Olympic Wrap

Well, loss aside, that was one of the best hockey games I've ever seen. Only question is, why 4 on 4 for 20 minutes in OT? Bizarre.

Now for some awards:

Overachiever Award: Team Slovakia. Who thought they'd even play for a medal, much less beat Sweden and Russia?

Runner-Up: Team USA. I always thought they'd medal.


Underachiever Award: Team Sweden. Defending champs couldn't get it done when it mattered.

Runner-Up: Team Russia. Only their offense underachieved.


MVP: Ryan Miller. What a beast.

Runners-Up: Sidney Crosby (game/Gold winner), Tore Vikingstad (best name ever)


Best Team: Team Canada. Gold medalists.

Runner-Up: Team USA. No surprises here.


Worst Team: Team Russia. Terrible chemistry, abysmal defense, and offensive superstars not even trying to backcheck.

Runner-Up: Team Germany. Never even made a game that close.


Lessons Learned: Miller is an elite goaltender... Crosby wins championships, no matter the pressure... The USA has made amazing strides and, developmentally, is the best hockey nation in the world... The 2014 Olympics in Sochi will kick ass. If Bettman allows NHL players to play... NHL players easily beat players of any other league. The two teams with 100% NHL players medaled gold and silver.

And it sucks to see Crosby beat your team. Now I know how Brett feels.

- Matt

Olympics: Moving On

First of all, USA! USA!

Now, there are some preliminary matchups that could provide the upsets we crave. Let's look at each one:

Czech Republic (5) vs. Latvia (12)

Rematch of an earlier game, where the Czechs were scared straight when the Latvians made it closer than it should have been.

Upset Potential: Highly unlikely


Canada (6) vs. Germany (11)

Two teams whose talent level isn't living up to its potential. After a spat of hot goaltenders, Canada will be relieved to face struggling Greiss. Expect a blowout.

Upset Potential: Slim to none


Slovakia (7) vs. Norway (10)

Slovakia is heating up, and should blow the suddenly overachieving Norwegians out of the water. Not even Tore Vikingstad can stop the inevitable. Unless the Slovaks have trouble scoring again.

Upset Potential: Unlikely


Switzerland (8) vs. Belarus (9)

Jonas Hiller was finally lit up in the tourney... by the Norwegians, oddly. Could Belarus find the magic they summoned in the Germany game? The Swiss will probably win, but a Belarus upset is actually plausible.

Upset Potential: Surprisingly Possible


As for the Americans, they await the winner of SUI-BEL as the number one seed. 3 wins to go.

- Matt

Updated Olympic Power Rankings

This post brought to you by the I Hate Henrik Zetterberg Foundation.

12. Norway (0-0-0-2)
11. Germany (0-0-0-2)
10. Latvia (0-0-0-2)
9. Belarus (0-0-0-2)
8. Switzerland (0-0-1-1)
7. Slovakia (0-1-0-1)
6. Czech Republic (2-0-0-0)
5. Russia (1-0-1-0)
4. Sweden (2-0-0-0)
3. United States (2-0-0-0)
2. Finland (2-0-0-0)
1. Canada (1-1-0-0)

In fact, I say the 1-2-3 is how this tournament finishes. Finland has looked very solid this tourney, and has outplayed neighbor Sweden in every area I've seen. I trust Kipper in net more than almost every other goalie in the games. And Backstrom as backup? Good lord.

Russia is ahead of its group because it took a hot goaltender standing on his head to stop the prolific offense. Which is why I think Finland/Sweden pose a huge threat to the Commies, and why it's likely the Russians may fail to medal. Just saying.

- Matt

Olympic Power Rankings after Day 3

The two stunning games last night have forced me to rewrite my rankings:

12. Latvia (0-0-0-1)
11. Norway (0-0-0-2)
10. Belarus (0-0-0-1)
9. Germany (0-0-0-1)
8. Switzerland (0-0-1-1)
7. Slovakia (0-1-0-1)
6. Czech Republic (1-0-0-0)
5. Russia (1-0-1-0)
4. Finland (1-0-0-0)
3. Sweden (1-0-0-0)
2. United States (2-0-0-0)
1. Canada (1-1-0-0)

Now for some logic. Obviously, teams without a win (Switzerland through Latvia) couldn't be ranked higher than winning clubs. Of those teams, Switzerland and Germany gave the best fights.

Slovakia certainly deserves a move up for beating Russia (and holding them to one goal), but they still only have 2 points in the standings, and need to hope the Czechs can also beat Russia to get a good seeding for the play-in round.

The matchup between Czech Republic and Russia is now huge. The Czechs can clinch a bye to reach the quarterfinals with a win. Goal differential may be the key in this group.

Finland and Sweden were both impressive in their debuts, but I hold more stock in defense than offense. These two are expected top 4 finishers for me.

Canada gets the nod over the US for the top spot because they are still the favorites to win the head-to-head matchup on Sunday. Meanwhile, the US could probably clinch the number 1 spot for the rest of the tourney by beating Canada. Both have clinched top-8 finishes, and an overtime decision would probably give both teams a bye into the quarterfinals.

Also, post #200. woooooo.

- Matt

It's Still Thursday!

NHL/Olympic post of the week!

