The Official Olympic Hockey Thread

[SubtropicalPenguin]

Is there a website tracking player stats?

[npv708]

Is there a website tracking player stats?

http://sochi2014.iihf.com/men/statistics/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[SubtropicalPenguin]

Thanks.

[largegarlic]

My thanks go to npv as well. I've found it really difficult to find good sites for Olympic hockey standings and stats.

[npv708]

My thanks go to npv as well. I've found it really difficult to find good sites for Olympic hockey standings and stats.

No problem. I ended up at IIHF looking for box scores from the games as NBC, NHL, even TSN.ca had the scores but no info along with it.

They also have an ice hockey app which includes live box scores for the games. I've found that super helpful.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

Why does it seem like Kunitz is out of his element? Couldn't watch today's game but he seemed meh against Norway.

Also, big game tomorrow...

[Mr. Colby]

Arturs Kulda is the only guy on Latvia whose name doesn't end in S

[MRandall25]

Kunitz seems out his element because he really is out of his element.

[mikey287]

Arturs Kulda is the only guy on Latvia whose name doesn't end in S

I believe, 'S' is the masculine way to end a word/name in Latvian. Even a guy like Sandis Ozolinsh is really Sandis Ozolins (with a diacritical mark of some sort) but he added the "h" when coming over for pronunciation purposes...

Arturs was born in Germany, and based on that last name, he may have a Czech parent (Tomas?)...

[Idoit40fans]

Tomas is his dad?

[mikey287]

Tomas is his dad?

I'm assuming so...

[npv708]

Tomas is his dad?

I'm assuming so...

Sounds like he had a pretty Kulda'd growing up.

[superconan]

Best line on Kunitz so far - Kunitz is a moon, orbiting a planet. Stars might be better.

[Pavel Bure]

The Swiss team is still impressive. Very gritty, very defensively sound. If they had one or two legit superstar players they'd be quite a force.

[mikey287]

It's a very good point. The Swiss in the last couple years can legitimately be talked about in the Big 8, as oppose to the Big 7...the Swiss are turning the corner, you see it from the NT down to their junior develop. It's not all the way there, but it's really coming along nicely. The domestic league is good, the NT is disciplined, that's the best word for them for me, is disciplined...if they keep developing at this rate, they'll be able to give the declining Czechs and Slovaks a run for their money regularly very soon...

They're in a lot of games...they can't smack around teams like Latvia yet (with respect to them, a hard working group in their own right) because they don't ooze skill...but they're in a lot games...

[pcm]

Best line on Kunitz so far - Kunitz is a moon, orbiting a planet. Stars might be better.

So Sid is the planet? But planets orbit stars. And Sid undoubtedly is a star. This makes no sense.

[pcm]

In Switzerland, if you order an icecream cone with 2 scopes, you get a forked cone with 2 "cups". Putting one scope ontop of the other is barbaric.

Yes, very disciplined.

[mikey287]

[Rocco]

Imagine how many goals Canada would have if they took Claude Giroux instead of that heartless turd Crosby.

[mikey287]

Same gif.

[superconan]

Best line on Kunitz so far - Kunitz is a moon, orbiting a planet. Stars might be better.

So Sid is the planet? But planets orbit stars. And Sid undoubtedly is a star. This makes no sense.

He's a star.

Doesn't sound like Kunitz gets replaced. Finding one winger should be easier then finding two right now.

[meecrofilm]

Kunitz seems out his element because he really is out of his element.

Watching the Austria game, it still seems like he, and definitely Sid to a decent extent too, are still playing a very NHL-style game, if you will -- taking it to the boards, trying to cycle a lot, playing with a very "go go go" attitude... some guys are really taking advantage of the extra space and slowing it down in the o-zone and using their stick handling ability and size to really possess the puck and wait for things to open up. I feel like Sid more than anyone should be able to use that extra space to just own puck possession and make the o-zone his own playground, but, just isn't happening yet.

Would love to see Matty Duchene playing with Sid, but unsurprisingly he looked quite good with the two tall trees in Getzlaf and Perry, which, at the moment, leaves Sid with a combo of Kunitz, Carter, Nash, Sharp, and St. Louis -- all good players in their own rights, but, IMO, you want a dominating 1st line, you flank Sid with Duchene and Tavares, and that's a no-brainer decision to me.

But, in the end, as an American, I can't complain too too much

[shafnutz05]

What are the predictions for tomorrow's USA-Russia tilt?

[mikey287]

Predictions:
Kegs and eggs.
USA 90 - Russia -4

...but seriously, kegs and eggs. USA 3, Russia 2...

[Staggy]

5-2 USA. I think our top two lines will dominate and the Backes line will wear the Russians down.