Olympic Hockey Thread Part II

[Kokoschka]

Great save BOBROVSKY!

And another one.

 

[17futurecap]

Welp, maybe it should have been Bob today.

 

[Nickmo82]

Bob with two great saves.

 

[gary laser eyes]

I see Anisimov is still going with the "useless dangles then lose the puck" technique.

 

[Miamipuck]

You see why the Russians arent going to win. They're not team players. At no point save for certain moments in the US game have they played other then the collection of individuals they are. You apply a little pressure and they fold like a house of cards. The offensive firepower is second to none. It's a shame Datsyuk got stuck with some of these bums.

The Finns are a team, they're constructed like a real team and act like it. I wouldn't be surprised if they make it to the Gold Medal game.

Now they're head hunting, freaking gutless bums.

 

[Kokoschka]

Ovechkin is such a dumbass out there, it's baffling how he can score 40 in the NHL.

 

[Nickmo82]

The only working stream i could get has german commentary... and they just laughed at that turnover by Ovechkin.

 

[17futurecap]

Icing times 3.

 

[RGY]

Loving that excessive celebration by kovalchuck being shoved right back in his face

 

[Kokoschka]

The only working stream i could get has german commentary... and they just laughed at that turnover by Ovechkin.

ORF? At least it sounds like it, the turnover by Ovechkin gave the colour-guy a pretty good laugh.

 

[17futurecap]

Finland-Sweden Friday, yes please.

 

[Kokoschka]

Byebye Russia! Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

 

[Ail]

Lololol Russia.

Great game from the Finns.

 

[Kokoschka]

Russia trying the stick salute and getting booed out of the arena. Nothing against Russia per se here, but seeing Kovy, Ovy and Radulov fail is giving me a smile.

 

[Lime]

Wow! what a surprising tournament from Russia

 

[Gardner McKay]

Love it. Hagelin scores 2 & Lundqvist gets a shut out in a win for Sweden and then Russia bites the big one and loses. As long as the U.S. wins today I will be extremely happy (even happier if Canada lost but lets face it... not happening).

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Great team effort from Finland.

Sweden-Finland should be a great matchup.

 

[17futurecap]

Teemu is a freaking legend.

 

[Raspewtin]

Excellent game from the Fins.

Goodnight Putin.

 

[Dagh]

Kudos to the Finns, did not see that coming.

 

[gary laser eyes]

Kudos to the Finns, did not see that coming.

Finland is severely underrated. They have a solid all-around team and are well coached. Russia has a few world talents propped up by a bunch of mediocre players and a terrible coach.

I called this game as soon as the seedings were determined.

 

[eco's bones]

Back in the 70's when North Americans were first getting acquainted with Russian hockey--there was none of this me, me, me stuff of players trying to do it all on their own. The Russians were a precision team. Someone would be set up for a great shot--make a pass to another guy for an even better shot who instead of shooting would make another pass for a glorious opportunity which would almost always end up in the back of the net. These weren't occasional plays--these happened with frequency. Ken Dryden--the Canadiens goalie wrote a book about the first Canadian/NHL-Russian series of 8 games back in the summer of 72 titled Face-off at the Summit. The Russians had some tremendous players and they had the NHL'ers who at first didn't take them very seriously on the ropes. It took a goal by Paul Henderson in the final moments of the final game to win the series for Canada--4 wins-3 losses (2 in Canada where the first 4 games were played) and 1 tie.

Guys like Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk are elite players but so were Kharlamov, Tretiak, Mikhailov, Makarov, Maltsev, Fetisov, Kasatonov, Larionov but without the prima donna bs you get from Ovechkin, Malkin and Kovalchuk. Datsyuk IMO is the one Russian elite throwback most comparable to those earlier generations. The mentality of today's Russian team--you could see these guys were losing it as soon as Finland scored the third goal.

 

[Crease]

^^ eco's, you're right. I think Ovechkin would have been left off those great 1970s USSR teams. You either played the system, or you were left behind.

 

[Bleed Ranger Blue]

Russia learns (again) that skill and talent do not beat smarts and physicality at this level.

 

[Ola]

Eco- It gotta be time for a foreign coach for the Russian national team.

There is no way especially Rads and Semin should have been on that team. You can afford at the most 2 players like that on one team, Russia have 4.

It's the small details. It's soooooo simple. Every time a Russian D is passing the puck there is a Finn in his face with a stick in place to take away passing lanes. Easily 7/10 times a Finn D pass the puck, there is nobody on him. A simple detail like that decides a hockey game, it is as "simple" as that. And there are several more details like that, obligatory plays you need to make on the ice, that aren't made...

You also can't blame this game on 1 or 3 or 5 Russians. They are not the problem. If Slovenia had AO and Malkin, they could gone deep. There is no balance on the team.