Olympic Ice Hockey

[Gil Dobie]

Watched a few minutes this morning. Hope the ice on the temporary rink shapes up for the big matches. Sweden was pushing up and the puck stuck in a puddle, the Swede fell going back, and the Kazakstan skater went in for the short handed goal. : smh : : smh : : smh :

Looking forward to the rest of the games.

[AppGuy04]

Sweden wins that game 7-2

Canada also beats Italy 7-2 with 5 2nd period goals, not bad really for the Italian goalie who faced 50 shots, compared to only 20 for Brodeur

In Progress: Finland up 4-0 on the Suisse in the 2nd

[AppGuy04]

Finland wins 5-0, Gerber allows all 5 goals, is replaced by Aebischer in the 3rd

next game: Germany vs Czechs, Ollie the Goalie vs Hasek

Germany up 1-0 looking for the upset bid, 1 minutes before end of 1st

update: Hasek left 9:25 into the game, not sure why, replaced by Tomas Vokoun

[AppGuy04]

Czechs score 2 goals in first 4 minutes, take a 2-1 lead

Hasek has an injury, but they haven't disclosed it

[AppGuy04]

2-1 Czech lead after the 2nd. All 3 goals in the game came on the power play

Hasek's injury:http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/5108933/detail.html?qs=pt=espn

[AppGuy04]

Czechs beat Germany 4-1

2 goals by Tomas Kaberle, and 1 by Jagr

[bison95]

:boring: :boring: xcoffeex xcoffeex

I didn't know the NHL allstar weekend was here already? Who won the Skills competition?

[AppGuy04]

US up 2-1 with goals from Brian Gionta and Craig Conroy, near the end of the 1st period

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

I don't know how many of you have access to a TV right now, but USA-Latvia is in the first period on the USA Network. And it is REALLY good hockey! The teams are flying, the crowd is loud and stoked!! Because the olympic game is played on a larger ice surface than the NHL rink (15' wider), these games tend not to be the clutch and grab stuff seen so often in the NHL.

I've watched World Cup Hockey in the past. The larger rink and the high skill level of the teams added to the nationalism usually translates into excellent hockey. Even the announcers are salivating about the quality of play!! If you're even a casual hockey fan, watching some Olympic hockey should be a priority!!

Oh yeah, US 2-1 at the end of the first!!

[AppGuy04]

Latvia up 3-2, 3 minutes left in 2nd period

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

It will be an interesting 3rd period. Apparently, many of the Americans were late arrivals in Italy due to the east coast snow storm on Sunday. Working on short sleep and a six hour time difference. At least we have four lines we can play. That helps immensely with the fatigue factor. Having made that type of trip four times, I can appreciate the "jet lag". Then again, I doubt they were cramped into a coach seat like my 6'3" was! xlolx

I find Olympic and World Cup hockey to have Stanley Cup Playoff type intensity with greater skill and speed thanks to the larger ice surface. JMHO, but a much better product. Now, if you enjoy all the holding, grabbing and fisticuffs, then this won't be your cup of tea.

[AppGuy04]

On a side note, Slovakia beats Russia 5-3

[AppGuy04]

2 minutes into the 3rd, Jordan Leopold scores to tie it 3-3

[LeopardFan04]

A tie it is...gotta give it to Irbe for making so many big saves for Latvia...

[AppGuy04]

A tie it is...gotta give it to Irbe for making so many big saves for Latvia...

might get him a look on an NHL team if he plays well

[Ivytalk]

A tie against Latvia. Oh, well, I can live with that. The Slovaks beat the Russkies! :D

[AppGuy04]

A tie against Latvia. Oh, well, I can live with that. The Slovaks beat the Russkies! :D

we didn't lose, but it was a far from stellar performance if we intend on trying to medal

[AppGuy04]

First game of the day:

Finland beats Italy 6-0, moves to 2-0, Italy 0-2

In progress: Suisse beating Czechs 3-2 late 3rd period

[AppGuy04]

Game over, Suisse beat Czechs 3-2, both teams now 1-1

next up, Sweden vs Russia, Russia trying to bounce back from upset loss to Slovakia, Sweden was never challenged in first game, a 7-2 win over Kazakhstan

