# USA OLYMPIC HOCKEY



## Madison

ALlright this is our year hopefully pull out a gold medal in the 2006 olympics..

Canada is in the A group, I'm not sure we'll see canada until the medal rounds.. I'm still a little sour about the 2002 olympics, payback time.. :beer: :beer: :beer:

Schedule:

2/15 M LAT vs. USA (usa, 3)
2/16 M USA vs. KAZ (usa, 3)
2/18 M SVK vs. USA (nbc, 2)
2/19 M USA vs. SWE (nbc, 11*)
2/21 M USA vs. RUS (usa, 2:30) 
2/22 M Playoff Round (tbd, tbd)
2/24 M Playoff Round (tbd, 10:30*)
2/24 M Playoff Round (tbd, 3)
2/25 M Bronze Medal (nbc, 2:30)
2/26 M Gold Medal (nbc, 8*)
* a.m. EST


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## nickle ditch

Maddy

Bring it on brother. I'm looking forward to both the men's and women's
hockey. I'm hoping we can bring both gold medals home again.


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## Goldy's Pal

USA! USA! USA! USA!

I still like the 1980 slogan. How did it go? Not one all american, but we're all AMERICAN.
Yeah baby!!!! Bring it home fellas!!!!
:beer:


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## buckseye

GO USA!!! I do enjoy the winter Olympics, next time they are in the US I'm going. I'll never forget the 80's team and how the whole country was behind them. 

Anybody know anyone who is there competing or spectator?


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## redlabel

I know a few on the US and Canadian Women's teams. They were college teammates of my daughter.

US Team:
Angela Ruggerieo
Caitlin Cahow
Julie Chu
Jamie Hagerman

Canadian Team:
Jennifer Botterill
Sarah Vailancourt


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## Ranger_Compact

redlabel said:


> I know a few on the US and Canadian Women's teams. They were college teammates of my daughter.
> 
> US Team:
> Angela Ruggerieo
> Caitlin Cahow
> Julie Chu
> Jamie Hagerman
> 
> Canadian Team:
> Jennifer Botterill
> Sarah Vailancourt


All teammates of your daughter? They must have had one heck of a hockey program!


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## Goldy's Pal

> I'm hoping we can bring both gold medals home again.


I'll *BET* they don't. :lol: Wayne, Wayne, Wayne, It sounds like the greatest player in history needs a chain attached to the wifes' purse. :roll: What a mess from the sounds of it.


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## Madison

nickle ditch said:


> Maddy
> 
> Bring it on brother. I'm looking forward to both the men's and women's
> hockey. I'm hoping we can bring both gold medals home again.


Paul-
I knew it wouldn't take long for you to see this thread..

Its definatley gonna be interesting!!! It would be sweet if the US vs. CAN in the gold medal round..

Good times!! :beer: :beer:


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## redlabel

Ranger_Compact said:


> redlabel said:
> 
> 
> 
> I know a few on the US and Canadian Women's teams. They were college teammates of my daughter.
> 
> US Team:
> Angela Ruggerieo
> Caitlin Cahow
> Julie Chu
> Jamie Hagerman
> 
> Canadian Team:
> Jennifer Botterill
> Sarah Vailancourt
> 
> 
> 
> All teammates of your daughter? They must have had one heck of a hockey program!
Click to expand...

Yes, they have quite a program and quite a university.

Harvard University in Cambridge, MA established 1636


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## nickle ditch

Yeah, a Canada vs USA final would be exciting, it's turned into a great rivalry. But i think the top three will Canada, Czech Republic and Russia.
We've lost two of our defencemen to injuries, but we've got some depth there. What we've got to watch out for is the refs. They are going to a zero tolerance policy. So they will have some European refs there that have neaver called a game that way. I hope that it doesen't become a diving contest. That neaver suits North American hockey and is horrible to watch. You just have to turn to the last World junior to know what i mean. As far as the Gretzky sitiuation goes, i'm not worried about the distraction. So Goldy i'll Bet they do bring'em home.


