Modano rips USA Hockey

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060222/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_hkm_united_states_finland_tr3

:shakehead


I hope this didnt affect his performance in the games.

Did he even get a shift in the third period?

He's done with Team USA. Time to bring in some young players. 2010 should be a big youth movement.

Teemu Selanne:

"We know we can beat anybody when we play on our level, and we didn't even didn't have to play that well tonight,"

Modano should shut his fat mouth and start a diving career and let guys who earned their time have it.

He is Mr. Excuses.

Yeah, that stuff is certainly true. Just don't get into it 10 minutes after you get bounced.

Thank god we won't have to see Horse Face in another Team USA uniform. It's always everyone else's fault but Mike's.

Good riddance.

What a cry baby he is.

Go feed your dog Mike

He's dead on. Modano should never see another olympic games but neither should Laviollete.

No kidding. He must've had to buy his own dog food too. Poor Mike. :-(

Odd comments by Modano, but I can understand his bitterness. The U.S. experienced quite a bit of difficulty getting to Torino, and the team just never seemed to get off on the right foot in any of the games. Blame that on the team, coaching, whatever, it wasn't a very pleasant experience. I do agree with his take on how USA Hockey is run. Waddell called it a "volunteer" organization, which it is, but it's also a very well endowed one. With how much money is funnelled into the organization, nothing should be bush league, at any level. I think there might be some significant changes in the organization in the near future, implemented as soon as the next WJC.

They had to book the hotels on their own? Isn't there an olympic village or do millionaires don't have to live there?

United States penalties throughout the third period — including a 4-minute, high-sticking call against Derian Hatcher, who knocked out two of Teemu Selanne's teeth and bloodied his mouth —

somewhere Pronger is laughing his head off :biglaugh:

That left Waddell hunched over in his seat and staring at the floor.

Any bets on what he was thinking?

Was it:

A. I should have picked Ryan Miller.
B. I wonder what I will do when I am fired from both of my jobs this offseason.
C. I guess I'll just have to go home with my piles of money and sleep with my beautiful wife.

Is anyone else eagerly anticipating a Jeremy Roenick soundbite?

They had to book the hotels on their own? Isn't there an olympic village or do millionaires don't have to live there?

I was under the impression the athletes stayed at the village as well...

We're out of the tournament, but it's not like we have to blow it up and start over. Waddell said.

Actually Don, we do have to blow it up and start over. Because you decided to go with the old guys one last time, without as much as giving a spot to a young player.

Your time is up, you haven't produced any results at all in your time running the national team.

As for Modano, he is an arrogant ***. What more can be said, his comments during the lockout sum up what kind of person he is.

And speaking of Roenick.

I at first thought it was a mistake to keep him at home, but I think he could have been a valuable member of this team. By just being himself and as a leader and lockerroom presence.

And he probably would have been better on the ice then Billy Guerin.

I guess a key question is if this roster wasn't good enough who should have been on the team? In hind sight here's who might have been some better choices:

Forwards:

Drury (keep)
Gomez (keep)
Gionta (keep)
Rolston (keep)
Cole (keep)
Knuble (Dustin Brown)
Guerin (Parise)
Parrish (Connolly)
Modano (keep)
Tkachuk (Eaves)
Weight (Cullen)
Blake (keep)

Defense:

Leopold (keep)
Hedican (Martin)
Liles (keep)
Hatcher (Gleason)
Chelios (keep)
Schneider (Leetch)
Rafalski (keep)

Goaltending:

DiPietro (keep)
Esche (Miller)
Grahame (keep)

Say what you want about him, but I'm behind what he said 100%

They had to book the hotels on their own? Isn't there an olympic village or do millionaires don't have to live there?Well, after what Team USA did to their rooms in '98, can you blame them for forcing the team to go to hotels, instead? ;)

I couldn't see much US games, but from what I saw Guerin didn't look good at all.

I think the comments by Modano really show the general attitude of team USA in the last 5 or so years.

Bunch of arrogant primadonnas not really playing with their heart. It's not like they are proud to wear their national jersey.

Modano shows just his personal attitude problems as well, what a whining primadonna he is.

Even if I had only a bunch of AHL players in my team I wouldn't allow Modano anywhere near the team, his presence is just so selfish.

(To repost)

Modano has always been really easy to bait if you're in the media because he's not particularly guarded and he's very honest (he's also not extremely bright).

$10 says he was asked to point out the shortcomings of Team USA. And then the reporter writes: "Modano saves his best shot for after the game". It's tacky, but it's journalism.

Tomorrow we will all be hearing how Modano didn't really mean that, but that will be a back page story -- not a front page one.

Modano should know by now not to speak his mind, because all anyone can really deal with is athlete-speak. Genuine opinion is reserved for behind closed doors.

Say what you want about him, but I'm behind what he said 100%

jep, same here :handclap:

and i wouldn't call that whining...i think it's true. I've heard Team Canada met in Toronto and flew over to Italy together - you know, as a team. The US-players were on their own. It sounds like USA Hockey needs to get its act together.

and i wouldn't call that whining...i think it's true. I've heard Team Canada met in Toronto and flew over to Italy together - you know, as a team.

And lost in the quarters....as a team.

Modano is a whining primadonna diver. If there was a problem BEFORE the games, you don't ***** about it AFTER the games. Excusing-making whiner.

I never want to see NHLers on Team USA again. They can't prepare for it, and they don't have the right mindset.

Modano has disgraced himself, again.

He is Mr. Excuses.

Yeah, that stuff is certainly true. Just don't get into it 10 minutes after you get bounced.So when exactly did Modano give an excuse? Did he say having to get his hotel room cost them the games? I sure didnt see anything like that. Im sure he was asked a question that caused his reply.

Regardless of what Modano said, this is the dumbest comment in the article.

"We're out of the tournament, but it's not like we have to blow it up and start over," Waddell said.

Um, yes you do Don.

You won one game and considering that at least 9 players (Modano,Tkachuk, Guerin, Hatcher, Chelios, Grahame, Weight, Hedican, Schnieder) won't be there in 2010 and the possibility of another 4 or 5 also not returning (Knuble, Rafalski, Rolston and Parrish) you're looking at about a 50% turnover. That is starting over, IMO.

I think the comments by Modano really show the general attitude of team USA in the last 5 or so years.

Bunch of arrogant primadonnas not really playing with their heart. It's not like they are proud to wear their national jersey.

Modano shows just his personal attitude problems as well, what a whining primadonna he is.

Even if I had only a bunch of AHL players in my team I wouldn't allow Modano anywhere near the team, his presence is just so selfish.
So selfish that he assisted on a stanley cup winning goal with a broken wrist. What a horrible person

I guess a key question is if this roster wasn't good enough who should have been on the team? In hind sight here's who might have been some better choices:

Forwards:

Modano (keep)
Weight (Cullen)


I thought Weight played MUCH better than Modano with a fraction of the ice time.

The Americans were overconfident, in fact downright arrogant, to put on such a seasoned team (I say seasoned to sound moderate in my diction) and expect a positive outcome.

It's ironic, in fact, that the Europeans--known as lazy money lovers--have outplayed the North Americans--namely the "good Canadian boys" who play for the love of the game. Perhaps the next GM of team Canada (since I doubt it will be Gretzky) can take a page out of Mr. Bure's book and invite only those with heart.

That said, the solution to the American dilemma is fourfold: (1) more youth, (2) more creativity, (3) better finishing and (4) better skating. It's awfully difficult to keep up with Russia, Slovakia or Finland. Granted, the Americans do have some fine skaters in Gionta and others, but they can compete with eighteen top notch skaters.

So selfish that he assisted on a stanley cup winning goal with a broken wrist. What a horrible person

i hear he saves puppies from the pound and helps old ladies with the groceries, too.

:shakehead

The Americans were overconfident, in fact downright arrogant, to put on such a seasoned team (I say seasoned to sound moderate in my diction) and expect a positive outcome.

It's ironic, in fact, that the Europeans--known as lazy money lovers--have outplayed the North Americans--namely the "good Canadian boys" who play for the love of the game. Perhaps the next GM of team Canada (since I doubt it will be Gretzky) can take a page out of Mr. Bure's book and invite only those with heart.

That said, the solution to the American dilemma is fourfold: (1) more youth, (2) more creativity, (3) better finishing and (4) better skating. It's awfully difficult to keep up with Russia, Slovakia or Finland. Granted, the Americans do have some fine skaters in Gionta and others, but they can compete with eighteen top notch skaters.


Or like most North American's the Canadians don't care as much about the Olympics as they do about their NHL team.

He's dead on. Modano should never see another olympic games but neither should Laviollete.
What other US coaches are better?

So selfish that he assisted on a stanley cup winning goal with a broken wrist. What a horrible person
That wasn't a goal.

The Americans were overconfident, in fact downright arrogant, to put on such a seasoned team (I say seasoned to sound moderate in my diction) and expect a positive outcome.

It's ironic, in fact, that the Europeans--known as lazy money lovers--have outplayed the North Americans--namely the "good Canadian boys" who play for the love of the game. Perhaps the next GM of team Canada (since I doubt it will be Gretzky) can take a page out of Mr. Bure's book and invite only those with heart.

That said, the solution to the American dilemma is fourfold: (1) more youth, (2) more creativity, (3) better finishing and (4) better skating. It's awfully difficult to keep up with Russia, Slovakia or Finland. Granted, the Americans do have some fine skaters in Gionta and others, but they can compete with eighteen top notch skaters.

They competed fine. They skated fine. All they were missing was finish and frankly I don't think it exists in the US system at this point. I don't think the Americans were overconfident or arrogant by any means, they only had half a team that could compete at this point in their careers putting the load on the younger players. Then again I can't completely fault Waddell for putting these guys on the team...they won the silver in Salt Lake and many of them have meant a lot to Team USA over the years. Wait until 2010 when Jagr and others may be over the hill for the Czech team and see what they do with them. It was a mistake in my opinion to put these guys on the team, but that's easy for me to say I wouldn't have to tell Modano, Guerin, Tkachuk that they weren't welcome this year.

