Official 2014 Sochi Hockey Thread

• Classyposter58

  

  Group A
  United States
  Russia
  Slovakia
  Slovenia
  
  Group B
  Finland
  Canada
  Norway
  Austria
  
  Group C
  Czech Republic
  Sweden
  Switzerland
  Latvia
  
  For those who do not know all teams advance from preliminary round and ranked 1-12 and a single elimination tournament is then played
• gorocks99

  

  Best guesses on group standings:
  
  A
  Russia
  USA
  Slovakia
  Slovenia
  
  B
  Canada
  Finland
  Norway
  Austria
  
  C
  Sweden
  Czech
  Switzerland
  Latvia
  
  Medal stand:
  Gold: Canada
  Silver: Russia
  Bronze: USA
• Classyposter58

  

  Predictions...
  
  Group A: USA-Russia-Slovkia-Slovenia
  Group B: Canada-Finland-Norway-Austria
  Group C: Sweden-Switzerland-Czech-Latvia
  
  Bronze: Canada
  Silver: Sweden
  Gold: United States
• Heretic

  

  Did they put Slovakia and Slovenia in the same group just to fuck with announcers?
• Laley23

  

  Heretic;1579349 wrote:Did they put Slovakia and Slovenia in the same group just to fuck with announcers?

  
  It would've been even crueler if it had be Czech and Slovakia...
• like_that

  

  A lot of analysts are selecting the US to win gold, which probably means it won't happen. I think they are the best team on paper though. Kinda sucks they drew the host country in their group, and Ovie can be dangerous at any given time.
• Heretic

  

  like_that;1579390 wrote:A lot of analysts are selecting the US to win gold, which probably means it won't happen. I think they are the best team on paper though. Kinda sucks they drew the host country in their group, and Ovie can be dangerous at any given time.

  Best hope is that Miller is so happy he's finally got a few days to be on a team with actual talent that he plays out of his mind and is a brick wall in the net. Which is a very real possibility.
• like_that

  

  Heretic;1579393 wrote:Best hope is that Miller is so happy he's finally got a few days to be on a team with actual talent that he plays out of his mind and is a brick wall in the net. Which is a very real possibility.

  I guess I haven't really been paying attention, but I though Quick was going to be in net.
• gorocks99

  

  like_that;1579394 wrote:I guess I haven't really been paying attention, but I though Quick was going to be in net.

  Hasn't been a decision yet. This is what Bylsma had to say today:
  

  "In our situation, we've had a goalie play real well all year long, and we've had two goalies that have had injuries that have come back in the last month or so,” he said. “You might have some ideas in the summertime. This year, we let it play out. We've seen all our goalies play really well, and we've seen Ryan play the whole year and do very, very well on a team that's struggling. And Jonathan’s got a track record, and he’s come back in the last month and he played well as well.”

  http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/has-dan-bylsma-selected-ryan-miller-as-team-usa-starting-goalie-164903519.html
• gorocks99

  

  Quick is going to start: http://espn.go.com/olympics/winter/2014/icehockey/story/_/id/10442124/2014-winter-olympics-jonathan-quick-los-angeles-kings-start-goal-united-states-men-hockey-opener
• Classyposter58

  

  Haha I picked the US to win Gold as a homer pick, but the best team is Sweden and this game is showing that right now. Totally dominating the Czech's right now, just a bunch of great world class two-way forwards and by far the best blue line in this tourney, plus 2 of their Defensive blue lines are teammates (Ericsson/Kronwall DET and Hajalmarsson/Oduya CHI). They have the chemistry and talent to take Gold, and as they're showing against a solid team they're totally owning the ice. Czech's haven't got a shot on goal in the last 12 minutes of the first
• Laley23

  

  If anyone beats Canada it will be an upset. Not that Sweden or even USA/Russia cant do it, but it will be an upset. Not sure how you can say Sweden is the best team.
• Classyposter58

  

  Laley23;1579764 wrote:If anyone beats Canada it will be an upset. Not that Sweden or even USA/Russia cant do it, but it will be an upset. Not sure how you can say Sweden is the best team.

