Roenick: The Old guard deserves one more chance for US Olympic team

I just saw the teaser on the SCORE (in Canada). Jeremy Roenick will on at 8pm PST (11pm EST), and the clip in the teaser had him saying that players like Chelios, him, Amonte should be on the Olympic team.

I just saw the teaser on the SCORE (in Canada). Jeremy Roenick will on at 8pm PST (11pm EST), and the clip in the teaser had him saying that players like Chelios, him, Amonte should be on the Olympic team.

I personally would take Roenick and Chelios on Team U.S.A.

Roenick is still one of the best 13 American forwards, and Chelios has tons of experience.

However, I am not so sure about guys like Amonte and LeClair. I think that perhaps they should be left off.

I personally would take Roenick and Chelios on Team U.S.A.

Roenick is still one of the best 13 American forwards, and Chelios has tons of experience.

However, I am not so sure about guys like Amonte and LeClair. I think that perhaps they should be left off.


Roenick won't be on the team, unless he seriously picks it up. LeClair won't be either. I think Amonte has a good shot, and Chelly maybe as the 6th or 7th dman for experience and leadership.

I'm sure non-US hockey fans all over the world agree with Roenick! :)

Roenick and Chelios maybe,but they're crazy if they take Leclair,he just is a shadow of his former self.

I'm sure non-US hockey fans all over the world agree with Roenick! :)

Yes, I sure hope they ice all those grandpas ;) A young, fast and hungry US team would be considerably more difficult to beat.

Yes, I sure hope they ice all those grandpas ;) A young, fast and hungry US team would be considerably more difficult to beat.
Agree,it's time to let most of those guys go.Bring a fast,young team and let the chips fall where they may................that's there best chance and best way to get ready for the future.

The U.S seem to be wanting to go with the plan to sacrifice a bit for the present to help the future. The sooner to get the younger players out there, the quicker they will develop and learn how to play international style hockey, even if right now they might be slightly less effective playing international style hockey. I doubt that will change, that seems to have been their plan since the summer. I like that Roenick always gives his opinions though, he is a cool guy.

Agree,it's time to let most of those guys go.Bring a fast,young team and let the chips fall where they may................that's there best chance and best way to get ready for the future.

Yep. That type of team should do fine on the big ice, especially if obstruction is not tolerated there.

I don't like the Americans' chances with older player or younger players...I say let 'em play.

The U.S seem to be wanting to go with the plan to sacrifice a bit for the present to help the future. The sooner to get the younger players out there, the quicker they will develop and learn how to play international style hockey, even if right now they might be slightly less effective playing international style hockey. I doubt that will change, that seems to have been their plan since the summer. I like that Roenick always gives his opinions though, he is a cool guy.

I disagree, you take the best players at the time, if you're just picking someone because he's young and could be good, then you're just basically accepting defeat for the tournament, and there is a good chance that he won't even help you with your next tournament.

I'd say the US in in trouble either way though.

I think the U.S. roster will be a bit more veteran laden than I thought, but that might not be such a bad thing. Guys like Amonte are actually playing well and want to make the team. If Roenick is playing at a high level, why not take him?

I disagree, you take the best players at the time, if you're just picking someone because he's young and could be good, then you're just basically accepting defeat for the tournament, and there is a good chance that he won't even help you with your next tournament.

I'd say the US in in trouble either way though.

I agree that is how it should be done. I am just opining what it seems the U.S plan has been since this summer, especially when you look at the players who were not taken for the World Championships last year who made themselves available if wanted, and even more tellingly the players who were not at their summer training camp for the U.S, since no longer was whether they had played in other leagues much of a factor in who was there, like it was at Worlds.

I agree that is how it should be done. I am just opining what it seems the U.S plan has been since this summer, especially when you look at the players who were not taken for the World Championships last year who made themselves available if wanted, and even more tellingly the players who were not at their summer training camp for the U.S, since no longer was whether they had played in other leagues much of a factor in who was there, like it was at Worlds.

I'm not really aware of what went down in the WHC, can anyone fill me in?

I have no problem with all or the old guard making team USA. They won won in '96 and lost in '98 and '02 when they actually had a last chance of winning. But by '04 they were old. No matter what USA will either be old and washed up, or young and inerxperienced or not good enough. Or they'll compbine the two. Either way it'll be a riot (I mean a laugh riot) when or if Canada plays against them in the playoffs.

