Team Sweden- What’s the “Ikea” to success??
February 18, 2009
Team Sweden or “Tre Kronor” as they are also known, have been highly successful at the Worlds, and they won a Gold Medal at the 2006 Olympics. The question everyone wants an answer to is, with many players nearing 30 years of age, can the Swedish team steal Canada’s glory and bring home the Gold in 2010? Well, to answer the question, the Swedes have as good a chance as any team, perhaps history will repeat itself….
The Swedes are quite possibly the most balanced team outside of Team Canada, as such, they have an excellent shot at winning it all. Don’t believe my hype? Let’s take a look at my picks to make the Olympic squad in 2010, it could be a sequel to 2006…Believe-That
Position: Centre-
Mats Sundin- Sundin is like royalty in Sweden, if he is playing in 2010, he will be a key player for the Swedes, and he will be relied upon to log heavy minutes and perform like the star he is.
Henrik Sedin- The logical choice for first line centre if Sundin opts out is Sedin. Henrik has established himself as a consistent performer who, while not overly flashy, has a calm demeanor and natural leadership qualities. Sedin is more of a set up man than Sundin, but ultimately he will play with his Brother Daniel, who is very capable of burying the puck.
Nicklas Backstrom- Likely will lead the Swedes on the Power Play, he has quickly established himself as a top-flight All-Star calibre player, easily capable of being the Swedes number two man in Sundin’s absence.
Samuel Phalsson- Remember the job he did in the playoffs when the Anaheim Ducks won the Cup? Well, if Phalsson can get back to that level he could grab the fourth line Center’s job. It’s Pahlsson’s job to lose, it’s imperative he get back to where he was though.
Position: Left Wing-
Henrik Zetterberg- As long as Sundin plays Zetterberg will be his wingman, otherwise, look for the Sedin Twins to be on the first line. No need to justify Zetterberg’s place on this team, he is a winner, capable of putting a team on his back and taking over a game. Zetterberg’s play will define the success of this team, he needs to step up large, and likely will.
Daniel Sedin- You can’t separate the Twins, thus my selection of Daniel for the second line. Why mess with success? The Sedin Twins will be tested by the Russians, Canadians and the States, they will have to play tough, with a sense of urgency and responsibly, otherwise, they are likely to get beat by their own game. Puck possession will be key, putting the puck in the net wouldn’t hurt either.
Kristian Huselius- An energy player, will be asked to check the crud out of the tournaments best players and throw in the odd goal too.
Thomas Holmstrom- Need a great role player? Nobody is better than Holmstrom. Look for Holmstrom to be the biggest pest of the tournament, he will go through a wall to win, thus his selection here.
Position: Right Wing-
Daniel Alfredsson- Could very well be selected as an assistant Captain of this team. He may be a bit older, but he is still one of the premier Wingers in the game. “Alfi” is a tremendous threat to the opposition, he’s a great goal scorer and he’s not afraid to get dirty either. Look for Alfi to have a great tournament, it’s likely to be his last, so he is going to “Bring it”.
Johan Franzen- “The Mule”, as he is nicknamed, is a huge threat on the Power Play, Franzen will be counted on to raise his game, take the body a bit more and get to the net. Make no mistake about it, Franzen is a finisher, that’s why he will get the call.
Louis Eriksson- Quietly having a great season with the Dallas Stars, he doesn’t bring much “Jam”, but, with a chance at 30 goals this season, he will serve as a legit threat on the third line and should gel with Backstrom.
Mikael Samuelsson- Another member of the Detroit Red Wings can’t be a bad thing. Samuelsson can bang the boards, score goals, kill penalties, whatever you want him to do, he will do it, and do it well.
Position: Defense-
Niklas Lidstrom- This guy is a WINNER, period. Any team would embrace him as their number one D-Man, and be lucky to have him. Lidstrom will be Captain of this team, in order for this team to be successful Lidstrom will need to log huge minutes; he has the ability to steal a game on his own and will be an integral member of the Power Play and to the Swedish team in general. Tournament MVP is not out of the question.
Niklas Kronwall- Well, looky here, another Detroit Red Wing! Maybe the Swedes should consider putting a Red Wings patch on their shoulders? Kronwall is a steady D-Man, capable of stepping up in any situation.