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=OLY-LASSEN-02-22-06

"Basically we're on (our) own as far as arrangements _ hotels, flights, tickets," he said. "That's something you don't ever have to think about. It should be taken care of so we don't have to worry about it."

That grinding sound you hear is made by the teeth of bobsledders and cross-country skiers and other athletes whose families make financial sacrifices to come to the Olympics, or need outside help to do it, much as those athletes struggle or need help to pursue their sport.

Modano should shut his fat mouth and start a diving career and let guys who earned their time have it.

Bravo.


Oh, and I could not have phrased it better myself (from the link above):

"The players from Finland and Sweden and Russia don't seem to be too bothered by those distractions....."

"......USA Hockey stayed with them for this tournament, even when there were plenty of outsiders who felt the Olympic team would have been better off with younger players.

In the case of Modano, it turns out, it might have been better off with one who was more mature."




Idiot. I hate excuses for poor performance. In fact, I hate excuses generally.

kind regards
zara

Modano is a buttflake. He was useless this year. Again. Jerk.

Keith Tkaching, too. I didn't even see Bill Guerin do anything but dump. At least Captians Crybabies chased a bit.

Gionta, Gomez, Drury, Blake, Dipietro, Cole, Weight, Rolston, Chelios were about the only players to give a solid effort each night. The rest of the team was out to lunch. Notice I only mentioned one defenseman, the rest were pretty pitiful.... Hatcher was probably the next least painful guy on the blueline.

They competed fine. They skated fine. All they were missing was finish and frankly I don't think it exists in the US system at this point. I don't think the Americans were overconfident or arrogant by any means, they only had half a team that could compete at this point in their careers putting the load on the younger players. Then again I can't completely fault Waddell for putting these guys on the team...they won the silver in Salt Lake and many of them have meant a lot to Team USA over the years. Wait until 2010 when Jagr and others may be over the hill for the Czech team and see what they do with them. It was a mistake in my opinion to put these guys on the team, but that's easy for me to say I wouldn't have to tell Modano, Guerin, Tkachuk that they weren't welcome this year.



Well, I would have to disagree. As an American living abroad for several years, I will say that although to you it may not seem like arrogance, and can very, very eaily be perceived as such.

I am not going to attempt psychoanalysis, however, the game I attended, their head was not in it. Laviolette said it well himself, " they were on their heels ..." not playing with that edge, drive, whatever you wish to call it.

They were waiving at their families, they just were not taking it seriously, it appeared like a nuisance...it felt like hollywood, and Latvija ....LATVIJA (find it on the map) led them half the game and ended up in a tie.....


I don't know if their play progressed later, but from all I have read, teh effort sounded sporatic.

Please read the Modano quotes after the game...sound like a spoiled American to you???

Do you see how people may have this impression?

Eourpeans take the olympics very seriously, as do those with strong European roots...injured, pay or not, it is an honor to them.


I am not saying all were not serious.
Although a big Devils fan, I honestly think Gio and Gomez gave it their all. Others as well were proud no doubt.

best regards

Team USA was a complete joke. Thank god all of these arrogant ****** are for the most part going to be gone by 2010. Esche and his ******** im staying at home comments and now Modano's following the game only proved what kind of character this team had. Guerin, Hatcher, Tkachuk etc. are not players I can get behind as a hockey fan or an American. It's disapointing that I could not get behind guys like Drury, Cole, Gionta, Miller, Connolly etc. being a Sabres fan and from upstate but I'm quite satisfied with this conclusion.

Modano sounds frustrated. He picked a poor time to state his thoughts. Though I don't understand why Laviolette underutilized him. He's arguably their most talented player at age 35 no less. There has to be more to this rift.

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.

Even the personal attacks towards Modano are questionable.

It's not his fault Brett Hull's foot was in the crease ;)

Did USA play good or bad today? If bad what was wrong with them?

Nothing wrong with guys speakig their minds! Modano should be proud he has the balls to speak up and not let everything get swept under the mat.

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.

And what message is that?

That USA hockey let down its millionaire players by not taking care of the travel arrangements and itineraries for each of their families? These guys knew they were going months ago, it is not like they don't have travel agents to call and get these things done.

The problem with some of these players, well evident in 1998, is that they play for the name on the back of the jersey and not the name on the front. Representing your country should be an honor, not a way to get your entire extended family a free trip to Turin. Modano's comments just bring back the awful memories from the arrogant and idiotic 1998 team which gave USA Hockey a black eye even to this day.

DW would have been better served to take some lesser known US NHLers who would appreciate the opportunity to represent the team than some of these spoiled brat athletes who think USA Hockey owes them something. But I don't think anyone could have been brave enough to leave so many "NHL stars" at home.

This was a good USA team whose main weakness was a severe lack of production from its veteran Fs.

I didn't get to see the Russia and Finland games, but in the earlier games the effort was there. There was absolutely no finish to many good passes and the US also seemed to play no system to their game. They just tried to cycle the puck with the Gomez line and 1 on 1 with speed with the Modano line. I thought the lack of offense from the blueline, especially on the powerplay, hurt as much as anything else. Guerin was invisible and seemed like he didn't want to pass at all. Modano and Tkachuk skated hard and, I believe, played hard, but couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Liles, Conroy, Rolston,Gionta and Cole stood out to me as having outstanding tournaments. As a Blues fan I don't like the Red Wings and thus found it really hard to root for Chelios and Schnieder and then they go out there and bite the big one. I would vote in favor of keeping the NHLers out of the Olympics as for me there is no real excitement in it. So a team laden with superstars wins gold(well weren't they supposed to?). I'd like to see the college kids brought back in because for many it would be their last time to shine for scouts or just plain pride.

And what message is that?

That USA hockey let down its millionaire players by not taking care of the travel arrangements and itineraries for each of their families? These guys knew they were going months ago, it is not like they don't have travel agents to call and get these things done.

The problem with some of these players, well evident in 1998, is that they play for the name on the back of the jersey and not the name on the front. Representing your country should be an honor, not a way to get your entire extended family a free trip to Turin. Modano's comments just bring back the awful memories from the arrogant and idiotic 1998 team which gave USA Hockey a black eye even to this day.

DW would have been better served to take some lesser known US NHLers who would appreciate the opportunity to represent the team than some of these spoiled brat athletes who think USA Hockey owes them something. But I don't think anyone could have been brave enough to leave so many "NHL stars" at home.

This was a good USA team whose main weakness was a severe lack of production from its veteran Fs.

I don't think you can question the effort this year. This fact minimizes your argument. How many guys really dogged it?? :shakehead

That left Waddell hunched over in his seat and staring at the floor.

Any bets on what he was thinking?

Was it:

A. I should have picked Ryan Miller.
B. I wonder what I will do when I am fired from both of my jobs this offseason.
C. I guess I'll just have to go home with my piles of money and sleep with my beautiful wife.

Is anyone else eagerly anticipating a Jeremy Roenick soundbite?

I think it was D: How come none of the teams I've managed on an elite level have ever accomplished anything?

Or maybe it was E: I wonder why I was ever chosen to head up Team USA considering my lack of success as a GM?

Or F: At what point does Team USA realize the mistake they made in bringing me in and opt for someone different?

I was under the impression the athletes stayed at the village as well...


Actually, I just found an article about John Michael Liles' olympic experience and apparently they stayed in the village indeed:
]Glitz? Glamour? Liles needs a nap (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/COLUMNISTS01/602210421/1004/SPORTS[/url)

Maybe Modano talked about hotel-rooms for his family?!

American hockey is kind of down right now. They need new blood. They should have taken Miller as the goaltender. Laviolette is all wrong for the Olympics. Poti and Leetch are better than Hedican.

Its hard to judge Modano... we just don't know the details.
I think as a rule, when a player speaks out against his own federation, he basically takes himself of the team, for better or worse. If his comments lead to a change that will cause welcome change in the future, then maybe its good he said something. But one thing is certain - he's never going to play for USA again.

Personally, yeah, it sounds like a comment from a disappointed and spoiled player who expected automatic rewards for agreeing to participate in the Olympics. Its not someone you want on your team, even if he were a great player.

I think the US was fine, skated well, competed, generated chances. They need better goalie (Miller, probably, DiPietro is just not an elite goalie) more youth/energy and finishing, finishing. USA with Miller and Ovechkin would have been fine ;)

I still don't know what Parrish was doing on this team. He's a below average skater with a weak shot who could never cut it on a big ice surface.

Did USA play good or bad today? If bad what was wrong with them?


USA played below average. They took many undiscplined penalties and you can not do that against any team at the International Level. In my opinion, many of the penalties were caused by Finland's superior speed.

I dont see why everyone seems shocked that USA did not perform well this time out. Not enough goalscorers, especially explosive ones like Ovechkin, Gaborik, Jagr,Selanne.....etc. Also, the European teams play a more cohesive team game. Another point I'd like to make is that Team USA did not adapt to European officials as well as they should have.

Finally, why is everyone bashing Canada and America ? I have great respect for the other teams in the tournament and I do not feel as if Team USA was entitled to a medal simply for showing up.
They got beat. Plain and simple.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060222/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_hkm_united_states_finland_tr3

:shakehead


I hope this didnt affect his performance in the games.

He sat the entire 3rd period.

Laviolette was fine. He has been a relatively successful coach. The players were crap. The goalies were crap, the offense was crap. I picked up Chris Chelios' mail and there is a check from social security in it.


