The Official Olympic Hockey Thread

[orpchar]

Doc said Canada had last change, when I was watching.

How do two different sources have two different answers for the same question?

He did make that mistake at least once during the broadcast, but USA/Bylsma had last change. Americans were the higher seed, having finished the round-robin stage with the same number of points as Canada, but with a better goal differential.

[Rocco]

What befuddles me is why U.S. head coach Dan Bylsma, having the last line change as the home team, didn't try enough to get Kessel's group away from Toews'. Makes no sense to me at all.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2014 ... ada-win-us" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

while that's classic DB, you still have Bergeron lurking. so it would have been really tough to match lines effectively.

It's really hard to beat a team that's deeper and better. Once again Canada gets their heads out of their rear ends in the Olympics just in time to play the US. This is starting to get old.

[tifosi77]

I wouldn't even want the bronze medal

So in the grand scheme of things, if the US wins and Sweden loses we will have beaten Czech Rep and Finland in the medal rounds but lost to Canada and they would have beat Slovenia and Finland but lost to Canada as well. Yet they will get the silver.

Never quite understood why the loser of a game got a higher medal than the winner of the other. Should the two winners get gold and silver, and the loser of the GM game get bronze?

[shmenguin]

No, they should not

[MRandall25]

I wouldn't even want the bronze medal

So in the grand scheme of things, if the US wins and Sweden loses we will have beaten Czech Rep and Finland in the medal rounds but lost to Canada and they would have beat Slovenia and Finland but lost to Canada as well. Yet they will get the silver.

Never quite understood why the loser of a game got a higher medal than the winner of the other. Should the two winners get gold and silver, and the loser of the GM game get bronze?

In a double-elimination style semifinal, the loser of the GM game would play the winner of the 3-4 consolation game for the bronze medal.

[tifosi77]

I don't know if that works, cos you've then got a game after the gold medal has been decided. And two teams will have played an extra game. And who gets the silver?

[MRandall25]

I don't know if that works, cos you've then got a game after the gold medal has been decided. And two teams will have played an extra game. And who gets the silver?

... Hold on.

Double elimination semifinals/finals.

Two teams lose in semis, winner of the semis loser teams gets to play the loser of the GM game for silver.

There, that makes more sense, but like you said, teams play extra.

[superconan]

Team loses in GM game and then they are expected to play again for silver? Do you really think in 2010 the US could have played or cared about playing for any other medal after the GM game?

It's fine how it is.

[MRandall25]

Right, I was just providing an alternative to show that this one was fine.

[superconan]

Right, I was just providing an alternative to show that this one was fine.

Okay good.

[Grunthy]

I don't care that much about losing, it is just how obnoxious a lot of Canadians are being about the win. Maybe because it is all they have going for them in their lives...

Spoiler:

the second sentence was completely sarcastic

[Staggy]

The loss today sucked, watching the game was terrifying. Every Canadian line is dangerous and a threat to score at any moment. As good as the US is, what do we have, maybe 5 or 6 guys that are locks to make Team Canada? They are just better and deeper. Hopefully we can pick up a nice win against the Fins tomorrow.

[Lt. Dish]

I don't care that much about losing, it is just how obnoxious a lot of Canadians are being about the win. Maybe because it is all they have going for them in their lives...

Spoiler:

the second sentence was completely sarcastic

This, and reading/hearing around the hockey cyberverse that the loss is all and only Shero's/Bylsma's/Orpik's fault. It's like the USA losing is a dream come true for Pens haters. I'm not a blind Pens minion, but seriously.

[MRandall25]

I don't care that much about losing, it is just how obnoxious a lot of Canadians are being about the win. Maybe because it is all they have going for them in their lives...

Spoiler:

the second sentence was completely sarcastic

This, and reading/hearing around the hockey cyberverse that the loss is all and only Shero's/Bylsma's/Orpik's fault. It's like the USA losing is a dream come true for Pens haters. I'm not a blind Pens minion, but seriously.

Actually, I'd say most of the Bylsma/Shero/Orpik blame is coming from Penguins fans with axes to grind, from what I've seen.

[Shakes]

Canada got their act together and played how they can - a near perfect defensive game allowing nothing down the middle and hardly any shots from within 10 feet. Even guys like Nash were back checking hard. Too good.

[DelPen]

I was just saying it's interesting that the US will have played harder teams and lost to the same teams as Sweden but ends up with a lower medal because Sweden had the luckiest draw I have ever seen in a tournament.

