Two games into the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Team USA finds itself without any possible path to victory. A shocking defeat at the hands of Team Europe, followed by a largely unsurprising loss to Canada, means that the outcome of Thursday’s game against the Czech Republic is irrelevant.
The early exit has already prompted waves of criticism against USA Hockey, and for good reason. The team was built on a faulty blueprint, took the wrong coach and left too many of the right players at home. Do that and then lose in embarrassing fashion and anger is an inevitable result.
General manager Dean Lombardi made it perfectly clear what he valued in his team in an interview with ESPN’s Craig Custance earlier in September, stressing that he was looking for a specific “identity.” When it came time to make the tough decisions, he didn’t look at speed or scoring ability or some other tangible hockey talent, but rather at his assessment of team identity.
“We got down to the final [team selection], we sat tighter and it was so close,” he said. “You come back—who fits right ...
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Article written by Jonathan Willis
Team USA’s Awful World Cup of Hockey Blueprint Behind Embarrassing Exit
September 21st, 2016 by Jonathan Willis Leave a reply »
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