Author Archives: Jaden Teja

All-Time Team Canada Roster

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Have you ever thought about what an all-time Team Canada lineup would look like? With the Four Nations tournament, we finally got to see best-on-best hockey for the first time in nine years. We finally got to see Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby on the same team. However, it got me thinking, imagine Crosby playing with legends like Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. How insane would that be? Canada has produced some of the best talent in NHL history, so I decided to put together an all-time Team Canada roster.

A little disclaimer: I didn’t put too much stock into worrying about whether a player is a center or winger. Also, sorry if I left off your favourite player. This team is loaded with talent, so there are going to be some snubs.

Forwards

Line 1: Mario Lemieux – Wayne Gretzky – Mike Bossy

Line 2: Mark Messier – Sidney Crosby – Gordie Howe

Line 3: Joe Sakic – Connor McDavid – Steve Yzerman

Line 4: Guy Lafleur – Marcel Dionne – Phil Esposito

Just take a look at how loaded that forward group is. In total, all 12 of the forwards I’ve picked have 18,537 career points and counting! Some of the players I left off were Brian Trottier, Adam Oates, and Ron Francis. All in all, this is an absolutely STACKED forward core. Line 1 has the two best players of all time, with arguably the greatest goal-scorer ever. No one can come close to stopping Gretzky and Lemieux on the same line. Don’t believe me? Watch some of their highlights from the Canada Cup and prepare to be amazed. I think most people would agree that Crosby should be on the team, and McDavid should have the same respect. He is the most talented player to ever play hockey and is definitely deserving of a spot on this lineup with other greats.

Defensemen

Pair 1: Bobby Orr – Ray Bourque

Pair 2: Paul Coffey – Scott Niedermayer

Pair 3: Dennis Potvin – Al MacInnis

Honestly, I don’t think any team could score on this defense core. A blueline with 21 combined Norris Trophies, Hall of Famers on every pair, and there were still some snubs. Chris Pronger, Larry Robinson, and Rob Blake were some of the players I left off. But considering that a player like Dennis Potvin is on the third pair, it goes to show how many great defensemen Canada has produced. However, I don’t think anyone is complaining about the first pair. Orr and Bourque have combined for 13 Norris Trophies between the two of them, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Goalies

Patrick Roy

Martin Brodeur

This is a no-brainer. Brodeur has the most wins all-time by over 100 and has four Vezina Trophies. He has won the William M. Jennings Trophy five times and the Stanley Cup three times. Roy has won the Stanley Cup four times as well, along with three Conn Smythe Trophies. He has the same amount of Jennings Trophies and three Vezinas. You can make a strong case for either one of these goalies to be the best ever.

I hope you liked my all-time Team Canada roster. Is there anything you would change?

Top 5 Canada vs U.S.A Hockey Games

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The Four Nations face-off final is what we all wanted, Canada vs the United States for the championship. After that electrifying round-robin game and the history the two countries have with each other, it seems so fitting that this is the final. Also, given everything that’s happening in the world right now, it seems bigger than just a hockey game. The Canadians and the Americans have met 20 times in a best-on-best tournament, with Canada holding a 14-5-1 edge. With the big game happening on Thursday, I thought it would be a great idea to look back at five of the best Canada vs. USA hockey games.

1. 2010 Olympics Gold Medal: Canada 3, USA 2 (Overtime)

Do I even have to say anything? This game is an iconic moment in Canadian hockey history. The game was in Vancouver, and the U.S. had beaten Canada in the Round Robin. Canada was up 2-0 in the game, but the U.S. fought back. Zach Parise tied it with 24 seconds left in the third period, sending the game to overtime. That set the stage for Sidney Crosby, making a call for a pass heard around the country: “IGGY, IGGY!” You could see every person in the country jump off their couch after the puck was in the back of the net. This is a moment I’ll never forget, even though I was only six years old. I hope it’s something in your core memory as well.

2.2002 Olympics Gold Medal: Canada 5, USA 2

The same stakes as the game in 2010, but without the overtime magic. Instead, it was Joe Sakic magic. Sakic led Canada in scoring and showed up when it mattered most. He scored a power-play goal in the second period to give Canada a 3-2 lead. Then, late in the third period, he iced the game for Canada on a breakaway, proving to be one of the most clutch players in NHL history and helping his country win a gold medal.

