Olympic Hockey Notebook, Day #8

Ah, elimination games. Desperation. Hockey that matters. Welcome to the quarterfinals. All times local (add subtract 6 hours for U.S. EST, my picks in bold):

4:30 p.m. Switzerland (A2) vs. Sweden (B3) (, SWE)
5:30 p.m. Finland (A1) vs. United States (B4) (, FIN)
8:30 p.m. Russia (B2) vs. Canada (A3) (2-0, RUS)
9:30 p.m. Slovakia (B1) vs. Czech Republic (A4) (3-1, CZE)

After Sweden head coach Bengt Gustafsson's crack about wanting to lose so Sweden could draw the Swiss, I'm pulling for the Swiss to make him eat his words (Hop Suisse!). Too bad it won't happen.

If Team USA were to beat Finland today, I'd be surprised, but not shocked. Still, that won't happen either. And I owe Rick DiPietro an apology, as his goaltending hasn't been a problem. In fact, it's been more than good enough to win.

The last two matchups have the potential of leaving some blood on the ice. When it comes to international hockey, there are a couple of different axes of rivalry. There's Sweden-Finland; there's the Czechs and Slovaks; Russia vs. any former Soviet satellite; and then there's Canada-Russia-USA. I like Canada to wake up in time to make the semifinals. And the Slovaks get to dump their next door neighbors. It'll be a hot time in Bratislava tonight.

UPDATE: Some fun stuff from North of the Border. Click here for a special message from the clergy (via Battle of Alberta). And Colby Cosh reader Craig Burley had this to say about those who are being critical of the play of Team Canada's Rick Nash:

"Rick Nash can rush down the wrong wing and rip a shot four feet past the top corner, leading to a three-on-two the other way, better than any other winger in hockey. He adds more breathless excitement to a hockey game than any other player I can think of."

Looks like nerves are getting rubbed a little raw...

For the lowdown on the OT/Shootout format for the elimination games, click here.

Sisu Hockey thinks the current Olympic format stinks:

Clearly, the round robin followed by single elimination is not the best way to evaluate hockey teams when there is such parity among the contenders. So, what is the alternative? The Olympics can't go with Stanley Cup style best-of-seven series, for obvious reasons. I think the WJHC's had it right 10+ years ago with a full round robin format, where each team plays each other team once, and the final standings determine the medallists. All games are "worth" same amount. This would remove the incentive to throw a game (unless a number of teams formed a conspiracy). With eight teams invited, the Olympics could present 28 games (7 per team) over 14 days - a schedule much more sensible than the present one.

For those of you who agree, worry not. I'm sure the brainiacs who run the IIHF will come up with yet another different format in time for Vancouver in 2010. Thanks to Paul Kukla for this link to real time scoring.

UPDATE: Some other interesting links:

Dom Hasek won't be ready to return to action with Ottawa following the Olympic break.

While it's clear the league and the players want to return to the Olympics, a number of owners are lukewarm about the whole idea.

And from the Penguins Web site, comes an interview with one of the team's trainers, and how his job has changed since the NHL returned to action in October:

Since the NHL has evolved into a game of quickness instead of toughness, Penguins head athletic trainer Mark Mortland is seeing more muscular injuries in the players’ legs.

“That’s exactly what we’ve seen; it’s been a big change. I’d say if there was an increase in injuries, it’s more soft tissue and muscular injuries because of the increased demand on skating,” said Mortland, who is in his 11th season with the Penguins’ training staff. “We’re getting more people who are pulling their groins and a little bit of hip flexor strains. We’re seeing more soft tissue and less injuries related to the trauma – meaning we haven’t had many guys get high sticks or not as many people having to get stitches, not as many collision-type injuries like separated shoulders, things like that.”

(snip)

The trend isn’t limited to the Penguins.

“Talking to the different trainers around the league, they have seen the exact same thing – an increase in muscular injuries and an increase in muscular injuries with the older players,” Mortland said.

Interesting stuff.

FINNS, SWEDES ADVANCE: Swiss and Team USA are heading home.

CZECHS, RUSSIANS MOVE ON: Canada and the Slovaks head home.

OVERTIME THOUGHTS: What sort of justice is it that the Slovaks go undefeated in the preliminary round, and then go out in the quarterfinals against the rival Czechs? Going 5-0 in the tougher of the two pools should be worth something more -- perhaps even a bye into the semifinals.

In Team USA's camp, the recriminations are already starting, and it's veteran Mike Modano who is pointing fingers at USA Hockey (click here for audio):

"You'd think USA Hockey would be a well-oiled machine, but it's not," he said. "Basically we were on our own for hotels, tickets, flights, stuff like that. "Normally we wouldn't have to worry about stuff like that."

But whatever finger pointing may be going on in the Team USA camp, it's nothing compared to the second-guessing that has to be going on about Team Canada. Here's Jim Mirtle:

Throwing out the round-robin games against Italy and Germany, Team Canada managed only three goals in four tournament games. In the comments section below, Robert Cleave sums it up by saying they looked 'big, slow and clueless.' No argument here.

Over at Battle of Ontario, The Meatriarchy seems befuddled by it all. Here's Hockey Analysis:

Most of the blame though has to fall on the shoulders of the players who were almost always out skated, frequently out played physically and struggled to make good offensive plays. Gagne, Heatley, Iginla, Nash, Smyth, and others are all supremely talented players but none really looked all that good in the offensive zone. They just didn’t seem to know how to work together as a team and too often tried to do too much on their own. With all that talent there is no excuse for getting shutout in 11 of their final 12 periods of play.

More later.

ANOTHER UPDATE: ESPN.com's Scott Burnside has some interesting perspective on Team USA's failure:

What would have happened if USA Hockey had bit the bullet and said, no, forget sending a team built on wishes and maybes and yesterdays, we're going to send a team for tomorrow?

What would have happened if young American defensemen Paul Martin and Paul Mara, and even NHL rookie Ryan Suter, had been on this team? And forwards Tim Connolly and Zach Parise?

Would such a team have won a medal? Not likely. Could it have matched the results of the team that came to Italy? It would be hard not to accomplish that. And they would likely have accepted defeat a little more graciously.

Indeed.

Eric 07:01 AM

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