Olympics 2026 qualification

[kudla]

This.. and Slovakia is restocking the cupboards.. they could have a nice looking squad in 2026 that will mostly all be around for 2030 where I think they could do some damage.

2030, yes, 2026 most likely too soon to present any kind of threat for teams if NHLers allowed

 

[Czechboy]

4-1.. nice goal. Regenda.

This game is over... I can't see Hungary putting up 4 goals to win it.

 

[Czechboy]

lol.. I click 'post reply' as a Hungarian (Bartalis) scores a gorgeous goal on some rough Slovak defending.. think it was Gernat.. he went on an adventure there.lol

 

[Pazucha]

 

[Czechboy]

That's awful...

1. Nemec is poised to have a beauty year
2. a lot of NHL clubs hate these tourneys and don't allow their guys to go, this will fuel that
3. Nemec would be useful to Slovakia for the crucial game

 

[Czechboy]

Comfortable win in the end.. not sure they are playing their hockey but keep winning!

 

[MeHateHe]

Watching some of the GB/Norway game, it strikes me that
- Great Britain is still a long way away from being competitive at this level and yet
- Great Britain has done a lot with not much.
A lot of the teams in this final round have bona fide NHL talent on their rosters and good (though maybe not great) local leagues and development systems. GB still seems to be cobbling together a program with baler twine and duct tape. For a country with a decent sports infrastructure and passionate fans, GB is stuck in the wilderness in hockey.
I have an irrational soft spot for GB hockey. I know a few players who played over there so I followed the league and their fan boards for a while. I know football is king there and lack of suitable, stable ice surfaces is a huge deterrent, but it would be nice if they could rise to the level of Norway or Denmark, even,

 

[aquaregia]

Watching some of the GB/Norway game, it strikes me that
- Great Britain is still a long way away from being competitive at this level and yet
- Great Britain has done a lot with not much.
A lot of the teams in this final round have bona fide NHL talent on their rosters and good (though maybe not great) local leagues and development systems. GB still seems to be cobbling together a program with baler twine and duct tape. For a country with a decent sports infrastructure and passionate fans, GB is stuck in the wilderness in hockey.
I have an irrational soft spot for GB hockey. I know a few players who played over there so I followed the league and their fan boards for a while. I know football is king there and lack of suitable, stable ice surfaces is a huge deterrent, but it would be nice if they could rise to the level of Norway or Denmark, even,

I think another problem is not really many people even know the GB hockey team even exists lol, used to be at very least our WC and Olympic quali games would be broadcast on radio but now not even that, and I doubt the rights would be too far out of reach of the BBC (I mean they have barely anything these days in the way of televised sport), but as it is the TV coverage is almost always on some obscure paid network.

The fact that cities like Sheffield and Nottingham maintain a cult following of the sport despite the challenges in exposure the sport faces shows there is appeal to be tapped. Though I don't know if the sport does have much of a bright future realistically, rinks aren't cheap to maintain, equipment isn't cheap to buy and the country's economic climate is gradually worsening year-on-year...

 

[SoundAndFury]

Well Japan is making it interesting 2nd day in a row.

 

[Fjorden]

Japan having 2-2 after 2 periods against Denmark.

Japan looks well coached, structured and plays with discipline. Did well against Norway also for a long time.

 

[Urbanskog]

2. a lot of NHL clubs hate these tourneys and don't allow their guys to go, this will fuel that

He might just as well have injured himself in an NHL preseason game, injuries are an unavoidable part of the game. NHL fans will always complain, but they would complain even if he injured himself in the Olympic final and probably label the entire tournament meaningless compared to the NHL, even if they're a fan of one of the worst teams in the league.

 

[vlady]

That's awful...

1. Nemec is poised to have a beauty year
2. a lot of NHL clubs hate these tourneys and don't allow their guys to go, this will fuel that
3. Nemec would be useful to Slovakia for the crucial game

he will be evaluated tomorrow. there is a chance he will play against KAZ. It appears to be a shoulder issue. Hopefully not too serious.

 

[Albatros]

Japan having 2-2 after 2 periods against Denmark.

Japan looks well coached, structured and plays with discipline. Did well against Norway also for a long time.

They need to stop taking penalties though, they're not going to win this in the box.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Not too sure Latvia can win France. France looks better. Edit:-antijinx worked

 

[SoundAndFury]

Japanese hockey revival is so surreal. 6-7 years ago they were losing to us, now they are fighting Danes and Norwegians. Imagine what's gonna happen when Iguchi finally makes the team

 

[Albatros]

Either way it's only cosmetics now that they failed getting 3 points here.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Not too sure Latvia can win France. France looks better.

I could say the same for Norwegians against Danes, but I don't think it matters all that much for the single-game scenario. Obviously, both teams can win but only one will.

 

[Albatros]

A great result for Denmark in the end, can now afford to go the full distance on Sunday.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I guess that's one way to look at the team with legitimate NHL talent going to OT against the team whose top player is at the ECHL level.

 

[Albatros]

They either needed to win big or keep everything open for the "final". A 4:2 in regulation wouldn't really have changed anything.

 

[FrHockeyFan]

Not too sure Latvia can win France. France looks better.

Yes, France does look good offensively for once. And the atmosphere within the team seems amazing.

But what worries me about France are those periods of time where they seem to switch off and let the opponents attack. Papillon did a great job then. But if Slovenia had been able to play as intensively as they did the night before, I doubt the result would have been the same.

Latvia will be a different ballgame and they will definitely not miss the opportunity in those situations.

 

[Urbanskog]

A great result for Denmark in the end, can now afford to go the full distance on Sunday.

Denmark has a degree of less security now, if we assume that the best 2nd ranked team of the final qualification will also advance to the Olympics. They will only qualify if they win their group while one of the teams currently at 6 points will advance even if they lose.

 

[SoundAndFury]

They either needed to win big or keep everything open for the "final". A 4:2 in regulation wouldn't really have changed anything.

And neither of these teams is going to win in the Olympics so surely our existence is just an exercise in futility.

NT ranked #24 just took one ranked #11 to OT playing with very close to the best possible lineups. Where do you draw the line on what could and cannot be enjoyed as a fan with this "it doesn't change anything" line of thinking?

 

[Albatros]

Denmark has a degree of less security now, if we assume that the best 2nd ranked team of the final qualification will also advance to the Olympics. They will only qualify if they win their group while one of the teams currently at 6 points will advance even if they lose.

If they win against Norway they're through anyway, if they lose then their goal difference wouldn't have been good enough anyway unless they managed to run up the score real well today.

 

[Urbanskog]

If they win against Norway they're through anyway, if they lose then their goal difference wouldn't have been good enough anyway unless they managed to run up the score real well today.

Most likely not but it's impossible to say until we know what kind of goal differentials will the other teams end up with.