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## Draker16

I like how the Canadians hate USA hockey so much, it just goes to show you that they know were getting better all the time and they are obviously scared of the USA hockey program. (ex. constant US SUCKS cheers at the world juniors, real clever)


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## nickle ditch

Draker16 said:


> I like how the Canadians hate USA hockey so much, it just goes to show you that they know were getting better all the time and they are obviously scared of the USA hockey program. (ex. constant US SUCKS cheers at the world juniors, real clever)


Wow, we are cleaver aren't we.


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## Draker16

nickle ditch said:


> Draker16 said:
> 
> 
> 
> I like how the Canadians hate USA hockey so much, it just goes to show you that they know were getting better all the time and they are obviously scared of the USA hockey program. (ex. constant US SUCKS cheers at the world juniors, real clever)
> 
> 
> 
> Wow, we are cleaver aren't we.
Click to expand...

clever enough not to boo your national anthem


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## Goldy's Pal

3-3 final tie with Latvia. What a game though, USA totally controlled the games possession and quality shot chances, doing everything to win but finish the bisquit in the net. Oh and was that an ex gopher named Jordan Leopold who tied the game at 3 in the 3rd.? :lol: You betcha!!!!!
:beer: Way to go LEO!!!

Gaborik (from the Minnesota Wild) had 2 goals for Slavakia in beating Russia.
:beer:


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## Madison

Thanks for the report GOldy.. WHat channel was the game aired on?? I tried getting home early enough from work to hopefully catch the end, but couldnt find it. 

According to the schedule they play at the same time tomorrow.. HOw didi Grahme look?? besides the 3 goals..


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## Goldy's Pal

Madison, it was on USA Network, they have covered the women on this network too. I was only able to watch the 3rd period. Our goalie from what I saw in that period had zero action, it was like 12-1 in scoring chances at one point in the period. I didn't catch any highlights of the 1st two periods but from what I heard the announcers mention it was just a couple of let downs in intensity and Latvia totally capitalized on the chances. Tough break for us, to control the puck like they did and just tie was a victory for the Latvia team. They were ranked 10th in the world coming in and I guess we were 6th. Latvia celebrated the tie naturally. Oh well the women look like they are on a collision course with Canada. Women play their semi-final friday at 10:00 a.m against Sweden on USA network, and (I think) Canada plays Finland after that on MSNBC. Canada and USA have outscored their opponents something like 55-4 so far. 
:beer:
Canada is goin' down baby!!!!! :bop:

USA! USA! USA! USA!


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## Goldy's Pal

Men win today 4-1. SOG: 36-12 for the good guys. Slavakia, yur next. Oooo USA has some time to rest now, watch out. :wink:


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## Madison

Suhweet, good win for the US today!!!

THere was some good hockey today.. I only got to see the highlights but they were good! Swiss pulled an upset against the Czechs and CAN is smokin..

Cant wait til this weekend for some more O-lympic hockey!!

Nickel Ditch-

Here we come!!


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## Goldy's Pal

Women loose 3-2 to Sweden in an overtime shootout. :-? Ouch.


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## nickle ditch

The men's games this weekend are going to be good. There's already been some upsets and maybe more to come, but i hope not.

I neaver ever would have bet on Sweden to win today. Thats a tough loss. I always thought it would be another US vs Canada womens final.


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## Madison

Goldy's Pal said:


> Women loose 3-2 to Sweden in an overtime shootout. :-? Ouch.


  they were playing good hockey too.


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## nickle ditch

Swiss 2 - Canada 0.  
The boys better get it together. To rub salt in the wound, the Swiss coach is from Winnipeg and the guy who scored both goals is Canadian.


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## Madison

The Canada game was a fun game to watch!! lots of penalties and physical play.. Burtuzi is great in the middle but still dishing out some pretty cheap shots in that game..

SUI goalie was in a serious zone and the puck just would not cross that line for the canadians..

Looks like Sweden has the next game already wrapped up..


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## Madison

2-1 Slovakia. ouch!


