Anthony DeMarco
Appearances
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Well, I think it's substantial. Like, I mean, it's very reminiscent from the 2014 NHL, or the Olympics, rather, when John Tavares got knocked out. I believe he missed the end of the regular season for the New York Islanders. And I remember then-Gel manager Gar Snow being very vocal about how upset he was.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
But, look, that's the inherent risk when you have these tournaments, especially in-season, that are kind of replacing the All-Star game, but you're not going to see nearly the level of intensity there.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
in an all-star game that we've seen thus far in the four nations or that we'll likely see next year in the olympic games and look i mean this is an hl run event so everyone was apprised and everyone signed up on what would what the potential risks were but for shea theodore and the vegas golden knights it was a worst case scenario i think he's listed as week to week so maybe not quite as bad as the tavaris injury from 11 years ago but hey it is what it is it comes with the territory
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
I haven't been that surprised, honestly. I know a lot of people were kind of dunking on this event. It's a fabricated event, which is true. It's a one-off event, which is true. You don't have Russia. You don't have Czechia. You don't have the Slovaks. But especially when it comes to the Americans and that game last night, that blowout victory over Finland... They were cooking, man, physically.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Matthew Kachuk got into it with Mikula in the second period. The Kachuk brothers with two goals each on the night were just in the kitchen of the Finnish defensemen all night long. And even with the – the Canadian game was a little less, I guess – physical and aggressive. But the Americans built their team with a clear directive under general manager Bill Guerin.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And you look at some of the names that they left off, like Cole Caulfield, Alex Dabrinkic, Clayton Keller, guys who maybe talent-wise were a bit better. you knew that they were building a team to be intense and physical. And thus far, they've lived up to it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And I think that this tournament in particular is something that the Americans are really looking to use to establish themselves as potentially the new hockey superpower internationally.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Well, first off, he got John Tortorella to wear a suit and tie and ditch the sweater vest. So that's the base development for me so far. This is America.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
But back on a serious note, I found it peculiar that they weren't playing together to start the tournament, but then they get put on both wings of Jack Eichel, and they just took over in that second period. And I think it was kind of essential for the Americans to do something to spark that team after the first period, because the Finnish players really started coming on.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And the forwards in particular of Finland, when they got possession in the offensive zone, like they were creating chances. Like the Rantanen-Barkov-Lekkonen line in particular, I thought was one of the better lines of all four teams through the first, I guess, five periods or so. Because obviously in the third period, it became just a blow of victory for the Americans.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
But once the Kachuks got put with Jack Eichel, the entire tide kind of turned. And for the Americans, you are limited a little bit because they only have two right shot forwards in Jack Eichel and Vincent Trocek, who both played down the middle of the ice. So every single winger on every single line is a left shot. So I guess that is something that was playing in for Mike Sullivan.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
But for me, it was kind of the low-hanging fruit as something to spark the team to put these two guys together, along with a guy like Jack Eichel, who's playing second field to Austin Matthews, but is still a phenomenal player in his own right. I think it was great in-game coaching by Mike Sullivan, and it clearly paid off as the brothers combined four goals on the night.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Well, I think they're looking to even things out because as per the line rushes today for Team Canada in practice, Konechny's coming out, Sam Bennett is coming in, and they're going to go with the all-Tampa line with Sorelli and Hagel now centered by Braden Point.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And Bennett is going to move up to, I guess, the third line, or maybe that becomes the fourth line, and center Braden Marchand and Seth Jarvis. So clearly there was something about that bottom six that John Cooper was not overly fond of. Yeah.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
For me personally, I think this is the risk that Canada ran when they did leave some more talented guys off the team, like let's say a Mark Shifley or even a Zach Hyman. Look, I know that Mitch Marner scored the winning goal, but that top line for me wasn't nearly as effective consistently at 5-on-5 with Reinhardt, McDavid, and Mitch Marner.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And I think that because of the role players, if you will,
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
that you brought onto this team whether that be like a sam bennett or brandon hagel or travis connect me to a lesser extent you do kind of limit how much line juggling you can do but clearly cooper was very impressed with his top six guys it was the bottom six that he wasn't a big fan of and it seems as though at least from the early indications from the line rushes that we are going to see not only a lineup change but the entire lines in the bottom six get rejigged here
