So who was the SECOND best team?

[66871]

Off-topic: properly executed sarcasm shouldn't need an emoticon. []

This^100. I don't really care if everybody gets my sarcasm or I get everybody else's. But the sarcasm emoticon sort of ruins it for me on this forum.

 

[DrunkPerrinFan]

Sweden of course, they beat Finland which is obviously third. Some people here need to learn that the standings are determined on the ice, not on internet board arguments.

 

[Hoople]

I love threads like this.

Canada
Sweden
Finland
USA

Anything else is revisionist history or very short memory.

Congrats to the medal winning teams.

 

[sipowicz]

Seriously, should be;

Canada

Finland

USA

Sweden


Best underdog performance: Latvia

Most overrated: Russia

 

[66871]

France cared so little, they didn't even make the tourney! So, they're number two.

Looking at this further, Brazil doesn't even care enough to ice an international team, so they have a strong argument for being second best.

 

[RorschachWJK]

Another one? If your memory deserts you please go back and read the game threads.

I watched the game, I have no need to go to any GDT. Sweden scored more goals and deserved to win that game, but dominated...give me a break.

 

[HamiltonRedWings]

Finland by far.
Sweden was lucky that Rask was injured during the semi-final game.
Finland was also the closest team to almost beat Canada, losing 2-1 in OT.

 

[psycho_dad*]

Finland was completely outplayed by Sweden in the semi-final. Completely outplayed.

Absolutely not. Finland had more quality chances. But scoring matters, swedes earned their silver fair and square. Just don't spew absolute bs, Salo alone had about as many great chances as sweden but sweden was m6ch better at using theirs and that's all that counts in the end. It's also sad to see all these Americans trying to WISH their way into being anything but 4th in the games...pathetic. they had nothing for Canada or finland. Nothing.

 

[Bexx]

Sorry for repeating myself, but...

Canada beat USA & Finland & Sweden, who beat Finland, who beat both Russia and USA, who beat Russia.

So how could it be anyway else than...

1) Canada
2) Sweden
3) Finland
4) USA
5) Russia

We can all play what-if-games as much as we like, but that's useless as we can never estimate the significance of the loss of one specific player in any roster... But... Hey South Park, please send in super-hero Captain Hindsight to tell how it is (should have been)!!

 

[EP40 AKA Lil Wayne]

Finland by far.
Sweden was lucky that Rask was injured during the semi-final game.
Finland was also the closest team to almost beat Canada, losing 2-1 in OT.

Then Sweden should be nr 1 cause they won over Finland in regular time and Canada was lucky they bribed Backstrom out of the game

 

[Sher-Wood]

I watched the game, I have no need to go to any GDT. Sweden scored more goals and deserved to win that game, but dominated...give me a break.

Ok, dominated is not the right word but they controlled the game and deserved the win. Fair enough?

 

[Lomez]

Looking at this further, Brazil doesn't even care enough to ice an international team, so they have a strong argument for being second best.

And that's a shame. Samba drum beats echoing through the Arena like at Brazilian footie matches would be awesome.

 

[dredeye]

I'm talking about the mens side, obviously.

I say the U.S. Nevermind that bronze medal game they didn't give a crap about, other than that the only other game they didn't look very good in was against Canada, and even then they only lost by one goal.

They're the only team I felt that (at times) could truly stay with Canada, I didn't see any other team being able to do that.

So the team that you say didn't care about winning an olympic medal was the 2nd best team? That makes well zero sense. It was Sweden then the Fins then the US. When you don't look good against the tough teams you are not the better team. Canada and the Fins dominated them. Enough said.

 

[Le Golie]

Ok, dominated is not the right word but they controlled the game and deserved the win. Fair enough?

Out shot, out chanced. Finn goalie gave up one and a half bad goals, Swede goalie one. from a neutral perspective it was a close game that could have gone either way. Canada definitely had more trouble against Finland though, Sweden was a very easy game. Maybe it was the refs.

 

[Noutaja]

Off-topic: properly executed sarcasm shouldn't need an emoticon. []

I kind of agree, then again I have found out that sometimes I tend to take such comments sarcastic that actually weren´t. There are all kinds of people in net..

 

[RorschachWJK]

Ok, dominated is not the right word but they controlled the game and deserved the win. Fair enough?

Yeah, like I said, it was a deserved win. Was rooting for you guys in the final but didn't help much :-(

 

[Borlag]

Finland by far.
Sweden was lucky that Rask was injured during the semi-final game.
Finland was also the closest team to almost beat Canada, losing 2-1 in OT.

Sorry but no, sure we got the closest to beating Canada but when all is said and done, there's no way no how that we were better than Sweden. With or without Rask. It wasn't our goal tending that failed us against Sweden, it was the entire team looking entirely toothless.

Sweden dominated us and made us look just as weak as we made US look in the bronze game. Sure some of it is simply because our game style is more efficient in shutting down the high offense opposition, while the hard working on top of that ensures that we will get our chances in offence as well. Simply put, Sweden has always been our cryptonite and if there's a single team I fear to go up against, it's them. And no, I'm not as worried playing against Canada simply because we match surprisingly evenly with them, and have done so for quite some time now. Russia, Czech, USA? Who cares, we have their number. It's the other teams with both skill as well as great team defense that give us trouble, those being Sweden and Canada.

 

[Boreal01]

1. Canada
2. Switzerland
3. Sweden
4. Finland
5. USA

Biggest underdog performances - Latvia and Slovenia
Most overrated - Russia and Slovakia

 

[Avro Arrow]

To me, I think that it was Finland. If Rask didn't get the flu, I believe that they would have the Silvers around their necks instead of the Bronze.

 

[tamle]

Yeah, like I said, it was a deserved win. Was rooting for you guys in the final but didn't help much :-(

This Canadian fan here cheered for Finland all the way didn't help much though against Canada either with that OT winner.

 

[Finnsane]

To me, I think that it was Finland. If Rask didn't get the flu, I believe that they would have the Silvers around their necks instead of the Bronze.

Better this way then

 

[RorschachWJK]

This Canadian fan here cheered for Finland all the way didn't help much though against Canada either with that OT winner.

Thanks anyway Swedes are our neighbours though, besides being underdogs in that game...

 

[Arne]

I know it really annoys a lot of people over the ocean, but it's this mentality which helps a team like Canada win gold - we don't play to "do our best," we play to win it all.

And if we can't win it all, we don't care anymore.

Weak sauce. None of the "Big Six" go there to survive, they all go there to win the whole thing. But if you lose in the semis, you don't throw in the towel, but keep fighting because there's still one game left. It's a matter of honor. You can't just quit like a ***** and I'm positive Team USA wasn't planning on doing that either, until the flash goals. Some fans don't necessarily care about the Olympic bronze, but players sure as hell do.

Back on topic, the second best team was Sweden. At the end of the day it's about winning the right games. It's not about what if's or games that you don't have all on the line. Canada, Sweden, Finland is the right order.

 

[fsanford]

So the question is who is the first loser?

 

[Boreal01]

Weak sauce. None of the "Big Seven" go there to survive, they all go there to win the whole thing. But if you lose in the semis, you don't throw in the towel, but keep fighting because there's still one game left. It's a matter of honor. You can't just quit like a ***** and I'm positive Team USA wasn't planning on doing that either, until the flash goals. Some fans don't necessarily care about the Olympic bronze, but players sure as hell do.

Back on topic, the second best team was Sweden. At the end of the day it's about winning the right games. It's not about what if's or games that you don't have all on the line. Canada, Sweden, Finland is the right order.

Fixed.