Posted on 02/22/2014 10:33:33 AM PST by rickmichaels
It was over in a flash. A Finnish Flash. For Team USA, however, it was more like a flash finish.
Team Finland scored two goals in 11 seconds early in the second period to snap a 0-0 tie en route to a 5-0 victory in the bronze medal game Saturday.
Veteran Teemu Selanne, playing in his 35th Olympic hockey game, scored two goals including the game-winner to lead Finland. It was a wonderful conclusion to what has been a splendid Olympic hockey career for a classy gentleman.
Selanne scored on a nifty backhand shot at 1:27 of the second period and then off the ensuing faceoff, the Finns charged into the American zone with Jussi Jokinen, notching his second goal of the Olympic tournament. That was the game.
The United States generated very few quality scoring chances in the game as the Finns appeared to have a tad more interest in the outcome of the game.
The Finns added three third-period goals to ensure the victory.
(Excerpt) Read more at olympics.cbc.ca ...
(let me know if you want on or off the ping list)
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Canada outplayed the US yesterday and the US really didn't look like they wanted the bronze - Finland clearly did.
The NHL may say they don't want their players in the next Olympics, but the KHL will, and it will be interesting to see (if) our college kids play European pros like they did "back in the day"
Gutless.
Olympic Finnish a Bylsmal for the USA
“Gutless”
Really?
I’d like to see YOU play Canada and Finland back-to-back, within 24 hrs.
You don’t know anything about hockey. Going forward, keep your opinions to yourself.
I think U.S. collegiate players would match up well against European professionals. One big difference between today and the days before NHL players competed in the Olympics is that most of the top European players are in the NHL right now -- and they wouldn't be able to compete for their home countries if the NHL involvement came to an end.
Sure, the KHL is the one league that can get some top-level talent ... but most of the top Russian players are in the NHL right now (Ilya Kovalchuk is one key exception).
If the U.S. were to put together a national team months in advance of the Olympics comprised of NCAA players and junior players drafted by NHL teams but not yet ready for the NHL, I think they'd do surprisingly well in the Olympics.
Finland played Sweden yesterday too.
Disappointing for sure but the Boys gave us a great show during the prelims. Amazing how the offense completely shut down the last two games though.
That’s not a win....that’s an embarrassment.
They need to be hiding their faces in shame.
Some of the women’s hockey was good. Very nice feminine clean cut young ladies especially Switzerland> No butch cuts. They all had long hair pulled back away from their faces.
Being fourth among 236 countries playing ice hockey is not all that bad!
I don't know if I'd call the performance "gutless," but the U.S. sure looked like they "mailed it in" on this one. Even the commentators on NBC before the game said this might be the case. Since the NHL began allowing their players to compete in the Olympics, the U.S. has a reputation for being something of a "Gold or nothing" team.
This is why their only medals since 1980 were silver (2002 and 2010) ... because in both of those Olympics they managed to get to the final game and were still in gold medal contention when they lost.
No kidding.
Thanks for the ping.
The good news is that the team won’t be getting any late night visits from the IRS.
So the U.S. is really #4 out of six teams, not 236. I can't think of too many U.S. hockey players who take pride in the fact that their team is better than the national teams of Italy, Greece or Japan.
the bigger picture is this: our country is in a malaise that we can't shake.....our economny stinks, we're being treated like cattle and our govt has taken away our freedoms...we worry about our kids, our grandkids and our selves....
once, if ever, we rid ourselves of this shackle, it'll be like our hostages coming home to Yellow ribbons and the Berlin wall being yanked down....
so help us GOD....
They play ice hockey in Africa?
LOL.
Finland has a great system for playing on the big ice surfaces. Some top tier talent as well.
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