Jon Prescription said:
Oh, great. Let's back off after 10 goales. What a nice thing to do.
They really need to take away this Pejorative Slured GF/GA rule because it enables classless acts like this to happen which completely undermines the Olympic spirit and tradition.
These posts make me sick and show me exactly how backward thinking some people are. Hockey is a 60 minute sport, you are supposed to play hard for 60 minutes no matter the score. If you really want to disrespect a team, then stop trying against them, go out and play your 4th liners and play keep away with the puck.
Now thats showing a lack of sportsmanship, not allowing the other team a lesson in elite hockey play. Not allowing the other team to learn how to get better and basicly just mocking them for not being up to the other teams standards. Hogwash, poor sportsmanship would be jumping over the bench to celebrate the 12th goal of the game. Or laughing at the other team. No, they are playing hard for 60 minutes which will be an example for the newer womens hockey teams on how to compete.
Look at the Italy game, everyone knew it would be a rout but people watched. And even if it brought in 2 or 3 little girls wanting to be hockey players and learn the game, then Italy might have lost the battle but not the war. We have demeaned womens sports for so long, comparing them to mens sports that a lot of young ladies are not interested in even trying because they will be made fun of by ignorant people like some on these boards. Right now for teams like Italy and Russia they are not trying to compete against Canada or the States but are learning the game, investing time in making womens hockey interesting to the 10 and 11 year old girls. And eventually the gap will get smaller and smaller.
If they wanted to have no 18-0 games then they should have a mercy rule after a 10 goal lead, but they don't. Do not blame the Canadian or the American teams for being good but blame people like yourself for holding down sports like this in the newer countries and making fun of the team. Everyone needs to start somewhere and in 20 years I'm sure it will be a battle to even finish in the bronze metal game.
As long as they shake hands when the game is over and do not resort to dirty play, then I fail to see a lack of sportsmanship anywhere in these 2 games