3.2014 Olympics Semi-Final: Canada 1, USA 0

The rematch of the 2010 gold medal game. The winner would go to the gold medal game to play Sweden. Jamie Benn scored the lone goal for Canada in the second period, and Carey Price made 31 saves in the win. He became the first Canadian goaltender to record a shutout in the Olympics since 1992. It wasn’t as eventful as the game in 2010, but the common denominator was that the Canadians came out victorious.

4.2016 World Cup of Hockey: Canada 4, USA 2

This was the first best-on-best game between the two countries in six years, and it lived up to the hype. The U.S. got on the board first, but Canada scored four unanswered goals, including two by Matt Duchene. Canada won 4-2 and went on to the semi-finals. The big story out of this game was that the hero wasn’t Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, or Carey Price. It was Matt Duchene who helped Canada defeat their biggest rival.

5.1987 Canada Cup: Canada 3, USA 2

The 1987 Canada Cup is often regarded as the best hockey ever played. With Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux on the same team, I don’t doubt it. Add in the fact it’s Canada playing the U.S.—instant classic. Canada beat the U.S. 3-2, led by a Mario Lemieux hat-trick. Wayne Gretzky also had two assists in the win.

Canada’s goaltending issues

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You can list a couple of reasons for Canada’s loss to the U.S. yesterday. Whether it was Cale Makar not playing, Sidney Crosby’s giveaway leading to the States’ second goal, or Canada not getting enough high-quality chances. Or we can just call a spade a spade—the U.S.A.’s goaltending is just better, straight up. The first goal Jordan Binnington gave up should have been saved. That killed a lot of momentum for Canada, because before that, Canada was carrying a lot of the play. That goal by Jake Guentzel gave the U.S. life, and they ended up winning the game. Don’t get me wrong, the U.S. has the best goaltending trio in the tournament by far. Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman are three top-ten goalies in the league. But in a close game, that’s what it comes down to: What goalie makes the big save and which one gives up the bad goal.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1890965295415562733

This got me thinking about the days Canada would dominate on all ends of the ice, especially in the crease. In years past, Canada has had elite goaltending. In 2016 and 2014, we had Carey Price, whose goals-against average in the 2014 Olympics was 0.60, which is absolutely bonkers. In 2010, we had Roberto Luongo, who was one of the best goalies in the league at the time. In 2002, we had Martin Brodeur, who is arguably the best goalie of all time. So what happened?

Canada’s not producing horrible goalies—Adin Hill, Jordan Binnington, and Logan Thompson aren’t horrible goalies. They just aren’t superstar goalies like we’ve had in years past. I could go into coaching or goaltending development if you really wanted me to. But I think the simple answer is that the rest of the world has simply caught up. The U.S. is producing so much elite talent, Sweden and Finland are as well, and even though they aren’t participating, Russia is still an elite hockey country. Which honestly is a good thing—it means hockey’s growing, and that’s something we all want. But that just means Canada has got to stay on top. As for Canada, they have to win with what they’ve got and roll with Binnington and Hill for the rest of the Four Nations Face-Off.

Best on best hockey is back!

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For the first time in nine years, we finally saw best-on-best hockey. Boy, was it a treat seeing Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid on the same ice representing Canada. It was a beautiful sight to see. The last time we saw best-on-best hockey at the international stage was in 2016 at the World Cup of Hockey. There’s a generation of kids who have never even seen best-on-best hockey. I gotta say, I appreciate it a lot more after not having it for so long.

Team Canada’s lineup is much different than it was back in 2016. The only returning members from the 2016 squad are Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand, and Drew Doughty. While it is kind of weird not seeing Team Canada without players like Jonathan Toews, Shea Weber, and Carey Price, I’ve got to say, seeing this new generation of players representing Canada had me feeling as patriotic as ever. I won’t lie, it was weird cheering for Connor McDavid and cheering against Elias Pettersson, but it felt nice to not be scared watching one of his end-to-end rushes and instead be cheering for him to score. It’s not something I want to get used to, it feels weird,unless maybe he was wearing a Canucks jersey.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1889849653031768346

The atmosphere at yesterday’s game was electric. The Bell Centre hasn’t been buzzing like that since the 2014 playoffs. I thought it was so cool seeing all the fans of different teams come together to cheer on our home and native land. As the tournament goes on and the games get more meaningful, the building will bring more and more energy. Even though every game won’t be in Canada, I expect all the games to have the same electric environment.

