2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

[WiscDC]

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

What they really lacked was puck luck. Wide open net, two players at the top of the crease and they get tangled up with each other trying to knock home a pass from 10 feet away.

I only saw a bit of the game, but based on what you described, that's not puck luck, that's getting tangled up with one another and failing to knock home a pass from 10 feet away.

[pgb-ohio]

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

The only sport, that I'm aware off, not sending their best pro's is Men's soccer. I think that is more driven by the fact that that sport has so much exposure and that soccer has things like the European championships, a major event, the same summer as the Olympics. Pro Soccer is an almost year around sport driven by many competitions, national, club league, European club, cup runs etc etc, that drives the Olympics to be a more minor event.

And of course the World Cup.

To the best of my recollection, Tennis has an age cap for similar reasons. Or, at the very least, it was done that way in the not-too-distant past.

The IOC has apparently decided that including these sports is sufficiently important that they're willing to accept second rate competitions. It's a debatable choice. When a professional version of a sport completely overshadows the Olympic competition, perhaps exclusion from the Olympics is for the best. But that certainly doesn't describe the situation in Women's Hockey.

Another thing to remember is that through much of Olympic History, rules on amateurism left many of the best at home. Across-the-board open eligibility is a relatively recent policy, not an immortal Olympic tradition. So there are other options with precedent. Again, turning back the clock on eligibility isn't my preference. It's a fallback position at most.

This debate goes on in between the Olympics as well. Even on this board it comes up from time to time. Reality is, more people pay attention to it when the Olympics are one, and more beat writers need to have something to talk about during the Olympics. Typically things that sell news are the "sensation/controversy" stories, and the "hardship/feel good" stories.

Fully accurate, of course. But this doesn't settle the question of whether stirring the pot is the appropriate thing to do at particular points in time.

In case it must be said, the right to speak is beyond question. But as consumers, all of us have the corresponding right to pass judgment on the material we're offered by the media. Done well, sports commentary can be entertaining, informative and thought provoking. Done poorly, it can be irritating and distracting. For me, demanding that a sport be dropped during the actual competition is usually going to fall into the latter category.

[Eeyore]

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

Japan got screwed by the officials, as they had a clear goal...but NO officials took the time to wait for the goalie to get up. Once she did, it was clear that the puck was over the goal line but the officials were nowhere to be found.

And then they failed to notice the booth officials turning on lights and yelling to get their attention to come review the play. It was a level of incompetence that goes beyond inexcusable to positively WCHAesque.

[dave1381]

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

In case it must be said, the right to speak is beyond question. But as consumers, all of us have the corresponding right to pass judgment on the material we're offered by the media. Done well, sports commentary can be entertaining, informative and thought provoking. Done poorly, it can be irritating and distracting. For me, demanding that a sport be dropped during the actual competition is usually going to fall into the latter category.

Sports columnists are often world leaders in acting sanctimonious. Think Baseball Hall of Fame voting, Pete Rose, steroids, etc. Betting on your own games is among the great evils in sport because it violates the integrity of competition - athletes have some incentive other than to do their best. Tanking in basketball to get high draft picks is also seriously frowned upon. I agree with all that. But then when it comes to softball and women's hockey, sportswriters are perfectly okay with putting small-time athletes in a position where their exceptional performance could lead to the termination of the only high-profile event in their sport, possibly prematurely ending their careers and those of all the younger players who look up to them. I believe evaluating a sport's future based on match outcomes is as morally wrong as match-fixing. But most writers, instead of sharing my moral view on this, choose to be selfish, petty, and hypocritical in calling for an end to a sport that at worst has bored them for a couple hours every four years.

[OldDave]

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

...most writers, instead of sharing my moral view on this, choose to be selfish, petty, and hypocritical in calling for an end to a sport that at worst has bored them for a couple hours every four years.

So lets change the boredom factor. Since the Olympics are mostly based on martial arts required of villagers who had to supply a war levy thousands of years ago, let's add some martial flamboyance to the hockey arena. Let's start by requiring a pep band for each team. Let's have each band come down on the ice after warmups and engage in a haka contest (what band wouldn't love to stamp their feet, stick out their tongues, and disparage the opponent). Let the haka winner choose whether to be the home team or choose which net to defend or something. Then you have a regular hockey game but with the fans all charged up, the bands going crazy, and the players having a blast. Heck, just having the "winners choice" before the start would give the talking heads the opportunity to opine about the "strategy" involved in the choice, whatever it was. Everyone has a good time, boredom was forgotten, and we didn't have to do anything to the game itself.