If you can't skate on the big ice surface, you won't win. USA didn't win, and Canada didn't win

I don't think you can question the effort this year. This fact minimizes your argument. How many guys really dogged it?? :shakehead

I am not questioning the effort per se, but Modano makes it quite clear that he feels USA Hockey let these players down by not being some kind of travel agent/consierge service for the players, all of whom are millionaires.

When someone who is not pulling their part on a team wants to complain about the fringe benefits of representing your country, I have a problem with that. And Mike Modano was a tremendous letdown for Team USA in this Olympics, no question about that.

I still don't know what Parrish was doing on this team. He's a below average skater with a weak shot who could never cut it on a big ice surface.

I was shocked when I heard his name selected. Hes basically an asset in front of the net on the PP. However, on this team he wasn't going to get a sniff of PP time. I was moaning to my buddy about Dustin Brown not being selected. He would have been more valuable since he does everything well and plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Go feed your dog Mike
This joke was funny what, a year ago? Try coming up with some new, original material.

I am not questioning the effort per se, but Modano makes it quite clear that he feels USA Hockey let these players down by not being some kind of travel agent/consierge service for the players, all of whom are millionaires.

When someone who is not pulling their part on a team wants to complain about the fringe benefits of representing your country, I have a problem with that. And Mike Modano was a tremendous letdown for Team USA in this Olympics, no question about that.

He was a disappointment but I think Laviolette had no clue how to use him.

He was a disappointment but I think Laviolette had no clue how to use him.

That's a common theme that seems to apply to all players not named Cole.

. . . The problem with some of these players, well evident in 1998, is that they play for the name on the back of the jersey and not the name on the front. Representing your country should be an honor, not a way to get your entire extended family a free trip to Turin . . .

Maybe -- seriously -- they should take the names off the back. Symbolic, but it could send a message.

He was a disappointment but I think Laviolette had no clue how to use him.

Does Laviolette have to go on the ice and explain to Modano that his job is to put the puck in the other teams net?

When you look at the dump and chase system that the US used, exactly how much coaching does that entail for a seasoned veteran like Mike Modano?

I don't want this to seem like I am bashing on the guy, because you could say the same thing about many of the US forwards. At the end of the day, our offensive players did not put the puck in the back of the net. And I think it is absurd for a player whose play left much to be desired to rip on the USA Hockey organization over trivial matters after they crashed out in the quarters(which is where most people expected them to finish anyway)

Does Laviolette have to go on the ice and explain to Modano that his job is to put the puck in the other teams net?

When you look at the dump and chase system that the US used, exactly how much coaching does that entail for a seasoned veteran like Mike Modano?

Why would anyone in their right mind want Mike Modano exclusively playing dump and chase??? Hes a space player. You answered my question about Laviolette's hockey acumen. Its his job to put EACH player in the best position so they can excel.

He is Mr. Excuses.

Yeah, that stuff is certainly true. Just don't get into it 10 minutes after you get bounced.
Whether it's true or not, don't cry right after the game about. There is a time and place and not right after the game.

Please read the Modano quotes after the game...sound like a spoiled American to you???

Do you see how people may have this impression?

Eourpeans take the olympics very seriously, as do those with strong European roots...injured, pay or not, it is an honor to them.

I think that Modano being raised in a typically American culture of relaxation, excess and privilege caused him to play poorly.

And Europeans take the olympics very seriously because they had to walk back and forth to school uphill both ways in the snow with no shoes even

Those kids in 1980 were actually sleeper agents from the Soviet Union who were super-energized by a high-calorie high-fat diet which should have cost them their gold medals because it was like almost a performance enhancer being that they grew up eating nothing but black bread

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.
Uhm, the message was so stupid that it's hard to respond to it without just calling Modano an idiot for saying such stupid crap.

USA played below average. They took many undiscplined penalties and you can not do that against any team at the International Level. In my opinion, many of the penalties were caused by Finland's superior speed.

I dont see why everyone seems shocked that USA did not perform well this time out. Not enough goalscorers, especially explosive ones like Ovechkin, Gaborik, Jagr,Selanne.....etc. Also, the European teams play a more cohesive team game. Another point I'd like to make is that Team USA did not adapt to European officials as well as they should have.

Finally, why is everyone bashing Canada and America ? I have great respect for the other teams in the tournament and I do not feel as if Team USA was entitled to a medal simply for showing up.
They got beat. Plain and simple.


Absolutely. Take a look at the rosters of the teams that are going to the semi-finals, and then take a look at the US roster, and tell me the difference. You hear all this talk of "What went wrong with the US team?" What went wrong is they are not a great team.

This Modano story just obscures what the real problem was with USA in '06.

I will bet any amount of money Mr madona didn't book one hotel call and purchase his own tickets or even schedule his own flight flight.

I guess a key question is if this roster wasn't good enough who should have been on the team? In hind sight here's who might have been some better choices:

Forwards:

Weight (Cullen)
Boy, I don't know how others feel, but I really thought Doug Weight played pretty well in this tournament. He's the one older veteran forward who stood out as an excellent selection to me.

I think if modano spills some nonsense it at least shows that he is frustrated which means he cares. So i would not be to harsh with the guy.

Modano is classless.

Every time he opens his big mouth he further proves this.

What other US coaches are better?

Personally I'd have gone with the coach of the reigning Stanley Cup Champs.

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.

All I attacked was his message. Read again.

Personally I'd have gone with the coach of the reigning Stanley Cup Champs.

Now THAT would have been fun. :D

American hockey is kind of down right now. They need new blood. They should have taken Miller as the goaltender. Laviolette is all wrong for the Olympics. Poti and Leetch are better than Hedican.

For Modano to make travel an issue is a cop-out for a team simply not good enough as for team USA they were much further down after 98 and the Nagano disgrace.

DiPietro for his age and inexperience was very good if not outstanding at times and made some of these games much closer than they should have been, he earned a spot on future Olympic teams, so did a few other players like Gionta.

I think some of you are too harsh on Modano. Afterall, he is emo.

They were much further down after 98 and the Nagano disgrace.

DiPietro was not outstanding

Agreed ;)

His meltdown today was sad to see. He had an off game at a bad time.

They competed fine. They skated fine. All they were missing was finish and frankly I don't think it exists in the US system at this point. I don't think the Americans were overconfident or arrogant by any means, they only had half a team that could compete at this point in their careers putting the load on the younger players. Then again I can't completely fault Waddell for putting these guys on the team...they won the silver in Salt Lake and many of them have meant a lot to Team USA over the years. Wait until 2010 when Jagr and others may be over the hill for the Czech team and see what they do with them. It was a mistake in my opinion to put these guys on the team, but that's easy for me to say I wouldn't have to tell Modano, Guerin, Tkachuk that they weren't welcome this year.

I wouldn't count on "Jagr and others" being over the hill being an issue. Keep in mind that the Czechs still have great talent upcoming with the likes of Lukas Krajicek (at 22), Filip Novak (22), Rostislav Olesz (20), Prucha (rookie), Marek Schwarz (20, I presume?), and others. The Czechs are a powerhouse, like it or not. That said, they will still have Havlat, Erat, Hemsky, and other youngsters that have established themselves in the NHL. You can then count on other players who didn't want to move to North America to play, or simply weren't scouted properly to put on a show. Shushinsky of the Russians has played well (he plays in the SuperLiga), so did Lubos Bartecko of the Slovaks (who plays now in Europe).

Powerhouses, like Rome, weren't built in a day. But, unlike Rome, they don't fall in a day either.

In 4 years Team USA is going to want to add Ryan Kesler, I have no doubts.

If my memory is correct, Modano has been a primadona back in his Compuware and Prince Albert Raiders days. What makes anyone think he has changed. However, why is it that USA Hockey has not succeeded of late in preparing their players for international play?

If my memory is correct, Modano has been a primadona back in his Compuware and Prince Albert Raiders days. What makes anyone think he has changed. However, why is it that USA Hockey has not succeeded of late in preparing their players for international play?

My guess: apathy.

I feel compelled to come to the defense of Peter Laviolette here. For all the people that were questioning his ability to manage the team, i'd like to ask you a question. What forwards in this tournament, not past tournaments or past NHL play, were successful in creating space and chances every time they touched the ice? It's a short list, and it's not a very hard list to make. Rolston, Gionta, Gomez, Cole, Modano, and Blake to an extent. Those players saw the most icetime during the entire tournament because those were the players who were getting it done. Regardless of your definition of "getting it done", those were the players who had the most jump for this team. Poor Jason Blake couldn't finish a scoring chance to save his life, but he was out there giving everything he had and I never saw him fail to skate on a shift in the entire tournament. Erik Cole was a constant physical presence and utilized his speed in all zones and had arguably the best two way tournament of any forward considering all the drawn penalties and chances he created. Rolston utilized his shot and put himself in great position to score every time out on the ice. Gionta and Gomez worked well together and brought their chemistry with them from New Jersey, and both received an adequate amount of icetime. Modano, while looking his age, contributed when and where he could.

Laviolette is not responsible for the decreased production of these veterans. Father time is responsible for that. People are still looking at these players like they did in 2002 in Salt Lake, and it's not the same cast of characters that we're used to. USA hockey is in a transitional period right now between the old guard of dinosaurs that are on their way out and wanted one last hurrah, and a young class of exciting players that are going to make us forget about this disgusting team in Vancouver.