[AppGuy04]

Russia up 2-0 on Sweden mid way thru the 2nd period

goals by Alexei Kovalev and Alexander Ovechkin

[AppGuy04]

Russia up 3-0 on Sweden 5 minutes into the 3rd

Slovakia up 4-1 on Latvia at the end of the 1st period

[AppGuy04]

Russia bounces back nicely with a 5-0 win over Sweden, both teams now 1-1

Latvia making a comeback, now 4-3 mid 2nd period

[AppGuy04]

Slovakia beats Latvia 6-3

Slovaks move to 2-0
Latvia moves to 0-1-1

next up, Canada vs Germany

[Pard4Life]

Hockey has been awesome, definetely the best part of the Olympics, next to apline skiing. Latvia has been very impressive, they attack the net like wolves, but their power play looks a mess and they don't really have a clue what they are doing. Slovakia looks really good right now and their goaltending and defense has been much better than anticipated. I've always thought that the Slovaks had more potential than the Czechs, but that goaltending was their achiellies heel since there were no NHLers. But I guess that has changed.

And how about Russia? Every team the mainstream media has been high-on has been less than spectacular, except Canada. Finland is playing hot too, and no writer guessed that. Germany surprised me some yesterday with their very tough play.. but again.. like Latvia, bad power play. Kolzig was a machine.

When is USA going to show up? or are they still on the plane?

[AppGuy04]

Canada up 3-0 on Germany 12 minutes into the game

Goals by Redden, Sakic, and Gagne

[AppGuy04]

Canada up 4-1 in the 2nd

US vs Kazakhstan- US up 3-0 in the 1st, finally looking like a team

[AppGuy04]

Canada wins 5-1

US wins 4-1, very good defense, only 12 shots on DiPietro

[AppGuy04]

US Women face Sweden in the Semifinals today at 11:05am EST

[AppGuy04]

US Women up 2-0 only 2 minutes into the 2nd period

[AppGuy04]

Interesting article by Dan Wetzel about US Hockey
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/torino2006/ice_hockey/news;_ylt=AkjBSDlP3NCL70q4OObFitV7vLYF?slug=dw-hockey021606&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I think he has a point

[AppGuy04]

Changes for women's hockey too:http://www.tsn.ca/canadian_hockey/news_story.asp?id=155240

[AppGuy04]

US Women and Sweden tied 2-2 starting the 3rd

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Game going to OT at 2-2. US survives a 5 on 3 disadvantage during the final two minutes and is still shorthanded going into OT.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

US Team has made some horrible turnovers in this game and the Swedish goaltender is playing extremely well.

I can't believe that Olympic rules only allow a 10 minute OT then it goes to penalty shots!

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Game goes to a shoot out! US had a power play in OT but just had too many shots not on goal.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Geez, even in soccer they play two OTs, correct? In the NCAA tournament, you play until you drop -- all OT sessions until you get a winner.

Darn, first US skater hits the post!!

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

Sweden goes to the gold medal game winning the shootout by burying two out of four shots while the US got nada. Even being awarded another shot because the Swedish goaltender left the crease early didn't help. Un-freaking-believeable!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

[AppGuy04]

US women win the Bronze 4-0 over Finland

[Ivytalk]

One US player, who was also on the '98 gold and '02 silver teams, sarcastically said before the game that she wanted the complete set!

[AppGuy04]

One US player, who was also on the '98 gold and '02 silver teams, sarcastically said before the game that she wanted the complete set!

I'm sure she'd rather have the double gold

side note: US Men play Russia today, even if they lose, they should make the quarterfinals, though they'd have to play undefeated Finland in that round

-----check that, Latvia lost yesterday to Kazakhstan, so the US is in

[Gil Dobie]

I'm sure she'd rather have the double gold

side note: US Men play Russia today, even if they lose, they should make the quarterfinals, though they'd have to play undefeated Finland in that round

-----check that, Latvia lost yesterday to Kazakhstan, so the US is in

Playing the Fins is much better than playing the Canadians in the first game, IMO.

[AppGuy04]

Playing the Fins is much better than playing the Canadians in the first game, IMO.

not when Nittymaki has thrown 3 shutouts, including one against Canada

[AppGuy04]

The Fins just threw another shutout, that makes 4 in 5 games, 2 by each of their goalies. I repeat, we DO NOT want to face them right now.

