These people tend to disagree with you...........I'll go with them, and not you.
Okay?



- Doppleganger

Please post relevant post game quotes about the specific game I am talking about.
what are these people saying now about the Latvia game? it was the ice that kept it 2-1?

You called Russia the favourite NOT Canada. You said smart money was on Russia, and NOT the two North American teams because of the ice. We all told you the Canadian team was better, making them the favourite.

Who's the favourite now? Tell us, is it still Russia? Hmmm. Is it Finland or Sweden now? Tell us. Give us some more stupid comments.
- prock

It'd have to be Finland. Because all but one of Sweden's team are NHLers, and play predominantly on NHL ice.

Bad news, American and Canadian fans.
- Doppleganger

bad news american and canadian fans, you will compete for the chance to go for gold

It'd have to be Finland. Because all but one of Sweden's team are NHLers, and play predominantly on NHL ice.
- Morris

Doppeldouchebag is a complete moron, and we need to stop encouraging him with his stupidity. It's just so hard to ignore. His stupidity is like a train wreck. I actually think some of his posts are completely reportable, because there is no way he is not trolling.

There's a 100% chance that a team comprised of small ice players will win two of the men's hockey medals.

There's a 100% chance that a team comprised of small ice players will win two of the men's hockey medals.
- Morris

Nope. One will be playing for bronze. If they lose, no medal.

Guaranteed one will be playing for gold, one for bronze.

Very likely would have been both playing for gold had the seedings worked differently.

Nope. One will be playing for bronze. If they lose, no medal.

Guaranteed one will be playing for gold, one for bronze.

Very likely would have been both playing for gold had the seedings worked differently.
- prock

And historically Canada decides not to show up once they've been eliminated from the Gold game, so if they lose against the USA they'll probably finish 4th.

And historically Canada decides not to show up once they've been eliminated from the Gold game, so if they lose against the USA they'll probably finish 4th.
- daeth

And they'll be playing against a team that has international players!!!

Nope. One will be playing for bronze. If they lose, no medal.

Guaranteed one will be playing for gold, one for bronze.

Very likely would have been both playing for gold had the seedings worked differently.
- prock

I was counting Sweden, as they're a team full of NHLers that had to contend with all the things that Dopps counts as a disadvantage: playing in a small ice league, no time to form chemistry, heavy travel right before the tournament, etc.

If Sweden wins, it's an all small-ice team final. If they lose, it's an all small-ice team bronze medal game.

Nope. One will be playing for bronze. If they lose, no medal.

Guaranteed one will be playing for gold, one for bronze.

Very likely would have been both playing for gold had the seedings worked differently.
- prock

His statement is still true

You called Russia the favourite NOT Canada. You said smart money was on Russia, and NOT the two North American teams because of the ice. We all told you the Canadian team was better, making them the favourite.

Who's the favourite now? Tell us, is it still Russia? Hmmm. Is it Finland or Sweden now? Tell us. Give us some more stupid comments.
- prock

Once again you're putting words in my mouth.

You're a liar.

A year ago I pointed out that the Odds published by some various odds makers had Russia as a slight favourite over the other teams.

Then I pointed out (closer to the Olympics) that the revised odds had both Russia and Canada as co-favourites, and some had Canada as the slight favourite.


I never claimed it was solely because of the International sized ice. I included the International sized ice as one of the factors, but not the only one.

I cited the style of play required on the International sized ice, the travel for North American teams that spanned anywhere between 9 and 12 time zones, the lack of practise time and time to develop team chemistry and other reasons.


I know you have to lie, to try and make some point that matters to you only.

But just one page back, there are some people that agree with the differences with how the game is played on the different ice surfaces. I agree with them..........and you can disagree with them. I'll go with them, and not a troll on the internet.




The facts remain the same, the game is played differently on the International sized ice.

Canada has not won the gold on International sized ice since 1952.

If they can get past the Americans, then they have a shot at breaking that drought.


Happy trolling !!

All these things that Dopps said about Canada's disadvantages apply to Sweden, who has all but one forward (4th liner jimmie ericsson) playing in the NHL.