As I mentioned earlier in a GDT this olympics, Laviolette isn't totally responsible for teaching these men how to play hockey. These veterans have been on this stage before and know what it takes in order to be successful. I think their minds are willing but their bodies are betraying them. These players know what a powerplay looks like, and what they showed us at these games was a complete lack of finish. There was no player with the exception of Gionta who established themselves as a threat due to production. As well as a lot of our "energy" players played, they didn't show a lot of finish around the net. Keith Tkachuk looked every bit his age, and we were relying upon himself and Bill Guerin to do a majority of the scoring. They were non-factors in the entire tournament. Is that the fault of Laviolette? I don't think so. He was put in the positions that he is always put in, in fact, for well too long on a line that was dragging him down the ice for the first half of the tournament. Everybody was waiting for the "old" Keith Tkachuk to show up and start burying those pucks around the net on the PP and he didn't get his job done. Plain and simple. How is that any differant from the way that any other coach has used him over the past decade? Park him in front of the net and let him work. Only this time it didn't work, and it's strange how it turns out to be the coach's fault.

Regardless of whether or not USA hockey takes back Laviolette, which i'm sure it will because a great majority of the people in position to make changes probably saw what he had to work with, he's still a great coach and I couldn't be happier to have him man the helm of my favorite NHL team. Coaches are only responsible for so much when they have such a short time to work with players. Not even the most restrictive coach could have stymied the Team USA offense to the extent that it was. All of that doesn't fall on the coach. In fact, it falls on the veteran leadership of this team that simply couldn't get it done. Laviolette didn't score a goal or let one in the entire tournament, and he still did better on the ice than a few of our so called players. I'm not saying he made the right choices in terms of who to send out 100% of the time, but when you're picking from Crap, Crap, and Crap just about anything is a good choice. I'll pick the crap that's skating faster and harder than the other crap.

In 4 years Team USA is going to want to add Ryan Kesler, I have no doubts.

Oh no! Look out!! ;)

Seriously though,
I think USA's time will come in the 2014 olympics, when guys like Kessel, both Johnsons, Mueller, Ryan, Schremp et al all hit their peak. Now that will be a scary team to face.

Then again Crosby and the rest will always be there and barring a honeymoon ski lift accident, so will Malkin and Ovechkin.

Modano has always been a professional, and I've had a tremndous amount of respect for him even as a fan of his team's biggest rival (San Jose). There's no need to chirp about all the stuff he talked about, even if it was true. It definitely wasn't an ideal situation, a bad job by USA Hockey, but I'd wager that one of the reasons that Modano decided to let it all out was because he was benched by Laviolette.

I do not criticize Laviolette. He has pretty big shoes to fill, left by the departure of Herb Brooks. Brooks was a master motivator, and that's where I think Laviolette falls short.

Mike Modano really needs to shut up.He played like crap.He didn't break a sweat.I saw every minute of each U.S. game and Modano blew.His buddy Billy Guerin was worse

Mike Modano really needs to shut up.He played like crap.He didn't break a sweat.I saw every minute of each U.S. game and Modano blew.His buddy Billy Guerin was worse
Bill Guerin embarassed himself on the ice. Modano off it. I thought for many long stretches in most game the US played well. The problem, much like Canada they were unable to generate enough scoring chances and when they did they did not have a cutting edge - which is odd when you look at the quality of players on these rosters. Each team will take a hard look at what they could have done, if anything, and perhaps be more ready for the next games. The US were not blown out of the water, they lost by 1 goal to a good Finnish team. I think very little of Modano right now and maybe he can fire up his internet and see that humans - even coddled ones like him can easily book a flight home.

"Asked what he would like to see changed, he said: "I think how things are operated, I think how things are run behind the scenes. USA Hockey, you would think, would be kind of a well-oiled operation. But it's frustrating. We put a lot into it, we've come a long way, and you want things to run smooth. And behind the scenes ¼ a lot of it just goes back to families being over here. It was more of a distraction for a lot of guys than playing the game."

oh what do we have here. Modano was asked what he'd liked to see changed. He answered the question honestly. Wow thats horrible. Hes not making excuses, he didnt just walk out and rip things, he answered a friggen question. Maybe he should have just spouted some lameass cliche?

USA Hockey does need a total overhall, though I like Laviolette.

But comeon, just compare USA's roster to everyone else's and it should be pretty obvious right there why there only won one game.

All I attacked was his message. Read again.



Read again i said MOST not all

"Asked what he would like to see changed, he said: "I think how things are operated, I think how things are run behind the scenes. USA Hockey, you would think, would be kind of a well-oiled operation. But it's frustrating. We put a lot into it, we've come a long way, and you want things to run smooth. And behind the scenes ¼ a lot of it just goes back to families being over here. It was more of a distraction for a lot of guys than playing the game."

oh what do we have here. Modano was asked what he'd liked to see changed. He answered the question honestly. Wow thats horrible. Hes not making excuses, he didnt just walk out and rip things, he answered a friggen question. Maybe he should have just spouted some lameass cliche?
Loaded question but he could have discussed his concerns behind the scenes so as to not come off as whining ***.

I think Mike's comments about the flights, hotels and tickets had to do with the fact that Team Canada chartered an entire flight to fly the players and 4 "guests" of each player from Toronto to Torino and provided them with game tickets and booked hotel rooms for their guests. I'm not saying it's right that Modano's crying about it, but that was probably what he was referring to.

I think Mike's comments about the flights, hotels and tickets had to do with the fact that Team Canada chartered an entire flight to fly the players and 4 "guests" of each player from Toronto to Torino and provided them with game tickets and booked hotel rooms for their guests. I'm not saying it's right that Modano's crying about it, but that was probably what he was referring to.
And we are going home too. Losing happens when other teams play well. Take it with some grace and class.

They competed fine. They skated fine. All they were missing was finish and frankly I don't think it exists in the US system at this point. I don't think the Americans were overconfident or arrogant by any means, they only had half a team that could compete at this point in their careers putting the load on the younger players. Then again I can't completely fault Waddell for putting these guys on the team...they won the silver in Salt Lake and many of them have meant a lot to Team USA over the years. Wait until 2010 when Jagr and others may be over the hill for the Czech team and see what they do with them. It was a mistake in my opinion to put these guys on the team, but that's easy for me to say I wouldn't have to tell Modano, Guerin, Tkachuk that they weren't welcome this year.

I agree with this assessmen. I wasn't dissapointed with the US finish this year. When you look at the team compared to the other top teams, who on the US has as much skill as Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalev, Forsberg, Sundin, Lidstrom, Demitra, Hossa, Jagr, or Thornton? The other teams all have go-to guys (except Finland doesn't seem to have anyone with a tremendous amount of more skill (maybe Koivu)....they just played great defense in their games) and the US really doesn't have them at this time. If you look at the 1996 World Cup team, it had players who were great players all in their prime (Hull, LeClair, Roenick, Chelios, Leetch, Suter, Modano, Weight, Guerin, et al.) plus 3 goalies who were superb in Richter, Vanbiesbrouk, and Barrasso. US hockey is in a transistion stage, which is why they should have just gone with youth and taken their lumps. If this group on the Horizon can mature and live up to potential (Kessel, Jack Johnson, Eric Johnson, Bobby Ryan, Parise) while keeping the low middle age group of Gionta, Gomez, and Connely along with DiPietro and Ryan Miller, they should be decent. When you really sit down and compare the rosters on this years' teams, the US falls between 5-7. Here they finished 8th, so the really only finished one lower than the should have.

Veteran Mike Modano came off the ice after the Americans had come from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to make a game of it until the dying seconds and carped about head coach Peter Laviolette's strategy. He moaned that USA Hockey didn't do enough to look after the players' families and the distraction that caused

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter06/hockey/columns/story?id=2340346&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1

:shakehead

For the record:

It is totally unthinkable for a german player to bring his family to a tournament, let alone see his girlfriend. This is NOT vacation.

I agree with this assessmen. I wasn't dissapointed with the US finish this year. When you look at the team compared to the other top teams, who on the US has as much skill as Ovechkin, Malkin, Kovalev, Forsberg, Sundin, Lidstrom, Demitra, Hossa, Jagr, or Thornton? The other teams all have go-to guys (except Finland doesn't seem to have anyone with a tremendous amount of more skill (maybe Koivu)....they just played great defense in their games) and the US really doesn't have them at this time. If you look at the 1996 World Cup team, it had players who were great players all in their prime (Hull, LeClair, Roenick, Chelios, Leetch, Suter, Modano, Weight, Guerin, et al.) plus 3 goalies who were superb in Richter, Vanbiesbrouk, and Barrasso. US hockey is in a transistion stage, which is why they should have just gone with youth and taken their lumps. If this group on the Horizon can mature and live up to potential (Kessel, Jack Johnson, Eric Johnson, Bobby Ryan, Parise) while keeping the low middle age group of Gionta, Gomez, and Connely along with DiPietro and Ryan Miller, they should be decent. When you really sit down and compare the rosters on this years' teams, the US falls between 5-7. Here they finished 8th, so the really only finished one lower than the should have.

Mike Richter saved America's *** in the 1996 World Cup.In game 3 in Montreal,Canada would have blown out America if not for Richter.Mike was in his prime and a special goaltender.He played his *** off in the 2002 Olympics

Guys like Modano,Roenick and Tkachunk are a bunch of whiny *****es.Roenick didn't even play in 1996 WC because of his contract situation

Wow imagine that the Heartless Wonder Mike Modano is complaining about something that has to do with money (some what). Players like him are what are damaging USA hockey. That guy has all the skill to be one of the best players every, but doesn't have even the slightest amount of heart. It was a tough year this year for USA hockey, they were kind of in between veterns and youth. But players like Modano and Tkachuk, who ran around like an idiot, were what took this team down, not USA hockey.

