Olympic women's hockey

[ARM]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

Chen was a bust and you almost felt sorry for Vonn, a once dominant force who stayed at the dance too long.

Vonn did win a bronze, and would likely had a brighter medal if she had produced her Alpine combined run during the Downhill. She isn't exactly washed up.

[DDad16]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

I assume your "meaningful" program is Adrian, the sixth-ranked team in the country? There's also Finlandia, FWIW.

Yes, Adrian. Go to BFE, and take a left. I know about Finlandia. Which is why said only one "meaningful" team.

[shelfit]

Yes, Adrian. Go to BFE, and take a left. I know about Finlandia. Which is why said only one "meaningful" team.

They also have several club teams at some of the D1 schools....who would also probably beat Finlandia.

[Birdwatcher]

The American Olympic audience as a whole is involuntarily subjected to what is for many the manufactured excitement of skeleton, curling and short track pushing, etc. These no doubt have their fans, but if the (miraculous) game of women’s hockey were what happened to be readily available for passive consumption the excitement would be real and most welcome, I imagine, bump or no bump. There certainly would be more buzz, given what even this inaccessible game seemed to produce.

The game was on live. You just needed to stay up for it. Other countries can't expect to schedule games in the middle of the night just to appease the western hemisphere.

[DDad16]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

They also have several club teams at some of the D1 schools....who would also probably beat Finlandia.

Correct! A LOT of club teams... Some schools have club teams whether they need them or not!

[shelfit]

Correct! A LOT of club teams... Some schools have club teams whether they need them or not!

And those club teams allow Michigan based kids to stay in their home state and play hockey in college, potentially competing for the ACHA championship.

[joecct]

You're so picky...

Just have the 2022 team centraize there to get used to the Beijing air.

[D2D]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

just have the 2022 team centraize there to get used to the beijing air.

[drewkal]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

There are about 10-15 HS Hockey teams in the state of Michigan, all centralized in the Detroit area. That level of hockey is Tier 2 at best (and that's the top HS Teams). Some decent Tier 2 teams in the State, and they limited the number of Tier 1 teams in the state to 4. The level of Tier 1 hockey in the state is decent but can't compete with the prep schools overall. I know Belle Tire won the 16U championship last year, and the 19U team is good this year, but very few of those girls were actually developed in the Belle Tire program. They were recruited there.

So why not more High School hockey in Michigan? I just got these numberss from the Editor at "Let's Play Hockey": there are 53 AA and 66 A girls High School teams active in MN. The apex of their seasons is winning the state tournament, going on right now in St Paul. The final games will fill the Excel Center where the Wild play. These girls don't participate in any other tournaments, it doesn't get any better.

I grew up in Michigan (Dearborn) in the 50's and 60's, and back then there was no youth hockey. Our dentist was a close friend of my parents and the Red Wing's dentist. That got me and my brother seats behind the goal in the days of Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, but no other hockey to watch, much less participate in. Get your schools to start teams, get the little 6 year old girls out on the ice. Why do you think you saw names like Brandt, Cameranesi, Pannek, Stecklein, Marvin, Morin and Rooney, from MN High schools,and the ND Lamoureux twins and Amanda Kessel from MN's Shattuck-St Mary's. They were playing competitive hockey for 10 years before High School, since they were 5 or 6.

[Russell Jaslow]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

So why not more High School hockey in Michigan? I just got these numberss from the Editor at "Let's Play Hockey": there are 53 AA and 66 A girls High School teams active in MN. The apex of their seasons is winning the state tournament, going on right now in St Paul. The final games will fill the Excel Center where the Wild play. These girls don't participate in any other tournaments, it doesn't get any better.

I grew up in Michigan (Dearborn) in the 50's and 60's, and back then there was no youth hockey. Our dentist was a close friend of my parents and the Red Wing's dentist. That got me and my brother seats behind the goal in the days of Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, but no other hockey to watch, much less participate in. Get your schools to start teams, get the little 6 year old girls out on the ice. Why do you think you saw names like Brandt, Cameranesi, Pannek, Stecklein, Marvin, Morin and Rooney, from MN High schools,and the ND Lamoureux twins and Amanda Kessel from MN's Shattuck-St Mary's. They were playing competitive hockey for 10 years before High School, since they were 5 or 6.

The only HS hockey that is worth anything (boys or girls) is in MN. And maybe some left in MA. Otherwise, youth programs, junior teams, and prep schools have essentially replaced HS hockey in all the other states.