David “Johnny” Oduya- A member of the New Jersey Devils, Oduya is accustomed to a defensively responsible style. He will get the nod as Sweden’s shut-down guy. He will need to find more of a physical presence, but I feel he is more than capable of this, and he is capable of logging huge minutes. He will perform admirably.
Alexander Edler- Consistent, hard working D-Man, capable of raising his game and bringing more of an offensive presence than many would expect.
Kim Johnsson- This Minnesota Wild D-Man should perform well at this level. His game is simple as apple pie and that’s just what the Swedes need here.
Andreas Lilja- Two years ago, if you had asked most hockey fans who this guy was, you would have got a shrug of the shoulders. Well, Lilja is now a Stanley Cup champion, something you can never have enough of on any team. Lilja, much like Johnsson, will play a simple game and will thrive under the structure of the Swedish game.
Niklas Havelid- The Atlanta Thrashers do not intimidate many teams defensively, that said, Havelid is one heck of a D-Man. The Thrashers are an awful team, Havelid has a plus/mius rating of +1 on one of the worst teams in the League, so dude is pretty good. He gets the nod as my number seven D-Man. In any of the above mentioned D-Mans absence I would take another Atlanta D-Man, Tobias Enstrom, he’s not flashy, but he can get the job done, and would thrive on a winning team.
Goaltenders-
Henrik Lundqvist- Just when you thought you might see a weak spot in Team Sweden, you scroll down and see Lundqvist’ name. Henrik is one of the premier goalies in the League, as a member of the New York Rangers, he’s accustomed to playing under the bright lights of New York City, look for him to steal a game or two, and maybe, just maybe, steal the whole tournament.
Johan Hedberg- Ok, no need to look any further, we just found the Swedes weak spot. Hedberg, while a decent goalie, is not World Class, if the Swedes need to use him, they will be in trouble.
Erik Ersberg- Pretty young to be relied upon to bring Sweden to the promised-land, that said, he has looked good so far for the Los Angeles Kings in 2008/09, hopefully he raises his game and earns the backup role.
As I stated earlier, this is a well balanced team, the Swedes are capable of beating any team, and they have a good mix of Veterans and youngsters. Team Sweden is the “Rodney Dangerfield” Team, they get “No respect!”…That could be costly for teams that look past them. Goaltending will be key, but that is the case with any team. Considering all of Sweden’s strengths calling the Swedes a “Dark-horse” seems out of line, clearly they have the ability to win another Gold, they are after-all, the defending Champions!
Canadian Coup: Bye Bye Buffalo and the Bills and Jills?
February 18, 2009
Is Canada trying to annex Buffalo?
Not just steal the Bills, and their lovely cheerleaders the Jills, but take the entire city in a startling new show of imperial Canadian policy?
Before ye scoff consider the terrible evil economic witch’s brew we are embroiled in, a bilious broth which might just be being born, and understand in this new vicious, vile new world order old friends and new enemies aren’t always what they seem.
One day Putin’s your sweet, soul eyed vodka swilling buddy and the next day he’s mooning ye from Moscow. The worlds gone strange old spies, with far away eyes, sip scotch and say while dreaming of good, old Cold War Days. A weird world where mass destruction was just a switch away but, at least, the sad eyed Spooks say the Reds were Red, and we were Red, White, and Blue.
The Pentagon said it is planning for a destabilized Mexico, an increasing, violent place, an unstable place, one which wild Pancho Villa would savagely smile at and toast with strong tequila today, but the hard eyed men in Washington are also planning for the 2019 US-Canadian Sea Lane War for the suddenly sweet shipping lanes opened by the melting polar caps.
The Pentagon plans for Russia and Norway, with its old Viking Fishing Fleet, to join the confused fray. But the Russians have few spare parts and the Vikings have been quiet since King Harald of Norway took that sharp arrow in his hard throat in Jolly Old England long ago, the main Pentagon threat, the Generals hiss, is Canadian Imperialism.
And some whisper it has started already with Canadian secret agents trying to steal the Buffalo Bills. Far fetched? Canada has long been at the heart of black operations and mad, dark plots.
Both John Wilkes Booth and Benedict Arnold vacationed in Canada shortly before becoming infamous in America.
President William McKinley was discussing football, tariffs, and trade with Canada in, you guessed it, Buffalo,when he was brutally assassinated. An event which Bills Owner Ralph Wilson was scheduled to speak at. Coincidence? Some may say so…