Tough 24 hrs for USA Hockey

[bt08]

Can't get much tougher than blowing a 2 goal lead with under 4 min to go and then getting shut out...ugh

I actually feel a lot worse for the women, thats gotta sting bad!

 

[ChicagoIrish]

If these 24 hours have proven anything, they've proven that Canada is still superior in Hockey

 

[BlueWolfZero]

Women's team played great. They are still young with an average age of 23. When our dinosau...erm I mean, veterans, finally hang them up, we might be in trouble. As for the men, they had a hell of a tourney and are still in position for a medal when not many picked them to win one.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

imo, the biggest shitty thing that comes from the mens loss is that hockey in general and NHL in particular will quietly go back to being what it always has been to the bulk of american populace ... a niche who cares sport

USA winning gold would have been the only thing that could validate the NHL shutting its business down for 2 weeks ... i think that would have really put alot of people on board with the game and league ... and probably bumped attendence/tv ratings for the rest of the season and perhaps longer term

will be interesting to see the NBC numbers for the gold medal game ... is it even being broadcast live?

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

And seeing this thread makes the pain worse

 

[ChicagoIrish]

imo, the biggest shitty thing that comes from the mens loss is that hockey in general and NHL in particular will quietly go back to being what it always has been to the bulk of american populace ... a niche who cares sport

USA winning gold would have been the only thing that could validate the NHL shutting its business down for 2 weeks ... i think that would have really put alot of people on board with the game and league ... and probably bumped attendence/tv ratings for the rest of the season and perhaps longer term

will be interesting to see the NBC numbers for the gold medal game ... is it even being broadcast live?

Agreed, the NHL really needed the US to at least make the Gold medal game.

Outside of Chicago, Minnesota, NYC, Philly, Detroit and the New England area, NHL is still fighting for popularity. The US winning gold could have very well helped that.

 

[Johnnydollaz89]

That USA/Russia game was the highest rated hockey game they've ever had. Nearly 4M more people alone tuned in for the shootout. We would have had millions of Americans awake at 7am on Sunday for the Gold medal game.

 

[BlueWolfZero]

imo, the biggest shitty thing that comes from the mens loss is that hockey in general and NHL in particular will quietly go back to being what it always has been to the bulk of american populace ... a niche who cares sport

USA winning gold would have been the only thing that could validate the NHL shutting its business down for 2 weeks ... i think that would have really put alot of people on board with the game and league ... and probably bumped attendence/tv ratings for the rest of the season and perhaps longer term

will be interesting to see the NBC numbers for the gold medal game ... is it even being broadcast live?

Quite frankly, I am and have always been happy with hockey's current popularity level. If most of America can't appreciate the sport for what it is without a USA gold medal to tune in, then we don't need those fans. They are obviously fickle and will jump off the wagon the second the USA starts dropping off. The NHL and hockey in general does just fine as it is now. So what if it isn't as big as other sports leagues.

The main concern of the game should be to continue the strong bonds it has now, and not worry if some guy in Nee Mexico isn't watching.

 

[Darkstone42]

Quite frankly, I am and have always been happy with hockey's current popularity level. If most of America can't appreciate the sport for what it is without a USA gold medal to tune in, then we don't need those fans. They are obviously fickle and will jump off the wagon the second the USA starts dropping off. The NHL and hockey in general does just fine as it is now. So what if it isn't as big as other sports leagues.

The main concern of the game should be to continue the strong bonds it has now, and not worry if some guy in Nee Mexico isn't watching.

From a hockey purist standpoint, sure, but from a business standpoint, you need that fickle fan. Those fans are the profit. Growing the sport's popularity especially in the country containing the bulk of the league's teams is essential to the lasting economic health of the league.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

Quite frankly, I am and have always been happy with hockey's current popularity level. If most of America can't appreciate the sport for what it is without a USA gold medal to tune in, then we don't need those fans. They are obviously fickle and will jump off the wagon the second the USA starts dropping off. The NHL and hockey in general does just fine as it is now. So what if it isn't as big as other sports leagues.