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## Goldy's Pal

That was a good game, oh well. I liked the pace and the hits. I think we should get back to playing them Minnesota kids again and re-live a little miracle on ice. :beer: Ok throw in a couple of Grand Forks forwards and a Wisconsin goalie. :wink:


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## Madison

Goldy's Pal said:


> That was a good game, oh well. I liked the pace and the hits. I think we should get back to playing them Minnesota kids again and re-live a little miracle on ice. :beer: Ok throw in a couple of Grand Forks forwards and a Wisconsin goalie. :wink:


 :thumb: I second that!!


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## Draker16

Finland beat Canada 2-0 today


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## Madison

US posted up another loss today as well..

Anyone know if the US will even be able to make it to the quarterfinals with a 1-2-1 record??


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## nickle ditch

Yeah, the US will make it into the medal round. I think it's Latvia, Germany, Kazakstan and Italy who won't make it.


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## Draker16

Canada women win gold, USA takes the bronze


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## Goldy's Pal

Well I was able to watch most all of the mens and womens games and today was pretty discouraging, loosing to the Fins' 4-3. they fell down 2-0 early and a good time-out got the boys fired up and tied at 2 a piece, then it was a lack of discipline, short-handed and down 2 men a few times in the game. Granted a follow through on a pass by Hatcher caught Salanne' in the mouth and drew a double minor. Terrible call, the guys face was down by his stick when he passed it. I'm not going to make any excuses for them though, they simply didn't finish on a lot of scoring chances the entire tournament. Blake had a few great chances slip away, but I saw way too many missed open nets and dumb penalties at bad times that kept them from really gaining any momentum. They were in every game and out played a few, but loosing on the scoreboard. Overall it was fun to watch, they played pretty hard and did have some really bad luck at times too. Well that's hockey.

Good bounce back by the women though.

Canada is out, Loose 2-0 to Russia. Not sure though if I'm surprised, it looked like the field of 8 actually were very close in talent and were playing some good hockey. Anything can happen when it's that tight I guess. Finland and Slovakia look like the 2 favorites from what I've seen. Good stuff.
:beer:


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## Madison

Thanks for the update GOldy.. I came home from work and hit the computer to see the results.. Bummer!!

Oh well only gotta wait 4 more years..

:x


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## R y a n

What's with the lack of desire on the US team's part. It was like watching guys who weren't motivated. Did you hear about Modano's comments after the game?

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/winter06/ ... id=2340346

TORINO, Italy -- For all their never-say-die mentality and their surprising tenacity, there will always be something off-putting about the American men's hockey team at this Olympic tournament.

Off-putting performances and off-putting qualities will ultimately leave the most lasting impression and define this team after four straight one-goal losses, including Wednesday's 4-3 quarterfinal loss to Finland.

Like veteran Mike Modano, who came off the ice after the Americans had come from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to make a game of it until the dying seconds and carped about head coach Peter Laviolette's strategy, moaning that USA Hockey didn't do enough to look after the players' families and the distraction it caused.

Nice.

Someone asked Modano why he wasn't on the ice in the third period, when the Americans were desperate for the tying goal.

"I don't know, you'll have to ask Peter," Modano said, implying it was a tremendous error in coaching judgment that he of the two goals, zero assists performance wasn't on the ice.

He didn't deserve to be. Plain and simple.

Look at the players Laviolette sent over the boards time and again in the last half of the third period. Brian Gionta, who scored the third American goal with 4:27 left in the game, and Jason Blake and Chris Drury and Erik Cole. Veteran Doug Weight was there ostensibly for his face-off acumen, but it was the kids that Laviolette turned to, not Keith Tkachuk, who finished the tournament with zero points and took three minor penalties in the quarterfinal game, or Bill Guerin or Modano.

"We're down, looking for goals and looking for offense, and it wasn't, to be honest, it wasn't about Mike Modano. It's never been about any one player on the team. It was about trying to get the players out on the ice that were going," Laviolette said. "The third period was clearly our best period. We wanted guys out there that jump, that could go down into the offensive end."