I feel compelled to come to the defense of Peter Laviolette here. For all the people that were questioning his ability to manage the team, i'd like to ask you a question. What forwards in this tournament, not past tournaments or past NHL play, were successful in creating space and chances every time they touched the ice? It's a short list, and it's not a very hard list to make. Rolston, Gionta, Gomez, Cole, Modano, and Blake to an extent. Those players saw the most icetime during the entire tournament because those were the players who were getting it done. Regardless of your definition of "getting it done", those were the players who had the most jump for this team. Poor Jason Blake couldn't finish a scoring chance to save his life, but he was out there giving everything he had and I never saw him fail to skate on a shift in the entire tournament. Erik Cole was a constant physical presence and utilized his speed in all zones and had arguably the best two way tournament of any forward considering all the drawn penalties and chances he created. Rolston utilized his shot and put himself in great position to score every time out on the ice. Gionta and Gomez worked well together and brought their chemistry with them from New Jersey, and both received an adequate amount of icetime. Modano, while looking his age, contributed when and where he could.

Laviolette is not responsible for the decreased production of these veterans. Father time is responsible for that. People are still looking at these players like they did in 2002 in Salt Lake, and it's not the same cast of characters that we're used to. USA hockey is in a transitional period right now between the old guard of dinosaurs that are on their way out and wanted one last hurrah, and a young class of exciting players that are going to make us forget about this disgusting team in Vancouver.

As I mentioned earlier in a GDT this olympics, Laviolette isn't totally responsible for teaching these men how to play hockey. These veterans have been on this stage before and know what it takes in order to be successful. I think their minds are willing but their bodies are betraying them. These players know what a powerplay looks like, and what they showed us at these games was a complete lack of finish. There was no player with the exception of Gionta who established themselves as a threat due to production. As well as a lot of our "energy" players played, they didn't show a lot of finish around the net. Keith Tkachuk looked every bit his age, and we were relying upon himself and Bill Guerin to do a majority of the scoring. They were non-factors in the entire tournament. Is that the fault of Laviolette? I don't think so. He was put in the positions that he is always put in, in fact, for well too long on a line that was dragging him down the ice for the first half of the tournament. Everybody was waiting for the "old" Keith Tkachuk to show up and start burying those pucks around the net on the PP and he didn't get his job done. Plain and simple. How is that any differant from the way that any other coach has used him over the past decade? Park him in front of the net and let him work. Only this time it didn't work, and it's strange how it turns out to be the coach's fault.

Regardless of whether or not USA hockey takes back Laviolette, which i'm sure it will because a great majority of the people in position to make changes probably saw what he had to work with, he's still a great coach and I couldn't be happier to have him man the helm of my favorite NHL team. Coaches are only responsible for so much when they have such a short time to work with players. Not even the most restrictive coach could have stymied the Team USA offense to the extent that it was. All of that doesn't fall on the coach. In fact, it falls on the veteran leadership of this team that simply couldn't get it done. Laviolette didn't score a goal or let one in the entire tournament, and he still did better on the ice than a few of our so called players. I'm not saying he made the right choices in terms of who to send out 100% of the time, but when you're picking from Crap, Crap, and Crap just about anything is a good choice. I'll pick the crap that's skating faster and harder than the other crap.
:clap:

Laviolette was not the problem. The lack of execution was. I thought Laviolette did a fantastic job. He put out the players that were getting it done and he shortened the bench. Modano had done nothing all tournament. He gave Tkachuk a lone shift and he immediately took a stupid penalty. The US team was not picked properly and Laviolette did not have the best team to work with. He was never outcoached in a game, his team could not finish because they had no finishers. Guerin hasn't finished since 2003. Tkachuk had a million chances in this tourney and didn't bury a single one. Only a handful of players gave consistent efforts.

The US should still be playing. They killed themselves today and Laviolette did all he could to save a sinking ship.

For the record:

It is totally unthinkable for a german player to bring his family to a tournament, let alone see his girlfriend. This is NOT vacation.
I have to say I agree. You have the PRIVILEGE of playing for your country, anything outside of that falls under your control. They knew they were on the team at least two months ahead of time, it isn't THAT hard to book reservations...lots of fans did it just fine.

Here is a little advice for the millionare Modano: You dont have to play in the Olympics if you are worried about the costs. There are others who are more deserving and willing of the job.

they need to designate a "kiss and cry" area for these primadonnas like in figure skating.

I guess a key question is if this roster wasn't good enough who should have been on the team? In hind sight here's who might have been some better choices:



Defense:

Leopold (keep)
Hedican (Martin)
Liles (keep)
Hatcher (Gleason)
Chelios (keep)
Schneider (Leetch)
Rafalski (keep)




I agree with just about everything until you posted that. Schneider is having a possible Norris Trophy nomination type of season and you think Leetch would have been a better addition than him? Not a chance in hell. Did Schneider play all that great? Today he was the best USA player on the ice. But he had his struggles like everyone else did. But he was an absolute lock to make the team. He is the closest thing to a marquee defensman that the USA have. No way in hell he should have not made it. Leetch in for Hedican? Sure. Leetch in for the injured Rafalski? Yeah, I can see that. But not for Schneider.

a.) I think Laviolette was less-than-adequate. Yes, he can't make players produce but he can fix the systematic problems. It's his job to come up with a game-plan to win games. Other than the Kazahkstan game, they outchanced and at times outplayed their opponents. But they never could seem to break through. I thought they were outcoached in almost every game, and I think the criticism should fall on his shoulders as well.

b.) Modano is an easy target for interviewers. Frugs talked about this earlier - for as many years as he's been in the spotlight, he's not media-savvy and is still very much naive.

Be assured he wasn't talking about his own family because he doesn't have one. No girlfriend, maybe his parents and siblings came but I would think would be the crux of it.

Some of the problems he's referencing, from the LA Times http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olyadande23feb23,1,6390343.column?coll=la-utilities-sports
A source close to the players said that while the Canadian national team provided travel for the players' families and coordinated transportation within Turin, U.S. players were on their own. That led to inconveniences ranging from defenseman Mathieu Schneider's five-months-pregnant wife having to walk back to her room after a game, to families finding out about a free-tickets program after they had already bought tickets.

It's minor, but it all adds up, especially in such a short tournament where they had so little time to be together and, ideally, all that time would be focused on hockey.

I also think the European players would be more accustomed to European travel/hotel systems than the North American players. According to the LA Times, the Canadians didn't have to deal with that, and it's unfair to compare the NA players with the European players in terms of the ease of the culture/hotel issues.

Was what Modano said wonderfully phrased and at the appropriate time? Probably not. But he was responding to the question honestly (and how many athletes do that now) and the journalists who are writing are running wild with the quotes.

Leetch really should have been on the team. The fact that he didn't even make taxi was an even bigger slap in the face. Anyhow, I'd argue that he would have been a better choice than anyone they picked. I've watched him all year in Boston, and he looks much better than the guys I saw in this tournament. We could have used his puck control, hitting, heart, leadership, and especially his skill on the PP. Everytime we got the man advantage, I'd look at the blueline and wonder what USA was thinking when they left this man out of the lineup.

I'm almost sorry I read through this thread; way too many people post without reading the quite brief quote from Modano. Comprehension 101 indicates that the quote itself really isn't an excuse nor is it whining. I'd like to read all of what Modano said to gain the proper context. My take based off that quote is that USA Hockey did a crap job of organizing everything for the players that agreed to play for them. I didn't read anything about expecting 5 star treatment or that they be treated like royalty anywhere in the article. You have guys that agreed to play for their country and when you're volunteering for something, there's a certain level of expectation that goes along with that. In Modano's opinion, USA hockey didn't meet his expectations and I suspect that he's the mouthpiece for more than a few teammates here as well. I think it's fair to criticize USA hockey if you're Modano and you know more than any of us do about what went on behind the scenes. If that's all Modano said, big deal. I have a hard time believing how easily most people will buy into sensationalistic journalism too. Damn sheeple.

I'm not a Laviolette fan; never have been, but he was OK overall. I didn't like his quote though: "We were down looking for goals and looking for offense, and it wasn't about Mike Modano," he said. "The third period was clearly our best period. ... I think some players in general didn't seem to have the jump, and you do your best to get the players out there that have the jump." A coach shouldn't get dragged down to the level of the weasels that call themselves journalists these days. And that quote says to me that Modano said a lot more than what's in that article. I hope someone comes across a larger amount of the interview and posts a link. Either way, Laviolette shouldn't get into something like this; it's poor judgment on his part.

As far as the US team, why would anyone have had medal expectations for this team anyway? The US team didn't have a whole lot of guys to really call on IMO that would have made much difference; they have some nice youth up and coming, but it's not ready yet. The only players I thought played up to their capabilities were Schneider, Rolston and Cole; Gionta and DiPietro were fair. That's it from what I saw. Chelios was getting the "look he's still competing even though he's too old for this competition" benefit of the doubt and still is. I have no doubt that Chelios wanted to win and for that, he should have been captain. But his ice time should have been limited; Chelios didn't impress in this tournament much at all. Weight is getting woefully overrated on his performances in this thread; he was not at all playing like he's capable of and he created very very little compared to his ice time. Gomez was alright at times, but like Drury, would disappear for large parts of games a little too often. Tkachuk is a Bertuzzi-clone. Liles was awful. Guerin and Modano were non-existent (not surprising for Guerin who has been underachieving all year with solid linemates). The US may have underachieved slightly, but there was nothing to build high expectations out of this current group anyway. They were poor in the World Cup and they were about the same level in the Olympics.

I also think the European players would be more accustomed to European travel/hotel systems than the North American players. According to the LA Times, the Canadians didn't have to deal with that, and it's unfair to compare the NA players with the European players in terms of the ease of the culture/hotel issues.



European hotel systems, culture crashes ?. Man what are you on about ??. You can't be serious if you think that Italian culture had any impact on what the American players do on a hockey rink. Hotel systems are pretty much the same worldwide, If you get mental stress from booking a hotel room or landing in another country then you're not mentally fit to be anywhere near a national team.

I remember at Team AMerica HQ when all the players were there, a executive didnt know who modano was and went up and asked him. modano was like :biglaugh: :cry: :shakehead

Teemu Selanne: "We know we can beat anybody when we play on our level, and we didn't even didn't have to play that well tonight,"
Man, that's insulting.

