A Not So Proud Olympic Moment

[mtnsnake]

The mens hockey team just got handed some humble pie by the Swiss. If Quinn and Hitchcock had any brains they'd relinquish their olympic coaching jobs and let the women's head coach take over. I can't understand why those two neocons get to coach Canada every Olympics in recent times when almost ANYONE could do a better job, considering Canada has by far the most talented roster in the world.

I watched a couple of the Canadian women's games and I think they could beat most of the mens teams. They're twice as exciting as anyone to watch and should be a cinch to win the gold.

Go Team USA Mens Hockey!! :evilgrin:

[Spazito]

1. The Canadian Men's team didn't earn a win, imo

They were lethargic throughout most of the game and only seemed to make an honest effort in the latter half of the third.

I hope this loss wakes them up and enervates them to show some passion in the next game.

The Swiss played well and deserved the win for sure.

[mtnsnake]

2. They're quite the contrast to the womens team

who come out flying from the opening whistle and don't let up until the final one.

Have you ever seen a more dominating team than your women's team? I love the way the break up the ice. They've got it all...speed, talent, and passion. That all adds up to some exciting hockey to watch. The way they pass in the offensive zone is incredible, and they should be giving lessons to the mens team on how to set up scoring chances.

I would love to have seen the USA and Canada women hook up for the gold medal game, just for the sheer passion of it, but it just wasn't meant to be for the US women this time.

[Spazito]

3. I agree, our womens team is awesome!

They are all heart, all passion from the first second to the last, they never let down. I am VERY proud of them for their skill AND their sportsmanship. The mens team could, indeed, take a lesson from the women.

I was shocked when the US women's team lost to Sweden as I had just assumed (goes to show assumptions should not be made, lol) it would be a Canada vs US gold medal game. It is good for womens hockey overall that other teams are becoming more competitive with Canada and the US and shows that in the next Olympics it may be Canada's womens team that is beat out from the medal round by a team other than the US.

The more competitive teams there are the better the sport, imo, and it is slowly happening, thank goodness.

[ClusterFreak]

4. Wow. One loss, one bad game, and it's time to axe the coaches!

Gimme a break. Canada gave a sluggish effort until they were down by two, then they turned on the afterburners and completely dominated the game. Sometimes the goalie is a thief, and he sure was in this game. Canada outshot the Swiss 22-1 in the third period. 22-1. Canada had two goals called back, with Bertuzzi in the crease, and the one with the puck in the glove but inconclusive as to whether it was over the line, and another puck which just sat dead on the goal line. I don't think we can blame Quinn and Hitchcock for that.

[mtnsnake]

5. They shouldn't be the coaches again, period. I'm not blaming them for this

particular game at all.

I'm pretty sure Canada will have no problems coming up with Olympic gold again in mens hockey. However, it's a farce and a joke that these two jerks, Quinn and Hitchcock, are back at the helm again. They are so out of their element when it comes to Olympic style hockey, that it's not even funny. The ONLY reason they have gold under their belts already is because of the roster they've had in the past and present to play with. The only thing Quinn is a specialist at is using bully tactics, as he tries to do so (unsuccessfully) in the NHL anymore. Hitchcock is right up there with him, too, when it comes to that, although he's at least a little more qualified upstairs than Quinn.


If Canada had a better couple of coaches in there, instead of bullies, they'd be running away with it. We just don't see the razzle dazzle tick tack toe passing with this team that we should be seeing. Yet, they'll probably still win gold just based on depth alone, and the two idiots will be back coaching the Olympics again in 2010. ugh

Anyway, good luck to you guys. If Canada wins, that'll be okay with me, but if they lose, I'll take solace in the fact that I hate Quinn and Hitchcock almost as much as I hate Bush. Well, maybe half as much, lol.

