Should we eliminate the bronze medal game?

[IceAce]

But if you only play to win then why do u even wanna remember those bitter loses at the form of those banners there. You shouldn't put these hanging there if you really are "win or bust" mentality kind of a team.

OT, sry

Do you honestly think the players care about the banners that get hung in the rafters of the arena? Here's a hint, outside of the one they get for a Stanley Cup or having their number retired, no. That's all done by team executives to try to communicate some level of perceived success to fans, although I've always felt anything less than a championship banner was sort of silly.

 

[DrunkPerrinFan]

In the bronze-medal game, Montreal's Alex Galchenyuk scored consecutive goals in the shootout for the Americans.

"After I scored the first one, I was pretty confident and I wanted to go at it one more time," Galchenyuk said. "We (coach Joe Sacco and Galchenyuk) kind of looked at each other, and I was like: 'I want to go,' and I'm happy that he let me. When you win a game for your country ... it's unbelievable. It's probably the happiest I've been in my life so far."

To be honest, I'm going to trust this more than the opinions of a few guys on the internet and just leave it at that.

 

[cbcwpg]

They have been giving out bronze medals for 110 years. I doubt they will stop just because some overpaid millionaires ( that may or may not be there next time ) don't feel like playing for it or some people on HFB don't want to watch it.

Of note:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_medal

In 1995, a study was carried out by social psychologists Victoria Medvec, Scott Madey and Thomas Gilovich on the effects of counterfactual thinking on the Olympics. The study showed that athletes who won the bronze medal were significantly happier with their winning than those athletes who won the silver medal. The silver medalists were more frustrated because they had missed the gold medal, while the bronze medalists were simply happy to have received any honors at all (instead of no medal for fourth place). This is more pronounced in knockout competitions, where the bronze medals are achieved by winning a playoff, whereas silver medals are awarded after a defeat in the final.

 

[Lempo]

"Pros" playing only to win? In my book professionalism is about doing your damn best in any situation you find yourself in, and that means trying to win every game including the last one even if the highest prize has slipped through your hands. "I don't get to be the best and be celebrated as hero? What-ever!" isn't exactly a winner attitude. Someone can be better than you in the end but it's no excuse to not thrive being the very damn best you can be.

 

[Sabane]

Do you honestly think the players care about the banners that get hung in the rafters of the arena? Here's a hint, outside of the one they get for a Stanley Cup or having their number retired, no. That's all done by team executives to try to communicate some level of perceived success to fans, although I've always felt anything less than a championship banner was sort of silly.

Yea yea, I know it. I've actually been on the losing side of best of 3 championship game at the shotouts and that sucked. But here are people generalizing that "none of the americans care anything else than the #1" These kind of a little thing shows IMO that not everybody thinks it that way (the guys putting these banners for example).

 

[ISensFanI]

How about a silver medal game. The losers in the semis play for a chance to play the loser of the golden game, in a game for the silver medal. The loser in that game (the silver medal game) would get the bronze medal.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

How about a silver medal game. The losers in the semis play for a chance to play the loser of the golden game, in a game for the silver medal. The loser in that game (the silver medal game) would get the bronze medal.

That's what they should do but then the fans of the team who lost the gold medal game will be angry with that format because they think they should be awarded silver since they lost in the finals

 

[isuldor]

How about a silver medal game. The losers in the semis play for a chance to play the loser of the golden game, in a game for the silver medal. The loser in that game (the silver medal game) would get the bronze medal.

And shouldnt loser of silver game play with 4th for bronze?

 

[ISensFanI]

That's what they should do but then the fans of the team who lost the gold medal game will be angry with that format because they think they should be awarded silver since they lost in the finals

Well they didn't win anything, and it also give the teams that lost in a one game elimination round a chance for redemption. Also it would create more games with good teams in them, (well usually the teams in the semis are good), which the tournament needs imo.

 

[ISensFanI]

And shouldnt loser of silver game play with 4th for bronze?

I thought about that , but that's too many games / too much time? I would like it though. More international games between the best countries with the best players is always awesome.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

Either way you should have to win a game to get any color medal. You lose in the gold medal game you have to play the winner of the so called bronze game. Then the loser of that plays the team that lost the "bronze game"

 

[Mightygoose]

The issue I see with the 'loser of gold plays for silver' is the gold medal game would not be the finale in the tourament anymore.

Seems too anti-climatic in terms of the overall event. Best to just keep the bronze medal game.

 

[Chain Attack]

People say bronze is better than silver because you win the bronze and lose the gold. But I've never heard of 3rd being better than 2nd in anything...

Exactly. After a few days of reflection, Silver always beats out Bronze. The problem is they take the team photo right after the big game. Of course the Bronze photos are going to look happier than the Silver medalists. Give Backstrom the option between a silver and bronze right now, guarantee he'll take the silver and be proud of the win over Finland.

 

[ottawa]

The bronze medal is traditional, not to hockey but to the olympics as a whole. You cannot just make an exception for hockey and entirely eliminate future bronze medal games.

 

[Scotty B]

Keep the Bronze medal game, but stop making one team play such a big game in less than 24 hours after a tough semi final loss ( with the team that had the early game getting an unfair advantage ) that's just NOT enough turnaround time physically or mentally.

Ideally, play both Bronze and Gold game on the Sunday, with Saturday being an off day

 

[eli J]

As a Canadian I would feel playing for bronze to be a failure, because Canada's expected to play for Gold every year these days. However you can at least end the tournament on a high note - a win - so that should be your motivation

 

[nanzenkills]

Unless they eliminate bronze medal games in all team sports, which they shouldn't IMO, they shouldn't eliminate it in hockey.

 

[Darth Handsome*]

As a Canadian I would feel playing for bronze to be a failure, because Canada's expected to play for Gold every year these days.

This is so smug & disrespectful to our opposition. It's little wonder why Canadian fans are so disliked. I wish we collectively had more grace.

 

[ScottyBowman]

If it was me, I would only give out gold medals.

 

[Nzap]

What do banners matter? Do you think players that lose in the SCF console themselves with the fact they won their conference/division title? No.

A bronze medal might as well be a third place ribbon to these guys.

The mindset of a professional is completely different from an amateur athlete. That's why I've never been a fan of the NHL or NBA in the Olympics because the amateurs just get more out of a tournament like this and give more of an effort across the board.

Yup. None of the Finns or Swiss this year were happy at all. They would much rather have a ribbon than an Olympic medal....

Do you even read what you write?

 

[PBandJ]

As a wrestler, the general attitude amongst the community is disdain for silver. Many wrestlers would rather win that bronze than lose and settle for silver.

 

[Back in Black]

No, the loser should get a wooden stick & puck, and wish 'em better next time!

 

[jnt88]

Yes. It's a meaningless game, unless you are one of the smaller countries with something to prove. Russia, USA, and Canada all would see bronze as a loss as well.

Only Canada is justified to have this view. USA and Russia have achieved nothing in these tournaments, so quit acting like you are some champions who are expected to win gold. The players from every country, including NA, certainly seem to go crazy after winning a bronze, even in the lesser World Championships.

 

[Benedict Kovalchuk]

Americans need to drop their delusions of grandeur, you have not and have never been on the level of 'gold or bust'. You haven't even won gold in over 30 years, get serious.

 

[Maestro Ville Leino]

Should we eliminate the bronze medal game?

No. It's the olympics; the bronze is awarded in every single other sport. Hockey shouldn't be an exception. If the hockey players aren't motivated enough to play for the bronze, they shouldn't have gone to the olympics in the first place. Sneering at the bronze seems very unsportsmanlike and arrogant.