First and foremost, let me apologize to women hockey players the world over. I only watched the US v Canada game. I know I should watch more, and I truly applaud these fantastic athletes, but I'm a one track mind. I love the Pittsburgh Penguins, and, basically, I've only been following the Olym-Pens.
Now, with that out of the way, a few thoughts on said Olym-Pens and their teams:
To all those Dan Bylsma haters out there, please take note. The US was undefeated in Round Robin play. And they were in a harder bracket than Sweden. I may not like all of the Americans, read Patrick Kane here, but I was impressed by the cohesion and the way they all handled themselves. I, personally, have always been a fan of Disco Dan. Here's hoping for more great things to come.
A HUGE shoutout to the Finnish team. I distinctly remember pundits saying Finland didn't stand a chance without Koivu, et al. That they would have no offense. No offense doesn't score eight goals. (Double negative, I know). Granted that was against Austria, but, still, 8. I loved seeing Jussi Jokinen and especially Olli Mataa out there playing some truly amazing hockey. I'll admit, somewhat sheepishly, that I was rather flummoxed when Pittsburgh kept Olli up when his rookie window was set to expire. I'll admit it: I was wrong. (Take note, this doesn't happen often) Never have I been happier to be so wrong than when watching Finland defy expectations. Sadly, it looks like they're headed for a quarter final clash with my favorite hockey player in the world. Not sure where my loyalites will lie.
Canada, the power house, has looked a little off a perfect groove. And this isn't just wishful thinking. I truly hoped and prayed for gold for them in Vancouver. After all, they had Sidney Crosby, Jonathan Toews, and Marc-Andre Fleury (who, granted, never played). But they won, with a goal from Sid, no less. To me, there time has already come and gone. And I cannot cheer for a team that chose PK Subban. I despise the man. Not a big fan of Patrice Bergeron either. I might be able to look past team lines (see Finland and certain Flyers), but I can't get over my aversion to these two. My passion and hopes for Canada have all been used up, and I know this will make more enemies than friends, but I'd rather see someone else shine now. That being said, truly thrilled Chris Kunitz made the team. Not enough to hope they win gold, though. In that case, go USA.
Finally, the elephant in Sochi. The Russians. Two of my favorite players of any sport on the face of the planet are playing for Russia: Evgeni Malkin and Pavel Datsyuk. But there are so many glaring issues surrounding Russia. First and foremost, their coaching seems stuck in a Putin-like mentality. They think that just because they have the most talented skaters, they will win. I'll give Ovechkin credit, he's been more of a team player than I've ever seen from him, but it isn't enough. The famous, 'there is no "i" in team' runs like a bad song over and over again in my head when I watch Russia play. Selfish players not meant for the glory of gold are out there skating with enough talent that AHL players would sell their souls to possess, but these same players cannot fathom the concept so long elusive to them. Talent alone does not equal success in a team sport. (I'm a Pens fan, I should know) It truly hurts to see such gifted players wasted. The moment when Geno became my favorite player was in Vancouver, four years ago. Canada was completely obliterating Russia, but Geno never quit. He sat on the benches, looking up at the score, with his jersey between his teeth. He just looked so hopeless, I could no longer root against him. I imagine he thinks of that moment even now, too, as he goes out with reduced minutes and a degraded roll on his team. All the hopes of a nation rest on these men's shoulders, but they are doomed to fail. I could be wrong, I've already admitted to being so once today, but in this case, I don't think I am. At least they'll come back, and I can pull for Geno in a black and gold jersey.
Well, this wasn't exactly quick. But then again, it's me, so it sort of was.
BlytheLea
