FA+
Shop
Sochi Hockey
11 years ago
Just a simple question for you hockey fans. Which nation has the best goalie situation going into the 2014 Olympics?
* Bernhard Starkbaum, AUT
* Roberto Luongo/Carey Price, CAN
* Ondrej Pavelec/Alexander Salak, CZE
* Tuukka Rask, FIN
* Edgars Masalskis, LAT
* Lars Haugen, NOR
* Semyon Varlamov/Sergei Bobrovsky, RUS
* Robert Kristan, SLO
* Jonas Hiller, SUI
* Jaroslav Halak, SVK
* Henrik Lundqvist, SWE
* Ryan Miller/Jonathan Quick, USA
My personal rankings:
1. Finland: Rask has been the best goalie in the NHL over the past two seasons.
2. Sweden: Lundqvist has slowed down this year, but can really turn it on at times.
3. Canada: Luongo isn't the same goalie he was in 2010, but the duo of him and Price are good enough for gold.
4. USA: Considering what he has in front of him, Miller has been magic in Buffalo. Quick has great postseason experience too.
5. Slovakia: Halak is having a career year in St. Louis, but let's see how it translates over to the big stage.
6. Russia: Bobrovsky is still the defending Vezina winner, but sure hasn't looked like it this year.
7. Switzerland: Hiller is the best piece of this puzzle. If he's on, the Swiss could surprise all with a medal in Sochi.
8. Czech Republic: Definitely their biggest weakness. Lack of solid goaltending could prevent the Czechs from medaling.
9. Norway: The Ryan Miller of the KHL, Haugen is having a good season on a very bad team.
10. Latvia: Masalskis is a journeyman, the Sean Burke of eastern Europe.
11. Slovenia: Kristan has recent experience in the KHL.
12. Austria: Starkbaum is a solid goaltender in the SHL (Sweden), but may be overmatched in Sochi.
* Bernhard Starkbaum, AUT
* Roberto Luongo/Carey Price, CAN
* Ondrej Pavelec/Alexander Salak, CZE
* Tuukka Rask, FIN
* Edgars Masalskis, LAT
* Lars Haugen, NOR
* Semyon Varlamov/Sergei Bobrovsky, RUS
* Robert Kristan, SLO
* Jonas Hiller, SUI
* Jaroslav Halak, SVK
* Henrik Lundqvist, SWE
* Ryan Miller/Jonathan Quick, USA
My personal rankings:
1. Finland: Rask has been the best goalie in the NHL over the past two seasons.
2. Sweden: Lundqvist has slowed down this year, but can really turn it on at times.
3. Canada: Luongo isn't the same goalie he was in 2010, but the duo of him and Price are good enough for gold.
4. USA: Considering what he has in front of him, Miller has been magic in Buffalo. Quick has great postseason experience too.
5. Slovakia: Halak is having a career year in St. Louis, but let's see how it translates over to the big stage.
6. Russia: Bobrovsky is still the defending Vezina winner, but sure hasn't looked like it this year.
7. Switzerland: Hiller is the best piece of this puzzle. If he's on, the Swiss could surprise all with a medal in Sochi.
8. Czech Republic: Definitely their biggest weakness. Lack of solid goaltending could prevent the Czechs from medaling.
9. Norway: The Ryan Miller of the KHL, Haugen is having a good season on a very bad team.
10. Latvia: Masalskis is a journeyman, the Sean Burke of eastern Europe.
11. Slovenia: Kristan has recent experience in the KHL.
12. Austria: Starkbaum is a solid goaltender in the SHL (Sweden), but may be overmatched in Sochi.
2. Sweden; Lundqvist will no doubt show up properly for what's likely his last Olympic bid.
3. Switzerland: Hiller is playing out of his mind right now for Anaheim and he -always- shows up in int'l play and keeps Switzerland in the game. With an improved roster in front of him, they are my darkhorse to medal at Sochi and I'm betting they at least make the bronze medal game.
4. USA; Quick and Miller are smooth and solid. Easy to forget how good Miller is with that steaming pile of Buffalo in front of him all the time.
5. Russia; With the way Bobrovsky has been playing the past few weeks during Columbus' recent hot streak, don't be surprised if Russia plays spoiler and finishes in the top 2 due to having a solid G for the first time in years.
6. Canada: Both are good nhl goaltenders, but both are also very prone to shitty mistakes. They'll either be very good or dreadful.
7. Slovakia: Halak is a solid goaltender, but he'll have to be THE goaltender of the tourney much like Hiller for Slovakia to even dream of medaling in Sochi.
8. Czech Republic: This will be Pavelec's first Olympics actually playing; don't hold your breath too much on what is a B grade #1 nhl goalie at best (at least as of today, he's still young).
9. Norway: I have no input
10: Latvia: I know nothing of this goalie lol
11. Austria: I know nothing of this goalie lol
12. Slovenia: Simply because Anze Kopitar can't play goalie too. This team is the fill in of the tournament and won't win a game.