If it was a repechage style tournament everyone the winner beats goes back in to a bracket to play for Silver. If Canada wins, the US would play Latvia then that winner plays Sweden for Silver, loser gets bronze. If Sweden wins, Finland plays Slovenia then inner plays Canada.

Hard to still do that though here when you want a medal ceremony following the gold medal game.

[Tico Rick]

I don't care that much about losing, it is just how obnoxious a lot of Canadians are being about the win. Maybe because it is all they have going for them in their lives...

Spoiler:

the second sentence was completely sarcastic

Yeah, I have a Canadian friend who started up with the emails after the US women's loss. And seconds after the mens' game ended, he started calling me on Skype. I didn't answer, but he called me four times straight - persistent little bugger. From past experience I can say that, at least judging by this Canadian, they are sore winners.

[Gaucho]

Dejan Kovacevic ‏@Dejan_Kovacevic
Bronze-medal games are pretty stupid. Figure out a tiebreaker, and let them go home. Seriously, who cares who finishes third?

Not sure if serious.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

I don't care that much about losing, it is just how obnoxious a lot of Canadians are being about the win. Maybe because it is all they have going for them in their lives...

Spoiler:

the second sentence was completely sarcastic

This, and reading/hearing around the hockey cyberverse that the loss is all and only Shero's/Bylsma's/Orpik's fault. It's like the USA losing is a dream come true for Pens haters. I'm not a blind Pens minion, but seriously.

Actually, I'd say most of the Bylsma/Shero/Orpik blame is coming from Penguins fans with axes to grind, from what I've seen.

I disagree that its straight axes to grind, its not always that. Sometimes people actually look at the play and see issues. Does it mean I have an ax to grind, as you have accused me of in the past, if I am simply worried about seeing the same issues on a HCDB Penguins team this year that plagued us during the playoffs loss to the Bruins? Seeing the same issues that directly bumped us from the playoffs again and again can also mean legitimate concerns. Although some folks do take it over board and search for reasons to bash him I agree with that. But not everyone.

I mean, anyone would have to admit there is a funny sense of irony in how this loss looked exactly like a Penguins team last year. That along with refusal to match lines simply can not be ignored. Me, personally I am still not sure what 100% went wrong with the USA team. My biggest concern when they picked this team was I thought we would need a little more offensive push from our d-men. I was willing to give up a little bit to have a true offensive force.
,
Would this have made a difference? Or would Canada have just won 3-0 with a lapse or two. Would a guy like Paul Martin not being out, with good puck moving skills, have helped? Not sure. I do know that overall Canada had better players and depth so maybe it was just the better team won. Although we had some serious grit I think a lot of folks underrated the end to end ability of a lot of their forwards, plus they did have some size too. They were not just a skill team.

I know after the Russia victory plus a few other beat downs we had our hopes up. In the end I think the better team won and the score wasnt as close as the ice was tilted. Hope we can get the bronze but I dont think there is anything else to analyse other than maybe we just were not the best team.

[columbia]

Me, personally I am still not sure what 100% went wrong with the USA team.

I think you answered your own question:

I know after the Russia victory plus a few other beat downs we had our hopes up. In the end I think the better team won and the score wasnt as close as the ice was tilted. Hope we can get the bronze but I dont think there is anything else to analyse other than maybe we just were not the best team.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Me, personally I am still not sure what 100% went wrong with the USA team.

I think you answered your own question:

I know after the Russia victory plus a few other beat downs we had our hopes up. In the end I think the better team won and the score wasnt as close as the ice was tilted. Hope we can get the bronze but I dont think there is anything else to analyse other than maybe we just were not the best team.

Touche, lol.
I just dont trust my olympic scouting skills to say that is 100% true

[columbia]

We'll see what happens in a few minutes, but I don't think there's any shame in losing that game yesterday. Even about 6-7 minutes in, it seemed like the US hit their talent ceiling against a clearly superior team.
Quick is to be commended for keeping the game so close.

They never really had a chance.

[brwi]

We'll see what happens in a few minutes, but I don't think there's any shame in losing that game yesterday. Even about 6-7 minutes in, it seemed like the US hit their talent ceiling against a clearly superior team.
Quick is to be commended for keeping the game so close.

They never really had a chance.

That's pretty much it. You assemble that kind of roster and Mike Babcock is also the HC, yeah, good luck to anyone else. Incredible talent and a coach who really knows how to manage these type of games. People forget that Babcock has won internationally before ever being in the NHL. Great talent + great coaching = Winning

[Orlando Penguin]

In other news, there's a game going on now. And Quick/Kesler/McDonagh just came up with 3 ridiculous saves to keep Finland scoreless.

[DelPen]

I don't think the refs know the international rules