[Ivytalk]

The Fins just threw another shutout, that makes 4 in 5 games, 2 by each of their goalies. I repeat, we DO NOT want to face them right now.

Given their nation's problems in skiing and ski-jumping this year, folks in Helsinki must be pretty psyched by the success of the hockey team!

[AppGuy04]

Given their nation's problems in skiing and ski-jumping this year, folks in Helsinki must be pretty psyched by the success of the hockey team!

any country would be psyched with an undefeated team that has thrown 4 shutouts in 5 games

[AppGuy04]

Looks like the US is looking to the quarters, they can't get better than 4th in their group, so they started Esche today in goal, and I wouldn't be surprised if they rest some of the top line guys and spread out the minutes a little more

evidence: down 2-0 11 minutes into the game

[AppGuy04]

Quarterfinal schedule:

Switzerland vs Sweden 10:35EST- The Swedish coach wanted the Swiss, well, he got it, and I think its gonna backfire, Gerber and Abs are hot!

Finland vs USA 11:35EST- This is a winnable game for the US. They showed some life yesterday scoring 4 goals, but that will be tough against Nittymaki. This game falls on DiPietro, if he shows up, they win.

Russia vs Canada 2:35EST- Canada should win this easily, but they haven't exactly looked like the gold medal favs

Slovakia vs Czech Republic 3:35EST- anyone else see the irony in this matchup?? Slovakia has been the much better team thus far, but the Czechs have far more talent.

[SunCoastBlueHen]

If the U.S. wins today, loses the semi-final game and then wins the third place game, they would finish with a record of 3-4-1 and get a medal with a losing record. Is this correct?

[Ivytalk]

If the U.S. wins today, loses the semi-final game and then wins the third place game, they would finish with a record of 3-4-1 and get a medal with a losing record. Is this correct?

You're absolutely right! Ain't the Olympics great?

[AppGuy04]

any medal for the US this year would be an accomplishment

[AppGuy04]

Fins up 2-1 after 1st period

[AppGuy04]

US ties it up at 2-2, then scores on a 2 man advantage after a US player is out of position getting his glove that fell off, damn international rules: flamemad

[Gil Dobie]

Down 4-2 with 20 left :(

[AppGuy04]

Down 4-2 with 20 left :(

Don't think we have the firepower to pull this one out, please prove me wrong

[Gil Dobie]

Curlers are up 1-0 after 1 end.

[AppGuy04]

4-3 now, 5 to go

[AppGuy04]

US loses 4-3

Just not enough fire power

[AppGuy04]

Russians are beating Canada 1-0 in the 3rd, this would be a big upset

[AppGuy04]

Russia beats the Canadiens 2-0, there will be a riot in Canada tonight, watch out

[griz37]

Russia beats the Canadiens 2-0, there will be a riot in Canada tonight, watch out

I wonder if Gretzky was a distraction to the team?

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

US loses 4-3

Just not enough fire power

Too many penalties on the US, and probably the worst defense in the tournament. How can we expect to be a competitive team when they had ONE hour of practice before the tournament?? Even if they hadn't been delayed by the blizzard, they wouldn't have had too much practice beforehand. Yep, just throw an "all star" team out there with no experience playing together. Sounds like a good plan to me. :rolleyes:

[AppGuy04]

Too many penalties on the US, and probably the worst defense in the tournament. How can we expect to be a competitive team when they had ONE hour of practice before the tournament?? Even if they hadn't been delayed by the blizzard, they wouldn't have had too much practice beforehand. Yep, just throw an "all star" team out there with no experience playing together. Sounds like a good plan to me. :rolleyes:

maybe they will take the example of the NBA and try to put together a "team" next year, and dear lord, please get rid of the 44 year olds *cough* Chelios

[Georgia Griz]

Bring the amateurs back. They play with more desire.