I think the U.S. roster will be a bit more veteran laden than I thought, but that might not be such a bad thing. Guys like Amonte are actually playing well and want to make the team. If Roenick is playing at a high level, why not take him?
Because you've got Gomez,Modano,Weight and Conroy ahead of him,Rolston too i bet,heck,maybe even Legwand.Unless somethings changed with Roenicks game this year(and i have'nt heard that) why let him take one of those guys spots? Maybe you can stick the guy on the wing or something or have him as the 13th forward but i don't see why you'd bump anyone off for him.Leadership maybe,but not for much else.

while you're at it, bring back Brett Hull and Joel Otto!!! :sarcasm:

Because you've got Gomez,Modano,Weight and Conroy ahead of him,Rolston too i bet,heck,maybe even Legwand.Unless somethings changed with Roenicks game this year(and i have'nt heard that) why let him take one of those guys spots? Maybe you can stick the guy on the wing or something or have him as the 13th forward but i don't see why you'd bump anyone off for him.Leadership maybe,but not for much else.

Doesn't Roenick usually play right wing in tournaments like these?

I think that you can take Roenick, and play him on right wing, alongside Gomez and perhaps Tkachuk.

I have no problem with all or the old guard making team USA. They won won in '96 and lost in '98 and '02 when they actually had a last chance of winning. But by '04 they were old. No matter what USA will either be old and washed up, or young and inerxperienced or not good enough. Or they'll compbine the two. Either way it'll be a riot (I mean a laugh riot) when or if Canada plays against them in the playoffs.


Are these the only threads you post in? Quite strange.

Because you've got Gomez,Modano,Weight and Conroy ahead of him,Rolston too i bet,heck,maybe even Legwand.Unless somethings changed with Roenicks game this year(and i have'nt heard that) why let him take one of those guys spots? Maybe you can stick the guy on the wing or something or have him as the 13th forward but i don't see why you'd bump anyone off for him.Leadership maybe,but not for much else.

Roenick wouldn't make the team as a center, but I could seem him on the wing. He's probably not going to make it anyway, so all this talk is probably moot (to Big Phil's chagrin I'm sure.........).

Roenick wouldn't make the team as a center, but I could seem him on the wing. He's probably not going to make it anyway, so all this talk is probably moot (to Big Phil's chagrin I'm sure.........).

Actually all I'm saying is that if a washed up over the Hill Roenick who's been out of his prime for ten years can make the team then you guys are in more trouble then I thought you were. No offense to Roenick but a guy like Yzerman knows when to pull out.

Roenick wouldn't make the team as a center, but I could seem him on the wing. He's probably not going to make it anyway, so all this talk is probably moot (to Big Phil's chagrin I'm sure.........).
i agree,i don't think he'll be there and yes,he would be on the wing if he did.

Doesn't Roenick usually play right wing in tournaments like these?

I think that you can take Roenick, and play him on right wing, alongside Gomez and perhaps Tkachuk.
He's a tough call.Too much mileage on his body for this tournament i think.

I wouldn't pick Roenick at all. If you go by what he's saying, why don't you just leave out young stars and forever ice the 1996 world cup of hockey winning usa team? Here's the difference between Yzerman and Roenick. Yzerman has the grace to admit he's been struggling. Roenick just shoots off his mouth and whines because he wants to play for his country, even though he knows he's not good enough to make it (Why else would he argue like this?)

According to a radio report, Roenick said that if he is not on the US Olympic team, he will try to land a gig with NBC during the games, and if it comes to that, he will be "Go Canada Go!" But he does not want it to come to that! :biglaugh:

Agree,it's time to let most of those guys go.Bring a fast,young team and let the chips fall where they may................that's there best chance and best way to get ready for the future.

The US has little to no chance at a medal, let alone a gold one. I think they have to make a statement and go with the youth, so that they will be battle tested for the next World Cup and later the Olympics in 2010. They have some nice young talent, but if they bury them and go with the old boys, they will be setting their team back even further. This is about winning on the world stage, not about giving JR one final kick at the can, out of respect. He hasn't played well enough, and doesn't deserve a spot. They have a lot of experience and leadership that deserves to go. Weight, Guerin, Modano, and even Chelios, who at almost 44 yrs old, is a monster.

I think the U.S. roster will be a bit more veteran laden than I thought, but that might not be such a bad thing. Guys like Amonte are actually playing well and want to make the team. If Roenick is playing at a high level, why not take him?


Because Roenick is most certainly NOT playing at a high level.

The US has little to no chance at a medal, let alone a gold one. I think they have to make a statement and go with the youth, so that they will be battle tested for the next World Cup and later the Olympics in 2010. They have some nice young talent, but if they bury them and go with the old boys, they will be setting their team back even further. This is about winning on the world stage, not about giving JR one final kick at the can, out of respect. He hasn't played well enough, and doesn't deserve a spot. They have a lot of experience and leadership that deserves to go. Weight, Guerin, Modano, and even Chelios, who at almost 44 yrs old, is a monster.