"I think some players, in general didn't seem to have the jump and some players did, and it varied form game to game," Laviolette added. "And you do the best you can to try and get the players out there that had the jump. Again, we were close in the third period, but for me, it was too little to late. We lost the game in the first 40 minutes."

How about the first 10 minutes.

Instead of taking advantage of their strong performance in a 5-4 loss to Russia on Tuesday night, the Americans came out timid and out of sorts.

The undefeated Finns, who have made their mark in this tournament with strong, energetic starts, made the Americans look like table hockey characters instead of highly paid and, presumably, highly motivated NHLers.

So clueless was the U.S. performance that less than a minute after Ville Peltonen gave the Finns a 1-0 lead, a red-faced Laviolette called a timeout 10:24 into the first period. We could read some of the words Laviolette uttered during the timeout and let's just say we can't in all good conscience repeat them.

"The time out I called because I felt like it was not going anywhere," Laviolette said. "They were clearly on top of their game and we were clearly sitting back on our heels and before the score got out of hand, I thought it was just an opportunity to gather them and see we couldn't somehow get fired up emotionally and play a little bit harder."

And for a time, Laviolette looked like his move might have been a stroke of genius.

And for a moment, it appeared that all the hard work and diligence that hadn't paid off in the preliminary round, where the Americans lost three straight one-goals games, was going to bear fruit when it mattered most.

True, less than two minutes later, Sami Salo ripped home a short-handed effort off Mathieu Schneider's stick to give the Finns a 2-0 lead. But the Americans did show some signs of life.

They started to generate the kind of forecheck that had marked their earlier efforts in this tournament.

Schneider, trying to atone for a miserable tournament marked by blind passes and poor decisions, caromed a shot off Mike Knuble's torso to make it 2-1. Then Schneider was at it again, blasting a shot over Finnish netminder Antero Niittymaki's glove hand just 1:29 into the second period to tie the game.

Derian Hatcher, who seemed woefully out of place for most of this tournament, was called for hooking, as was Bret Hedican shortly thereafter, giving the potent Finnish power play a two-man advantage for 1:35. They waited until there was just four seconds left in Hedican's penalty before Florida Panthers captain Olli Jokinen drilled a bad angle shot over netminder Rick DiPietro and under the crossbar to re-establish the Finns' one-goal lead.

Tkachuk went off for hooking, and then Schneider's brainless hit from behind once again gave the Finns a two-man advantage, which Jokinen converted to give Finland a 4-2 lead by the end of the second.

If the Americans hadn't continued their penalty woes well into the third period, they might have had more time to convert on the comeback, but Hatcher took a double-minor high sticking and was followed to the box by Gionta, Tkachuk and Scott Gomez, who took a 10-minute misconduct. Given his productivity, it probably was the best place for him.

"I think as a group I think we're probably disappointed with the way we played tonight. It was our game where we seemed to have the least amount of pop and energy. We never seemed to get it on track throughout the tournament," Laviolette said.

One wonders what kind of effort the Americans would have produced had GM Don Waddell and the rest of the USA Hockey brain trust gone a different direction with this team.

The thinking was that by taking a mix of older players like Chris Chelios, who actually had his best game of the tournament Wednesday, Tkachuk, Bill Guerin and Weight, they would provide leadership for younger players like Cole, John-Michael Liles and Jordan Leopold, and that the team's depth would keep them competitive.

But it didn't pan out that way.

The Americans finished with one win in six games, a 4-1 victory over Kazakhstan. They lost four in a row to medal-caliber teams. All one-goal losses, but losses nonetheless.

What would have happened if USA Hockey had bit the bullet and said, no, we're not going to send a team built on wishes and maybes and yesterdays, but we're going to send a team for tomorrow.

What would have happened if young American defensemen Paul Martin and Paul Mara, and even NHL rookie Ryan Suter, had been on this team? And forwards Tim Connolly and Zach Parise?

Would such a team have won a medal? Not likely. Could it have matched the results of the team that came to Italy? It would be hard not to. And they would likely have accepted defeat a little more graciously.