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Playing all his Lightning players together.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
no i i think that's a good strategy and i saw like this tweet where it was like mcdavid to crosby to mckinnon should be an illegal sentence or something like it was like it's ridiculous you know and then you have reinhardt on the half wall on the far side is the trigger man mccarr at the top like no for sure that that power play unit is absolutely disgusting in all the best ways possible if you're a canadian in all the worst ways possible if you're american
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
But yeah, I think that that is what you guys got to do if you're facing the Canadian team. And look, credit to Sweden. I thought the Swedish defense really kind of locked things down from the second period on two nights ago against Team Canada. And at five on five, it did kind of become a struggle. in the second half of the game for the Canadians to really generate chances consistently.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And I think the Americans have, well, if Quinn Hughes was there, I think they would have had the best defense. Without him, I say they're playing slightly second fiddle to the Swedes. But I think the Americans have the speed and the puck movie ability to play that way five on five. But certainly on the power play, if you're defending that Canadian power play, it is going to be an uphill battle
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Oh, I mean, A-plus from a storyline.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
It was storybook, right? Because obviously in Montreal, it gets started off with Mario Lemire, like a local folk hero gets brought out. And it was kind of like a passing of the torch moment. Passing of the torch? He could have done that in Pittsburgh. Yeah. But even on an international scale, because Crosby is kind of playing the role that Lemire was playing 23 years ago in Salt Lake City.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Yes, I know for the Americans, for you guys, that's also kind of like something bad. I don't want to talk about it. Exactly. But if you really look at it, that's what the role Crosby's playing right now. And on every international stage since Crosby entered the NHL, they have always dominated. Yes, 2010, the Team USA really gave them a run.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
both in the preliminary round and in the gold medal game. But from 2014, 2016, they haven't lost a game since the 2010 Olympics in best on best, if I'm not mistaken here. And Crosby has been the face of all those Canadian teams, the captain of 2014 and 2016. So I think like it's hard to diminish what Crosby has been able to do.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And three assists in game one once again shows why he still is a player at an elite level at 37 years old. So, look, hey, guys, I'm someone that has covered the Flyers closely for a decade now. So I'm no Sidney Crosby lover here. But you got to call a spade a spade. And certainly I do get a bit biased when he throws on the Team Canada jersey in international play.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Like I would have loved it to be Claude Giroux 10 years ago. But hey, it is what it is. I mean, he's someone that he's kind of like unstoppable in the way that you have to respect them. And just the way that he was able to just that play in three on three where you hit the blue line and you throw it back. to your own blue line to just have that hockey sense. It's just off the charts.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
And look, talent-wise, McKinnon's more impressive. McDavid's more impressive. Even McCarr's more impressive. But it's that hockey IQ and that sense that I still think is unmatched in the NHL to this point.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Oh, it's going to be electric, you know, and like not to bring the political end to this. But when you make Quebecois people proud to be Canadian, you know that you piss them off real good. That really seems like what's been happening here. I've never seen so many Francophones like donning the red team Gander jersey so proud to do it.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
um you know i'm not a fan of this but the booing of the american national anthem i i really don't it's not something that i even like to talk about because it upsets me quite frankly but that that is something that happened and it is a reality that we're living in in the current political climate in north america And I think you tie all that together.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
You consider the fact that the Canadians have kind of or the Americans rather have kind of announced themselves as the resident bullies of this tournament on the backs of Matthew and Brady Kachuk. And I think that they're going to bring a level of physicality that. I do think Team Canada certainly took into consideration while building this team.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
Colton Pareko, from a talent perspective, I don't think should be in this tournament. I think he was the worst defenseman for Team Canada against the Swedes. But I think that he was brought in for the game against the Americans because they're not an overly large defense on Team Canada. And I think that they're expecting a very, very physical hard four check from the from Team USA.
The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Roy's 4 Nations Theory
So I think it's going to be an electric atmosphere from a political perspective, from a hockey perspective. And I think the way that the Americans play are certainly going to drag everyone in the building into the fight. And it's going to be an absolute nuclear type of climate inside the Bell Center from the get go on Saturday night.