I disagree. While I would agree the U.S. isn't a favorite for gold, I think a medal is within reach. The U.S. looked like garbage in the World Cup and was within a strong third period of the championship game. I think the team in Turin will be a better mix and better coached. I also think almost every other nation has question marks, which also leads to unpredictability.

Because Roenick is most certainly NOT playing at a high level.


Right. I was just asking the question. IMO, Roenick shouldn't and won't be on the team. If you noticed in his comments today (in an interview with Denis Potvin and Dave Strader) he changed his tune on demanding to be on the team and was much more gracious about the possibility of being left off.

Given the way he's played this year and with all of his excuses as to why he's played that wya, There's NO WAY that Roenick should be on the team.

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight


Which is what it should be. All of these guys are great players and will serve an important role on the team. As a sidenote, has anyone been paying attention to Tkachuk lately? He's been a beast. It will be a big boost to have him playing at a high level going into the Olympics.

What is the old guard?

Tkachuk - Weight - Roenick
Amonte - Modano - Guerin
Leclair

Chelio - Leetch

I just saw the teaser on the SCORE (in Canada). Jeremy Roenick will on at 8pm PST (11pm EST), and the clip in the teaser had him saying that players like Chelios, him, Amonte should be on the Olympic team.


ugh!No interest at all in the old guard getting one last harrah.The old guard sucked in the 2004 World Cup.That was their harrah.

I think the US youngsters played pretty well in the last World Hockey Championship.Add Weight and Madano,but fill the rest of the roster with the youngsters.

ugh!No interest at all in the old guard getting one last harrah.The old guard sucked in the 2004 World Cup.That was their harrah.

I think the US youngsters played pretty well in the last World Hockey Championship.Add Weight and Madano,but fill the rest of the roster with the youngsters.


It's already been confirmed that Roenick and Chelios are not on the short list. They won't be on the team.

I think you'll see a mixture. I think Tkachuk, Modano and Weight will be there. They've played well enough to be there. Roenick and Amonte I don't see there. Guerin has struggled. LeClair is a toss-up, likely would be a fourth liner or a 13th forward, and I think the U.S. is better off having a young player in that role.

If I had to guess on Team USA right now, I'd say

G: Esche and Miller are locks. Graheme has likely supplanted DiPietro for No. 3. Conklin has a nice international portfolio, but the U.S. has better options.
D: Schneider and Leetch will continue to represent the old guard. Mara and Rafalski are also locks. The rest of the corps is up in the air. Liles, Leopold, Martin, Ballard (don't rule this sparkplug out) and Suter are young and talented and at least two of them will be there. Corvo and Carney would look good in a defensive role. Berard's a liability at 5-on-5 and not likely to be there. Hatcher's slow, and would be a disaster on international ice with a carry-over of the obstruction crackdown. Not the star-studded blue line that won the 1996 World Cup, but not as bad as you might otherwise think.
F: Modano, Weight and Tkachuk will be the guaranteed holdovers. But this is a crap shoot. Conroy is a lock. Gomez hasn't produced this year, but expect him to play. Gionta could be dynamite on international ice. Quietly leading U.S.-born forwards in scoring. Rolston, Blake, York, Langenbrunner and Cole have a good shot. Young guys like Bochenski, Brown and Connolly shouldn't be ruled out. Don't let Arnason's numbers fool you; he has not played well this year. Drury is one of the top 13 scoring forwards, but he had a terrible start to the year. I don't think he was too good in the last Olys, either.

Keep in mind that the U.S. at the World Cup was within one goal of reaching the final, despite breaking in new goalies and a rash of injuries on the blue line. While there will be more growing pains as the transition continues, they'll still be good enough to reach the playoffs, and in a series of best-of-ones, anything can happen.

I think you'll see a mixture. I think Tkachuk, Modano and Weight will be there. They've played well enough to be there. Roenick and Amonte I don't see there. Guerin has struggled. LeClair is a toss-up, likely would be a fourth liner or a 13th forward, and I think the U.S. is better off having a young player in that role.