Man, that's insulting.

Methinks he was still miffed about the high stick, and took out his frustration. Finland was on their heels the entire 3rd period, from all accounts i've heard.

Team USA's weasel quotient was just much too high.

No matter what Modano thinks about USA Hockey, Laviolette or the games in general, you do NOT go public minutes after the game about it.

If you have a problem, you go straight to Waddell and say it face to face, not through media.

He comes across as an arrogant whiner who blames everybody but himself. And it's not the first time he has done that.

Team USA's weasel quotient was just much too high.
Honestly, That is the perfect way to describe it. Guys like Cole, Weight and Chelios couldn't out weigh Tkachuk, Modano and Guerin.

Though i would watch out, in 2010 the USA will be rid of the Old guard and the Kids will be ready to take over in style and that I can't wait to see that.

Well, He left his hotel room in one piece at least ;)

I think Mike's comments about the flights, hotels and tickets had to do with the fact that Team Canada chartered an entire flight to fly the players and 4 "guests" of each player from Toronto to Torino and provided them with game tickets and booked hotel rooms for their guests. I'm not saying it's right that Modano's crying about it, but that was probably what he was referring to.
Just how much did that help team Canada?

One thing about Laviolette: They kept giving up short-handed goals like grazy, and this undoubtably had a lot to do with using forwards at the point. When you have Rafalski, Schneider, Liles and Leopold on your team, why on earth take risks like that repeatedly?

One thing about Laviolette: They kept giving up short-handed goals like grazy, and this undoubtably had a lot to do with using forwards at the point. When you have Rafalski, Schneider, Liles and Leopold on your team, why on earth take risks like that repeatedly?

Laviolette is used to having players like Staal available to put on the point and used to having a very good goaltender available to stop the occasional SH breakaway. He didn't have either here.

I agree, he should have recognized that sooner and adjusted. The big problem with Laviolette was his stubborness. That's an absolute killer in such a short tournament.

I love how it's always someone else's fault when Team USA loses. In 1998 it was the hotel room's fault (OK bad joke). This year, it's everyone elses fault but their own. Maybe they should stop all the *****ing and play the freaking game

for those of you posting jokes or whatever about the "excuse" you should perhaps read the articles again. this one, for example, gives a bit of a broader picture than just the initial quotes. geez, yeah, that Modano is nothing but a whiner. He sure couldn't wait until the game was over to go out and whine. I think I even heard he wanted to leave the bench in the third period to get the early jump on all the interviews.

Funny that when he is asked his opinion on what he'd like to see changed, not the reason (or excuse as some of you have been saying) why they lost, he gives his honest response. Just a case of people taking, and wanting to take, Modano's quotes out of context.

"I think it just takes a lot, from the higher-ups all the way down, how USA Hockey is operated," said Modano, who has competed on 11 national teams, including three Olympics, over the past 18 years. "There's a lot of guys who have been there for many years. Maybe [get] some new blood in there to kind of run things a little differently.

Asked what he would like to see changed, he said: "I think how things are operated, I think how things are run behind the scenes. USA Hockey, you would think, would be kind of a well-oiled operation. But it's frustrating. We put a lot into it, we've come a long way, and you want things to run smooth. And behind the scenes ¼ a lot of it just goes back to families being over here. It was more of a distraction for a lot of guys than playing the game."

A source close to the players said that while the Canadian national team provided travel for the players' families and coordinated transportation within Turin, U.S. players were on their own. That led to inconveniences ranging from defenseman Mathieu Schneider's five-months-pregnant wife having to walk back to her room after a game, to families finding out about a free-tickets program after they had already bought tickets.

"Basically we were on our own as far as arrangements, hotels, flights, tickets," Modano said. "Normally that's something you don't have to think about. That's something that should be taken care of so we don't have to worry about it. We're [trying to be] focused on hockey, prepare ourselves to play and not have to deal with those things."

Other players might not have had the freedom or authority to publicly back Modano's remarks, but they didn't exactly say, "He's nuts."

"I'm not at liberty to talk about that, really," forward Brian Rolston said. "Mike has been in this program a long time. What he says. ¼ I respect what he says."

entire article @ http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-olyadande23feb23,1,6390343.column?coll=la-utilities-sports

And lost in the quarters....as a team.

Modano is a whining primadonna diver. If there was a problem BEFORE the games, you don't ***** about it AFTER the games. Excusing-making whiner.

Are you insane???

Honestly.

Whine about it Before the games???

Think about that for five seconds, would ya?

Funny most of the poster are attacking Modano for who he is but not the message he delivered which tells me his is dead on.


Hockey fans are probably just as dumb (as a group) as hockey players.

The US fans are blasting Modano. The Canadians are blasting Pronger and Bertuzzi.

Personally, as a Canadian, I was pretty disappointed.
But I tell you what.
There are, what, six red wings on Sweden.
Datsyuk is on Russia, and I love Russian hockey.
I love the way Selanne and Finland are playing. Something about the Finns makes them play better when playing for country.

The only team I really don't like is the Czechs (I wish Hasek/Fischer were playing).
Course, they'll probably win the whole thing.

Erm this guy just got kicked out of the Tornament, heads to the next microphone and says:

"i wasn't focused because i didn'T get tickets for my girlfriend, my hotelrooms minibar wasnt fully eqipped and they ran out of my favorite cverials for breakfast".

Seriously, why don't they show the guy around to where the real ATHLETES are in disciplines where they don't even earn real money?

This idiot millionaire is to arrogant to do this the way it's supposed to be done, and to stupid to hire a butler to take care of his affairs. :rant:

I guess a key question is if this roster wasn't good enough who should have been on the team? In hind sight here's who might have been some better choices:

Forwards:

Drury (keep)
Gomez (keep)
Gionta (keep)
Rolston (keep)
Cole (keep)
Knuble (Dustin Brown)
Guerin (Parise)
Parrish (Connolly)
Modano (keep)
Tkachuk (Eaves)
Weight (Cullen)
Blake (keep)

Defense:

Leopold (keep)
Hedican (Martin)
Liles (keep)
Hatcher (Gleason)
Chelios (keep)
Schneider (Leetch)
Rafalski (keep)

Goaltending:

DiPietro (keep)
Esche (Miller)
Grahame (keep)
Are you kidding me? Schneider not on the team?? Like people wouldnt have complained about that and no Doug Weight?? Why?? I think he should have played more on those 5 on 3's

Something about the Finns makes them play better when playing for country.

National pride - no country has more of it.

Are you insane???
Whine about it Before the games???


i think that's what Wild GM wants.... :propeller

Are you kidding me? Schneider not on the team?? Like people wouldnt have complained about that and no Doug Weight?? Why?? I think he should have played more on those 5 on 3's


I'm just throwing names out there. Weight played fine and so did Schneider (mostly). My point is, perhaps the U.S. would have done better with some differant faces?

Gionta, Gomez, Drury, Blake, Dipietro, Cole, Weight, Rolston, Chelios were about the only players to give a solid effort each night. The rest of the team was out to lunch. Notice I only mentioned one defenseman, the rest were pretty pitiful.... Hatcher was probably the next least painful guy on the blueline.

Conroy was our leading scorer (tied with Gomez) and won about 79% of his faceoffs. Don't leave him off the list.

And he wasn't on the replace/keep list either. What? Because he plays for the Kings he's fallen into the black hole along with the extent of Alexander Frolov's apparently season-ending injury and John Davidson just noticing that Lubomir Visnovsky "is a really good defenseman".

No, really? He's just leading the NHL in scoring and should be a Norris Trophy candidate, that's all. Nice of you to notice.

No matter what Modano thinks about USA Hockey, Laviolette or the games in general, you do NOT go public minutes after the game about it.

If you have a problem, you go straight to Waddell and say it face to face, not through media.

He comes across as an arrogant whiner who blames everybody but himself. And it's not the first time he has done that.
And how exactly do you know that he hasnt already voiced concern to waddell himself? Modano was simply asked a question and gave an honest answer. Now he has countless morons on his back is anything ever good enough?

They had to book the hotels on their own? Isn't there an olympic village or do millionaires don't have to live there?

Maybe the organizers werent letting them in, afraid they might trash their rooms after getting upset... again. :sarcasm:

And how exactly do you know that he hasnt already voiced concern to waddell himself? Modano was simply asked a question and gave an honest answer. Now he has countless morons on his back is anything ever good enough?

That's not the point!!

You keep things inside the team, you don't go to the public no matter what! If someone asks a question like that you make give some cliche answer (and trust me, NHL players know all of them!) like "we should examine what went wrong and then try to improve those issues etc yadada". When Modano is face to face with Waddell he can scream his brains out if he wants to, just keep it out of public.

Remember World Cup 2004 and Team Finland? Huge turmoil inside the team, head coach almost coming to blows with few players. Was any of that in the public at the time? No. Janne Niinimaa refused to comment, he said it's stays inside the team and will be resolved later, way after the tournament and not in public.

To me that's clear difference between team Finland and team USA, one is a team on and off the ice while the other is a group of individuals playing in the same team.

And it shows.

That's not the point!!

You keep things inside the team, you don't go to the public no matter what! If someone asks a question like that you make give some cliche answer (and trust me, NHL players know all of them!) like "we should examine what went wrong and then try to improve those issues etc yadada". When Modano is face to face with Waddell he can scream his brains out if he wants to, just keep it out of public.

Remember World Cup 2004 and Team Finland? Huge turmoil inside the team, head coach almost coming to blows with few players. Was any of that in the public at the time? No. Janne Niinimaa refused to comment, he said it's stays inside the team and will be resolved later, way after the tournament and not in public.

To me that's clear difference between team Finland and team USA, one is a team on and off the ice while the other is a group of individuals playing in the same team.