  I just said it? Best defense and great two-way forwards?
• queencitybuckeye

  Classyposter58;1579775 wrote:I just said it? Best defense and great two-way forwards?

  As voted by NHL players, the 2nd most overrated player in the league between the pipes.
• Classyposter58

  

  queencitybuckeye;1579786 wrote:As voted by NHL players, the 2nd most overrated player in the league between the pipes.

  He's been pretty good today. Scored on by an absolute snipe and a goal that should not have been allowed
• thavoice

  Hockey is the best sport of the winter olympics hands down. In the summer games I tend to gravitate to the sports that you dont see as often such as track and field and dont care much about baseball (which is gone I know) basketball and the like.
  
  I would like to see the NHL go with the wider ice like the olympics. The guys are so much bigger and faster that I think it would open up the NHL a bit more.
• Classyposter58

  

  thavoice;1579822 wrote:Hockey is the best sport of the winter olympics hands down. In the summer games I tend to gravitate to the sports that you dont see as often such as track and field and dont care much about baseball (which is gone I know) basketball and the like.
  
  I would like to see the NHL go with the wider ice like the olympics. The guys are so much bigger and faster that I think it would open up the NHL a bit more.

  I know it would be awesome, but the teams do not want to lose the seating
• thavoice

  Classyposter58;1579832 wrote:I know it would be awesome, but the teams do not want to lose the seating

  Yeah I know, they would lose a few rows. Ultimately the first 5 rows behind the boards you can still charge the same, you basically would lose the revenue of a upper bowl pricing for those rows.
  Personally I prefer to be in the first few rows of the upper bowl when I go to games as I think you get a better vantage point.
• like_that

  

  Laley23;1579764 wrote:If anyone beats Canada it will be an upset. Not that Sweden or even USA/Russia cant do it, but it will be an upset. Not sure how you can say Sweden is the best team.

  The team with the most amount of red wings players=the favorite. /classylogic
• se-alum

  

  like_that;1579864 wrote:The team with the most amount of red wings players=the favorite. /classylogic

  Yep, 6 Red Wings playing for Sweden.
• Laley23

  

  Classyposter58;1579775 wrote:I just said it? Best defense and great two-way forwards?

  My point is you are the only person on the planet who thinks that. So you just sound stupid.
  
  You also made the comment as if it were fact (when in reality, Canada would the team) when yon stated "The best team is Sweden and this game is showing it." Not to mention, once you states it, they looked like garbage and lost 2-1 from that point. The 3rd period was Sweden in a cluster in their own zone hoping the Czechs wouldn't make it a 1 goal game.
• Classyposter58

  

  Laley23;1579873 wrote:My point is you are the only person on the planet who thinks that. So you just sound stupid.
  
  You also made the comment as if it were fact (when in reality, Canada would the team) when yon stated "The best team is Sweden and this game is showing it." Not to mention, once you states it, they looked like garbage and lost 2-1 from that point. The 3rd period was Sweden in a cluster in their own zone hoping the Czechs wouldn't make it a 1 goal game.

  Did you watch the beginning? Haha also I'm not the only one who thinks it, many top analysts have picked Sweden to win Gold. On NHL.com 3 picked Canada, 2 picked Sweden and 2 picked Russia. And it's not that they're Red Wings, it's just that they're great on defense and all of their forwards are terrific two-way players as well.
  
  I mean I watch a lot of hockey and am familiar with all of these players, especially the Wings players. Of course Canada is the best on paper talent-wise but that doesn't mean it'll mesh as well together for them to win it. Sweden seems like the best team going in and it helps that you have 11 guys who are all teammates every night and 12 when Edler is in
• queencitybuckeye

  The most talented team is Canada. The team most likely to ride a hot goalie to the top of the stand is Russia (they have two that could be that player).
• Classyposter58

  

  queencitybuckeye;1579896 wrote:The most talented team is Canada. The team most likely to ride a hot goalie to the top of the stand is Russia (they have two that could be that player).

  Their D is oh so bad though, and their forwards aren't very defensive players
• gorocks99

  

  US turning it on in the 2nd period...3-1 over Slovakia now