2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

[dave1381]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

I don't feel like I know if the US was out-coached, but I do think that it's possible for coaching to impact the outcome of a game. On the Harvard thread the posters often comment on Stone using a short bench and they believe it often hurts Harvard late in the season and late in games. Amanda Kessel was not one of the top 5 forwards used in the game. I don't know if she was hurt but I think she should have played regular full shifts.

Canada and U.S. had basically the same distribution of minutes among their 9 forwards. Canada's forwards off its top three lines barely played.
The main difference is Julie Chu got more playing time, mainly in shorthanded situations, and she also set the screen on the first U.S. goal. The reduced playing time for Kessel derives almost entirely from a reduction in the second period when the U.S. had to kill six minutes of penalties.

I can only infer Kessel is not at 100%, and otherwise we would have seen as much of her as in 2013 Worlds.

If anyone was at risk of being worn out, it was Fortino who played 30 minutes for Canada, including 5 minutes of OT, while Ward was also ridden heavily at 27 minutes. At the same time, we've already had posters claim the U.S. best D didn't get played enough.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

And I have a clear image in my head of the Canadian women gathered around that assistant woman coach with the curly hair and glasses (sorry, don't know here name) during some game this week.

Danielle Goyette, former Team Canada player for years and for the last few since her retirement, Head Coach of the University of Calgary Dinos Women's Hockey team coaching Wickenheyser and Iya Gavrilova.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Goyette

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

But I also would like responses from seasoned observers of crunch-time if anyone found it odd that the USA assistant coaches seemed to hold court during the last two breaks in action with +/- 3 minutes to go. Could be lots of good reasons, I guess, but for this uninitiated video viewer with no knowledge of coaching it was a striking visual, if nothing else. (Had similar question posted on the now boomed D/S thread and was seconded by a Canadian viewer who had split-screen shots of the two benches, with a fully engaged Dineen.) Don't know enough to be critical, but love the game enough to admit puzzlement.

I agree about the visual effect but I've been told by someone with more knowledge than me that it is very common for the time out to be handled by the assistant coach(es) for the team that did not call the time out primarily because there was nothing that that head coach thought was important enough to call a time out for. A second reason is that if that is the way that that head coach always does it, she would have no reason to change the procedure regardless of the present circumstance.

 

[D2D]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Good article:

U.S. loss has silver lining for women's hockey
http://www.startribune.com/sports/246634301.html

 

[D2D]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Could have just as easily plastered the faces of two players from the women's teams up there as well:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/22/olympic-hockey-loss-gives-us-bieber-chicago-billboard-says/

 

[Skate79]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Good article:

U.S. loss has silver lining for women's hockey
http://www.startribune.com/sports/246634301.html

While the attention and attendance is great, the fact is that back here in the States, women's hockey is just not supported on a consistent basis. The Olympics are a once in four year event and is on the world stage. There was a surge in attendance here at Harvard after the '98 Olympics but it didn't last. Maybe the GM game will do the same. Hopefully more girls will take up the game and other countries invest in their programs so we can have a more balanced tournament in the future.

 

[dave1381]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

While the attention and attendance is great, the fact is that back here in the States, women's hockey is just not supported on a consistent basis. The Olympics are a once in four year event and is on the world stage. There was a surge in attendance here at Harvard after the '98 Olympics but it didn't last. Maybe the GM game will do the same. Hopefully more girls will take up the game and other countries invest in their programs so we can have a more balanced tournament in the future.

The 1999 surge in Harvard attendance was also about Harvard being good for the first time ever, and bringing star power in A.J., Botterill, and Ruggiero (not to mention Shewchuk). Next season, Harvard brings back from the Olympics, the coach, Picard, and then Fry and Pucci who barely saw the ice in the gold-medal game. Good players all, but I'm not so optimistic about repeating the 1999 surge. As for maintaining that attendance, you still had crowds near 2,000 in 2003 & 2004 for Dartmouth toward the end of Ruggiero's career, but we don't see that kind of attendance any more, except for White the Bright gimmicks.

 

[Hux]

While the attention and attendance is great, the fact is that back here in the States, women's hockey is just not supported on a consistent basis. The Olympics are a once in four year event and is on the world stage. There was a surge in attendance here at Harvard after the '98 Olympics but it didn't last. Maybe the GM game will do the same. Hopefully more girls will take up the game and other countries invest in their programs so we can have a more balanced tournament in the future.

There is typically a bump in the registration numbers after the Olympics. A Gold and the attendant publicity would likely result in a bigger bump, but it will be interesting to see what the increase is for the next few seasons. ( though with the attention given the fisticuffs during the run up it could actually be detrimental to growth)

 

[RStarr]

I didn't realize NHL coaches had voodoo powers to cause the USA errors leading to the tying goal. And I'm sure falling behind 2-0 was a brilliant piece of NHL strategy that an amateur like me could never understand. I stand corrected on denying that the NHL coach was a gigantic advantage for Canada.

