The Official Olympics Hockey Thread

[philou21]

Whoa CJ is replacing Tasku tonight!

[batdad]

CJ ..... Tasku.....same person? And yeah I know. But are not all of those guys in the Olympics...actually all but Neal and Hedman.

[CJ]

Oh man what a hangover. I don't remember commenting here last night.

[philou21]

LOL

[ForNever]

Is Slovakia finally facing an opponent that is good enough for them? Still 0-0 in the beginning of 3rd. Alexander Radulov checking his own team mates and then there's this :

[philou21]

Nice reflex hahaha Did he get a penalty on that?

[ForNever]

Nope! Goooo Slovakia! Finland just secured that unless we lose more than with 6 goals to Canada Finland's at least the best 2nd team in group section so it's looking like Finland is going to the quarter finals.

Also if Slovakia wins now we can lose 0-8 and still go there. Thanks to our players scoring so much.

[nino33]

Nice reflex hahaha Did he get a penalty on that?

Nope!

Actually he did...

[CJ]

Eagerly waiting for the Finland Canada game.

[batdad]

Big ice and these euro teams make hockey like watching paint dry.

I am shocked there are any hockey fans in Europe. This hockey is rubbish.

[Tasku]

Big ice and these euro teams make hockey like watching paint dry.

I am shocked there are any hockey fans in Europe. This hockey is rubbish.

Well that's like... your opinion man...

[Peter_Doherty]

Big ice and these euro teams make hockey like watching paint dry.

I am shocked there are any hockey fans in Europe. This hockey is rubbish.

2 teams on the ice though, not like Canada lit the world up with their amazing play. Thanks Finland for giving us an easier quarter on paper

[CJ]

Thanks Finland for giving us an easier quarter on paper

Sweden are usually very lucky to get the easier teams.

[Peter_Doherty]

Thanks Finland for giving us an easier quarter on paper

Sweden are usually very lucky to get the easier teams.

Yeah, and then we lose against them. Can't see us losing to Austria or Slovenia though.

[ForNever]

Nice reflex hahaha Did he get a penalty on that?

Nope!

Actually he did...

Meh, wasn't following that game so much. My bad anyways!

What a game today. I gotta say I'm proud of that particular team playing so well, at least defensively. Canada deserved the win, no doubt about it. We should've gotten a penalty for boarding in overtime so Canada would've probably anyways scored from that. If we keep playing as a team like this I'd say medal games are realism and there is a, very slight but anyways, chance for the gold. We got to remember that our quarter final opponent has to play a game more than us anyways and also anyone is better than Canada as an opponent. Feeling confident when our next likely opponents are going to be Russia and Sweden, what's this?

What I would've said if we had won (a really bad pun): ''Well, I guess the Price is wrong!''

[batdad]

The point I was making....is this....Stand 5 guys in front of the net. Flip pucks out of zone. Stand 5 guys in front of net. Flip puck out of zone. Sit on blueline wait...flip puck out. Dump puck in. Do not chase it...sit 5 guys on blueline, collapse 5 guys to front of net.

It is like pinball. Except the Euro teams have 6 flippers instead of 2 (or 3).

It is the dumbest type of hockey in the history of the world. Sure...rubbish teams can maybe get a tie or a lucky win out of it. But it is not hockey.

I hate coaches who play to win by 1, and play to tie. It is the most boring hockey. You can do it on a small rink too, but not to the same level of success.

Quite honestly, the way the Finns, Norwegians, Swiss, Austrians, and even sometimes Czechs, Slovaks, and Russians have played the game on the big ice...it should be banned. Seriously, this is like watching paint dry.

Canada was extremely amazing. They dominated zone time and puck possession time, they dominated 90 percent of the game, and quite honestly played really well.

Ice conditions did not help either team and made things worse than they would have been with good ice. But....this style of play is soccer style. It is horrible, and completely turns me off of the game, and I would venture to say most North American hockey people are saying the same thing. There is no skill involved in what many of these teams are doing.

I mean they actually do not even have to know how to skate. Just stand there and play 6 goalies. Shoot the puck out. Repeat and hope for a break and 1 good shift and a goal.

The 2010 Olympic hockey teams were much more exciting, because they you know...had to do something.