[AppGuy04]

Bring the amateurs back. They play with more desire.

we don't necessarily need amateurs, b/c that doesn't really exists anymore, they start playing professionally practically at 16 or 17, but we do need younger guys, more heart, more grit

[Georgia Griz]

we don't necessarily need amateurs, b/c that doesn't really exists anymore, they start playing professionally practically at 16 or 17, but we do need younger guys, more heart, more grit

Nope, just college players. Anyone who is making money to play professional hockey has less desire than those trying to break into pro hockey. Trust me, I think that you would see more exciting games. The play won't be as skilled, but you will certainly witness more desire.

[AppGuy04]

Nope, just college players. Anyone who is making money to play professional hockey has less desire than those trying to break into pro hockey. Trust me, I think that you would see more exciting games. The play won't be as skilled, but you will certainly witness more desire.
and you know as well as I do that Americans are not happy with just desire, they want wins

[Georgia Griz]

and you know as well as I do that Americans are not happy with just desire, they want wins

Most Americans aren't even following olympic ice hockey, so they couldn't care less. If they did watch, and clamor for wins, they would have been sorely disappointed this year. I think that U.S. amateurs could have managed as many wins as the U.S. pros this winter.

There will never be another Miracle on Ice-type moment if the U.S. continues to use pro players.

Plus, sending NHLers to the Winter Games forces the League to shut down completely for much too long. Any momentum that a team had going into this Olympic break will be lost when NHL play resumes.

[jstate83]

Anybody here that think a team of COLLEGE players can go to the Olympic's and win a gold medal in Basketball, Hockey, etc..................no offense..................But you are out of your mind.xlolx

Every other country has teams that are basically PRO's. The only difference is outside of a few players, these guy's play together year round. Throw in their "PRO" players on this same team and they would kill any college team you send.


The answer is not college players. The answer is people at the top doing the selecting. Yes, put "star's" on the team, but make it a TEAM. GET THE RIGHT MIX.

[Gil Dobie]

Anybody here that think a team of COLLEGE players can go to the Olympic's and win a gold medal in Basketball, Hockey, etc..................no offense..................But you are out of your mind.xlolx

Every other country has teams that are basically PRO's. The only difference is outside of a few players, these guy's play together year round. Throw in their "PRO" players on this same team and they would kill any college team you send.

That's the way it was until the Dream Team concept. Pros vs the USA collegeans. Today the international pros are much better and the USA collegeans are not staying four years in college anymore. They would not have a chance, unless the other nations sent collegeans also.

[AppGuy04]

That's the way it was until the Dream Team concept. Pros vs the USA collegeans. Today the international pros are much better and the USA collegeans are not staying four years in college anymore. They would not have a chance, unless the other nations sent collegeans also.
and not having a chance is far more important to Americans and the Olmpic Committee than who they send

[WYOBISONMAN]

All this may very well be moot as the NHL is giving some real serious consideration to not letting thier players participate in the Olympics.

On the other side.........I did like to see good old Chris Chelios out there....hell, the guy is only 6 months younger than I!!!

[AppGuy04]

All this may very well be moot as the NHL is giving some real serious consideration to not letting thier players participate in the Olympics.

On the other side.........I did like to see good old Chris Chelios out there....hell, the guy is only 6 months younger than I!!!

nobody, and i mean nobody can win olympic medals with 44 year olds on their hockey team, its pathetic, he's a great player, future hall of famer, but he should not be playing on the olympic team, he's a shadow of the player he once was

[Gil Dobie]

nobody, and i mean nobody can win olympic medals with 44 year olds on their hockey team, its pathetic, he's a great player, future hall of famer, but he should not be playing on the olympic team, he's a shadow of the player he once was

Actually Chelli probably played better than anyone else on the team USA. Russia has a couple old farts too, Federov and Mogilny at 37, Bure at 36.

[AppGuy04]

Actually Chelli probably played better than anyone else on the team USA. Russia has a couple old farts too, Federov and Mogilny at 37, Bure at 36.

36 and 37 are very different than 44

[AppGuy04]

Today's games:

Sweden vs Czech Republic 10:35am

Finland vs Russia 3:05pm

[Gil Dobie]

36 and 37 are very different than 44

In general yes, but it depends on how good their conditioning is.

[MYTAPPY]

I'm ready for the NHL season to get started back from Olympic Break. How about my Hurricanes!!!

[AppGuy04]

Swedes whip the Czechs, 7-3