[glarius]

6. Cool down there guy....

I think your rather pathological and unexplained hatred of Quinn and Hitchcock is impairing your judgement. Where you get the idea that Quinn uses bully tactics is beyond me. He coaches the Toronto Maple Leafs (my team) and is a good, non-bully coach. Quinn and Hitchcock (who I don't consider a bully either), were chosen by Wayne Gretzky who is in charge of the team, (whose judgement I would suggest is better than yours) to coach in 2002 and again this year. Hitchcock is "a little more qualified upstairs than Quinn?" What are you refering to? Brains? In case you didn't know, Quinn has a law degree, which he earned after he finished playing hockey, so you're way off base there. The thing is our team had a bad game...period. It happens. Team Canada always seems to have a bad game, but we win in the long run....Maybe you should go have a beer or something!....:hi:

P.S....My daughter played and I loved watching her games, but that's because I'm her mother. I must admit I don't find the women's hockey as exciting to watch as the men's. There's no comparison for the speed etc....

[mtnsnake]

7. Thems fightin words!!

"He coaches the Toronto Maple Leafs (my team) and is a good, non-bully coach"

!#@@X!%#@!!

:evilgrin:

Well at least I can now understand why you'd ever say something so funny as Quinn "is a good, non-bully coach"! LOL!

Anyway, you're right. I do have a pathological hatred for both Quinn and Hitchcock. Besides liking the Sens (although I'm a lifelong Rangers fan), I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Pat Quinn is THE dirtiest, THE whiniest, THE most overrated coach in the NHL today, bar none! Ken Hitchcock ranks second of course ;)

All in fun, glarius :)

[glarius]

10. Okay....try to think of Quinn as a big teddy bear and Hitchcock as a

friendly walrus!....:)

[mtnsnake]

11. LOL! Good one!! Only thing is...

I hope they put extra thick floor joists undeneath where that big teddy bear and that friendly hippo walk, so the player's bench area doesn't collapse! :evilgrin:

[glarius]

16. It's friendly walrus....but hippo works too!

:):):):)

[MrPrax]

20. So the Maple Laffs...

are doing well with Quinn at the helm? They've won a cup have they?

Quinn is a management favorite--he is a shit coach and always has been and always will be.

Oh...before you post...please have ready a list of Quinn's coaching accomplishments...list of the year(s) that Quinn has won the Stanley Cup for instance. Or maybe his lifetime coaching win-lost record.

And of this writing, it looks like Team Canada is going down in ignoble embarassing defeat...

I suggest rather than the Womens' team representing the men (as some have pointed out)...why not the Knights alone or the Junior mens' team.

[ClusterFreak]

21. Team Canada isn't the Maple "Laffs"

I'm a Leaf fan myself, and if you want to discuss the lack of a visit from Lord Stanley for 39 years, that's a long conversation. All I would say is that MLSE is a joke of a sports management company. Profits matter, winning the Stanley Cup doesn't. BTW, would you have made the same kind of snide comments about Pat Burns, before he won the cup with the Devils? Burns too had differing levels of success coaching with several different teams, with a cup final appearance and other deep appearances in the playoffs, also with being fired more than once....before he finally won the cup.

I guess Wayne Gretzky needs to bow before you when it comes to hockey knowledge and picking coaches, huh?

on edit: And take a look at the medal around Quinn's neck from 2002. What colour is it again? Oh yeah, that's right, it's gold. Shit coach.

[MrPrax]

23. I agree...

but not a long conservation--money sums it up.

Same thing with Vancouver and Montreal these days...the teams are run for profit, not a win. That's the only reason why Quinn still puts Domi on the ice--fan favorite, just like the useless Tiger Williams before him. (the canucks are also guilty of this BS as well)

Oh and I do question Gretzky's management skills, just like I question the Big Guy's as well..I also question Quinn's management skills as well (but since he was stripped of the GM role finally--TML agreed).

BUT are you honestly trying to have us believe that over the last four years there aren't BETTER Canadian NHL coaches that should have had a shot?