It's a tough feat to make yourself look dumber than me. Congrats.

Caroline O. had a note in her pocket that said " fight till the bitter end." And she did. Canada played a full game. USA not so much... Players, coaches, the entire team ****ed up. And these are privileged players...we have a right to be disappointed and a right to be critical. Not only would I be fired from my job if I completed 56 minutes of a 60 minute surgery, I'd likely be sued and lose my practicing privileges as well. And unlike these privileged players, I payed my own way, the entire way.

Get off your high horse....your fancy math is useless here.

 

[RStarr]

Danielle Goyette, former Team Canada player for years and for the last few since her retirement, Head Coach of the University of Calgary Dinos Women's Hockey team coaching Wickenheyser and Iya Gavrilova.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_Goyette

Iya!!! ....squeeze her in somewhere between Agosta and Raty.

 

[ARM]

And these are privileged players...we have a right to be disappointed and a right to be critical. Not only would I be fired from my job if I completed 56 minutes of a 60 minute surgery, I'd likely be sued and lose my practicing privileges as well.

Unless you have six Canadians running around your operating room preventing you from completing the surgery, that analogy is weak.

 

[RStarr]

Unless you have six Canadians running around your operating room preventing you from completing the surgery, that analogy is weak.

It's a job. One game, one job. One surgery, one job.

It's a good thing we are teaching accountability and responsibility. It's everybody and everything's fault except for the team and the coaches. Yeah, okay... South Korea's gonna be a lot different. Not.

 

[dave1381]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

Caroline O. had a note in her pocket that said " fight till the bitter end." And she did. Canada played a full game. USA not so much... Players, coaches, the entire team ****ed up. And these are privileged players...we have a right to be disappointed and a right to be critical. Not only would I be fired from my job if I completed 56 minutes of a 60 minute surgery, I'd likely be sued and lose my practicing privileges as well.

I actually agree with all this.

 

[Hux]

It's a job. One game, one job. One surgery, one job.

It's a good thing we are teaching accountability and responsibility. It's everybody and everything's fault except for the team and the coaches. Yeah, okay... South Korea's gonna be a lot different. Not.

Ringo...deep breath...shovel a roof...lose shovel off roof...retrieve and repeat if necessary...it works wonders.

 

[RStarr]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

You're right, Dave. It's not that our expectations are too high....it's that they are too low.

 

[Skate79]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

The 1999 surge in Harvard attendance was also about Harvard being good for the first time ever, and bringing star power in A.J., Botterill, and Ruggiero (not to mention Shewchuk). Next season, Harvard brings back from the Olympics, the coach, Picard, and then Fry and Pucci who barely saw the ice in the gold-medal game. Good players all, but I'm not so optimistic about repeating the 1999 surge. As for maintaining that attendance, you still had crowds near 2,000 in 2003 & 2004 for Dartmouth toward the end of Ruggiero's career, but we don't see that kind of attendance any more, except for White the Bright gimmicks.

Agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. Even a Sarah Vaillancourt who was as dynamic a player as we've ever had at Harvard could not ensure crowds of 2000 or more. Harvard is a fun team to watch and they will be talented and experienced next year with depth approaching the '02-03 team. Will that bring the crowds out? Hope so but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Hux]

Agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. Even a Sarah Vaillancourt who was as dynamic a player as we've ever had at Harvard could not ensure crowds of 2000 or more. Harvard is a fun team to watch and they will be talented and experienced next year with depth approaching the '02-03 team. Will that bring the crowds out? Hope so but I'm not holding my breath.

With the ability to watch games online I don't think you will see attendance figures like those of a decade ago.

 

[Call It]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

I actually agree with all this.

Me too! Amen Rstarr

Donald Trump already fired Stone

 

[Skate79]

Re: 2014 Sochi Olympic Games Women's Ice Hockey Tournament

With the ability to watch games online I don't think you will see attendance figures like those of a decade ago.

Forgot about that. Great point. And the millennials are so used to using social media, YouTube etc... that I wonder if their desire to attend in person will be affected as you say by online streaming. To me there is nothing like being there in person.

 

[Hux]

Forgot about that. Great point. And the millennials are so used to using social media, YouTube etc... that I wonder if their desire to attend in person will be affected as you say by online streaming. To me there is nothing like being there in person.

As we've noted before, in the case of Harvard the exhorbitant admission and parking charges are a real buzz kill. Agree that the entertainment/distraction options these days are putting a hurt on a lot of in person activities. Hell, even snowboarding numbers are down from a decade ago.