Pick your own Actual Canadian Border Battle Team.

fxskater

Ryan The Salmon Arm Lynn
Silver Member
It seems that year after year Canada loses the Border Battle. I think it is partially because we don't put are best foot forward every time. So here's your chance, if you could pick your very own Border Battle team, what would it be? I would prefer if we only picked 100% canadians, which rules out Alex. I don't want any borrowed players. Here is my team:

Brady Gollan - Not much recognition, but i feel he is the best player in BC, he's been playing pretty well lately too.
Eric Horliefson (sp?) - He did very well last year beating Archer, he's a great Up and comer.
Alain Martel - I dunno why, but for some reason I like watching this guy play, and he seems to do well at the border battle.
Luc Salvas - Does pretty well at the WPC every year, and he beat Archer and Hohmann in the World Pool Masters last year.
Danny Hewitt - I don't know much about him, but i have heard good things and his name always seems to be near the top of the field in any tournament i see him play. I have never seen him play though, so who knows.

Whats your guys picks? Any of you guys seen Brady play?
 
fxskater said:
It seems that year after year Canada loses the Border Battle. I think it is partially because we don't put are best foot forward every time. So here's your chance, if you could pick your very own Border Battle team, what would it be? I would prefer if we only picked 100% canadians, which rules out Alex. I don't want any borrowed players. Here is my team:

Brady Gollan - Not much recognition, but i feel he is the best player in BC, he's been playing pretty well lately too.
Eric Horliefson (sp?) - He did very well last year beating Archer, he's a great Up and comer.
Alain Martel - I dunno why, but for some reason I like watching this guy play, and he seems to do well at the border battle.
Luc Salvas - Does pretty well at the WPC every year, and he beat Archer and Hohmann in the World Pool Masters last year.
Danny Hewitt - I don't know much about him, but i have heard good things and his name always seems to be near the top of the field in any tournament i see him play. I have never seen him play though, so who knows.

Whats your guys picks? Any of you guys seen Brady play?

I have seen Brady play numerous times and have also had the misfortune to have to play him. I agree with what you have to say about him. I would think that Stan Tourangeau might be a good addition to the list along with John Horsfal.

Lunchmoney
 
fxskater said:
It seems that year after year Canada loses the Border Battle. I think it is partially because we don't put are best foot forward every time. So here's your chance, if you could pick your very own Border Battle team, what would it be? I would prefer if we only picked 100% canadians, which rules out Alex. I don't want any borrowed players. Here is my team:

What do you mean 100% Canadian? I thought Alex was a Canadian citizen. What about Ronnie Wiseman?
 
Alex is a Canadian citizen, hes also a Filipino citizen i assume, making him a dual citizen. I'm talking about born Canadians. Stan and John would also be good additions, i would have put them on my list but i have heard so many good things about Danny Hewitt. Ronnie Wiseman is good, but not nearly good enough. I wouldn't put him in TOP 5 Canadians catergory. I like my list how it is, with the exeption of switching out Danny Hewitt for another Westerner, since i don't know how he plays.
 
John Bear

Hey FX,

I was talking to a friend of mine this weekend about Canadian players after watching Stan T. win a bar box tourney and I mentioned John Bear. My friend said that he seemed to remember that John had passed away. Is this true?


Lunchmoney
 
I don't know much about John. I'm friends with Jimmy, and hes alive and well, was in Vegas a month and a half ago.
 
Hmm, that is a tough call but it sure would be nice to see some fresh blood in the border battle instead of the same old Ontario/Quebec players year after year....I mean really, what the hell has Cliff Thorburn ever done in the 9-ball world? I can think of quite a few from the west that would represent Canada very well, including(in no particular order):

Edwin Montal
Tyler Edey
Paul Potier
John Horsfall
Mike Vidas
Eric Hjorliefson
Brady Gollan
Brian Butler (even though he's on a temp. work visa in Georgia, he's still 100% Canadian and can shoot as straight as any of these guys and isn't afraid to put his jellybeans on the line.)

I'm sure there are lots more that I have forgotten but these ones really jump out at me.
 
SpinDoctor said:
Brian Butler (even though he's on a temp. work visa in Georgia, he's still 100% Canadian and can shoot as straight as any of these guys and isn't afraid to put his jellybeans on the line.)

Didn't know Brian was Canadian... ohh, I like him anyway lol (just kidding, Brian :p)

Well, Luc and Brian then! :)
 
Yeah i forgot to mention that it pisses me off that Cliff Thorburn still makes it in every year. But i guess they want name recognition for TV ratings than an actual competent team that could win it for us. I honestly feel we have good enough players to win it, we just don't put our best foot forward.

I have never heard of Brian Butler, and i have only seen Tyler Edey play a few times, and Edwin only once. Thats why i was a little hesitant to put them on my list.
 
My five are Luc Salvas, Erik Hjorleifson, Paul Potier, Dan Hewitt, and John Morra.
 