And it shows.what we have here is clearly a difference in philosophy. I personally hate canned answers. I hate cliches and question dodging.

That's not the point!!

You keep things inside the team, you don't go to the public no matter what! If someone asks a question like that you make give some cliche answer (and trust me, NHL players know all of them!) like "we should examine what went wrong and then try to improve those issues etc yadada". When Modano is face to face with Waddell he can scream his brains out if he wants to, just keep it out of public.

Remember World Cup 2004 and Team Finland? Huge turmoil inside the team, head coach almost coming to blows with few players. Was any of that in the public at the time? No. Janne Niinimaa refused to comment, he said it's stays inside the team and will be resolved later, way after the tournament and not in public.

To me that's clear difference between team Finland and team USA, one is a team on and off the ice while the other is a group of individuals playing in the same team.

And it shows.
Why do you keep it inside the team? It's not like they're playing together anymore.... And the Finland comparison from 2004 doesn't work because he didn't mention this during the tournament (for the US team). He's not saying anything about team chemistry or the coach or the player selection - he talking about orginazational, federation issues that ended up becoming a distraction to him and his teammates during the games.

For me, I like honestly from my athletes, however ill-timed. He was asked about problems, he told about real problems, even if they are not-on-ice related. You notice none of the players jumped out in US Hockey's defense - the coach and GM did. They have a personal stake in it - they're hired and kept on by the federation, so what they say isn't exactly impartial.

US Hockey has systemic issues. Modano, who's got as many skins on the wall as any non-Miracle team member with that organization, is one of the only guys with the freedom to say it without fear of reprisal.

The biggest problem I have with the comments is the timing, but even that is excusable since he was asked. Would you all rather he lie?

what we have here is clearly a difference in philosophy. I personally hate canned answers. I hate cliches and question dodging.

99% of the times I agree with you but this is different.

There are certain things you don't say in public no matter what, especially 5 mins after the game. I think that was one of them.

Why do you keep it inside the team? It's not like they're playing together anymore....

Because it ruins the team spirit even when they are out. YOu win as a team and lose as team.

And the Finland comparison from 2004 doesn't work because he didn't mention this during the tournament (for the US team).

Yes it works. All the dirty laundry was washed way after the tournament and it was done in private.

For me, I like honestly from my athletes, however ill-timed. He was asked about problems, he told about real problems, even if they are not-on-ice related.

I don't like comments which bash members of your own team, made 5 mins after the loss, no matter how right they are.

The biggest problem I have with the comments is the timing, but even that is excusable since he was asked. Would you all rather he lie?

Sorry, it's not that black & white. You can either tell the truth, lie or give some yadayada cliche. That's not lying.

Pepper - you and I are going to have to agree to disagree then.

They'd already lost (as a team), so I still don't get the team spirit argument. They didn't have any more games to play, so why does it matter if there's dirty laundry out there, especially when it's not something that will affect the players or coaches in the long run? It's not like he said Laviolette sucks and should be fired and he was the reason he lost. He said the federation isn't well run. That's no secret. He just elaborated on it.

Frankly, I think it's damn time someone stepped up and said USA Hockey isn't run well. It's not. It hasn't been in a long time, even compared to other US sport federations which are mostly volunteer run and have issues of their own. It wasn't the right time or place to say it, but at least it doesn't allow US hockey to go "Hey, we finished right where we were projected to finish. The system is still working," when it needs to work so much better.

I would be with you though if he brought up people directly involved with the team. You don't sell out teammates. But USA Hockey isn't his teammate and wasn't playing the games. And at the same time, they made it harder on some of the US team by their inaction. It's not the reason they went 1-4-1, no one's saying that. But it certainly didn't help.

As far as Laviolette is concerned, he should take a share of the blame along with the players and Don Waddell. I believe Laviolette generated passion from the team but his strategy could be viewed as questionable. If you inplement a worker bee offensive scheme, expect worker bee results. I'm not saying the U.S. has offensive personnel comparable with the Euros but you have to be able to score more goals. After watching six games, the system has to be scrutinized.

I don't like comments which bash members of your own team, made 5 mins after the loss, no matter how right they are.


Modano did NOT bash members of the team

Modano did NOT bash members of the team

To me team is not just the players, it's the trainers, coaches and yes GMs as well.

Are you kidding me? Schneider not on the team?? Like people wouldnt have complained about that and no Doug Weight?? Why?? I think he should have played more on those 5 on 3's

I agree with that statement. Rabid Ranger's picks I am not seeing. The team you suggested would have been way too soft with too many smallish players getting knocked around like pinballs.

Mara and Ballard should have made this team. Dustin Brown should have been on this team without a doubt. I see people talking about how the US should have had a youth movement and then they say we should have picked Leetch of Roenick, that makes no sense. I do believe Leetch should have made this team over Rafalski, but if I am doing any type of youth movement I am not picking him.

Like I said above Mara, Blallard, Gleason, Ryan Miller, and Dustin Brown should all have been picked for this squad just for the purpose of geeting them ready for future tourneys.

USA played below average. They took many undiscplined penalties and you can not do that against any team at the International Level. In my opinion, many of the penalties were caused by Finland's superior speed.

I dont see why everyone seems shocked that USA did not perform well this time out. Not enough goalscorers, especially explosive ones like Ovechkin, Gaborik, Jagr,Selanne.....etc. Also, the European teams play a more cohesive team game. Another point I'd like to make is that Team USA did not adapt to European officials as well as they should have.

Finally, why is everyone bashing Canada and America ? I have great respect for the other teams in the tournament and I do not feel as if Team USA was entitled to a medal simply for showing up.
They got beat. Plain and simple.


I don't know why so many are bashing the US team's results.Their Olympic results are disappointing,but were predicted long before the games started.The hockey analysts and writers have been saying since at least the 2005 World Hockey Championship last May,that the US would be a longshot to Medal in Turin,that the team is in a transition period...easing out older players who are past their prime and letting young players gain experience for the 2010 games in Vancouver.

I don't know why so many are bashing the US team's results.Their Olympic results are disappointing,but were predicted long before the games started.The hockey analysts and writers have been saying since at least the 2005 World Hockey Championship last May,that the US would be a longshot to Medal in Turin,that the team is in a transition period...easing out older players who are past their prime and letting young players gain experience for the 2010 games in Vancouver.
I do not know why it is such a big story either. Maybe they tired of crapping on Bode Miller and needed some new material.

Laviolette is used to having players like Staal available to put on the point and used to having a very good goaltender available to stop the occasional SH breakaway. He didn't have either here.

I agree, he should have recognized that sooner and adjusted. The big problem with Laviolette was his stubborness. That's an absolute killer in such a short tournament.



If the US doesn't reach the medal round,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US doesn't medal,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US wins bronze,they'd have won silver with Miller.
If the US wins silver,they'd have gold with Miller.
If the US doesn't score goals,they'd have scored goals with Miller.

that about cover it :sarcasm:

I'm just throwing names out there. Weight played fine and so did Schneider (mostly). My point is, perhaps the U.S. would have done better with some differant faces?

I don't think the players picked were the problem. Yes, a few changes should have been made, but bottom line is that the US doesn't have the top end talent that the other countries do.

I don't see the US being a serious gold medal threat in 2010 either. 2014 should be the goal.

There are, what, six red wings on Sweden.
Datsyuk is on Russia, and I love Russian hockey.
I love the way Selanne and Finland are playing. Something about the Finns makes them play better when playing for country.

The only team I really don't like is the Czechs (I wish Hasek/Fischer were playing).
Course, they'll probably win the whole thing.

Thats funny, I never much cared for the Czechs either. Is Lang playing for them? I didn't see much of their games.

If the US doesn't reach the medal round,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US doesn't medal,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US wins bronze,they'd have won silver with Miller.
If the US wins silver,they'd have gold with Miller.
If the US doesn't score goals,they'd have scored goals with Miller.

that about cover it :sarcasm:

You left out "If the US had won Gold, with Miller there they'd have won gold and had superpowers conveyed upon them" :D

And how exactly do you know that he hasnt already voiced concern to waddell himself? Modano was simply asked a question and gave an honest answer. Now he has countless morons on his back is anything ever good enough?

So Modano should be commended for his honesty and the fans that are being honest about thier feelings should keep their mouths shut?

Like someone said before, this is the Olympics, not an all expenses trip to Italy for the friends and family of the hockey elite. If you can't stay focused and are being distracted by your friends and family, you shouldn't have brought them. You're there to do a job (play hockey) and represent your country, not gad about Turin like a tourist. Do your job, keep your yap shut and show some grace.

I am glad at least some people were able to look at what was really said by Modano. It seems that those that are really ripping on him didn't like him to begin with, or at least it seems that way. I didn't think Mo played badly in the Tournament, he did have two goals which was more than some and was dominant in the face off circle. Not to mention the times he keptthe puck in the zone, threw a hit, had a shot blocked or so forth. At camp this summer they were saying he was the best player out there, that being said, maybe it was time for the older players to sit?

Maybe his timing was bad, but I am glad he did not feed us BS. And no where in his quote did he say it was just about him or MONEY, did he even have family over there? I think he was talking more about what those with families had to go through. And maybe some of the travel bit came after the snow storm caused all sorts of chaos, and that if they had them all on a charter it would have been easier for the team. Don't you find it interesting that Rolston and Gomez and several others didn't disagree with him and that they actually said they respect what he had to say? Could that be because he has 18 years with USA Hockey and he better than anyone else has the right to say what is going on or what needs to be fixed in the future.

It needed to be said because without someone coming out and saying there needs to be a change, there won't be.

I thought Peter needed to play with the lines more, to see if there was something else there. I did not like how he ripped Rick's performance in that game. I didn't think he looked off, I thought the team looked off. I think Rick did a great job. Doesn't the coach help with the team selection?

