Should we eliminate the bronze medal game?

[Jack Straw]

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.

Well, you can still award the bronze- each of the losing teams from the semis gets bronze. There are a few events in the summer Olympics where they do this (boxing for example). Having said that, I like the bronze medal game and definitely would not get rid of it. And the Olympics won't either.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

And by the way team Finland got 240 000 € from that bronze medal and the players decided to give it all to different charities. One charity for example helps Jaroslav Otevrel who was paralyzed in a hockey game and other helps to secure training possibilities for junior players that come from poor families.

Very admirable.....

 

[Drij]

It's goes gold, silver, bronze. That's how the Olympics go.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

look at that picture of USA players. they don't share your opinnion.

Like I said, any competitor is going to celebrate a win. In the grand scheme, doesn't mean as much. Enjoy your bronze and stop taking it as a personal affront to your nation that the USA has lofty expectations.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

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.

Not true, I've wrestled my whole life, made it to states numerous times. I'd much rather lose in the finals and be considered the 2nd best wrestler in the state than win and be the 3rd best. Obviously you want to go out with a win but when you look back would you rather only one person or team be better than you or two.

 

[Toasterleavins*]

Not caring enough to put in the effort to win the bronze is indicative of a few things. A lack of character, a lack of respect for the other teams in the tournament (not to mention yourself) and a lack of respect & appreciation of your fans. What the US did on the weekend was disgraceful & excusing their terrible effort because bronze "doesn't matter" is beyond condescending.

I am a huge fan of American hockey & was appalled by that game, just as I was appalled years ago when Canada mailed it in in Nagano, & how we seem to mail it in at the WJC when we lose in the semi finals.

You lost the semi final. At the very least, suck it up for those paying your freight & show up to play for 3rd place. If you don't, you aren't worthy of even 3rd, so showing contempt for it is what I would call ironic. Get over yourselves, because you obviously aren't as good as you seem to think you are.

Id say we care less about you being upset than we do about the bronze medal game. And thats saying something.

 

[Mombius]

Like I said, any competitor is going to celebrate a win. In the grand scheme, doesn't mean as much. Enjoy your bronze and stop taking it as a personal affront to your nation that the USA has lofty expectations.

So you missed the first half of the game too?

 

[Classicnamesup]

Is there actually people that think this? Absolutely ridiculous, only the GMG is more important

 

[Toasterleavins*]

Can't just not do a bronze game anymore... it obviously means alot to some players and countries.

That said I was imagining myself as a usa player in the bronze medal game and i have to be honest... I wouldnt have given a **** either. Im not going to be mad at players who basically played the game the same way I would have.

Congrats on your bronze Finland. Want a hug? You guys certainly seem desperate for attention in this thread.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not true, I've wrestled my whole life, made it to states numerous times. I'd much rather lose in the finals and be considered the 2nd best wrestler in the state than win and be the 3rd best. Obviously you want to go out with a win but when you look back would you rather only one person or team be better than you or two.

So apparently your singular view of the sport is different than another competitor's singular view. Some value things more or less than others....kind of what is being suggested.

 

[Megahab]

If you don't like it, don't watch.

The notion that something should be eliminated just because you have no interest in it is disturbing.

I agree. This reminds me of people calling for a TV show they don't watch to be cancelled.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

So apparently your singular view of the sport is different than another competitor's singular view. Some value things more or less than others....kind of what is being suggested.

Like I said before I think a lot of people are thinking of it as an immediate reaction. Which makes sense. Right away I can understand how bronze may feel better since you actually won that game. But 20 to 30 years down the road are you going to still feel great about being 3rd best and not even making the finals over potentially being the best if you actually made it?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Like I said before I think a lot of people are thinking of it as an immediate reaction. Which makes sense. Right away I can understand how bronze may feel better since you actually won that game. But 20 to 30 years down the road are you going to still feel great about being 3rd best and not even making the finals over potentially being the best if you actually made it?

I actually wrote that in an earlier posts. 20 years from now the USA guys would have looked back on that bronze they lost favorably, just not anytime soon.

