Why should I pretend to want Backes/Oshie/Brown/Kesler to succeed? Why should I want Toews/Keith/Sharp to fail? It's completely counterintuitive to my hockey fandom.

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Right now, they're our team. You cheering for Brian Campbell? Of course not, but you did.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I only care about sport at the highest level. Why watch a lower level like the NHL when I can watch the best athletes play?

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Hah, good point. The U.S. talent level is amazing. I am enjoying the open ice and stacked line-up.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Hard to feel like they're "my team" when most of these guys are dual citizens and have spent significant portions of their lives living in each other's country. It's not like the USA against the USSR here. It's quite arbitrary. As if there's really much difference between a guy from Minnesota and a guy from Manitoba.

And the "open ice" isn't that open. Common misconception.

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This matters more to the players than the Cup

Oh you're right, the Blackhawks are all local players....

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Hawaii (fuck) You

I didn't say they were. I just root for them because they're my favorite team. I don't feel like USA Hockey represents my interests. It's just something that pops up every few years, like Brigadoon on ice.

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It's certainly a bigger stage with better players. I don't even remember who won the 2010 Stanley Cup. I do remember who won the gold medal.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I'm also rooting for Canada. Don't really get into the nationalism of the Olympics much.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

No matter what principles you abide the one that is unversal and trumps all is you never root for a team with Corey Perry.

A lot of it -- not all of it, but a lot of it -- seems to come from warm-weather hockey fans who always have a chip on their shoulder about all things Canada. It tickles me to see whiny bitches from Dallas and Tampa pinning their hopes for hockey legitimacy to a bunch of guys from Minneapolis.

EDIT: many of whom played junior in Canada

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Rooting for Team USA is much more logical than rooting for Team Closest Geographical Location w/ Players Who The League Dispersed.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

BR continues to impress.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

His thoughts don't surprise me here. Didn't have you pegged for a USA USA USA guy though.

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Fare you well, fare you well
I love you more than words can tell
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
To rock my soul

Do the Russians ever just come out and say " Hey we just plain ol got beat" and not look for excuses or someone to blame ?
Disclaimer: I freely admit to not ever having met anyone from Russia or attended any of their games so my opinion probably doesnt mean anything but read on if you are so inclined


SOCHI, Russia – It sure wasn’t long before the shots were fired against Alex Ovechkin after Russia crashed out of the Sochi Olympics, losing in the quarterfinals against Finland, 3-1.

”Tough to explain the loss, of course, why scored so little. Players who score so many goals for their clubs, like Alex Ovechkin who scored 40 goals for his club [didn’t score]… Right now I cannot explain that.”

Slow clap. These words came from no other than Zinetula Bilyaletdinov, the Russian head coach. Someone who has known Alex Ovechkin since he was still wearing a full mask playing for Dynamo.

If the Russian team has lived up to its stereotypes, the “Blame Ovechkin” stereotype started before the Zambonis started circling around the ice of the Bolshoy Ice Dome ahead of the next quarterfinal game in Sochi. But I don’t think anyone expected it would come from the reserved Russian head coach Zinetulla Bilyaletdinov.

The obsession with blaming Ovechkin seems to have made it across the ocean and soaked through to the most unlikely person.

It was 10 years ago that Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin were paired together for the first time for the national team. The game was a quarter final of the World Junior Championships. Finland was the opponent. The result was the loss. Throughout the years the two have played together a number of times, with no certain results. Why didn’t the coach split the two when he saw the tandem wasn’t working?

“I thought about it a lot. But there are certain things that… I can’t talk about.”

The pause in Bilyaletdinov’s reply sounded odd that he had to explain it. “Nothing and no one has pressured me to keep them together.”

There was a time in Wednesday’s loss to finally make that change and pair Ovechkin with Pavel Datsyuk to shake things up and give Ovechkin another center to get passes from. Perhaps there would have been more passes to him, which would mean more goals. If only.

A question about the coach’s utilization of Ovechkin on the power play is another “look in the mirror” moments for Bilyaletdinov. The point wasn’t working for Ovechkin, neither was being the screen in the crease. The right side also didn’t provide any answers to his goal drought.

Yet Ovechkin was never placed along the left half boards where he has been so deadly for the Washington Capitals for years. If only.

The Washington Capitals star was devastated and sincere in his interview with CBC’s Elliotte Friedman. It was his Olympics. It was his team. He did as much as he could to win. But in the end this is a team game.

The team never got it going. As much as they tried, the firepower was only left on paper, like the blueprint to a great masterpiece that could never be taken from the ground. It is about the entire blueprint, and not one of its pillars.

Maybe because the pillar wasn’t in the right place.

Regardless of what it is, a lot, if not most, of what happens to any masterpiece is its architect.

So, before blaming your players, take a look in the mirror, coach.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Never, ever........

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YOU. MUST. BE. LIKE. BERNSIE. AND. NOT. BE. JINGOISTIC.

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No. They're the Vancouver Canucks of international hockey.

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I did hear Ovechkin pretty much say that today on B&B.

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I see that John Tavares just fucked his knee up pretty bad. Isles might not win another game all season. Thanks, Olympics!

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Yeah he is done for season and not sure about next. Meniscus or ACL or both. I guess the Olympics did take down a real star. I cross my fingers for Hawks guys.

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Oh, fuck. God, the poor Islanders, it never ends for them. I hope this is the last Olympics for the NHL.

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The pros need to be taken out of the Olympics period.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

MCL and meniscus.

Luckily Garth Snow isn't a total moron and put some protection on the 1st round pick he sent in the Vanek trade.

I am not a rah rah guy for the USA. I am simply enjoying some solid hockey while there is nothing else to do. Frankly, the Olympics are all about pride in one's country, and I have kept a close eye on everything NBC has to offer. The only thing that has kept me away is True Detective, which I am re-watching. I saw episodes 1&2 again last night and will continue to re-watch the others as time allows.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

sweet choke by the USA women today. Hopefully that isn't an omen for tomorrow.

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Tuukka Rask out with Putin's revenge. Swedes and Finns playing like the '83 Raiders and '89 Pistons decided to lace em up and go at it. 0-0 after a an insanely intense 1st period.

Kanuckistanian linesmen wave off a Finnish icing and Olli-not-Jussi Jokinen of the Jets scores. 1-0 Finland over Sweden on a flukey/soft but difficult angle waived-off icing goal.

Loui Eriksson scores off of slick passes from Jonathan-not-Jimmie Ericsson and Nick Backstrom after Daniel Sedin forces Maatta to turn over the puck in the corner.