He missed most of the season this year with a concussion and his brother is projected as a top pick this summer. (1st to 2nd round).
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Russia's done. This is why it's bad to play Canada so early.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc I don't mind the loss so much as I do the first goal they scored on us.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc They got screwed by terrible refereeing and an out of this world goal.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Everyone and their mama should have seen this loss coming, Canada always feels like a gold medal game and the team just couldn't get up for Finland. Hell I wasn't even that interested in the game.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Reminded me of the Olympics in Torino: Russia disposes of Canada in the quarters and then get blanked in the semis. Back then they lost the match for bronze as well. Let's see if the similarity is complete.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Man both the Canadian and American teams in Turin were just bad. I remember going to Canada-Switzerland and two USA games, and I can't lie that that stained my memory for years afterwards. Suffice to say, there is a reason that the 2010 team which was completely overhauled, did so much better than 2006, which was a terrible construction and an embarrassment. It's one thing for USA hockey to be embarrassed in the World Championships, where the majority of top players say no, but to play like that in the Olympics was just painful to see. Interestingly enough when one thinks about Sochi in two years, assuming the NHL lets the players go, which I think they will, Canada and the US have both put out miserable performances in Japan and Italy, while both taking gold and silver in Utah and Vancouver.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Do the geographical locations of the North American National Teams' successes and failures shock you?
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc I can't get enough of this goal. It's one of those things that when you see it live you just start laughing because it's so sick. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjOtNsCxMok"]YouTube - Ice Hockey WC 2011: Amazing goal by Sergei Zinovjev[/ame]
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc I don't think shock is the appropriate word.
Kyrgystan was officially accepted as a member of the IIHF. They have their own national league, but if my info is correct they are going to try and play in the Kazakhstan league, where one of their junior teams already play. In other news, there is a real, strong concerted effort by the EU and United States to get the IIHF to move the 2014 World Championships out of Belarus. Peter Stasny (an EU parliament member and hockey superstar) is leading the effort.
Well so far this tournament has come pretty close to copying the 2006 Olympics. The Czechs seem on course for Bronze, beating the Russians, just like they did in 2006. The RUssians that year beat Canada and lost to Finland, who will play Sweden for Gold, just like 2006. If Sweden wins, it would complete the deja vu.
As far as Russia is concerned, this IS exact copy op Torino. 4-7 for the bronze. It's like they had been thoroughly squeezed like lemons after beating Canada
I don't know why you think that. It was a tight checking game that turned on two mistakes, a spectacular shot and special teams.
They had nothing in the 3rd and they made way too many mistakes, and no control in the neutral zone. Just not the way I'm used to seeing Sharks play.
Re: Don't play hooky, play hockey: IHF, NHL, KHL, NCAA, CHL etc Stylin on boys...Finland takes the cake though lol
Party time in Finland....yet another Cup takes a beating, this time from the extremely drunk goalie coach falling on top of it. http://news.tut.by/sport/227181.html Apparently this might be the greatest holiday ever in Finland. The team jet was escorted for the final leg of its journey through Swedish airspace by two Finnish Air Force F-18 fighter jets - insult, meet injury
I get why, as Lukashenko would make a meal out of hosting the WC, somethin HE and his cabal of crooks doesn't deserve, but I still think it would be a shame if it gets moved. In teh end, moving it isn't going to do anything towards influencing Lukashenko - all it really does is punishes your average Belarusian sports fan who might be lucky to see world-class competition in person mayble only once or twice in a lifetime.
Several of the top ten highest rated tv programs in Swedish and Finnish TV history are world championship games. So yeah this tournament is a really big deal to just about everybody outside this continent.