Yesterday was just a small sample size of what this team can be, but what it did show us was how lethal that powerplay really is. McDavid, Crosby, MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, and Cale Makar. I think teams felt a shiver go down their spine just reading that. Unfortunately, for Sweden, they had to face it after William Nylander high-sticked Nathan MacKinnon. Canada immediately made them pay. Crosby made a beautiful behind-the-back pass to MacKinnon for Canada’s first goal. It almost made me shed a tear.

The peak of last night was the three-on-three overtime. The moment we saw MacKinnon, Makar, and McDavid on the ice, every household in Canada knew that they were going to witness greatness. I think seeing those three players on the ice together in three-on-three overtime was one of the reasons people wanted to see this tournament so badly. Unfortunately, they didn’t score, but Mitch Marner scored off of Crosby’s third assist of the game. Crosby improved to 26-0 as Team Canada’s captain, which is absurd. He is looking to make it 27-0 on Saturday when Canada faces the United States.

Warriors looking forward after loss to Roughnecks

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The Vancouver Warriors seven-game home winning streak was snapped Friday following a 15-12 loss against the Calgary Roughnecks. The Warriors clawed back from a six-goal deficit in the second quarter but were unable to get the win.  

To no one’s surprise, Adam Charalambides and Keegan Bal lead the charge offensively. Kevin Crawley and Riley Loewen each contributed as well, with Loewen scoring a hat trick. Despite some stellar individual efforts and battling back from a six-goal deficit, it just wasn’t enough for Vancouver as it drops back-to-back games. 

Going forward, Loewen says it will be important to limit other teams’ leads. 

“We (got to) stop those bigger runs, if we can keep it to maybe a three-goal run – it’s a game of momentum  (and it’s) always going to be like that. But if we can limit those six-goal runs to maybe three-goal runs, I think we’ll have a better chance.” 

Even though they didn’t get the result they wanted, there’s still something to be said about the way the Warriors fought and came back in the second quarter. It’s something that might not have happened in years past, and it’s  a testament to the character head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky has engrained in his team. 

Malawsky spent 16 years with the Roughnecks organization as a player, assistant general manager and head coach. He won multiple championships in Calgary and is a member of the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame. So, you know he wanted to beat his former team, especially since Vancouver hadn’t ever beat the Roughnecks at home.  

Despite the loss, Malawsky says it’s important to move forward. “You go watch the film, you learn from the things you did wrong, (and) you try and have a positive attitude. There’s no real value in being negative or finger pointing. Like I’ve always said, (if) you’ve got one finger pointing (at someone), you’ve got three pointing back at you.” 

“(I) also told the guys in the room that the true test of character of a team and an individual is in adverse situations. When we’re winning at home and everything’s great, everybody’s a great person, everyone’s a great guy and things are great, and you can’t go wrong.”  

“When you lose two in a row and things aren’t going great and (you have) a disappointing outing, how do you react? How are you in the dressing room?  How are you when you go home with your family? How are you in the community?” continued Malawsky. “Don’t change – like that’s part of it, that’s my big message – just making sure that your character shines through good or bad (times). It really shines through in bad situations, so we’ll find out what we are made of in a week.” 

Vancouver’s next game is Friday, Feb. 14 facing the Los Vegas Desert Dogs in Vegas. The Desert Dogs are 2-6 and second to last in the National Lacrosse League. The Warriors will look to get back to .500 with a win and continue their playoff push. 

Canada’s Not Going Away Anytime Soon

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When you think about the best hockey country, you probably think of Canada. In the past, for sure, we had legends like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Sidney Crosby. Even now, we are still producing superstars like Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Cale Makar. But other countries are catching up. The USA is pumping out elite talent themselves, like Auston Matthews, Jack Hughes, and Matthew Tkachuk. Don’t sleep on Sweden and Finland either, they’ve got some superstars themselves, making the Four Nations Face-Off tournament up for grabs.

I know what you might be thinking, I know how good the USA’s roster is. They have Matthews, Jack Hughes, and the Tkachuk brothers. But they did leave out some key players like Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson. Yes, I know how scary their goaltending is, and I’m not questioning that. Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman are the best goaltending trio in the tournament. However, I don’t think you realize how big the loss of Quinn Hughes is. Hughes has been the best defenseman in the NHL this year, and they still have Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy. But losing Hughes knocks their defense down a peg.

