Olympics ice hockey

Price brings zero confidence and presence! Just a blob in the net. Better move to Luongo.
— Shawn Simpson (@TSNSimmer) February 16, 2014

Check out this world class twit who's actually employed by TSN's Ottawa station. This was in the middle of a 1-0 game, by the way. A game that ended 2-1 for Canada in OT.

You know, before this all started we were rubbing our hands together gleefully anticipation actual goal support for our dear netminder. How stupidly ironic is it that the Habs actually managed to give him more? STOP THE TRAP. THE TRAP MUST DIE.

Also fuck you Babcock. You play Hamhuis for two seconds shy of 4 minutes and stuff PK Subban in the pressbox after a more than good game against Austria. Who the fuck is scoring all the goals? DREW DOUGHTY. Would you not like to have a second? I'm so fucking sick of these ultra vanilla "safe players". GET SOME FUCKING OFFENSE YOU RED WING WANKER. Wonder why Detroit sucks balls?

Honestly, I'm seeing guys fuck up in ways that would get PK on the first train to Kamchatka.

By the way, can someone poke Crosby? Is he alive?

"A whole lot of activity and zero accomplishment" is what Craig Button used to describe how Canada is playing. Couldn't agree more...

Ew, you got McGuire all over my hockey

Pierre: "That thing was absolutely howitzered on goal."
Gord: "I'm not going to call that a verb."

Is anyone as sick of Pierre McGuire as I am? I find the more you hear him the more it sounds like his head is inflating.

Get with the program
I find the familiarity with the players kind of kills it for me. The smug, arrogant, hype machine the TSN crew have been spouting for months now has gone into overdrive. And while people bitch and moan about women's hockey being a two-team race disregarding every improvement Team China has accomplished since they started to build their program, the difference between women's hockey and men's hockey is night and day. These girls have come together and played together all year and in previous years, building for this moment and for the various world events. It's all they have this side of university championships or small, unknown regional bouts. They play "warm-up" tournaments, either against other countries or against the old joke of "I bet that team can't beat a midget boys league". The men come in with a rediculous collective payroll and then get shocked when the Swiss National Team gives them a run for their money as they forget there's a world class team of hockey players doing their thing for Davos. And while Team Finland is also a pack of NHLers, those guys have a team familiarity similar to the women's teams in that they've been together most of their lives.

But you're telling me that a country like Canada where hockey is our life can't build a proper men's team to make a proper challenge for the Olympics? You're telling me the United States with it's army of athletes can't make a program to set their boys up for this big event that happens every 4 years? That the Russians prefer the "me first" boys over building a powerhouse to prove their stranglehold on the international stage? I want to see teams built for this event. A real tournament of National teams. I don't want to see "Dream Teams".

Yes, nothing is more honorable than to be asked by your country to come play, but don't you miss discovering some amazing players that have worked hard together for this one moment? The Olympics are different from the World Juniors, where some of the best kids in their respected countries are put together to prove their abilities and get some exposure (and many of them don't even play in their respected countries, hoping to learn in other environments). Right now, the almighty dollar and TV ratings appear to be more important than tapping into that unknown talent with National pride.

Fear is what it's all about
Apparently a few people from the Swiss bobsled team are scared of the track because they've flipped over a few times and got hurt. Learn to drive properly and you won't flip. After watching the Skeletors rip through those slides HEADFIRST on a cafeteria tray at 140km/hr, you got no excuse for freaking out while driving down it in a box. Yes it's sad the Georgian luger died in his training run... There is a TON of risk involved in all winter sports, and an error can result in injury, sometimes death. Someone said "athletic error should cost you a medal not your life" but that is completely wrong. Remember when they used to have speed skiing? Basically guys in wicked helmets would bomb straight down the mountain and see who can do it the fastest. They got rid of it after someone died by driving straight into a groomer during training and then another died in a fall. Are they going to get rid of everything because there's a risk of death involved? Aerials you can land on your head. Short track speed skating you can slice and dice arms and legs. Skiing you can wipe out so bad that head trauma is a major concern. Pairs figure skating even has the risk of slicing your partner across the head (which we've seen).

But why even bother entering these sports if you can't take the risk?

Don't you love seeing the smile on the faces of participants after they land a wicked aerial or finish doing an awesome run? They're not smiles of relief. They're smiles of satisfaction.

Skeletor Jon Montgomery's gold medal victory screams are what I'm talking about.