 

[QnebO]

With that logic we only should have gold medals in sports.

If Finns decided everything based on what finnish people care or don't care, 95% of the sports of the world wouldn't even exist in Olympics. There would only be hockey and couple of other events (the ones that we actually take strong part in).

It just doesn't work that way. Actually its hard to imagine, how arrogant you need to be in order to think that Olympics would change the way they work. People in Europe mostly see things on realistic way: Only one is the real winner in every event, but because it's extremely unlikely to win (in most sports) for any one, the system is build that way that doing a really good effort (top 3 finnish) gets you medals. It means you have been in the top level of the World, that's alot more than nothing. Nothing equals to us, who just write here and never are even close to the top. World Top 3 Finnishers in skiing or anything aren't just nothing.

 

[QnebO]

"Gold or bust" is true in hockey, where the differences in the level are still so huge, it will upset if any one but Canada wins. Swedes might roll with sort of gold-or-bust, too. Others are just fake. They aren't even favorites. The gold would be huge to the others.

Usain bolt is gold or bust. But if Asafa Powell goes "gold or bust" mentality, he's just dumb. Stay realistic.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

And USA can revel in their illusions of grandeur while never winning anything. Great, they can revel in the fact that they are the Toronto Maple Leafs of international hockey.

Our two golds (overall) and two silvers (out of the last 4 Olympics) aren't winning anything? How does that compare to Finland's record?

Come on....no reason to hurl insults instead of trying to debate articulately.

 

[KPower]

We should Eliminate all the games and just give the gold to the best team on paper.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

Fact of the matter is, I can't find myself feeling bad for a bunch of 20-30 year olds most of which are making millions of dollars to play a kids game. Yea they might be disappointed an upset they didn't get gold, but they have their money. Doubt they'll even care about losing in a month or two. Us fans get more ticked off about the team losing then the players themselves

 

[Borlag]

Our two golds (overall) and two silvers (out of the last 4 Olympics) aren't winning anything? How does that compare to Finland's record?

Come on....no reason to hurl insults instead of trying to debate articulately.

Didn't you just say it's gold or bust? Who cares about bronze, who cares about silver, it's gold or bust. That is your own argument, not mine. And that right there is what makes it hilarious.

 

[QnebO]

When US wins silver in hockey.. They aren't bust. They are really good in hockey. You can accept that, it doesn't mean that it has to ENOUGH for USA. But you still can be realistic on yourself, even if it means something positive, while not being in target.

When Finland wins Olympic medal, we are happy for it. It does not mean that we have reached our goal. We can celebrate and then get back working on goal. Actually one can feel good or celebrate even without legit reason, just for fun.

 

[Danish Pastry]

Didn't read the whole thread or original post its the Olympics so you better always have gold silver and bronze. Now if something like the world's who most don't even care about wants to get rid of 3rd place that's fine...

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Fact of the matter is, I can't find myself feeling bad for a bunch of 20-30 year olds most of which are making millions of dollars to play a kids game. Yea they might be disappointed an upset they didn't get gold, but they have their money. Doubt they'll even care about losing in a month or two. Us fans get more ticked off about the team losing then the players themselves

Completely right....they're not losing any sleep over it. ...their lives will go on like it never happened.

 

[Lomez]

What a strange, parochial (charmingly so), quaint and bizarre thread.

sorry guys, almost every post in this thread is embarrassingly chauvinistic and simplistic.

Let's be real simple here for clarity: Bronze medal. It's an Olympic thing. Just is. Always will be.

 

[Opado]

I think we should get rid of bronze game and silver medals too. Winners of the Olympic tournament gets new "Olympic cup" with face of Olli Jokinen and team gets free waffles in the dressing room.

 

[DrunkKaner88]

Completely right....they're not losing any sleep over it. ...their lives will go on like it never happened.

You really think in a week or two any of those players on USA are still thinking about how they didn't win a medal? No, they're to busy trying to beat those same guys they just played together with.