[hockeymakesmebroke]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

You are very wrong about the statement "very few of those girls were actually developed in the Belle Tire program, they were recruited there." This sir is a fact: a core of 12 girls who were all "cuts" from other programs came to BT 3 years ago. That first year together at 16U they took their lumps and were middle of the pack at best. Last year with hard work, chemistry and good coaching they were able to win the National Championship. They have no super-stars that are going to BC, Wisconsin, Clarkson, Colgate or Ohio State, they work hard, run a very disciplined system, have good chemistry and really good coaching. (I am not a coach there so don't go there). This season those 12 are now on the 19U (ranked #5 in the country) and were joined by one HB player, one CYA player and a handful of LC players, why? You'd have to ask them but probably because of the reasons stated above. They may or may not win Nationals this season but the Vigilante's are very good coaches so don't disparage them by saying they didn't develop the BT talent, surely they did and that cannot be denied.

[Scott_TG]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

You are very wrong about the statement "very few of those girls were actually developed in the Belle Tire program, they were recruited there." This sir is a fact: a core of 12 girls who were all "cuts" from other programs came to BT 3 years ago. That first year together at 16U they took their lumps and were middle of the pack at best. Last year with hard work, chemistry and good coaching they were able to win the National Championship. They have no super-stars that are going to BC, Wisconsin, Clarkson, Colgate or Ohio State, they work hard, run a very disciplined system, have good chemistry and really good coaching. (I am not a coach there so don't go there). This season those 12 are now on the 19U (ranked #5 in the country) and were joined by one HB player, one CYA player and a handful of LC players, why? You'd have to ask them but probably because of the reasons stated above. They may or may not win Nationals this season but the Vigilante's are very good coaches so don't disparage them by saying they didn't develop the BT talent, surely they did and that cannot be denied.

Mentioning Belle Tire, I've been very impressed with Erin McArdle, a former BT player playing significant minutes on the blue line for the 4 time defending D3 champ Cardinals as a freshman. Solid defensive play and she has the 3rd best points per game mark for a freshman defenseman in D3.

[Blackbeard]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

Hillary Knight lived in NH for about 4 minutes, and they are showing clips of her goal, while touting her NH roots.

This is hilarious...Hahahaha. (Best laugh of the day so far and there's been many, most of of them from this site).

They all do it, even in reverse. By way of example here is, maybe fittingly, another Olympic story...even the same country! In the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics Ben Johnson, the Canadian track star born in Jamaica, won the Gold Medal for the 100 meter (well, for about the same 4 minutes that Knight lived in N.H.). You couldn't avoid hearing about "Ben Johnson the Canadian track superstar hero" every where you went and how proud the country was of him. It was plastered all over the tv and radio, newspapers, magazines...everywhere.

Until a week or two later when he was found guilty of doping.

As soon as that was confirmed the first National News broadcast I saw on the topic started their head story with these words..."Ben Johnson the Jamaican runner"...Hahahahahaha.

They were tripping all over themselves to wrap their arms around his glory moment and then couldn't wait to distance themselves from the disgrace that he was bringing upon the country by pretending that they didn't know him...like he was some stranger.

It was an inside family joke for years.

[drewkal]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

This is hilarious...Hahahaha. (Best laugh of the day so far and there's been many, most of of them from this site).

They all do it, even in reverse. By way of example here is, maybe fittingly, another Olympic story...even the same country! In the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics Ben Johnson, the Canadian track star born in Jamaica, won the Gold Medal for the 100 meter (well, for about the same 4 minutes that Knight lived in N.H.). You couldn't avoid hearing about "Ben Johnson the Canadian track superstar hero" every where you went and how proud the country was of him. It was plastered all over the tv and radio, newspapers, magazines...everywhere.

Until a week or two later when he was found guilty of doping.

As soon as that was confirmed the first National News broadcast I saw on the topic started their head story with these words..."Ben Johnson the Jamaican runner"...Hahahahahaha.

They were tripping all over themselves to wrap their arms around his glory moment and then couldn't wait to distance themselves from the disgrace that he was bringing upon the country by pretending that they didn't know him...like he was some stranger.

It was an inside family joke for years.

NBC host Tirico told the world that Andover, MN native Maddie Rooney, who was born in Duluth, and plays for UMD, was from Massachussets! Just likely a dumb mistake, doubt he watched the game, ice dancing was probably on the other feed.

[Blackbeard]

Re: Olympic women's hockey

Berenson was always a big road block

Sidebar quizz: What important achievement is Red Berenson generally credited with in hockey? And don't cheat by looking it up? Anybody?