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1889420739666944168

While Canada’s roster isn’t as dominant as it was in years past, I still think you might be sleeping on how good it is. We get to see players like McDavid, MacKinnon, Makar, and Crosby on the same ice in a best-on-best tournament, along with stars like Mitch Marner, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. Good luck stopping that. Now, I get that the backend, outside of Cale Makar, isn’t the best, but that’s because I think a lot of people are comparing them to the 2014 Olympic team. Canada’s defense in the Olympics was historically good, with players like Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, and Jay Bouwmeester. While Canada’s defense isn’t at that level, it’s still very good. Josh Morrissey, Devon Toews, and Shea Theodore are still very good, and I think people are sleeping on them a little too much.

The biggest question for Canada is in goal. I do think it was a mistake not having Logan Thompson on the team, and we don’t have an elite goalie like the other countries. However, Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill have led their teams to Stanley Cups, so they know what it takes to win. So, don’t underestimate Canada.

I think Canada still takes home the gold in this tournament. It may not be in dominating fashion, but I still think Canada has the best team. I can’t wait to watch best-on-best hockey. How about you? I’m so pumped for this tournament, puck drops Wednesday when Canada plays Sweden.

Super Bowl Preview

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It’s finally the day we’ve all been waiting for, Super Bowl Sunday! It seems like this season flew by. After 21 weeks of football, we have our two teams who will be fighting for the Lombardi Trophy. Some people thought they would be here, and others didn’t. We have a rematch of Super Bowl 57 The Kansas City Chiefs, who are looking to become the first-ever NFL team to three-peat, and on the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles, who are back at the Super Bowl after losing to the Chiefs two years prior. However, this is a different Eagles roster. They have lost some players but have also made some key additions. You know who I’m talking about, Saquon Barkley. Barkley has been the best running back in the NFL this year and is a massive part of the Eagles’ success.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1888576394365481329

The Eagles have a tough task, as the Chiefs had the eighth-best run defense in the league. But I don’t think that will matter. I expect the Eagles to run the ball a ton and wear down the Chiefs’ defense. Even though these two teams played each other in the Super Bowl recently, I expect this game to be different than last time.

So, how do I think the game will go? I expect it to be a close game throughout, and just like last time, it will come down to the wire. I don’t think it will be as high-scoring as last time, but it will still be an exciting game to watch. With all the attention around Travis Kelce, someone I don’t think people are talking about enough is Xavier Worthy. I think Worthy is going to be a key part in today’s game. On the other side of the ball, it’s obvious, it’s Saquon Barkley. Barkley turns 28 on Super Bowl Sunday, and I think we both know what he wants for a present. I’m expecting a big game from Barkley. I’m also expecting a big game from Jalen Hurts. Everyone knows the threat that Barkley possesses, so watch out for some read-option keepers from Hurts. Hurts had a monster game last time he played in the Super Bowl, so we know he’s not afraid of the big moment.

So, who do I think wins? I think the Chiefs win and three-peat. It’s so hard to bet against Patrick Mahomes. He knows how to win and has been here four times. I think it’ll come down to which quarterback is going to make a big play late in the fourth quarter, and I just know Patrick Mahomes will come through in the clutch.

My Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 34, Philadelphia Eagles 27
MVP: Patrick Mahomes

Canucks Defeat Maple Leafs

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Boy, did we need that win! The Canucks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 and head into the Four Nations Face-Off break on a high note. Don’t look now, but the Canucks are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. This season has had its share of ups and downs, but it seems like the Canucks are finally starting to figure it out. The additions of Marcus Pettersson, Filip Chytil, and Drew O’Connor have been great so far. Quinn Hughes missed his fourth straight game, but once again, other players stepped up. Filip Hronek stepped up big time for Vancouver, he had a goal and an assist, as well as playing solid defensively.

Okay, you’re probably wondering how Elias Pettersson played. Petey had a great game; he set up Hronek for Vancouver’s first goal with a beautiful pass. Pettersson finally started to look like himself today, making plays on both ends of the ice. I loved his game today. Another player that started to look like himself again is Thatcher Demko. Demko was coming off two great games heading into Saturday. Unfortunately, Demko had to leave Saturday’s game midway through the first period due to an injury. You could feel every Canucks fan gasp as we were all praying that it wasn’t the same knee that has been bothering him since last year’s playoffs.

Kevin Lankinen came in relief and played amazing. The Canucks shut down the star-studded Maple Leafs, who were on a three-game winning streak on their road trip. Brock Boeser netted the game-winning goal on the power play in the third period, and the Canucks held on for a tight 2-1 win. I don’t know about you, but I’m very happy with how the Canucks are playing. They are starting to look like last year’s team. I don’t care that they are playing boring hockey, a win is a win, and we’ll take those in any capacity. The Canucks have two weeks off to rest up and finish the season strong.

