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This video is so awesome, that it almost seems fake but trust me, it’s not.
After their big victory at the Worlds, Finland’s assistant coach apparently had a few too many bevies on the plane and then ended up eating it on the stairs on the way off it.
What makes it even better is, he smashes his face into the trophy and leaves a mark on it. See the dent at the end of this video below:
Dear NHL Teams,
Looking for a way to get your fans riled up? Just blow a three game series lead to your arch rival, and then let Game 7 go all the way to OT to make it look like you are going to get eliminated in the first round. Oh, and then promptly kill off a penalty and win it.
A week of tension and disbelief got released last night on Granville Street in Vancouver. You would almost think that the city has done this party before? Maybe some big recent international event or something?
ps. I love how Luongo said that this win felt even better than the Gold Medal win. Shows how much was on the line for him last night.
Given that today is the one year anniversary of the now legendary Sid Crosby goal that won Canada the gold medal last year, I decided to re-post what I wrote last year after what was MY most favorite experience during the Olympics.
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The highlight game for me was actually the Canada vs. Russia semi-final game, as this was the game that I went to. This has obviously become overshadowed by the Gold Medal game however, most people don’t remember just how nerve wracking this game was after Canada went through a tough round robin and got stuck having to play Russia before the medal rounds even started.
It turned out to be a pretty good party. See attached post.
In honor of the Kovalchuk-saga finally coming to an end, I wanted to re-post this picture of Yours Truly heckling Kovalchuk at the Canada vs. Russia semi-final game at the Olympics (I’m the “U”).
You can’t even imagine how fun yelling “Koval-choke” is after 4 or 5 beers.
Picture courtesy IIHF.com
And yes, I can take credit for spelling “Louuuu” wrong.
Thank you.
Olympic Withdrawal.
That seems to be what is going around Canada these days. The buzz around this country during the 16 days of the Olympics was something that was never experienced before.
This signifies what my heart felt like when the Olympics left. My soul is represented by that lone person crossing the street.....waiting to get hit by a car.
As for describing the ending to it all, the word “unbelievable” is somewhat of an understatement.
Going for the most amount of gold medals ever won in the Winter Olympics, the national hero scores the overtime winner in the most watched sporting event in the country’s history, on the final day of the Olympics, just a couple of hours before the closing ceremonies.
Sounds too good to be true, but it wasn’t.
It was real, and experiencing it was beyond explanation. Over 80% of Canadians in this country tuned in to watch the event, and that doesn’t include the thousands upon thousands around the world that all have their own story about where they were for the Crosby overtime goal.
In dealing with my post-Olympic withdrawal, I finally decided to go and check out some of the reaction videos to relive the moment.
I figured they were too good not to share with you all.
I weeded through the videos and posted the ones that I thought covered the spirit of what it was like to be part of this historic event.
If this doesn’t give you chills, then you are dead inside.
I think that I am still suffering from an emotional hangover from the Canada-Russia game.
It’s hard to describe the experience of being in that arena and having lower bowl seats. I’ve attached a pic that I found in the Globe in Mail the next day. This is actually us in the warmup; our seats were further back.
Yup, that's awesome.
Other Highlights:
This should be Sid Crosby’s second Olympic Games.
I know that the policy of the Team Canada brass every year is to only choose players based on how they affect the team’s chances for that year, but I think it’s time that hockey Canada starting showing some foresight.
Crosby has not recorded a single point since the Germany game.
No points since the preliminary round.
Despite Canada doubling their past two opponents 10-5 in goals, Sid the Kid has remained even on plus minus.
You have to think that this wouldn’t be the case had Crosby had some previous Olympic experience under his belt. This is a whole new stage and a whole new environment to adjust to. I think that we would be looking at a different stat sheet had Sid been selected for the 2006 Men’s team.
This is not to say that Crosby has played poorly. He has been hard on the puck and has controlled play for many of his shifts.
He just hasn’t dominated like people expected.
He also seems to have formed a habit of firing blind passes to the front of the net. This is something that we haven’t really seen Sid do. Maybe it’s just that his line mates don’t know to be in front of the net at all times? The passes would work if Iginla or Staal were there, but most of them just find open space and eventually, the opponent’s stick.
As for icetime, Crosby is still logging the top amount of minutes amongst forwards.
Courtesy vancouver2010.com
Other Notes:
As for the ice time and stats from the Russia game:
Read More
The Canada vs. Russia game.
The single greatest sporting event that I have ever been to. I can’t even begin to tell you what the energy was like in that building.
We lined up outside about two hours early in order to get in close to see the warmups.