My advice to you FX is that if Edwin or Brian ever come to Salmon Arm and are going to gamble with your best locals...either keep your cash in your jeans or bet it all against your hometown guys. There aren't many guys in the West with enough of a gear to keep up to either of them, and in the long run they're gonna get all the dough. I've spent many hours playing with Brian and have watched Edwin betting it up quite a few times, and I know where my cash would be when they're in action. ;)
 
At the last Kelowna tourny i watched a match between Edwin and Tyler and neither was playing so well. But i did see Edwin play great later in the day. SJM, i like your list, but would trade out Paul Potier for Brady Gollan. All skill aside i think Brady would be a better team player. Paul might be a little annoyed that he isn't the team captain, or doesnt recieve all the recognition he deserves. I feel that being a TEAM PLAYER might be a factor in this event. John Morra is an interesting Pick. I know hes been winning some events, but hes still a pretty questionable pick in my books, but then again i havent seen him play. Just seems a little young to me.

Spindoctor: If the 64th and 63rd best women on the WPBA came to my town, my money would be on them, and I would be the player to play. Other than Doug Foster and 1 other player, but they don't gamble. Tell Brian and Edwin if they are planning a trip here I'll play em 50 cent races to 17 if they give me the NUTS.
 
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fxskater said:
At the last Kelowna tourny i watched a match between Edwin and Tyler and neither was playing so well. But i did see Edwin play great later in the day.

Edwin and Tyler are both road partners and were team mates on the second place BCA 8-ball Masters team a while back. It does not really benefit either one to play top speed against each other. Take what you saw with a grain of salt. That Edwin shot better against someone else makes sense.

My list

Edwin: Best in the West over the long haul. He plays as good as pretty much any top pro, problem is he simply does not get the chance to play in enough events to prove himself on the international stage. Any tourney in western Canada and the northwest USA will have Edwin at the top of the Calcutta, and the buyer usually gets paid off.

Danny Hewitt: He is young, he won the Atlanta 10-ball event for a huge payday against tons of top pro's. He deserves to be there and be promoted by Canada and has proved he can play world class.

Tyler Edey: Beat Alain this year in the Canadians and got deep in the tourney. Played world class in the states on the few chances to go there such as the US Open, drilling alot of top pro players. Has all the skills of the top players in the US like Basavich/Schmidt/Owen and simply not the same level of opportunity or experiance.

Brady Gollan: Played awesome in the Great White event. Went deep in the Canadians. Has beaten most of the top pro's he has faced in his limited playing time in top events.

Erik Hjorfelson: A future star of the game for Canada. He plays solid pool and needs more exposure.

Honerable mention

Mike Vidas: A young player who plays nearly pro level, it would be good to get him the international experiance.

Luc Salvas: Tons of international experiance. I dont include him because of all the pro pool he has played he has not done as well as others would given the same opportunities IMO.

John Horsefall: How is he playing these days? He is definately a great player, probably the most successful to date from Canada and would be a match for any of the American team if included. He does not need the experiance though and would gain nothing from the Border Battle.

Alain Martel: He was better in the past. He is too old to really gain anything from the experiance. Border battle is a chance to get our up and coming players or those with limited exposure who have shown they can beat the pros out there.

Ronnie Wiseman: I dont think he is given enough credit above. Ronnie plays awesome and always is a match for the pro's. Nevertheless he is like Luc and has had a ton of opportunity and experiance and has less of a result then anyone on my list would have with the same opportunities.
 
i think thorburn is there as experience. until a year ago, he was the only canadian with a world title (and the only non UK player to have captured it), and dont forget he was the first to shoot a maximum at the crucible - even if he fluked the first red :)
 
Hi five to SJM

JOHN MORRA, this kids going to be tearing up the pool world and he isnt even 18. I had the honors of watching and playing him 2 years ago at the super billiard expo. I wish i could see how he has improved in those 2 years. He is also a true gentleman. Hope to see him make it big in the usa. I dont think it will be long .
 
telkwa said:
i think thorburn is there as experience. until a year ago, he was the only canadian with a world title (and the only non UK player to have captured it), and dont forget he was the first to shoot a maximum at the crucible - even if he fluked the first red :)

Yeah but Wayne Gretzky is the all time leading scorer, I think he should have been there instead of Cliff.
 
I do believe I've seen every player in Canada and based on their performances and potential my first 4 pick would be : Danny Hewitt, Erik Hjorleifson, Alain Martel, Chris Orme. Then I would hesitate between Montal, Golan and Guimond (who finished 2nd this year and who has won the canadian in the past. He also did very well this year at the US open even beating Alex P.). There you have it.

Thierry Layani
www.layanicues.com
 
Sweet Marissa said:
Didn't know Brian was Canadian... ohh, I like him anyway lol (just kidding, Brian :p)

Well, Luc and Brian then! :)

Very flattering, Marissa - too bad Angry's in the picture - what chance would I have against competition like that :confused: ?


For the record my choices would be:

Alex Pagulayan
Brady Gollan
Danny Hewitt
John Horsfall
Mike Vidas
Jeff White
 
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