Update: Canada wins 2-1 vs. Latvia

Someone else will no doubt cover this game in detail, but I just wanted to point a couple of things I noticed about the game, in light of me turning on Sports Talk Radio after the game and hearing some of the most idiotic, ridiculous comments I have ever heard in my life.

Canada won 2-1, but according to those who call in to voice their opinions, they almost blew it. You would think they just choked and should be embarrassed.

I actually think they played an amazing game. Sure, they only got 2 goals, but that was because of the collapsing D that keeps the play to the outside and because the Latvian goalie played the best game of his life. Canada outshot Latvia 57-16 in the least competitive 2-1 game I have ever witnessed. In every facet of the game, except the actual score, it was an utter beatdown.

Also, the Latvian goal should not have counted. Great move by the guy but that bench trick was bush league. I get they need every advantage in a game against a far superior opponent, but that was low.

So, Canada has now allowed only 3 goals in 4 games but is somehow disspointing everyone and supposedly playing terribly. It boggles one's mind.

I say don't focus on the fact that they had to squeak out the win, but on the fact that if they played the exact same way, they would normally score about 10. And give some credit to the awesome goalie who probably just made the NHL.




Coyotes in Sochi

It has been fairly successful tournament for players from the Coyotes so far.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson is off to the semi-finals where he will face fellow teammate Lauri Korpikoski of Finland.

Mike Smith will also be in the semi-finals, barring the biggest upset in sports history today against Latvia. He is yet to play, but someone has to be there not playing and he gets the best seat in the house, so no need to feel bad for him.

Two other Coyotes – Michalek and Hanzal – face elimination today against the USA. As of this writing the game is tied, but I think if the USA lost to the Czechs it would be a bigger upset than the Russians losing to the Fins.


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Russians Lose!

I for one am glad. Feel to lecture me in the comment section on the difference between politics and sports, but I can’t separate the two. I am 100% in favor of people using the Olympics to further their political agendas -well, the ones about human rights anyways - because I think that to not do so just wastes an opportunity to make certain important points about things ultimately much more important than a hockey tournament.

Now maybe you don’t, and that’s cool too. Me, I can’t separate them and I don’t want to, but I do get that some people can, or that some people just don’t care about bigger picture things. Hey, that is their prerogative.

Now, I don’t want to get into politics too much here, but whether it’s their anti-gay laws, their tendency to arrest anyone who protests or any of the other atrocities their corrupt government commits, I think it looks good on Russia to lose at home in hockey. I don’t believe in Karma anymore than I believe in astrology, but you could say they had the loss coming. It’s not that I think Ovechkin or Malkin are any more responsible for their government’s policies than I am for mine, but I can’t help viewing their team as “The Bad Guys” and as such, I am happy they lost.

That being said, I now realize it is not just the Canadian media that gets ridiculous in their analysis of the games. The Russian team is not really a “disaster.” They lost in a quarter-final that would have been an easier matchup, had they not been forced to play and lose in an unnecessary shootout against the USA earlier in the tournament.

Plus, it really doesn’t mean that much to lose to a team that plays the sickeningly boring style that the Fins employ in a single elimination game. They make it really hard to get to the net, and prove once and for all that the NHL ice surface is the perfect size. The Russians are a much better team than Finland, it is not like they need to “find out what went wrong” or “find out what’s wrong with Russian hockey” because all that went wrong was bad luck. And possibly Karma!

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Canada’s Easy Path

While I acknowledge that Canada is the clear favorite in this tournament, I think that there is one huge potential problem they will face when they play the US tomorrow in the quarter-final.

The U.S – assuming they win today – will have had to play the Russians along with the Czechs, while Canada has not really had to play any tough games so far. The Fins took them to overtime, but that wasn’t a tough game as much as it was a contest to see how many Fins could stand on their blue-line at once. I hate the way their team plays and I don’t think people should be too impressed by them, if it isn’t cheating, it’s unsportsmanlike.

If Canada does lose to the U.S, which is always a possibility, I don’t think not playing Subban, or bringing Kunitz, or any coaching decision will have been as much of a factor as the fact Canada has gone almost two weeks without playing in an important/tough game. It might be hard to just suddenly turn it in on after coasting for so long.

One last thought: If the Swedes actually lose to Finland, than in my opinion, the USA/Canada game will basically be the real gold medal game, even if one isn't actually awarded in the semis.

That is all. Thanks for Reading.

@Coyotes1234 if you want to drop me a tweet.

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