RizzMB30 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Nicomo said: He played 5 games in this tournament, and he was fantastic in the 4 that he actually had two functioning ankles to skate on. Judging him off the one game where he was clearly laboring is pretty silly. His defense was actually really sound in the other games, including the one against a good team in Sweden. One bad turnover that probably came out of desperation due to not being able to rely on his biggest strength (skating) is not being “exposed.” It’s just one bad play. And if USA hadn’t totally sh!t the bed and got down multiple goals in the first place Luke probably wouldn’t have been on the ice at all. There were shifts he literally could barely skate. Understood. I am saying he had a bad game, not writing him off. I hope this motivates him further. I agree he was fantastic in every other game I saw him in, few mistakes here and there, but he takes risks so it's not unexpected. I wish I hadn't fallen asleep last night watching. I hope he gets better and back into game shape soon. 1 hour ago, RizzMB30 said: What is wrong with wanting Michigan to make Luke better defensively? He tried a NO-LOOK pass at the blue line which buried the Czechs a late empty-netter in a tight game, that's not great injury or not. My take isn't that L Hughes is bad, it's that he had a bad game and that his coaching staff for the year would be wise to review that tape with him. I find that reasonable, not horrendous. I mentioned that I was viewing highlights and the highlights that involved Luke Hughes were all bad barring one pretty good ozone entry. I feel asleep watching the game live and missed most of it. I didn't even see where Hughes got injured, (which isn't mentioned in the NHL.com recap) and not forcing him to sit out would still be a coaching decision. Poor discipline in international play is a coaching issue re: slewfoot penalty called on US. Edited August 18, 2022 by RizzMB30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Just now, RizzMB30 said: Understood. I am saying he had a bad game, not writing him off. I hope this motivates him further. I agree he was fantastic in every other game I saw him in, few mistakes here and there, but he takes risks so it's not unexpected. I wish I hadn't fallen asleep last night watching. But there was a clear and obvious reason he had a bad game. It wasn’t a matter of anything being “exposed.” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RizzMB30 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Nicomo said: But there was a clear and obvious reason he had a bad game. It wasn’t a matter of anything being “exposed.” Maybe I should have said that the entire American D looked exposed instead of singling out Hughes. There were other guys like Kaiser or Faber who could have played that ice time, who looked great in that same game. There's a reason that they carry 7 defensemen in these games. Edited August 18, 2022 by RizzMB30 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puckbuster Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 Personally, I think the entire team got manhandled by Czechia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck the Duck Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 The US lost puck battles all over the ice last night. The Czechs neutralized their biggest strength (speed) and dominated them physically. Would the result have been different if Hughes doesn't get hurt? Probably not but it didn't help them since he was their best D and probably the best D overall in this tournament so far. To say he had a bad game is unfair considering he should not have even been playing after the hit towards the end of the first. He could barely transition and skate backwards which is not ideal for a defenseman at any level, let alone in the WJC. He battled through an injury that hobbled him and made him ineffective. The bling pass at the end was stupid, I will give you that. There was nothing else about that game that you can fault him for with the condition he was playing in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfitz804 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 48 minutes ago, Nicomo said: But there was a clear and obvious reason he had a bad game. It wasn’t a matter of anything being “exposed.” He was much less exposed than when he had the Apple on the PP. 1 hour ago, MB3 said: Michigan should really tell him to avoid being injured smh he is so exposed. Agreed. Team USA should have done this too, not having done so is an obvious coaching failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 If Gordon Bombay had the balls to sit Adam Banks after his wrist injury then the same should have been done here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted August 18, 2022 Share Posted August 18, 2022 9 hours ago, Colorado Rockies 1976 said: Luke was injured during the game and clearly wasn't himself after that...you can argue that he shouldn't have been out there at all, but he wanted to battle. I don't think it a question of him being exposed. Just hope whatever injury (lower body) he's dealing with isn't long-term. Sometimes, you have to give credit to the opponent. In single elimination format, these upsets happen. Switzerland gave Canada all it could handle. So did Latvia against Sweden. These kids treat these big games differently. There's a lot of pride. I knew Czech would be tough after the shocking loss to Latvia. They can skate and have size. They had a great game plan. Kudos. USA wasn't a highly skilled team. They also played in a weaker group due to no Russia. They were hardly tested. That was a factor last night. Hughes was the best player. He was in obvious pain. I give the kid a lot of credit for grinding it out. I disagreed with Leaman overusing him. He got the most minutes (24) despite struggling. I felt the tying Czech goal was a huge momentum swing. They set it up well. Point shot. Traffic. Great tip by the captain Mysak. They got better as the first period went along. They countered well. Obviously, Mbereko would want the third goal back. That was a crusher. But look at how the Czechs defended. They didn't give up too many high danger chances. They blocked shots. They deserved the win. One thing I can't understand is how critical people can be. These are kids. It happens. There was pressure. A shot at history. Czech played loose. USA had a tough night. They still got within one. But Czechia defended superbly. Congrats to those kids. What makes this tournament great is seeing those celebrations after upsets. That's awesome. Good luck to them against Canada. They're gonna need it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunninWithTheDevil Posted August 20, 2022 Author Share Posted August 20, 2022 Quote Luke Hughes said he was injured in a "hockey play" at some point during the first period. It had clearly impacted his skating and he wasn't able to play at his top speed ... Hughes never considered asking to be pulled either. "It's a single game elimination, you're trying to do whatever you can to win," said Hughes after the game. Hughes also said that he was not sure of the severity and said "we'll see" when asked if he knew if there would be anything long-term to be considered about. https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/7949761-world-juniors-breaking-down-usas-upset-loss-to-czechia-in-quarterfinal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicomo Posted August 20, 2022 Share Posted August 20, 2022 Latest reports (NHL Network) are saying he should be ready for the start of Michigan’s season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 (edited) Sweet lord McTavish somehow saved a sure goal in overtime for the gold medal and kent Johnsson ended it moments later. Absolutely insane. Canada WOOO !!!! Edited August 21, 2022 by SterioDesign 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Dan 56 Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 1 hour ago, SterioDesign said: Sweet lord McTavish somehow saved a sure goal in overtime for the gold medal and kent Johnsson ended it moments later. Absolutely insane. Canada WOOO !!!! That McTavish play was insane. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guadana Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 Finland were better in tactical stuff, good effort and good forecheck. But their level of personal training is questionable. A lot of missed passes and shots. McTavish is a great player, Anaheim were smart to draft him. I'm worry for our kids, rangers Canadian guys aren't gentlemen. Finland deserved to be named second hockey country in the last years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadDog2020 Posted August 21, 2022 Share Posted August 21, 2022 10 hours ago, SterioDesign said: Sweet lord McTavish somehow saved a sure goal in overtime for the gold medal and kent Johnsson ended it moments later. Absolutely insane. Canada WOOO !!!! Absolutely incredible play by McTavish. Insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.