Scott Burnside is an NHL writer for ESPN.com.


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## Goldy's Pal

Ben Elli, May I ask why you think it was a lack of desire? Not motivated? Did you personally sit down and watch the tournament games or just read the articles? :eyeroll:

Wow, you know this is typical media, over analysis after a loss by the U.S.. What if this, what if that, so Madano had a baby fit over some spilt milk, Laviolette sat his a$$, the same thing a Herb Brooks would have done. The guys busted their a$$ against Russia and came out on the short end of a game that meant nothing in the preliminary standings, so it was all about pride. The announcers even commented today saying that game might have taken a bit out of them, umm I guess that can explain a flat start against Finland can't it?? Watch or play hockey before? HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, but god help us, our team played flat for 10 minutes and the next thing you got is a team with absolutely no desire. :lol: Good one, the worst part of the 1980 Miracle drama is that every winter olympic hockey team since, deals with this drama now. Could it just be that the rest of the world is pretty good at hockey too? Gee maybe. Maybe just maybe we can get off of their backs and support the guys win or loose, it's not like they went there and just rolled over. If anything I think that it is just a much bigger deal to some of the other countries. Whatever. BTW the timeout called was at a perfect time when down early, they RE- GROUPED, and GOT THEIR LEGS, and the media still calls it out as a questionable coaching move. I'm surprised the USA hockey team can even get a guy to want to coach this team anymore. What does he have to win? Unless it's gold he's hung to dry. Players too? Maybe the guys should have just coasted through the Russia game and lost 10-0, I'm sure that would have went over well back at the "homeland".


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## nickle ditch

What player, be it Canada or the US, doesn't play with passion or heart when he pulls on his nations jersey. I find the notion hard to comprehend. These guys have a gruelling schedule during the NHL season and having two uninterupted weeks with their families would be great. But they go over for the HONOUR of representing their country. They didn't go over for the free hat and t-shirt.
In this country, the mens hockey team is held under a microscope months before they even play a game. If they don't bring home gold, don't bother coming back. I can't imaginre the pressure and how they must feel coming home to face the media. Over analysis will go on for weeks here.
Truth is, when the top eight countries, send their top twenty players, anybody can be beaten on any given night. Which isn't such a bad thing.

I'd love to see the Finns beat the Swedes for the gold medal. They have great hockey rivalry and it would be great for Finland.


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## zwohl

What made that 1980 team special was the fact they were college kids playing for their country, not a superstar NHL player who cant wait to go back home and collect their paycheck. Go back to a non-NHL olympics. World Juniors is alot more fun to watch than these Olympic hockey games, and they don't play for contracts or equipment promotions, they play for their country.


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## R y a n

zwohl said:


> What made that 1980 team special was the fact they were college kids playing for their country, not a superstar NHL player who cant wait to go back home and collect their paycheck. Go back to a non-NHL olympics. World Juniors is alot more fun to watch than these Olympic hockey games, and they don't play for contracts or equipment promotions, they play for their country.


I'm all for that!


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## R y a n

Goldy's Pal said:


> Ben Elli, May I ask why you think it was a lack of desire? Not motivated? Did you personally sit down and watch the tournament games or just read the articles? :eyeroll:


I watched much of the game. I turned it over after a bit, I was just too frustrated. I really wanted them to get into the medal round at the very least and do it in convincing fashion. I agree that there have been no slouch teams and that all the teams in medal contention are deserving. But hockey has always been the #1 reason I can't wait for the winter olympics. I could care less about half pipe or figure skating. So when I was watching the game, I wanted them to kick some butt. Watching the lackluster play looked like they were just going through the motions.

Did you get a sense they were fighting and scrapping for more scoring opportunities? I didn't...

Yes I have played, coached, reffed hockey btw.... thanks for asking...


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## Goldy's Pal

> Did you get a sense they were fighting and scrapping for more scoring opportunities? I didn't...


Well I guess that's what opinions are for aren't they? To each their own.


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