2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

[Watson Rink]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

In Boston we like defensive players with "NO" offensive skills but we vilify offensive players who have defensive deficiencies. Bruin fans drink the Kool Aid.

I'll admit you're right about that....I may have conceded as much by using the word "biased" in my original post....After all, only Bruins fans seem to realize that Kelly and Paille and Thornton would be top six forwards on other teams, just as only we seem to know that Marchand is a squeaky clean player who is somehow misunderstood (LOL). And until Phil Kessel jumps up and plays 57 seconds on a broken leg like "Soupy" Campbell, we're not going to consider him to be a real hockey player (LOL).

It's interesting, though, that the NHL comparison reveals something very impressive about the women on Team USA. None of them is anything like a defensive liability in the way that some NHL stars are, and none of them tanks defensively in the way some NHLers do. I mentioned Ryder: he was a wonderful two-way player....in the playoffs. He jumped into the goalmouth to bat away a sure goal, he backchecked and caught up with people starting all the way from the offensive goalline, but did he ever do that during the regular season....? (Seguin was a slightly different animal, I think he worked hard at some defensive things like forechecking and backchecking, but he sure didn't try to contribute offensively by advancing the puck by winning battles, and he sure couldn't win draws when they tried him at center).

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Gosh, then what are the Boston Bruins going to do? Give Coach Claude Julien a contract extension because the Bruins scored two in the last two minutes of a seventh game against the Leafs, or fire him because they gave up two in the last two minutes of the Stanley Cup final against the Blackhawks two weeks later?

Claude Julien won a Stanley Cup in 2011. USA Hockey hasn't won Olympic Gold since 1998, big difference, wouldn't you say?

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Typical of many coaches, whether in the NHL (or NFL for that matter), juniors, college etc. Get a lead and go into prevent mode. Obviously the biggest problem with that philosophy is that it flies in the face of the "a best defense is a good offense" and literally puts the team back on its heels. Prevent over the last two, two and half minutes is fine. Anything longer and a siege mentality sets in on the team in the lead, while the opposition is at "blood in the water" attack mode and usually only having to play from the neutral zone in.

I thought about that after I made my post, the fact that almost everyone does that. If they have a lead late, they go into prevent. Unfortunately yesterday, I thought the US went into prevent way too early, and it cost them a gold medal. Maybe I should have stayed off social media for a couple more days until I simmered down.

[RStarr]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Maybe I should have stayed off social media for a couple more days until I simmered down.

that's no fun...

[Hux]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

I thought about that after I made my post, the fact that almost everyone does that. If they have a lead late, they go into prevent. Unfortunately yesterday, I thought the US went into prevent way too early, and it cost them a gold medal. Maybe I should have stayed off social media for a couple more days until I simmered down.

It's ok, I took out my aggressions on my snow shovel when I was cleaning off the roof of the house. Not a wise thing to do when you end up having to climb down to fetch the instrument so you can complete the task at hand!

[pucko]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

The US did not lose because of the refs. In fact, I remember that the whole reason that Stack even got that almost empty netter is because the linesman got in the way of the Canadian defenseman. Yes, it was a weak call in OT, but it should never have gone to OT because the US blew a 2 goal lead. Did the referee cause the puck to bounce off Bellamy? Did the referee cause Poulin to be wide open in front of the US net for the game tying goal? Did the referee tell the US to slow their offense after their 2nd goal? Did the referee make the US player have a terrible change so that Knight had to take a penalty because no one was back? Blaming the ref is an excuse for the US not doing what they needed to do to get the job done and that is what should be up for debate. I think we can all agree it wasn't the best call.

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

The US did not lose because of the refs. In fact, I remember that the whole reason that Stack even got that almost empty netter is because the linesman got in the way of the Canadian defenseman. Yes, it was a weak call in OT, but it should never have gone to OT because the US blew a 2 goal lead. Did the referee cause the puck to bounce off Bellamy? Did the referee cause Poulin to be wide open in front of the US net for the game tying goal? Did the referee tell the US to slow their offense after their 2nd goal? Did the referee make the US player have a terrible change so that Knight had to take a penalty because no one was back? Blaming the ref is an excuse for the US not doing what they needed to do to get the job done and that is what should be up for debate. I think we can all agree it wasn't the best call.

100% agreement from me, this loss falls on coaching decisions and players, not calls by the referees.

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

that's no fun...

LOL, thanks for making me smile.

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

It's ok, I took out my aggressions on my snow shovel when I was cleaning off the roof of the house. Not a wise thing to do when you end up having to climb down to fetch the instrument so you can complete the task at hand!

Thanks for the laugh, Hux! Hope you were able to get that roof cleared off eventually!