Besides...so Quinn was at the helm in 2002? Big whoop...who were the other 6 coaches that got Gold. Canada has won a medal 14 times

1. Gold-7
   
2. Silver-5
   
3. Bronze-2
   
4. Total-14
   

As far as Pat Burns, he's a joke too. Ex-Cops don't make good coaches as Montreal found out the YEAR AFTER Burns went to Toronto! LOL

[glarius]

25. You don't seem to be having much fun.

Maybe you shouldn't watch the Olympics. It might not be good for your blood pressure. As for me, I'm having fun! I couldn't care less about all the analyzing and speculating. I'm just enjoying the Olympics and I believe our athletes (including hockey players) are doing themselves proud.

[MrPrax]

27. Only saw one...over the weekend.

It's the time thing--and I don't like watching it taped...I usually know the score already. I'm in PST...like I'm going to get up, not work and watch at 7:30am the Czech game tomorrow...yeah right.

Besides--the downfall of our curling teams is far more shocking...!! OMG

[ClusterFreak]

29. I never said there weren't better coaches....

...just that if Gretzky likes Quinn, and Quinn has a gold medal around his neck from four years ago, then that's good enough for me. Four years ago I honestly did question the choice, but look how it turned out. And this go round, we're missing some key leadership that we didn't have in the dressing room and on the ice. No Lemieux. No Yzerman. On defence....no Jovo, no Niedermeyer.

Regardless, I'm not ready to pack it in yet.

[glarius]

22. I don't have to give you a list of anything!

We'll see who has the last laugh when this thing is all over. I remember in 2002, when Quinn coached our team to a GOLD MEDAL, there were all kinds of nay-sayers like you, when they faltered in the beginning....Wayne Gretzky, who is acknowledged to be the greatest player of all time has faith in him and that's good enough for me!....Keep smiling...:)

[MrPrax]

24. When what's over?

The Maple Laffs season--they're done. Canada might get a medal and let's face it--unlike an NHL season, who's coaching is irrelevent anyway.

I mean...would it have made any diff if Crawford sent Gretzky out for the shot instead of Bourque? Probably not...

[glarius]

26. See my answer #25.

[Harper_is_Bush]

8. How about that USA womens team?

Isn't it fitting they get denied the Gold medal game after that loudmouth Angela Rugierro was judging the Canadian womens team as "running up the score"?

Maybe the US women should have thought more about running up thier own score instead of talking smack about the Canadians!

How sweet it is!

[mtnsnake]

12. I agree she sholdn't have been running her mouth like that

[HuffleClaw]

9. the womens team at least is FUN to watch

but they've been together (more or less) for a lot longer as a team and boy howdy does it ever show compared to the mens team. i'm not hopeful for the mens team this year at all if they keep playing like they have been. the real problem, among many, is that the players simply don't care that much about it compared to their dreams of their nhl teams getting a chance for a stanley cup. there are plenty of nhl players who simply chose to NOT play for their respective olympic team so they could rest up for the rest of the nhl season. personally it disgusts me.

[mtnsnake]

13. Good post

I love how players from either country, the USA or Canada or wherever, will say in an interview how playing for their country for free is more important than anything. And then they come out and play like lazy flat-out spoiled rich millionaire brats who are just going through the motions, and only step it up when they're looking humiliation right in the face.

You're right about the women's team. They have been together for a lot longer as a team, and that does make a difference, but you can tell just by watching them who winning the gold is more important to. It's the ladies. The men simply took it for granted that it was theirs for simply showing up and coasting, but boy did they get a dose of reality.

[Swede]

14. Canada had 49 shots on goal.

Goalies are known for winning games single handedly.

[mmonk]

15. I was just checking this forum

(I'm from NC) and I just wanted to say sorry about that, but I'm a Gerber fan as well since I live in Raleigh. I hope he give the Canes a good stretch run towards the cup. Team Canada will bouce back.

[Spazito]

17. Gerber was absolutely rock solid, no doubt about it!

I have to be honest and say I had never heard his name being touted before so he was a complete surprise to me. I love excellence regardless of which player or team shows it and he certainly showed his superb skills in that game.

[HEyHEY]

18. the only thing worse is team USA!

[Spazito]

19. LOL, I suspect you are in a feisty mood

I think I will just sit back and 'watch' the re-action, rofl.

[mtnsnake]

28. No argument here!

Not yet, anyhow!! :)