Chicago Hawkie

@jammer2

That makes sense for the Rangers to give Lundqvist a rest.  I think we will win, too, and make the season series even.

Congratulations to both Canadian hockey teams ... both teams wanted the gold and did what they had to do to get it.

On the womens' side ... the US had a good team, but the Canadians showed, in both games, what it took.  How else can I call coming back from two goals down in the third period?

On the mens' side ... Latvia gave the Canadians a good scare, but Canada held on and then took care of business against the Swedes.

The Hawks are heading to the Empire State to meet the other King of Sweden, Henrik Lundqvist.  King Henrik of late, has been the King of NYC, helping the Rangers to a 7-3 record in their last 10 games.  That's better than the Hawks' record in as many games.

What will happen in tonight's game?  The game within a game will be Lundqvist squaring off against two of his former Swedish teammates, Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjarmalsson.

Yep, Latvia only lost 1-0 to Switzerland in the round robin, and Switzerland scored with 7 seconds remaining in regulation. Them beating the Swiss is not out of the realm of possibility. I would love to see Slovenia make a little more noise. Apparently, there are only 7 sheets of ice in the whole country, so for them to make the QF round would be huge for the sport. Sweden would be a tough draw for them after that, but they play the games for a reason.

Ha!  I knew it!  Slovenia and Latvia both won their games! 

@AJgoal

Speaking of recent Olympic upsets, in 2010 the Slovaks beat Russia and Sweden, and nearly beat Canada (Canada won 3-2) before losing the Finland in the bronze medal game.

If I had to pick two teams capable on an upset, it would be Slovenia and Latvia (I am not conmsidering Russia or the Czechs beating their opponents as a major upset, and Czechs vs. Slovaks is an interesting matchup).  I think Slovenia can beat Austria and advance, but Latvia-Swiss could be a toss-up.

They started doing that in Vancouver 2010, and it has been GREAT for making people aware of curling. One of the 4 Norwegian men got the idea and had some pants made from Plus4. Not all of the team bought into the idea. What finally convinced them was that when they got to Vancouver, they had one of the better hotel suites on their floor, and many of the other athletes, men and women, would come to their suite to watch TV. Well, before their first match, there were a number of ladies in the suite, and the guys decided to ask the gals' opinion on whether they should do it or not, so they donned the pants for a little fashion show in their suite. They LOVED it! That convinced the other guys, and they've been doing it ever since.

 

Great story, and great for the sport!

Yes, I think if it helps promote the sport, they should keep on with it.

@TropicalFruitGirl26   Just out of curiosity, is your husband as hockey crazy as you are?  I'm very lucky in that respect, my girlfriend is a hockey fanatic (a Sens fan btw).

You really should marry her, then. 

I haven't really followed curling but just snuck a glance at the mens' Norway vs. Great Britain and ... what is with the pants that the Norwegian guys are wearing?     They look like pajama bottoms or some of the pants that my dad wears when he plays golf! 

Or, in my case, didn't find out until later and had to watch it On Demand, the women's hockey Quarterfinals were yesterday.

The Swiss beat RUssia 2-0 and the Swedes beat Finland 4-2.  The US will play Sweden in the semifinals tomorrow.

I'm happy for the Swiss since it could be considered an upset but I also feel sorry for the Russians - it was a heartbreaking loss for them.  The Sweden-Finland game got a llitle rough at times ... not quite like US and Canada, though. 

It was a good game. Even knowing some of what happened you'll enjoy it

Yes it was ... Datsyuk put on quite a show.  So did Oshie, of course ...

@AJgoal

I probably should not have visited these boards before watching the game (I DVR'd it) ...    I'm still going to watch all of it, though.

  Canada wins 3-2.....awesome ending....what a great game....REALLY impressed with the skating from both teams!

Me too, and it was a great game to watch.     I expect the same kind of game from both teams in future rounds in these Olympics ...

Too funny! 

@Vanflyer

I agree on all points, especially 2 and 3.