The main concern of the game should be to continue the strong bonds it has now, and not worry if some guy in Nee Mexico isn't watching.

from a business standpoint, canada cant keep subsidizing faltering american markets. If we had a 70 cent dollar this league would be in the shitter. Far too much apathy in the states when it comes to hockey. It doesnt resonate at all in alot of places and thats a huge problem

 

[pixburgher66]

Agreed, the NHL really needed the US to at least make the Gold medal game.

Outside of Chicago, Minnesota, NYC, Philly, Detroit and the New England area, NHL is still fighting for popularity. The US winning gold could have very well helped that.

*coughPITTSBURGHcough* Sorry, force of habit.

 

[awaz]

I couldn't get a radio stream to listen to at work. That is a problem. Damn Americans and their football.

 

[pixburgher66]

I couldn't get a radio stream to listen to at work. That is a problem. Damn Americans and their football.

The issue there is with NBC. ESPN would've loved to air this one, guaranteed. But they didn't have the rights, and they don't have a national non-satellite station to air the game.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Can't get much tougher than blowing a 2 goal lead with under 4 min to go and then getting shut out...ugh

I actually feel a lot worse for the women, thats gotta sting bad!

I really couldn't care less about the Women's Tournament. The IIHF should pull the plug on Women's Hockey in the Olympics. There are only two teams who are competitive in the sport. I just don't see any reason why it should be continued. When Team USA outshoots Sweden 70-9 in a semi-final game there's a problem with the competition.

 

[bt08]

I really couldn't care less about the Women's Tournament. The IIHF should pull the plug on Women's Hockey in the Olympics. There are only two teams who are competitive in the sport. I just don't see any reason why it should be continued. When Team USA outshoots Sweden 70-9 in a semi-final game there's a problem with the competition.

can't argue your competition point but they're amateurs, and the Olympics is their Stanley Cup

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

can't argue your competition point but they're amateurs, and the Olympics is their Stanley Cup

Baseball was cancelled by the Olympics & their are plenty of countries who could put competitive teams out their. USA, Japan, Domincan Republic, Cuba, Mexico & South Korea to name a few.

 

[davnlaguna]

Baseball was cancelled by the Olympics & their are plenty of countries who could put competitive teams out their. USA, Japan, Domincan Republic, Cuba, Mexico & South Korea to name a few.

Baseball was cancelled because MLB wouldn't halt the season, meaning no stars went. Also it was tied to softball and in that sport no other counties had a chance

 

[BlueWolfZero]

Baseball is back in though from what I understand

 

[forty_three]

If these 24 hours have proven anything, they've proven that Canada is still superior in Hockey

These 24 hours have shown me that USA Hockey's development model is making great strides. USA Hockey is competing on equal footing, and having success.

And with a smaller pool of athletes to pull from. The steady growth and top level talent we are cultivating is improving every year. The game of hockey is doing just fine in the states, and I hope more people do start watching. The more the merrier.

I look at it as an opportunity to educate the people who seem to think losing any lead is choking about what complexity and beauty there is in this game. And hopefully they also come to realize that finishing third in a tournament with this level of competition is in no way a failure. That's the problem in America, only first is acceptable and you have to humiliate the opponent in the process. We don't need those kinds of fans.

 

[dash]

Just to add to 43's post (which was excellent by the way), it frustrates me when I hear other people. ripping on Olympic athletes who fall just short of the podium as failures or not meeting expectations. Some of these same athletes have dominated their sport on the World Cup stage for several years. There could be a myriad of reasons why they could be slightly off on the day when the medals are handed out (nursing an injury, not feeling well, other people have a great day etc.).

In alpine skiing or bobsleigh to use a couple of examples, sometimes the top three finishes are separated by hundreths of a second or dead even (for example, Bode Miller of the US and Jan Hudec of Canada tied for bronze in the giant slalom). It just bothers me when I hear somebody saying that they disappointed a nation when it could be a matter of centimeters or a blink of an eye.

Rant over.