Advantages the Latvian team had (That Canada did not)

ALL players grew up playing on International sized ice, and learning the style of play required to play on it

ALL players (but one) are playing in leagues in Europe (eg. KHL) on International sized ice, playing the the style of play required to play on it and being extremely comfortable on it (as much as NHLers are on NHL ice)

All the players, playing in the KHL, had two weeks off prior to the tournament to prepare for the tournament.


Disadvantages Canada had

None of the advantages the Latvians had (above)

Played a compressed schedule up to the point of having to fly between 9 and 12 time zones ( three flights) from North America before arriving in Sochi............and then having to adjust to the time zone change and jet lag.

Only a couple of practises before tournament started, and not nailing down line combinations even in today's game.

Please post relevant post game quotes about the specific game I am talking about.
what are these people saying now about the Latvia game? it was the ice that kept it 2-1?
- senstroll

Are you being stupid on purpose?

It's how the game is played differently on the International ice surface

It makes it so much easier to play defensibly, especially if the other team is not nearly as comfortable with the style of play on the International sized ice.

Did you not read what Jay Bouwmeester said?

And they'll be playing against a team that has international players!!!
- prock

That's probably my fav part about that argument. All the best European players have been playing on small ice for quite a while. Some since they were 16-17 in the OHL, QMJHL, etc. They'd have to adjust like everyone else. Only the guys who aren't good enough to play in the NHL will have zero adjustments to make and the fact that they just aren't nearly as good as players more than cancels that "advantage".

Doppeldouchebag is a complete moron, and we need to stop encouraging him with his stupidity. It's just so hard to ignore. His stupidity is like a train wreck. I actually think some of his posts are completely reportable, because there is no way he is not trolling.
- prock

Too bad the facts are on my side, just as the comments by NHLers on the previous page.



Happy trolling.

Are you being stupid on purpose?

It's how the game is played differently on the International ice surface

It makes it so much easier to play defensibly, especially if the other team is not nearly as comfortable with the style of play on the International sized ice.

Did you not read what Jay Bouwmeester said?



- Doppleganger

So that was Latvia using the ice to their advantage?

Or Canada failing to use the ice to their advantage?

or dare I say it, both???

All these things that Dopps said about Canada's disadvantages apply to Sweden, who has all but one forward (4th liner jimmie ericsson) playing in the NHL.
- Morris

So where did the Swedes grow up playing hockey??

I was counting Sweden, as they're a team full of NHLers that had to contend with all the things that Dopps counts as a disadvantage: playing in a small ice league, no time to form chemistry, heavy travel right before the tournament, etc.

If Sweden wins, it's an all small-ice team final. If they lose, it's an all small-ice team bronze medal game.
- Morris

Good point.

That's probably my fav part about that argument. All the best European players have been playing on small ice for quite a while. Some since they were 16-17 in the OHL, QMJHL, etc. They'd have to adjust like everyone else. Only the guys who aren't good enough to play in the NHL will have zero adjustments to make and the fact that they just aren't nearly as good as players more than cancels that "advantage".
- daeth

Yeah, it's pure stupidity.

So that was Latvia using the ice to their advantage?

Or Canada failing to use the ice to their advantage?

or dare I say it, both???
- Morris

What part of the difference of how the game is played on the different ice sizes, did you not understand?

Which team had more familiarity with the style of play on the International sized ice, Canada or Latvia?





Dave Lozo , NHL National Lead Writer
Feb 10, 2014



Henrik Lundqvist, Goaltender, New York Rangers, Team Sweden

"The first couple practices, you try to get used to it. It’s like every summer, you skate back home and get used to the big ice, then you come back here, the first couple practices it feels very tight and narrow. But a couple days in, you don’t think about it.

You have to expect players to have more time. Here, if a guy gets a pass in the slot, usually there’s a guy there right away. The big ice, you have a little more room and a little more time. I think that’s the biggest difference."


Mats Zuccarello, Left Wing, New York Rangers, Team Norway

" It’s a little bit different, but not that much. You take the U.S. and Canada, and it’s going to take them a couple games to really get into the structure. But I’m sure it’s not going to be a problem. Even Sweden and Russia, everyone plays over here so it’s not going to benefit anyone…except Norway. Everyone plays on the big ice except me.