I don't know what else to talk about, so let's rank the Olympian teams:

12. Latvia
11. Norway
10. Belarus
9. Slovakia
8. Switzerland
7. Germany
6. Czech Republic
5. Finland
4. United States of America
3. Sweden
2. Russia
1. Canada

Note: I made this ranking before today's games. I would probably move Russia into the top spot, and the US into spot number 3 now. Canada may have shaken its nerves away, now that they've overcome the adversity of not blowing out a lesser opponent. I think Canada gets gold, Sweden gets silver, and the USA gets bronze, as I've maintained.

Now, since we're all Americans here, let's analyze their performances thus far:

vs SWI - The Americans took the body early, and shook off opening day jitters to really dominate play. They didn't let Hiller get too comfortable, and made the defense of the Swiss look like Swiss cheese (har har). It was a good win, and in light of Canada needing the shootout to beat the Swiss, it looks very good now.

vs NOR - Besides a complete misfire that led to a shorthanded goal, it was tough for the US to control this game any more. The result was never even close to in doubt. I'd say this proved the Americans are capable of competing with the Canadians and Russians. Let's hope they can build off this win and become gold medalists.

NHL Video Game Song of the Week:

I nominate Raccoon Eyes, by Priestess. From their Prior to the Fire album, which fucking rules.



From NHL10. But you probably already knew that.

- Matt

Thursday (Night) Hockey

Oops, forgot to make a post.

Anyway, here's a hastily typed series of observations about the Olympics:

* I'm not convinced Russia is going to medal. Their D and goaltending are suspect (has Nabokov ever accomplished anything in a playoff?), and half the team is made of KHL players. The politics of representing Russia's league on Canadian soil could be this team's undoing. Prediction: 5th place.

* The NHL-sized rink could prove to be the Achilles' Heel for the finesse teams such as Sweden and Finland. Although the Swedish team has a lot of NHLers in its ranks, ones who've proven themselves in the playoffs. The reigning gold medalists should at least get bronze.

* While I think Canada comes up with Gold this year, I think the US is going to give every team a very good fight. Finland could be another surprise, as could Slovakia.

Game of the Night: Washington at Ottawa

WHY: Both teams, until recently, were riding franchise-best winning streaks.

WHY NOT: I hate them both.

Prediction: Capitals 6, Senators 3


Alternate Game: Boston at Tampa Bay. Potential playoff positioning?


NHL Video Game Music of the Week:



Pretty emo, but this fucker gets so stuck in my head every time I hear it. From NHL07.

- Matt

5 Sports Questions I Answer Myself, Because I'm A Douche

1. Does the USA Olympic team have the momentum going into Vancouver after its two other teams (U-17 and Junior) beat Canada for the gold medal?

A: Well, it depends on the matchup. If a semifinal or finals matchup between Canada or the US occurs, the home crowd could be very unforgiving of the red and white indeed. Of course, they might just be yet more rabid and give their team the boost it needs. One underrated fact going into these Olympics is that the Canadian and US teams are 100% NHL players, and the rink is NHL-sized ice. This is putting Russia and the other Euro teams at disadvantage. But overall, the USA might have some more swagger going into the tourney, yes, but it ultimately has no effect on the adults playing.


2. What's with all the injuries in the NHL this year?

A: No idea. Perhaps the compressed schedule, maybe hitters are learning where the line is in dirty/clean hits, or maybe a rule change needs to be enacted so goalies can play the puck again. All I know is, they aren't coming from fights, so bitches claiming fighting is worse for the sport than open ice hits need to shut the hell up already.


3. How will Ovechkin perform as captain?

A: Really, it depends on how he matures. Not as a player, but as a human being. We've seen how negatively he acts under adversity, especially in regards to the media. If he acts more like Sidney Crosby than Mike Richards, he should do fine. The bigger issue here is the rumors of the divide between European and North American players in the Caps' lockerroom. Ovechkin seems hardly the type to try and bridge the gap off the ice, unlike, say, Sergei Fedorov. If Federov had stayed, I wouldn't have been surprised to see him wearing the C for now. Finally, if the coach himself can't rein in Ovechkin, who else as Captain could have? So I think that Ovie was the best choice for Captain, simply because I can't see anyone else who could have sufficed.


4. Should teams be chasing the President's Trophy?

A: No. The only PT winner I can remember winning the Stanley Cup is the Red Wings in 2008. The Sharks and 06 Wings lost to 8th seeds in the first round of the playoffs, The 07 Sabres lost in the ECF to the Sens. And the most dominant Penguins team of all time, the 93 team, lost in 7 games to the Islanders in the semifinal round. So while being the number 1 seed is nice, it hasn't done people (especially in the East) any favors in the recent past.


5. Who wins Super Bowl XLIV?

A: Ehhhh, really hard to say. I'm biased, so I tell everyone the Chargers. But technically, I'm asking myself here, so I'll tell myself the Colts. I think the Chargers are the only team that CAN beat the Colts, but WILL they? It's under a 50-50 shot for San Diego. I will say this: the AFC Champion has a far better shot at winning the whole thing than anyone from the NFC. I don't think an NFC team has been favored since the Rams lost to the Pats. Colts over, oh, I don't know, the Packers.

EDIT: Totally not a hockey question. Title of post changed.

4 posts in 4 days, bitches!

- Matt