T1B

Otis wrote: Let's see.. only once in his NHL coaching career has he coached a team that didn't make the playoffs.
Quinn's teams have made it past the 1st round on 11 different occasions.
He's not a winning coach?
Really?

Not a championship winning coach, no. St. Louis has never missed the playoffs (till this year). Is that a winning organization?

Otis wrote: But in case you missed it, he did coach that winning team back at Salt Lake. You know, the one that won Gold...

Dynamite coaching job, probably had nothing to do with the roster. And, oh yeah....it was his speech when things weren't going well that the team seemed to rally around. My bad.

al? wrote:

Otis wrote: Let's see.. only once in his NHL coaching career has he coached a team that didn't make the playoffs.
Quinn's teams have made it past the 1st round on 11 different occasions.
He's not a winning coach?
Really?

Not a championship winning coach, no. St. Louis has never missed the playoffs (till this year). Is that a winning organization?

Okay, so then using your measuring stick. Herb Brooks was never a championship winning coach either eh?
I think many Americans would beg to differ with you...
As far as St. Louis goes, you could make an arguement that they have been a winning organization.
But Quinn's record is not with one, not two but three different organizations. That in of itself says something about his ability to coach.

al? wrote:

Otis wrote: But in case you missed it, he did coach that winning team back at Salt Lake. You know, the one that won Gold...

Dynamite coaching job, probably had nothing to do with the roster. And, oh yeah....it was his speech when things weren't going well that the team seemed to rally around. My bad.

And if this team fails... it probably won't have nothing to do with the roster. And oh yeah.... it won't have anything to do with the fact that his assistant coaches couldn't help turn things around... I forgot, according to some, Quinn should have been out there putting the puck into the net scoring goals because the players he was given couldn't. My bad.

Well, youre a leaffan, and I'm a leafhaytah, I'm sure that has nothing to do with it. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Go Canada!

MuchoBulls wrote:It's too bad the NHL won't widen the rink.

biggest fucking rack of all time. not like it needs to be said, but the nhl could have fucked all the stupid rule changes and just bit the bullet and removed the high priced seats to enlargen the rink, but who wants a .5% hit on ticket sales if it means improving the game? just ask that piece of shit bill wirtz.

btw, even with north america blowing pole this year, the olympics has been great hockey. RACK THE FULL SHEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otis:
Let's see.. only once in his NHL coaching career has he coached a team that didn't make the playoffs.

Not that I care for whinners, but if you subtract the teams which advance to the playoffs away from those that don't, the percentage argument becomes a tad deluted, no?

NHL = Playoff Heavy = $$$

Otis wrote:Too funny, I see that all ('cept Hap) the Quinn bashers are out in full force yet not a one of them has bothered to mention the slight fact that Quinn didn't have any say in the roster.

He's dealing with the hand he was dealt.

Dealing with the hand he was dealt?? Hah!!!!

Team Canada, even with some very questionable selections (hello Bryan McCabe...) is still the most stacked roster in this tournament. Don't be using this weak argument for the ex-cigar-smoker.

Pat Quinn, deserving to be there or not, which is irrelevant, has not gotten the job done, just like a lot of players on that team. He deserves as much criticism as anyone. Just like if they turn it around and win out, he'll deserve as much credit as anyone.

But don't be bringing your Leaf goggles in here proclaiming that poor Pat was dealt a lousy hand.

The start list for US/Finland is up and we get 2 NHL officials. (Paul Devorski, Steve Miller) You know in an elimination game that Devorski is going to let them play.

Cross Traffic wrote:The start list for US/Finland is up and we get 2 NHL officials. (Paul Devorski, Steve Miller) You know in an elimination game that Devorski is going to let them play.

The NHL officials have proven to be more lenient through the prelims. I suppose the fewer chances you give the Finns on the power play, the better. Team USA has a decent power play but they just haven't converted on enough opportunities.

I don't want to discount what the Finns did in their 5 game run in the prelims but in a one game situation, you can throw out records and it comes down to lucky bounces and having the breaks go your way on that given day. I don't see a lot of holes in the Finns but anything can happen.

In games like this, getting first goal and dictating the pace from the start is big. The Americans are playing their best when they're using their speed. The Finns have shown to play a form of the trap/left wing lock...they'll go into a defensive shell when they get the lead. The Americans struggled when the Latvians slowed them during the second period of their game and turnovers proved to be killers. The Russians were lethal when Team USA gave away the puck. The Finns have just as much firepower and cutting down on puckhandling mistakes is key.