I like the small ice. On the big ice, you can just defend. Here, you can shoot from anywhere and it’s a scoring chance. There, you can put five guys in there and nothing really happens."

Nicklas Backstrom, Center, Washington Capitals, Team Sweden

"It’s going to be a different game than what we’re used to here. Hopefully we can use it to our advantage. I think you have to skate more, but you have more time to make plays too. We all grew up playing the bigger ice, so hopefully we still know how to play."


Jay Bouwmeester, Defenseman, St. Louis Blues, Team Canada

" There’s a little bit of an adjustment. The thing you have to remember is all the extra space is on the outside. All the dots and everything else is the same dimensions so as a defenseman, you don’t want to get running around caught on the outside. There’s times when guys go to those quiet areas and you have to let them go. You can’t chase them. That’s when you get caught running out of position. Maybe you have to play a bit more of a patient game defensively.

All the extra space is in the corners, behind the net, on the outside of the rink. You still can’t stand in the middle of the ice. Nothing changes. When you’re playing, you have to remind yourself the boards are further from the net. You have to have more awareness, because you can get yourself drawn out to guys. They’ll try to bait you out there and that opens up the space in the middle.

It’s almost like killing penalties. There’s times to go and pressure and there’s times where you have to be patient and realize that the real dangerous areas are still the same. In front of the net, dots to the net, that sort of thing. But there’s good players who are going to use that to try to spread you out, get you running around and find that open space."

Ken Hitchcock, Head Coach, St. Louis Blues, Team Canada Associate Coach

" It’s more comfortable for the Euros because they grew up on it. They understand how to play that game. But I coached in it in ’06 and the game’s changed. Some of the countries play like we do now. I think some of the countries that maybe have limited NHL players play the old way, which is basically five back. But I think a lot of the countries like Finland, the Slovaks, the Russians, they come at you. So I think it’s not going to be a game like we saw in ’06 where there was basically no forechecking throughout the tournament. I think you’re still going to see a lot of forechecking.

I know one thing—when you play on that big ice surface, your sense of timing of when to forecheck and when to pull back gets automatic quite a bit. And that’s probably the adjustment we have to make, knowing when to go and when to pull up. They’ve taken advantage of us being overly aggressive. Our natural instincts are to play on our toes and they have a balance in their game. I think that’s the balance that we have to learn quickly.

The difference between the big-ice game and the small-ice game is the small-ice game is played north and south and the big-ice game is played east and west. It’s always finding the weak side of the ice, the big-ice game. You’ve got to feel really comfortable finding the weak side of the ice. That’s where all the plays get made.

If you try to play north on the big ice, you’re going to run right into numbers all the time. You have to be really comfortable going east-west before you go north. That’s how they play. They play east-west to go north, whereas we play north to go north. So that’s the biggest adjustment. Chipping it on the boards and chasing it down doesn’t’ work in Europe. It doesn’t work on big ice. So we’ll have to make those adjustments right away in practice."

So that was Latvia using the ice to their advantage?

Or Canada failing to use the ice to their advantage?

or dare I say it, both???
- Morris

honestly, let's just start ignoring his stupidity.

honestly, let's just start ignoring his stupidity.
- prock

If we had any common sense we'd have done that 7-8 years ago though. Clearly we're a lost cause. Might as well just keep on going.

honestly, let's just start ignoring his stupidity.
- prock

Oh oh.............all these guys agree with Me................better start ignoring me.

typical troll move , don't ever concede that I may have had a point, and NHLers and one of Team Canada's coaches have the same opionion.

Dave Lozo , NHL National Lead Writer
Feb 10, 2014
Henrik Lundqvist, Goaltender, New York Rangers, Team Sweden

"The first couple practices, you try to get used to it. It’s like every summer, you skate back home and get used to the big ice, then you come back here, the first couple practices it feels very tight and narrow. But a couple days in, you don’t think about it.

You have to expect players to have more time. Here, if a guy gets a pass in the slot, usually there’s a guy there right away. The big ice, you have a little more room and a little more time. I think that’s the biggest difference."