Growing up even as recently as the 1980s, it seemed to me like women weren't expected to even watch much sports, let alone watch hockey.  I didn't grow up watching sports either, in fact, but began following hockey along with the other sports in the mid 1990s when I was in college.  So ... I guess I can tell my dad I was raised right, after all. 

This was a lot of fun to watch! 

Just about every competitor in the medal rounds brought their A game.  Henrik Harlaut of Sweden was fun to watch, also, with his one-of-a-kind personality.  Who else would put a raw egg in their pocket for luck (only to have it smashed during the first run)? 

I am so looking forward to this! 

However, it would be condiered an upset if Russia won this game, IMO ... they have offensive talent, but I don't think we will let them skate around us either.

Great thread topic! 

I grew up in Michigan, so I cheer for Detroit in the Eastern Conference ... because my family is from Michigan, also.  However, all bets (except for the ones I make with family ) are off when the Wings meet the Hawks.  I have always liked Edmonton also since reading about the 1980s team.

Russia just beat Japan 2-1

It was tied until the third period.  The Japanese also played Sweden, I think it was, pretty tough earlier this week ... they played some good games against tough opponents.

Russia will advance to the semifinals with the win.

Well true, but I don't think that has really any bearing on my point. The sprinting is just an example of domination, albeit a weak one when compared to women's hockey. I'm trying to say that one or two countries dominating a sport doesn't make it any less of a legit Olympic sport. If, hypothetically, Jamaica and the US held all the medals in sprinting going back a decade, would there be talk of removing that sport? No. If a sport is considered an Olympic sport than it should be part of the Olympics, regardless of who wins.

 

Taking away women's hockey just because it's dominated by two countries is a silly notion. If men have Olympic hockey, then women have the right to compete too. You can't take away one without taking away the other and not be accused of descrimination.

 

It's not Canada or the States' fault that other countries don't have the interest or the program to compete at the Olympic level.

I agree, and I hope some of the other countries can be more competitive.  Finland was able to keep the US under five goals.  Also, Russia came back to win 4-1 ... although they were playing Germany.  The Russian fans in attendance were really into it and cheered their team on quite loudly, which was good to see.

@jammer2

It kind of reminded me of the first round in 2012.  The Coyotes are a team that can surprise those caught unawares.  It doesn't surprise me that Keith Yandle figured in the scoring - he's been tough on the Hawks and that was a name I had heard over and over again in the first round in 2012.

Hawks laid an egg in this one

Literally ... as in, we got shut out 2-0.  I should have expected this, because (1) the Hawks seem rather tired and (2) the Hawks also tend to have a flat game after a win against a good team.  A month ago, the Hawks had big wins against Boston and Anaheim and then has that run of games where we ended up behind the 8-ball in the first period.

@jammer2

Yeah, let's hope the teammates don't get too carried away now that they will be on opposite sides.  These matches will be fun to watch! 

I think I will have to DVR the Hawks' game vs. the Coyotes for the opening ceremonies, then watch the game afterward and fast-forward the commercials and intermissions.

This kind of reminds me of the Cubs ... except the Cubs are a much bigger market (but are somehow pretending not to be).

Given their history, it's sad that thw Oilers are struggling like this.  I do think they need to do something about their D.  In 2006 when they got to the Cup finals, although they were a flash in the pan, they got that far by playing a defensive system, because that was their best chance of beating teams like Detroit that year.  I was actually reading about the Oilers playing a  ... what's this?  TRAP?!  This was as I was reading the papers following each game.  The Oilers, during that playoff run, looked more like an Eastern Conference team, in my opinion.

Not exactly what comes to minds when we think of Oilers hockey ... but it worked then.

Hi jammer!

I hope Bickell can get back on track.  He's had some confidence issues lately, so I'm really hoping he can snap out of that with a big game.

The Hawks end their Disney on Ice trip in Phoenix tomorrow night before taking (at least for some of the Hawks) a much-needed break.  The Coyotes are a team that is hard for me to gauge ... and they could bite the Hawks if we overlook this one.  Marian Hossa has been on a tear lately, so we'll see if that continues.