[ExHockeyguy]

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

Just wondering when some college coaches will catch on to this new pipeline (aka, Japan, Russia, Czech, etc.) I know some schools are already recruiting in the Czech Republic, but I am very impressed with the Japanese team. Entertaining and very disciplined. I remember Pashevich (Russia #77) when she came over in the early 90's with the new Russian All-Star (re: national) team. They were playing prep schools back then. Doing a bit better than that now.

[pokechecker]

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

Just wondering when some college coaches will catch on to this new pipeline (aka, Japan, Russia, Czech, etc.) I know some schools are already recruiting in the Czech Republic, but I am very impressed with the Japanese team. Entertaining and very disciplined. I remember Pashevich (Russia #77) when she came over in the early 90's with the new Russian All-Star (re: national) team. They were playing prep schools back then. Doing a bit better than that now.

you are late to the party, teams already do that

BTW, have you heard there is a black president of the US?

[zoofer]

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

Haven't read all 6 pages of the thread but is anyone else enameled with the broadcasting skills of AJ? I'm not sure what agenda those in charge have or what message they want delivered in regards to the women's game but it seems like she and Levy are over emphasizing the game that I'm seeing on the screen.....hard to describe I guess but in describing the Japanese detail to the game, it's their exuberance and fun....again maybe I'm looking for why I don't like her style but when she says that both first goals in the game, Russia jamming the puck in and Japan's shot from the point, as the same type of goals.....thoughts Gentlemen....again it might just be me!

[OnMAA]

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

Just wondering when some college coaches will catch on to this new pipeline (aka, Japan, Russia, Czech, etc.) I know some schools are already recruiting in the Czech Republic, but I am very impressed with the Japanese team.

There have been past olympians from Japan that have played college hockey in the USA. Pretty sure several of their players from the 1998 Nagano squad played college in the US.

[ExHockeyguy]

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

you are late to the party, teams already do that

BTW, have you heard there is a black president of the US?

Pokechecker, that was a really dip**** response. How many Japanese, Russian or Czech players have you seen across D1 or D3 rosters? Not nearly as many as many Finns or (once upon a time) Swedes or Swiss and certainly Canadiens. Japan and Russia, I was opining, are under valued right now. I am well aware of colleges scouting and recruiting overseas, but not in quantity in the countries I sited. I have a much closer and more direct connection and relationship with several D1 coaches than you will ever encounter. I was merely posing a question for a little discussion; not as a means to be mocked.

And since you brought it up, some people can call him a black president (but he's actually half and half). To me, he is merely an imposter who pulled off the biggest charade in American history. The man is a complete and total joke.

[dave1381]

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

On my notion of sportswriters conspiring against women's hockey, it was interesting reading this in the WaPo from a couple days ago. It insinuates that the bad press actually influenced the Olympic program.

. In the interest of protecting female runners from feared consequences such as infertility and premature aging, all women’s events longer than 200 meters were eliminated after the 1928 Amsterdam Summer Games. News reports described an awful scene at the finish of the women’s 800-meter race that year, with runners sprawled on the cinders in exhaustion. A New York Evening Post reporter wrote about “11 wretched women, 5 of whom dropped out before the finish, while 5 collapsed after reaching the tape.” A New York Times piece concluded: “This distance makes too great a call on feminine strength.”

Except that’s not actually how the race went. As Running Times reported in 2012, none of the women dropped out, only one fell at the finish while leaning for the line — not unusual for men or women — and three others bested the previous world record. It’s hard to believe that the Evening Post scribe even attended the race, as there were only nine women competing.

The fallacies he promoted were stubbornly persistent. Women’s middle- and long-distance events were banned for 32 years. Not until 2008 did women have all the same events on the Olympic track as men.

[TonyTheTiger20]

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

Pokechecker, that was a really dip**** response.

You're new here I see. This poster is on the 'ignore' list of just about everyone here. You might want to do the same. He tries to get under people's skin.

And since you brought it up, some people can call him a black president (but he's actually half and half). To me, he is merely an imposter who pulled off the biggest charade in American history. The man is a complete and total joke.

Congratulations, you just out-did pokechecker by going needlessly hyper-political on a women's hockey forum.

[northhockey]

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

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ioc-wom...0977--spt.html

so...yeah

[ExHockeyguy]

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

You're new here I see. This poster is on the 'ignore' list of just about everyone here. You might want to do the same. He tries to get under people's skin.

Congratulations, you just out-did pokechecker by going needlessly hyper-political on a women's hockey forum.

Thank you on both accounts. But also apologies for the last one, though. I recognize it wasn't needed.

[mnpokecheck]

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

Canadians doing a good job to get US off its game so far.