[ForNever]

Except no one in Team Finland could've fit Team Canada (with maybe the exception of goalies) so it's not so darn wise to play offensively against them... Just look at the teams. Canada always has the best team, of course others play defensively against you, it would be madness to put all effort to offence. Also it wouldn't be fun watching games ending up 32-11 for Canada either. And no, bad teams cannot win with it. Just look at games between, for instance, Canada and Norway. How many has Norway won? Probably not many I bet, and I also bet that every time they've played Norway has been playing the defensive style. So it's not football with 0-0, good teams score, no matter how defensively the other team plays.

It's just the way things are, as they were and as they will be. Facts of skill differences. I hate complaining after a win more than I hate boring styles of play.

[Tasku]

But you make it sound like that's how Euro hockey works all the time, every time. It's not all defense. It's all defense only when you're the clear underdog. Defend and counter attack. And it worked, because Canada was unable to score and the game went to OT.

[philou21]

I personnally thought the game was boring. Both team did nothing spectacular, almost no shots. (Especially from Finn) But the Finn played a good defensive game even though it isn't the most entertaining to watch.

[batdad]

Not saying that is how it works, saying that is the ULTIMATE danger of making the big rink part of the game in North America. You get a team that is nowhere near the quality of other teams, and they can win by doing this. It is a similar tactic to the Flyers doing that stupid thing standing behind the net for an hour because the other stupid team will not forecheck. I HATE IT. It is sooooooo dumb. Sure teams on even par will not do this, but my god Finland is supposedly a top 5 team in the world. I do not care how many injuries they have....Russia same thing and they have done it. Czechs Slovaks. So darn stupid. Ruins hockey even more than Lemaire and his idiot Devils.

it may be the way things are right now...but there is a way to stop it. Lose the coaches. Or at least lose about 5 of the 6. Do not need that many annoying silly billies on the bench.

Really? You guys think Selanne, Jagr, Ovechkin, etc think this is the way they need to play? Vanek? Grabner? God Even Zuccarello?

The best players are NOT being allowed by the idiot coaches to do their thing. The game is NOT winning any fans with idiot teams doing this.

So .... please do not complain about the fact that 2nd tier players will be in the Olympic Games in Korea. Because you know what...the NHL is not going back. This is not a good advertisement for hockey. It ruins it. It is NOT...going to make the USA want to watch hockey, nor is it going to make anyone else interested in it.


It is an abomonation. And needs to have a stop put to it in some way shape or form.

I do not care how many injuries a team has, I do not care if they are better or worse than the other team. Lining up 6 McDavid-ing goalies is the dumbest McDavid-ing thing ever.

[Tasku]

I'm not saying I like to watch defensive hockey. I'm just saying it's the obvious tactical choice for a team that can't keep up with the opponent.

And I do agree, that small rinks make for a more exciting hockey game, and I think we Europeans should also consider using them. But old habits are hard to change. At least so it seems.

[philou21]

Big rinks have an advantage IMO for offensive defensemen to show their skills even more with all that space.

[batdad]

No...they do not. They skate up the ice and up the ice and then run into the DEFENSIVE LINE standing in the crease. No matter how many skills they show, not getting through the line. The goals scored by the Canadian defenseman

1. Weber---booming shot, on a decent play that one of the line members jumped out of the way of.
2. Doughty-move, backhand shot that found a spot where the goalie is known to be weak.
3. Weber--booming shot on a line change that Perry made a nice play on.
4. Doughty-lucky shot that goalie or line should have stopped.
5. Doughty--bad goal in 4x4 hockey (the OT one)
6. Doughty PP goal---Blow past only 5 linemen instead of requisite 6 due to penalty.


Now the other goals Canada has.

Carter--crash through the line, 3 times bang and whack.


THat is 8. How many do they have? 3-1, 6-0-, 2-1. 11

None of those goals has much to do with skill at all, other than the bombs by Weber. Sure 1 of DOughty goals was pretty. Rest were just the d-line not doing their jobs. B-O-R-I-N-G.

[philou21]

WEll I thought in some games they were taking more risk than they do in the NHL and I liked it.

[batdad]

Lol philou. There is no risk to skate up ice. All the euro players are just standing in their crease. They could do 3 quad axles with the puck a sit spin and blow kisses to the crowd. God they could even bring their girlfriends out on the ice and dance a quick step.

But then...artistic impression scores would be bought and the Russians would win.