If I had to guess on Team USA right now, I'd say

G: Esche and Miller are locks. Graheme has likely supplanted DiPietro for No. 3. Conklin has a nice international portfolio, but the U.S. has better options.
D: Schneider and Leetch will continue to represent the old guard. Mara and Rafalski are also locks. The rest of the corps is up in the air. Liles, Leopold, Martin, Ballard (don't rule this sparkplug out) and Suter are young and talented and at least two of them will be there. Corvo and Carney would look good in a defensive role. Berard's a liability at 5-on-5 and not likely to be there. Hatcher's slow, and would be a disaster on international ice with a carry-over of the obstruction crackdown. Not the star-studded blue line that won the 1996 World Cup, but not as bad as you might otherwise think.
F: Modano, Weight and Tkachuk will be the guaranteed holdovers. But this is a crap shoot. Conroy is a lock. Gomez hasn't produced this year, but expect him to play. Gionta could be dynamite on international ice. Quietly leading U.S.-born forwards in scoring. Rolston, Blake, York, Langenbrunner and Cole have a good shot. Young guys like Bochenski, Brown and Connolly shouldn't be ruled out. Don't let Arnason's numbers fool you; he has not played well this year. Drury is one of the top 13 scoring forwards, but he had a terrible start to the year. I don't think he was too good in the last Olys, either.

Keep in mind that the U.S. at the World Cup was within one goal of reaching the final, despite breaking in new goalies and a rash of injuries on the blue line. While there will be more growing pains as the transition continues, they'll still be good enough to reach the playoffs, and in a series of best-of-ones, anything can happen.


I think you have a pretty good handle on the dynamics of the U.S. team, although I'd like to clear up a few things.

* Goaltending: If there is a lock, it's DiPietro. He's been great this year and starred in the World Championships. It will be him, Esche/Grahame, and Miller.

* Defense: I think the locks are Leetch, Schneider, Miller, Rafalski, and Liles. The other two spots will come down to Hedican, Leopold, Martin, Gleason, Mara, Martin, and Ballard.

* Forward: Modano, Weight, Gomez, and Conroy are locked in at center. I also think Knuble, Cole, Tkachuk, Parrish, Rolston, Blake, Guerin, Gionta are locks on the wings.

I would be shocked if Dipietro is not the #1 goalie for the U.S. Esche has been dissapointing this year IMO, but will probably be back up anyway. Miller is injured right now, who knows what the U.S will make of him, but they probably send him to get experience for the future, I find he has potential but is slightly overrated at this point personally.

On HN in Canada they just confirmed that Roenick isn't on the short list that came out today

They said the centers are almost certainly

Conroy
Modano
Gomez
Weight

Argh!

Connolly! (http://timconnolly.ytmnd.com)

Argh!

Connolly! (http://timconnolly.ytmnd.com)
I think you've finally crossed the line, Newfie.

According to a radio report, Roenick said that if he is not on the US Olympic team, he will try to land a gig with NBC during the games, and if it comes to that, he will be "Go Canada Go!" But he does not want it to come to that! :biglaugh:

I think that pretty much sums up the guys character right there. If he had been playing anywhere near what he used to be capable of there would be no question that he would be on the team. Let him get the gig with NBC we all know he would be a better commentater than a hockey player. As long as he can stop talking about himself. :shakehead

I think you have a pretty good handle on the dynamics of the U.S. team, although I'd like to clear up a few things.

* Goaltending: If there is a lock, it's DiPietro. He's been great this year and starred in the World Championships. It will be him, Esche/Grahame, and Miller.

* Defense: I think the locks are Leetch, Schneider, Miller, Rafalski, and Liles. The other two spots will come down to Hedican, Leopold, Martin, Gleason, Mara, Martin, and Ballard.

* Forward: Modano, Weight, Gomez, and Conroy are locked in at center. I also think Knuble, Cole, Tkachuk, Parrish, Rolston, Blake, Guerin, Gionta are locks on the wings.
It sounds like Waddell will pick 8 defencemen and 12 forwards. If you're right, those will be the 12 forwards. I forgot about Knuble (he is from Ontario, after all, but plays for the U.S.) I don't think Parrish is a lock, and I definitely don't think Guerin is a lock. Based on his play this year, I think it's time to cut the chord with Guerin and play Brown. I think Langenbrunner should be there ahead of Parrish, since Langenbrunner has consistently proven himself to be a money player.

As for defence, Miller's a solid, sturdy defenceman. But is this the time to use him? With the eight-defenceman setup, it means they'll probably take Miller. Martin was terrific at the World Cup, was likely the best defenceman for the U.S. at that tournament. I think he has to be there. Mara's a talented young PP QB, although he isn't much defensively, and in an 8-defenceman system, it might hurt his chances because he has to take a regular shift. (You can now cross off Berard's name for any consideration). Leopold, Ballard and Gleason will vie for the other one or two spots. I don't see Hedican in the mix.

Well, forget about Tkachuk playing wing with Roenick (Tkachuk out 4-6 weeks with broken knuckle). Team USA should take the best Americans as of the deadline day. Right now I do not feel that Roenick or Chelios are a part of that group.