Team USA has yet to show that they can play well from behind. They rallied in the third to tie Latvia but that's the only time in the prelims they made comeback of some kind. DiPietro (assuming he's the starter) will have to keep the Finns off the board for as long as possible because an early goal could doom them right away. This is just the wrong team for Team USA to run into right now after coming off a 3-game skid and convidence can't be all that high. I think the Finns win today but Team USA hangs in until the end.

Game Prediction: Finland 3, USA 2


I'm recording both Finland-USA and Russia-Canada today while I'm at work...I'm going to avoid checking in here and looking for the scores online until I watch the games tonight.

Swedes working the Swiss, doubt those neutral clock makers have the firepower to come back from 4-1.

Too bad, the semi-final between winner of Can-Rus/U.S-Fin is the defacto gold medal game.

Bad timing to go for your lost glove, Lurch.

Damn that guy's a bum.

Down 2 going into the 3rd......do you believe in miracles?!?!

The Slovak linesman fucked up on the high stick call. That was a followthrough.

If the U.S played the whole tournament like they played the 3rd, they'd still be in the tournament.

Tough loss.....see ya in 2010.

Played hard for 6 minutes....sounds like an NHL team I root for.

al? wrote:Swedes working the Swiss, doubt those neutral clock makers have the firepower to come back from 4-1.

Too bad, the semi-final between winner of Can-Rus/U.S-Fin is the defacto gold medal game.

That's BS, if you don't think the Swedes the Czechs or the Slovaks can win it you are damn idiot.

Not against what I've seen from Russia, Finland or even Canada for that matter. The Slovaks, maybe.......

Got a paypal? Wanna bet?

What the hell was Modano doing on the bench in crucial times? Bad coaching leaving him on the bench on PP's and at the end of the game with the extra attacker.

MuchoBulls wrote:What the hell was Modano doing on the bench in crucial times?

Might be the fact that his tank was on E pretty much the whole time?

Another BS call that cost the US dearly, putting Gomez in the box for 10 minutes. That Slovak linesman needs to grow some balls.

Canada. Russia. Nailbiter.


Wouldn't have it any other way.

al? wrote:Not against what I've seen from Russia, Finland or even Canada for that matter. The Slovaks, maybe.......

Got a paypal? Wanna bet?

Not really. I never said I thought one of those teams would win, just that thought they have a very good chance to and it is hardly a foregone conclusion that the semi-final game you described was the de facto gold medal game.

Ovechkin scores for the Russians....1-0.

Cross Traffic wrote:Ovechkin scores for the Russians....1-0.

Thank you for the update nbcolympics.com.

ATG

All The Game

Total gravy

SYNW, you sound like damn chicken.

Otis, why doesn't your man Quinn have the balls to bench Bertuzzi? Is he afraid he might get Bertuzzi'd on the way back to the dressing room? That chump should not see another minute of ice time, he has been awful and that penalty 200 ft from his own net as he was the 3rd Canadian forward behind the goal line might be the difference.

Pronger has been brutal, too. With 7 defence, he can sit too. Full marks to Russia so far.....doesn't look good for the Maple Leaf.

Very intense

Regardless of who wins...props for Pavel Bure for overcoming the setbacks and relying heavily on the young'uns.

The Russian program will get a huge shot in the arm if they cause the Canadians to go in the tank.

ATG is everywhere this 3rd. It's truly amazing.

This is it.....don't score on this PP and its OVA.

No need for Markov to do that....Canada has a golden opportunity.

Gretz and Lowe looked like they were going to throw up.

Good call!


Good referee

al? wrote:SYNW, you sound like damn chicken.

The #1 DOG of the series along with Bertuzzi goes to the box. Game over.

WHY IS BERTUZZI OUT THERE WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE?!?!?!?!

QUINN?!?!?!?!


Broken sticks and goal posts made it apparent early it wasn't Canada's night. Full marks to Russia. Pronger......brutal....it's over.

My Bell 3 stars:

1/ Kovalchuk
2/ Ovechkin
3/ Nabokov

one and done North America. See you in 2010.

CBC 3 stars

ATG
Nabokov
Brodeur

Ron & Kelly just crucified Bertuzzi...and rightfully so.

Shutout 3 times? Wow, I can't decide who had the worse tournament, the USA or Canada. Considering expectations, it's gotta be Canada.

...and you know something..

