistry with lecavalier and richards helped land him a spot on this team, but again i think there are just simply better choices for this team than him. Who do i think should be on the team instead you may ask? well i think a player like Paul Kariya deserves at least a look. Though his past couple of seasons have been mediocre at best for a player of his status, he has revived his career in nashville again this year proving that he still has the skills and offesive talents that made him such a good player in years past. Add to that the added experience and success he has had at the international level as compared to someone like St. Louis and i think he would be a better choice. the other solution i offer is to promote the taxi squad players. This team has an abundance of experience already on it, and i think that Jason Spezza and Eric Staal have more proved that they can play at an elite level and i think the team would only benefit both now and in the future from including these players on the active roster. They would bring a tremendous amount of youth, skill, and energy to this team and it would only benefit them to play for the years to come as it is these players among others who will be making up the team in the future. I think that Kariya should be on the team or at least on the taxi squad with these two youngsters playing in the games. Also i think Crosby should have been put on the taxi squad. chances are these players won't get any playing time, but should it ever come down to it, Crosby has probably as much skill as anyone on the team and could step into a 3rd or 4th line role if absolutely needed. in the meantime, considering that kevin lowe(one of the people responsible for choosing this team) said himself that crosby could be the captain of the next olympic team, y not give him the experience of just being at the olympics and getting a taste for what it's like, what kind of pressure and excitement there is and all that. It will only help him for next time around, and even if he doesn't play a game he's still a better pick than Draper or St. Louis.
So this is my evaluation of the team we have sent to italy to sompete. Though i have slight disagreements when it comes to our forwards, i do think that we have an excellent team representing our country and i believe they have what it takes to win gold. Go Team!


other than that, i don't have much to say i guess cause that took longer than i thought and i am now tired and want to go to bed. In conclusion i will leave with this thought taken from C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain". I am currently reading this book, and this little thought of his entertains my mind. Lewis is talking about truly understanding as a christian what it means that we are sinful people, and though to fully appreciate it you may have to read this book yourself, if this little tid-bit piques your interest at all i recommend picking up this book and taking a closer look. though not always an easy read, it is a very good read. So without further ado:
"When we merely say that we are bad, the 'wrath' of God seems a barbarous doctrine; as soon as we perceive our badness, it appears inevitable, a mere corollory form of God's goodness."