Mats Zuccarello, Left Wing, New York Rangers, Team Norway

" It’s a little bit different, but not that much. You take the U.S. and Canada, and it’s going to take them a couple games to really get into the structure. But I’m sure it’s not going to be a problem. Even Sweden and Russia, everyone plays over here so it’s not going to benefit anyone…except Norway. Everyone plays on the big ice except me.

I like the small ice. On the big ice, you can just defend. Here, you can shoot from anywhere and it’s a scoring chance. There, you can put five guys in there and nothing really happens."

Nicklas Backstrom, Center, Washington Capitals, Team Sweden

"It’s going to be a different game than what we’re used to here. Hopefully we can use it to our advantage. I think you have to skate more, but you have more time to make plays too. We all grew up playing the bigger ice, so hopefully we still know how to play."


Jay Bouwmeester, Defenseman, St. Louis Blues, Team Canada

" There’s a little bit of an adjustment. The thing you have to remember is all the extra space is on the outside. All the dots and everything else is the same dimensions so as a defenseman, you don’t want to get running around caught on the outside. There’s times when guys go to those quiet areas and you have to let them go. You can’t chase them. That’s when you get caught running out of position. Maybe you have to play a bit more of a patient game defensively.

All the extra space is in the corners, behind the net, on the outside of the rink. You still can’t stand in the middle of the ice. Nothing changes. When you’re playing, you have to remind yourself the boards are further from the net. You have to have more awareness, because you can get yourself drawn out to guys. They’ll try to bait you out there and that opens up the space in the middle.

It’s almost like killing penalties. There’s times to go and pressure and there’s times where you have to be patient and realize that the real dangerous areas are still the same. In front of the net, dots to the net, that sort of thing. But there’s good players who are going to use that to try to spread you out, get you running around and find that open space."

Ken Hitchcock, Head Coach, St. Louis Blues, Team Canada Associate Coach

" It’s more comfortable for the Euros because they grew up on it. They understand how to play that game. But I coached in it in ’06 and the game’s changed. Some of the countries play like we do now. I think some of the countries that maybe have limited NHL players play the old way, which is basically five back. But I think a lot of the countries like Finland, the Slovaks, the Russians, they come at you. So I think it’s not going to be a game like we saw in ’06 where there was basically no forechecking throughout the tournament. I think you’re still going to see a lot of forechecking.

I know one thing—when you play on that big ice surface, your sense of timing of when to forecheck and when to pull back gets automatic quite a bit. And that’s probably the adjustment we have to make, knowing when to go and when to pull up. They’ve taken advantage of us being overly aggressive. Our natural instincts are to play on our toes and they have a balance in their game. I think that’s the balance that we have to learn quickly.

The difference between the big-ice game and the small-ice game is the small-ice game is played north and south and the big-ice game is played east and west. It’s always finding the weak side of the ice, the big-ice game. You’ve got to feel really comfortable finding the weak side of the ice. That’s where all the plays get made.

If you try to play north on the big ice, you’re going to run right into numbers all the time. You have to be really comfortable going east-west before you go north. That’s how they play. They play east-west to go north, whereas we play north to go north. So that’s the biggest adjustment. Chipping it on the boards and chasing it down doesn’t’ work in Europe. It doesn’t work on big ice. So we’ll have to make those adjustments right away in practice."
- Doppleganger

All these guys are wrong, eh?


Happy trolling

Agreed!!

Upsets? More competitiveness?
Cinderella runs?

The excitement of the best players in the world during the olympics and then less predictability afterwards due to this?

Sounds good to me
- hugefemale dog77

yup, and this olympics has had all of that. Lots of great stories. Slovenia winning their qualification game, ranking high in their first ever olympics. Cinderella Latvia. Two North American teams still in the hunt.

It's awesome.

If we had any common sense we'd have done that 7-8 years ago though. Clearly we're a lost cause. Might as well just keep on going.
- daeth

Engouge me and bring in other opinions (links) to make your side of the argument.

All prock does is disagree with EVERYTHING I post, that's what trolls do.

Watch, I'll make a statement, and he will disagree and call me childish names and such.

He can't help it.


" The Sun does NOT set in the West"