Mo knew it was his last game of his USA career and wouldn't you be upset that you didn't get to help make it not your last? Mo is not known as a hothead, maybe a whiner because of his foot-in-mouth disease, but he is hard working, and I have read many articles or heard him speak about how much it meant for him to represent the US, probably knowing it was his last.

Remember that the media will take one thing and run with it, it is for you to not always take them at face value. I hope that Mo's comments will lead to change in USA hockey, maybe then people can look back and realize what Modano said was for the best.

He's right about what he said and the fact that he didn't play in the 3rd period is a joke. Horrible coaching job by the USA... No surprise though.

If the US doesn't reach the medal round,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US doesn't medal,it's because Miller wasn't there.
If the US wins bronze,they'd have won silver with Miller.
If the US wins silver,they'd have gold with Miller.
If the US doesn't score goals,they'd have scored goals with Miller.

that about cover it :sarcasm:
LOL :handclap:


Reading the stuff quoted in post #121 above, it's pretty obvious that first link quoted Modano totally out of context to make him look like an ***. He did make valid points. Some of the avoidable distractions could have easily been taken care of.

(http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/ny-spousa0224,0,3834463.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines)
Impossible to justify Modano's conduct here, win or lose you stay for the team meetings. Twenty two other players did, even Ryan Miller would have stayed. ;)

http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/ny-spousa0224,0,3834463.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines (http://www.newsday.com/sports/olympics/ny-spousa0224,0,3834463.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines)

Modano skips final USA meeting

Mike Modano packed up his stuff and left Italy on Thursday morning, skipping a final meeting with his Olympic teammates after they were eliminated a night earlier in the men's hockey quarterfinals.

USA Hockey spokesman Dave Fischer said the longtime Dallas Stars forward -- who sharply criticized team management after the Americans' elimination Wednesday -- was the only member of the 23-player squad not to gather at the arena where the Americans were knocked out by Finland.

Modano caught a flight home Thursday. The rest of the team was scheduled to leave Friday morning, before the start of the weekend's medal-round games.

*snerk re: Miller*

I don't like that he skipped the meeting either. I do wonder, however, (IDLE SPECULATION ALERT) whether or not he a.) asked to not attend or b.) was asked not to attend.

He's an emotional guy that mouths off and will occasionally make stupid decisions, just like every other bloody person in the world. Until I hear the reasoning behind it, I'm chalking it up to that.

Hopefully he'll take the pissyness and turn into a great last-third of the season. And I hope against hope the Stars end up facing the Canes in the playoffs. I get the distinct feeling Modano and Laviolette didn't see eye to eye on a number of on-ice things, and I would love to see that grudge bore out when they're on oppisite teams.

Oh Noes!!!!

How dare they make a mighty overly rich superstar like Modano buy his own dogfood and plane tickets! Outrageous, i say!



:shakehead

Oh Noes!!!!

How dare they make a mighty overly rich superstar like Modano buy his own dogfood and plane tickets! Outrageous, i say!



:shakehead
Hey thats coming out of his own pocket! poor guy.

"I think it just takes a lot, from the higher-ups all the way down, how USA Hockey is operated," said Modano, who has competed on 11 national teams, including three Olympics, over the past 18 years. "There's a lot of guys who have been there for many years. Maybe [get] some new blood in there to kind of run things a little differently.

Asked what he would like to see changed, he said: "I think how things are operated, I think how things are run behind the scenes. USA Hockey, you would think, would be kind of a well-oiled operation. But it's frustrating. We put a lot into it, we've come a long way, and you want things to run smooth. And behind the scenes ¼ a lot of it just goes back to families being over here. It was more of a distraction for a lot of guys than playing the game."

A source close to the players said that while the Canadian national team provided travel for the players' families and coordinated transportation within Turin, U.S. players were on their own. That led to inconveniences ranging from defenseman Mathieu Schneider's five-months-pregnant wife having to walk back to her room after a game, to families finding out about a free-tickets program after they had already bought tickets.

"Basically we were on our own as far as arrangements, hotels, flights, tickets," Modano said. "Normally that's something you don't have to think about. That's something that should be taken care of so we don't have to worry about it. We're [trying to be] focused on hockey, prepare ourselves to play and not have to deal with those things."

Other players might not have had the freedom or authority to publicly back Modano's remarks, but they didn't exactly say, "He's nuts."

"I'm not at liberty to talk about that, really," forward Brian Rolston said. "Mike has been in this program a long time. What he says. ¼ I respect what he says."
__________________________________________________ ____________________

A lot of what you guys jumped on him at was taken out of context. But continue please do.

He is also emotional, I would be to, if you got benched for the 3rd period in an elimination game, when it is probably going to be your last ever olympic game.

Conroy was our leading scorer (tied with Gomez) and won about 79% of his faceoffs. Don't leave him off the list.

And he wasn't on the replace/keep list either. What? Because he plays for the Kings he's fallen into the black hole along with the extent of Alexander Frolov's apparently season-ending injury and John Davidson just noticing that Lubomir Visnovsky "is a really good defenseman".

No, really? He's just leading the NHL in scoring and should be a Norris Trophy candidate, that's all. Nice of you to notice.


Whoa relax.... the Kings is coo' brotha.

Yes Conroy played well, pardon my rushed and unresearched post. i beg your forgiveness oh master of perfection.

The Dallas Morning News got ahold or Modano when he got back to Dallas today. Here's some snips.


Modano, when reached by phone in Texas late Thursday evening, said he was unaware of the team meeting and was later told by a teammate that it was only a gathering to receive travel information. He said Team USA general manager Don Waddell was on the same flight he was.

However, Modano was apologetic for the tone of the interview he gave after the loss to Finland.

“I think the timing was bad,” Modano said. “I was upset at the outcome and mad at what happened to me [being benched in the third period] and you walk right off the ice into the [media] mix zone, and I just let my emotions start talking.”

and a little bit later (I wanted to get all his quotes in here since his words are really what this is all about...

“I would like to be a part of helping USA Hockey, but I’d like to do it more behind the scenes, more privately,” Modano said. “I’ve been a part of this program for 20 years, and it means a lot to me. I don’t want to leave it like this.”

Modano said he initially felt anger because he believed it was his last performance in a Team USA uniform. But after a day to think, he feels more sadness.

“We’re probably not going to have a World Cup [in 2008] and who knows about [the Winter Olympics in] 2010, so I pretty much knew at the time this could be it,” he said. “It’s not at all how I would want to go out, and that probably affected me as much as anything. It’s tough to look back and think it might be over.”
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/022406dnspoolymodano.55f984ff.html

For me, that's apologizing for exactly the right things - the timing and the tone. I'm not so sure I buy "not knowing" about the meeting, but if Waddell was on the flight with him, then people should rip him for missing the meeting too, especially those with the contention that he's "part of the team."

Modano runs his mouth when he shouldn't, but I think his points in this case were bang on. Ill-timed, but bang-on.

For me, that's apologizing for exactly the right things - the timing and the tone. I'm not so sure I buy "not knowing" about the meeting, but if Waddell was on the flight with him, then people should rip him for missing the meeting too, especially those with the contention that he's "part of the team."

Modano runs his mouth when he shouldn't, but I think his points in this case were bang on. Ill-timed, but bang-on.

Agree completely with you.

(To repost)

Modano has always been really easy to bait if you're in the media because he's not particularly guarded and he's very honest (he's also not extremely bright).

$10 says he was asked to point out the shortcomings of Team USA. And then the reporter writes: "Modano saves his best shot for after the game". It's tacky, but it's journalism.

Tomorrow we will all be hearing how Modano didn't really mean that, but that will be a back page story -- not a front page one.

Modano should know by now not to speak his mind, because all anyone can really deal with is athlete-speak. Genuine opinion is reserved for behind closed doors.

Amen, comrade. Heaven forbid anyone be honest with the media... now just imagine if English wasn't his first language.

I had Islanders beat writer Alan Hahn on my little radio show the other night, and this is what he had to say about Team USA:

--If they were going to keep Tkachuk, then they should have kept Roenick

--There were very little skills on this team, especially given the skills on the Slovaks, the Czechs, the Finns.

--They were a bunch of a plumbers on this team. The '96 World Cup team and the 2002 team had pretty good plumbers who could still score. And, Roenick could play.

--He was beside himself every time Weight and Tkachuk took every big draw and every big shift

--Mike Modano sitting on the bench for the entire 3rd period, when he's the last talented scorer they had

--Mark Parrish not even getting off the bench for the entire Finn game, especially on a Power Play

--This was going to be a Transition year and we knew it. A lot of people get excited when the Olympics come around, but they weren't supposed to win. Look at the defense. They had 2 40-year olds and 2 very young players players in Leopold and Liles. And, then you had Bret Hedican.

--It just wasn't a team built to win, as this is a transition year. 2010 is going to be a much, much different time. They have a lot of very talented young players but they're still very young right now. The Development Program has gotten very involved in the last 5 or 6 years rather than just letting them go through the college system. So, we should look at 2010 as a new era with this one being a transition one more than it was a failure for USA Hockey.

--They certainly didn't build a very good team. They might have gone in a different direction but I think they owed it to some of the older players to keep them around, they wanted JR off the team because he had a big mouth. They went with it to see how it would go, and it obviously didn't go very well.

He's the Islanders beat writer, so I typed that up rather than send you to http://hosted.filefront.com/patchyfogg
for the whole interview.

They were a bunch of a plumbers on this team. The '96 World Cup team and the 2002 team had pretty good plumbers who could still score. And, Roenick could play. --He was beside himself every time Weight and Tkachuk took every big draw and every big shift




If Tkachuk's a plumber, that's an awefully big crack in the team that needs filling by 2010...