 

Four Nations Face-Off Preview: Team Canada

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Aren’t you excited for the Four Nations Faceoff? We finally get to see best on best hockey again. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for the tournament to start. The puck drops on Wednesday, so it’s finally time to start breaking down the teams. Starting with our home and native land Canada. I know some players are questionable for the tournament like Sidney Crosby and Mitch Marner and Canada needs to name another defenceman to the team. For the sake of this article I’m going to pretend that they are healthy. I’ll be breaking down the team by projecting the lines. Let me know what you think.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1887215869291364464

Forward lines: 

 

Line 1: Sam Reinhart – Connor McDavid – Nathan Mackinnon 

 

Line 2: Brad Marchand – Sidney Crosby – Mark Stone

 

Line 3: Brandon Hagel  – Brayden Point – Mitch Marner

 

Line 4: Sam Bennett – Anthony Cirelli – Travis Konecny 

 

Extra- Seth Jarvis

Genuine question, who is stopping that first line? You have two of the best players in the world playing with a player who scored 57 goals last year, good luck everyone else. On the second line I had to keep Brad Marchand playing with Sidney Crosby after they had so much success at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Add Mark Stone to the mix and you have one of the most complete lines in the tournament. For the third you have to keep Brandon Hagel playing with Brayden Point, they have so much chemistry together. Throw in a player with the speed and skill of Marner and you have a lethal trio. Finally, the fourth line. Its may not be the most skilled but these guys can wear opponents out. Bennett and Konecny will be laying out opponents with crushing hits all tournament and I’m here for it.

 

   Defence Pairs: 

 

Pair 1: Cale Makar – Devon Toews

 

Pair 2: Shea Theodore – Drew Doughty*

 

Pair 3: Josh Morrisey – Travis Sanheim 

 

Extra- Colton Parayko 

 

*- Who I think will be on the team

 

The first pair is obvious, Makar and Toews play really well together in Colorado and are the best defence pair in the league, enough said. The second pair is where you can mix it up. Everyone thought Shea Theodore would be playing with Alex Pieterangelo until he decided to sit out of the tournament. My best guess is that Doughty will replace him. He played a key role for Canada in 2010,2014 and 2016 so he has a ton of experience. Even at 35 years-old he can still play north of 25 minutes a game and is exactly what Canada needs. I think the third pair is super underrated. Morrisey is great on both ends of the ice, and Sanheim has had a very solid year in Philadelphia.

 

Goalies: 

 

Starter- Jordan Binnington 

 

Backup- Adin Hill

 

Extra- Sam Montembeault 

 

You could pick either goalie to start, I went with Binnington because he’s older. He tends to be a streaky goalie, so I hope he gets hot at the right time and brings Canada a goal medal. What do you think about my lineup? Would you change anything?

Canucks Defeat Sharks

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Did you see that Canucks game, because what was that? I thought they were going to blow out the San Jose Sharks. I was expecting a dominating game by the Canucks. But it was the exact opposite. They still won but it wasn’t pretty at all.The Canucks power-play without Quinn Hughes was awful, they were outshot 34-24 and only managed to score two goals against the worst team in the league. This Canucks season has been weird, we both know that. With all the chaos that has gone, one of the weirdest things that has happened is that the Canucks play against the top teams, but not against teams near the bottom of the standings. That’s something that makes me feel a little uneasy, what about you?

https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1887747137170976967

I feel like I’m focusing on the negatives too much, the Canucks still won the game so how about we focus on the positives? Thatcher Demko played great again. Making 33 saves and finally looking like the Demko we know and love. I don’t want to get too ahead of myself but it’s definitely an encouraging sign for us Canucks fans. It was also another game where the defence looked solid. Quinn Hughes missed his third straight game and the Canucks defence stepped up once again.

 

The Canucks finally scored with 8:04 remaining in the third period when Dakota Joshua tipped in a shot from Pius Suter. Former Canuck Tyler Toffoli tied the game late and the game went to overtime. This is when the nerves really kicked in. However, early in overtime Drew O’Connor was awarded a penalty shot. Which he buried and the Canucks avoided another overtime loss and it seemed like you could feel all of Canucks nation exhale. Vancouver only has one more left remaining before the Four Nations Face Off break. That will b Saturday vs the Toronto Maple Leafs.