Props for me:

-For this great thread I made.
-Calling it in the first post that Canada was doomed
-Calling it in the first post that ATG would run wild

Yeah, props to you ya dirty Rat.

Ovechkin is going to be a great, great player. Playing in the east I don't see near as much of him as I would like. I was surprised how strong he is. The kid has heart and crazy, crazy game.

AL WROTE:
WHY IS BERTUZZI OUT THERE WITH THE GAME ON THE LINE?!?!?!?!

QUINN?!?!?!?!

BECAUSE IDIOTS WILL NEVER ADMIT TO THEIR MISTAKES.
BERTUZZI BEING ALLOWED ON TEAM CANADA IS LIKE MORONS VOTING FOR A CORRUPT PARTY.
SIX OF ONE AND A HALF OF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER.

RACK JUSTICE BEING SERVED TWICE.

Here's hoping that Bert pulls a Donnie Moore.

This team was never good enough to begin with and that responsibility lays with Gretzky, Lowe and Tambellini.

They're the ones that selected this roster.

I've said all along, Bertuzzi should never have been allowed to play hockey at all this season let alone represent Canada.

Otis wrote:They're the ones that selected this roster.

Whatever dude. That roster, as flawed as it was, should have at the very least medalled.

Blame is to be shared equally among the players, coaches and executives. I'm sure there'll be plenty of that to go around when they get back to NA.

On the other hand, that loss didn't sting all that much... not like it did in '98. Just didn't seem to bother me that much for some reason. Most of me is glad that it's over and I can get back to watching the Flames in less than a week. That's not really what I expected to feel.

AcidQueen wrote:

MuchoBulls wrote:What the hell was Modano doing on the bench in crucial times?

Might be the fact that his tank was on E pretty much the whole time?

You're going to tell me that he didn't have enough to play on a PP, even on the point? His shot is much more lethal than that of Rafalski, especially an apparently injured Rafalski.

Bottom line is when you need a goal, you put goal scorers out there. There is no reason that Modano shouldn't have been out of there that last minute.

Thoughts about yesterday...

I tried my best to avoid the radio and the internet to not know who won the games so I could watch them when I got home. Of course, at around 3:00, I go to check my e-mail on Yahoo! and they had the headline about Finland beating Team USA and then on my way home, I flip on the radio and before I could change the channel, I hear the Canada-Russia results. However, from what it sounded like...I assumed Canada blanked Russia so at least I got a surprise when it really was the other way around. Anyways, to the games themselves...

USA-Finland: Bad start with falling behind 2-0. The timeout proved to be a turning point for the Americans, eventhough they did give up the second goal after that occurred. Schneider had a great game offensively, his big shot from the blueline contributed to two of their three goals. Had I not read about the results on accident, I would've thought the game was over after it was 2-0 but I give Team USA credit for getting back into it and tying the game. They ran into penalty problems in the second and I knew it was curtains after it got to 4-2. They get the late goal by Schneider and they peppered Niittymaki in the closing minutes but couldn't get the equalizer. I wasn't too impressed with the play of DiPietro...he let in a couple of soft goals. I thought he had to outplay Nittymaki to give us a good chance but he didn't answer the bell.

Sweden-Switzerland: The Swiss were a great story but you'd be foolish to think they'd go far in the tournament. The Swedes look great with Forsberg in the lineup and Lundqvist playing well in goal, they're looking like the gold medal contender I was expecting. With the Americans out, the Swedes are my second team so at least I've got a rooting interest among the final four.

Czech Republic-Slovakia: A mild upset with the Czechs winning consider how the prelims went for both teams. I still wasn't sold on the Slovakian goaltending but I thought they could medal because of the play of the their forwards and they had the best offensive line in the tournament. The Czechs answered the bell and got an impressive win. They've been the Jeckyl and Hyde team of the tournament for sure but they've found their way into playing for a medal in spite of their injury problems.

Canada-Russia: Didn't finish watching the game but did find out the results. Three shutouts against the Canadians, probably the most the eye-popping stat of this tournament. I didn't think this team would have so many problems scoring goals. The Russians look like a well-oiled machine with offense clicking on all cylinders and Nabokov has had a strong tournament in goal.

Looking ahead to Friday, Russia-Finland could be the best game of the tournament. The Finns play with such precision and have yet to show any weaknesses. The Russians are probably the most explosive team of the semifinalists...something's got to give. I favor the Finns because they've yet to slip up and the Russians aren't as good defensively. Sweden-Czech Republic...I like the Swedes with Forsberg in the lineup and being an impact player.