The 2010 Winter Games Thread

[snwckgtr]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/hockey/resultsandschedules/index.html

yeah ive been watching pretty much all the games and that goal was crazy!  yes, russia/canada is tonight but it wont be the only good game today.  the usa game vs switzerland is probably going to be good also, as well as sweden/slovakia tonight.  sweden/slovakia will be really interesting with gaborik vs lundqvist.  of course canada/russia is going to be INSANE, but the media will probably focus on the ovechkin crosby rivalry which is dumb because these teams and this type of game are way bigger than just an ordinary nhl rival matchup.  all we know now is that all the games from now on should be very very fun to watch.

anybody catch the switzerland/belarus game yesterday?  or the czech/latvia game?  both of those were really good and fun to watch.

[SkyePrizm]

Anyone catch Weber\'s goal (Canada vs. Germany) that WENT THROUGH THE NET?

Even so, the Canadian team didn\'t collectively exhale until on odd sequence early in the second period, when Shea Weber\'s slap shot from the point passed right through the net. Play continued until the next stoppage, at which point a video review confirmed that an actual goal had been scored.

Next MUST WATCH GAME:

CANADA VS. RUSSIA - TONIGHT

That was a crazy goal during the germany game.  i would have never seen that without slow mo.  i was really surprised how much the germans got spanked tho.  

Canada vs Russia def will be the game to watch ( i think usa will easily beat switz).

isn\'t russia/canada tonight? that\'s what it said on espn

Yup.

Is the USA vs. Switzerland game going to be televised at all?

NBC at 3 pm.  I think NBC finally learned their lesson after stupidly showing the canada game on their sister networks no one can find or watch.

[SkyePrizm]

3 pm the mayhem starts. Hoping the US can spank Canada like their last meeting.

[Klout]

America...Fuck Yea.

[SkyePrizm]

Almost. Almost.  Ryan Miller seriously owned that goal...if it wasn\'t for that damn crosby.  great time. just not the outcome.  Gotta wait four years for the revenge

[sąikidélik]

Is there were we come to bitch about the hockey game? lol.

[tyzack]

I was cheering for Crobsy to score on that break-away in the 3rd, Kane did a great job on the poke check.

Call me unamerican but here is why I was cheering for canada:

More canadians would be happy with a canadian gold than americans with an american gold.

In four years I hope that a.) the NHL will allow them to play and b.) some country, i don\'t care which but I will cheer solely for the USA, beats Russia.

[snwckgtr]

i wasn\'t cheering for canada, but i don\'t mind that they won.  BUT, as a sabres fan, it kills me that crosby got the game-winner.  he ALWAYS kills miller when its important...ALWAYS!  usa is still a very young team and did really well.  a lot of people called them underdogs in this tournament, but i never really did because all of their players can keep up with the best in the game so i always thought they had a chance.

sabres/penguins tomorrow night = miller/crosby
sabres/capitals wednesday night = miller/ovechkin&semin (in their first game back)

should be some intersting games..

[Yoda]

In four years I hope that a.) the NHL will allow them to play.

I hope that they are not allowed to play.  Here\'s my reasons:

1. These players are being paid to play by the NHL, not their countries.  Would Canada reimburse the Devs or the Penguins of Brodeur or Crosby got hurt, NO...
2. The NHL is not getting enough exposure to make it worthwhile...
3. The two teams that won gold and silver were the only teams made up of all NHL players; real fair.  Finland won bronze with 18 NHL players.

To make it fair it must be amateur only.  That means, not professional league at all.  The only team with less than 10 NHL players to make the 8 team tournament was Switzerland with two players...  Look at the breakdown of NHL players per team...

Canada - 24
USA - 23
Sweden - 19
Finland - 18
Czech Republic - 16
Russia - 14
SLovakia - 13
Germany - 7
Belarus - 4
Latvia - 2
Switzerland - 2
Norway - 1

[weekapaug19]

In four years I hope that a.) the NHL will allow them to play.

I hope that they are not allowed to play.  Here\'s my reasons:

1. These players are being paid to play by the NHL, not their countries.  Would Canada reimburse the Devs or the Penguins of Brodeur or Crosby got hurt, NO...
2. The NHL is not getting enough exposure to make it worthwhile...
3. The two teams that won gold and silver were the only teams made up of all NHL players; real fair.  Finland won bronze with 18 NHL players.