[brookyone]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

The US did not lose because of the refs. In fact, I remember that the whole reason that Stack even got that almost empty netter is because the linesman got in the way of the Canadian defenseman. Yes, it was a weak call in OT, but it should never have gone to OT because the US blew a 2 goal lead. Did the referee cause the puck to bounce off Bellamy? Did the referee cause Poulin to be wide open in front of the US net for the game tying goal? Did the referee tell the US to slow their offense after their 2nd goal? Did the referee make the US player have a terrible change so that Knight had to take a penalty because no one was back? Blaming the ref is an excuse for the US not doing what they needed to do to get the job done and that is what should be up for debate. I think we can all agree it wasn't the best call.

Agree. I alluded to officiating before the games...what to expect, hoping it would be better than the previous Olympics. I think we can all agree it should be better and all hope it is better in the future.

[northhockey]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Michelle Karvinen (Finland/UND) receives award for best forward of the Olympic tournament! Congrats

[Watson Rink]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Claude Julien won a Stanley Cup in 2011. USA Hockey hasn't won Olympic Gold since 1998, big difference, wouldn't you say?

It's totally irrelevant, actually. Read what you had said: "I'll bet the US team would have been prouder of themselves if they would have actually remembered that a regulation hockey game is 60 minutes long, not 56. Think it's time for the US to go in a different direction with the coaching staff. Going into the "prevent defense" yesterday (along with the other questionable decisions by Katey Stone that have already been mentioned here) was what lost it, not a couple calls by the referees."

In other words, you asserted that the team gave up two goals in the last 3:26 and it was the coach's fault that they did so.

My response was gosh, that means it was all Julian's fault that the Blackhawks did to the Bruins what the Bruins had done to the Leafs two weeks earlier.

My own belief is that blaming the coach is a non sequitur and that the coaches of Team USA, Team Canada, the Bruins, the Leafs and the Blackhawks had a lot less to do with those last-minute goal blizzards than the players who were actually on the ice.

Clear enough? Or would you like to present a rationale for firing Stone, Julian and the Leafs coach?

[northhockey]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

It's totally irrelevant, actually. Read what you had said: "I'll bet the US team would have been prouder of themselves if they would have actually remembered that a regulation hockey game is 60 minutes long, not 56. Think it's time for the US to go in a different direction with the coaching staff. Going into the "prevent defense" yesterday (along with the other questionable decisions by Katey Stone that have already been mentioned here) was what lost it, not a couple calls by the referees."

In other words, you asserted that the team gave up two goals in the last 3:26 and it was the coach's fault that they did so.

My response was gosh, that means it was all Julian's fault that the Blackhawks did to the Bruins what the Bruins had done to the Leafs two weeks earlier.

My own belief is that blaming the coach is a non sequitur and that the coaches of Team USA, Team Canada, the Bruins, the Leafs and the Blackhawks had a lot less to do with those last-minute goal blizzards than the players who were actually on the ice.

Clear enough? Or would you like to present a rationale for firing Stone, Julian and the Leafs coach?

Not blaming any coaches, but i was always confused why the best players got picked on the team, but the best coaches in the country were not selected

[osualum86]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

It's totally irrelevant, actually. Read what you had said: "I'll bet the US team would have been prouder of themselves if they would have actually remembered that a regulation hockey game is 60 minutes long, not 56. Think it's time for the US to go in a different direction with the coaching staff. Going into the "prevent defense" yesterday (along with the other questionable decisions by Katey Stone that have already been mentioned here) was what lost it, not a couple calls by the referees."

In other words, you asserted that the team gave up two goals in the last 3:26 and it was the coach's fault that they did so.

My response was gosh, that means it was all Julian's fault that the Blackhawks did to the Bruins what the Bruins had done to the Leafs two weeks earlier.

My own belief is that blaming the coach is a non sequitur and that the coaches of Team USA, Team Canada, the Bruins, the Leafs and the Blackhawks had a lot less to do with those last-minute goal blizzards than the players who were actually on the ice.

Clear enough? Or would you like to present a rationale for firing Stone, Julian and the Leafs coach?

Let me clear something up that seems to have gotten by you ... when I said team, I meant players and coaches. Last time I checked both were part of the team. Based on what you are saying, though, it wasn't Coach Stone's decision to go into the prevent defense, the players decided to go into prevent on their own. Wow. I didn't realize our players were making all the tactical decisions themselves. That changes things. Maybe next Olympics we should pick a different team. Seriously, guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one. You obviously don't have a problem with what happened yesterday or every Olympics since 1998 for that matter (maybe you're Canadian and weren't even rooting for the USA). I, OTOH, was hoping to actually not see us become the Buffalo Bills of Olympic Women's Hockey. You'll have to forgive me, I'm old school. I didn't grow up in the "everyone gets a medal" or "we don't believe in keeping score" era, so I don't set here and glorify second place, at least not one day after the game ends!

[RStarr]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

"I stepped in two slush puddles today, but I wasn't even mad"