Thursday links: Time to go America all over Norway's ass

Sprunger, “Backes is an idiot”

Striker Julien Sprunger and U.S. lumber wing David Backes can not be friends. Sprunger brings it after the game against the USA in a nutshell: “Backes is an idiot.”

The background: In the last game of the World Cup 2009 in Bern rams Backes on 4 May 2009 the Swiss head first into the boards. Only on 14 November 2009 Sprunger can play again. Although he says that is overcome now with the game against the USA here in Vancouver the “nightmare” Backes – but still Sprunger (still) is not the cold skor, where he was before the accident. Against U.S., he has missed a chance at a position of 0:3, which he had once used.

It can however be: Friends are the Swiss international striker and the wing of the St. Louis Blues before. After the game here in Vancouver certainly do not. Sprunger said slapshot.ch, Backes had brought him sorely provoked. “He told me: Be careful if you want, you’ll make the same as in Bern.” And so comes the end: “Backes is an idiot.”

If the Americans then said something or did not he? Slapshot.ch wanted to know from Backes. And that makes not guilty. “It was a very intense game and the Swiss have handed out hard. I merely stated Sprunger: Look out, hold your head high, we make our checks done.” It was never his intention to hurt an opponent to be. Have misunderstood “He needs me.”

Where is the truth? Well, “trash talk”, the verbal provocation that is part of hockey as the blue line and the puck. This is usually very deep below the belt line and Backes is a “trash talker”. So who says Sprunger said in this case the truth comes out pretty close to the truth.

Well then, Backes is not only an evil, he is also a spectacular player. He is considered the fastest strikers in the NHL and evil has with his size (191 cm) and weight (102 kg) on the outdoor tracks an enormous punch. Yannick Weber knows it: Backes is it easy to run the 2-0 and away. The fists of the American, are just as feared as his pace. In the course of this NHL season, he has just three Canadians who play here in Vancouver, called the fist fight. He has defeated Chicago’s Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry Anaheim on points. By Rick Nash (Columbus), however, he got a bloody nose and a defeat.

Intimidation directed towards the most important tournament of all time? “No, no,” Backes incites against slapshot.ch. “These fights have been fortuitous in the game.”

He’s just an innocent angel. And indeed he does off the ice as one that might disturb not melt and does not provoke a Swiss international striker.