To make it fair it must be amateur only.  That means, not professional league at all.  The only team with less than 10 NHL players to make the 8 team tournament was Switzerland with two players...  Look at the breakdown of NHL players per team...

Canada - 24
USA - 23
Sweden - 19
Finland - 18
Czech Republic - 16
Russia - 14
SLovakia - 13
Germany - 7
Belarus - 4
Latvia - 2
Switzerland - 2
Norway - 1

but without nhl players they will lose a TON of viewers, and now more people might watch the NHL after that great game yesterday

[snwckgtr]

also one major issue was that this year it was in CANADA.  not only are the games able to be televised live because of a minimal time difference around the continent, but nhl players dont have to travel halfway around the world and back in the middle of an nhl season.  next olympics are in russia i believe....how much exposure are nhl players going to get when the games are at 4am or whatever?

[Yoda]

but without nhl players they will lose a TON of viewers, and now more people might watch the NHL after that great game yesterday

I completely disagree.  There were two types of viewers that tuned in yesterday and maybe friday:

1. The NHL fan that wants to watch hockey
2. The olympic junkie/USA pride

The first will continue to watch hockey, while the majority of the second will go back to their regular scheduled programming.  Point in case, I watched curling during the olympics, but I will not be trying to find it on tv or live for another 4 years...

[SkyePrizm]

but without nhl players they will lose a TON of viewers, and now more people might watch the NHL after that great game yesterday

I completely disagree.  There were two types of viewers that tuned in yesterday and maybe friday:

1. The NHL fan that wants to watch hockey
2. The olympic junkie/USA pride

The first will continue to watch hockey, while the majority of the second will go back to their regular scheduled programming.  Point in case, I watched curling during the olympics, but I will not be trying to find it on tv or live for another 4 years...

I think there is a third category.  So what if you qualify for one and two?

In any case, TEAM USA showcased some wonderful talent. (Blackhawks Patrick Kane a personal fav) Along with all the other NHL Players on other teams.  (Ovechkin is just plain nasty...love it!)  One can only hope that maybe just maybe the olympics will carry a fire for hockey over to regular nhl games.  NBC for the next Two sundays is showing Blackhawks games.  DEF must watches.  This sunday vs. Detroit, next Sunday vs Caps.

[Yoda]

but without nhl players they will lose a TON of viewers, and now more people might watch the NHL after that great game yesterday

I completely disagree.  There were two types of viewers that tuned in yesterday and maybe friday:

1. The NHL fan that wants to watch hockey
2. The olympic junkie/USA pride

The first will continue to watch hockey, while the majority of the second will go back to their regular scheduled programming.  Point in case, I watched curling during the olympics, but I will not be trying to find it on tv or live for another 4 years...

I think there is a third category.  So what if you qualify for one and two?

In any case, TEAM USA showcased some wonderful talent. (Blackhawks Patrick Kane a personal fav) Along with all the other NHL Players on other teams.  (Ovechkin is just plain nasty...love it!)  One can only hope that maybe just maybe the olympics will carry a fire for hockey over to regular nhl games.  NBC for the next Two sundays is showing Blackhawks games.  DEF must watches.  This sunday vs. Detroit, next Sunday vs Caps.

You\'re already an NHL fan so there\'s really nothing gained.  As far as the sunday games, it doesn\'t really effect me since all the devils games are either on MSG or VS.  

Don\'t get me wrong, I enjoyed the games and I enjoyed seeing USA play well, but I can\'t help but feel bad for the teams that had 1-7 NHL players on the team and the rest were made up of local hockey fanatics... I feel the same way about basketball in the olympics...

[snwckgtr]

Don\'t get me wrong, I enjoyed the games and I enjoyed seeing USA play well, but I can\'t help but feel bad for the teams that had 1-7 NHL players on the team and the rest were made up of local hockey fanatics... I feel the same way about basketball in the olympics...

i wouldnt say they are "hockey fanatics" if they aren\'t in the nhl.  im pretty sure just about all of them play professionally somewhere.  perhaps in the future the nhl might not be the best league in the world.  and so the case that only amateurs should play in the olympics depends on what you consider being professional....