GDT: Women's | Preliminary Round | Group A | USA vs Canada| 10:10 PM

[tony d]

Great win by the ladies today, good stuff.

 

[HanSolo]

Honestly? This team isn't all that likeable. Putting aside the whole "Pay or I don't play!" stunt they pulled right before the World Championships, the veterans have been more about gimme gimme gimme, winning personal accolades, and reclaiming the gold medal that was "stolen" from them at Sochi than playing as a team and representing their country. Yes "stolen from them" is their words not mine. They are so mentally hung up on beating Canada they can't get out of their own way.

Well first of all it's not above Olympians to hold personal grudges. It happens in many Olympic sports. The desire to top their rivals is PART of the drive to succeed and do well for their country. Would it be any different if Anaheim faced Nashville for the fourth time in the last 7 years and in the media expressed a primary focus on finally avenging three playoff losses at Nashville's hands? Obviously the primary goal is to win the cup, but getting a monkey off your back means a lot to athletes.

Second there's a difference between "unlikable" and "despicable." I mean I have many teams I want to see fail. Nashville, San Jose, LA, Detroit (don't have to wait anymore), Dallas but I wouldn't call any of their teams despicable. Hell, even when the trend seemed to be the Colorado Avalanche would manage to injure a Ducks player every time the two teams played, I didn't think the team was despicable. Just guys like McCleod and Landeskog.

 

[Baxterman]

That's harsh

It may be harsh but it is completely true.

 

[HanSolo]

nah never mind.

 

[MarkStone]

Goaltending is the magic elixir, though (See: Hasek, Dominik, 1998)

That Czech team played some of the most structurally disciplined hockey I've ever seen in an Olympic tournament. Just claiming that they relied on insane goaltending performances for every game is historical revisionism.

 

[c9777666]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but............ I don't think it would be a bad thing if we did not have a gold medal rematch.

I think women's hockey might benefit from someone else pulling a surprise because it feels a bit too predictable the last 4 Winter Olympics- USA beats everyone else but Canada, Canada has not lost period

Sweden and Switzerland and Finland are capable and in a one game scenario, on any given day, any team can be beat.

Sweden did beat the US women in Torino, but.......... even though I said on any given day, Canada losing before the gold medal game to someone else would basically be the women's equivalent of Belarus/Salo '02.

 

[Cloned]

This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but............ I don't think it would be a bad thing if we did not have a gold medal rematch.

I think women's hockey might benefit from someone else pulling a surprise because it feels a bit too predictable every 4 years- USA beats everyone else but Canada, Canada has not lost save since Nagano.

Sweden and Switzerland and Finland are capable and in a one game scenario, as we saw with the Miracle on Ice in 1980, on any given day, any team can be beat


Sweden did beat the US women in Torino, but.......... Canada losing before the gold medal game to someone else would basically be the women's equivalent of Belarus/Salo '02.

Sweden beat the US and then proceeded to get demolished in the gold medal game by Canada. Nobody wants that in a gold medal game.

 

[Cloned]

Goaltending is the magic elixir, though (See: Hasek, Dominik, 1998)

Helps that they had Crawford coaching the Canadian team like an idiot.

 

[Urbanskog]

Let's be honest- a Canadian women's Olympic loss would be as big a surprise as the Penguins losing to the Islanders in 1993 or Sweden losing to Belarus.

Just nonsense. The US has been dominant in the World Championship, there's absolutely no reason to think that they couldn't win Olympic gold as well.

 

[Baxterman]

Sweden beat the US and then proceeded to get demolished in the gold medal game by Canada. Nobody wants that in a gold medal game.

What?

That would be a great match-up for the final.

 

[Cloned]

What?

That would be a great match-up for the final.

You want the gold medal game to be 6 to 1 demolition with no drama whatsoever? That was like watching Canada beat Sweden in 2014 on the men’s side. I’m Canadian but that was like watching paint dry.

 

[Pez68]

Canada was outplayed. This was a textbook goalie win....

They meet again, and I would bet on USA winning. They were the better team 90% of this game.

 

[Baxterman]

You want the gold medal game to be 6 to 1 demolition with no drama whatsoever? That was like watching Canada beat Sweden in 2014 on the men’s side. I’m Canadian but that was like watching paint dry.

If it means the Americans go home early and disappointed yes I do.

 

[Cloned]

Canada was outplayed. This was a textbook goalie win....

They meet again, and I would bet on USA winning. They were the better team 90% of this game.

Canada does tend to produce far better goaltenders than the US on the women's side, yes.