It worked out well.
Courtesy IIHF.com
Yours Truly is the ‘U’ in this fine set of gentlemen. And what makes this pic even better, we spelt “Louu” wrong, being the jackasses that we are.
This pic was taken while we were yelling “Koval-CHOKE”. I also got to yell other clever things like, “Fuck you Ovechkin”, “Time to retire Federov”, and “Afinogenov sucks”.
They obviously heard us.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, nothing will compare to the 2010 Canada vs. Russia Olympic showdown on home soil.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
New line combo’s for Canada’s game versus Germany as per Monday’s practice.
First: Staal/Crosby/Iginla
Second: Marleau/Thornton/Heatley
Third: Nash/Getzlaf/Perry
Fourth: Morrow/Toews/Richards
Bergeron
Nash has been taken off the top line and is now matched up with the Getzlaf line. Hopefully that gets them producing. As for the top unit, Iginla is back and and now, Eric Staal gets his first chance to play with Crosby.
I can’t tell you how much I LOVE this move by Babcock. Staal is going to fit in like a charm with Crosby, and look for Iggy to have a big game.
I also think that Nash will shake things up on the Getzlaf line and hopefully get them generating better scoring chances.
Oh, and in case you live in a bubble, Luongo is getting the nod.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
The Time-On-Ice stats for Team Canada in the USA game. A telling story these are.
Courtesy Vancouver2010.com
Some Notes:
Dividing up icetime amongst an all star team is always tough, but I’m a big believer in rhythm and flow. I’d like to see the Crosby line get 21:00 mins and the Toews line get 10:00 mins.
As for between the Thornton and Getzlaf lines, stick with the hot one and give them 17:00 or 18:00 mins. Last game it would have been the Thornton line. Next game, with Nash on the wing, maybe it’s the Getzlaf line.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
In USA’s game versus Canada on Sunday, Phil Kessel was benched by his own NHL coach, Ron Wilson.
So much for all that hype about him being one of the super stars on this team. Instead, the old vet Jamie Langenbrunner led all forwards in icetime. Also as expected, Ryan Kesler played a big role in the game.
Courtesy Vancouver2010.com
As per Canadian online betting site bodog.ca, Canada is still the odds on favorite to win this tournament.
Courtesy www.sports.bodog.ca
For you non-gambler types (like myself….somewhat), for every dollar you put on, this is how many dollars you get back.
It is important to note that this is a Canadian site targeting Canadian betters, so they are aware that their customers are going to be fond of Canada’s chances. This is why the payout is so low for a team that may possibly have to eliminate three of the other top four seeds to win the gold medal.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
Want to know why that loss to the U.S. was so bad? This is why:
For Canada to get to the final now, not only will they have to beat Germany on Tuesday, but they will now have to go through Russia in the quarterfinals, and most likely Sweden in the semifinals.
If Canada actually pulls off a miracle and makes it to the finals, the most likely candidates with be USA or Czech Republic, or Finland if Kiprusoff gets hot.
Yup, things definitely did not work out well for Canada in that preliminary round.
Here is how the standings panned out:
Courtesy iihf.com
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
Toronto Maple Leaf Mikhail Grabvoski, here with the Belarus hockey team, was arrested late Friday for his involvement in an altercation in downtown Vancouver.
Apparently punches were thrown, and the incident is currently under investigation.
We don’t have any video of the scrap, but I’m sure it was pretty hardcore. Word on the street is that Grabovski comes from the Alexander Semin school of fighting.
As for Brian Burke’s thoughts,
“Our hockey club is aware of reports that forward Mikhail Grabovski was involved in a minor altercation in Vancouver early Saturday morning,”
“Since we are presently investigating this matter, the team will not provide any further comment at this time.”
Mikhail Grabovski: Jackass of the Week.
The new vs. the old.
Watch how Ovie preys on Jagr as soon as he sees him start to swing around.
Super Sunday is just around the corner and lots of people are wondering what the standings mean for Canada.
The three point scoring system used in International play makes things a little confusing.
So yes, because it took Canada a shootout to win against the Swiss last Thursday, they are indeed a point behind the U.S. in the Group A standings.
The good news for Canada is that they lead the tournament in goals, and they also are tied with Finland for the best goal differential at 9.
For the format, this tournament is structured like baseball where the top team in each Group gets a bye to the Quarterfinals, and then the rest of the teams battle it out for the ‘wild card’ bye based on:
As for what Sunday’s game against the U.S. means for Canada:
Regulation Win: Canada
This puts Canada at the top of Group A standings with an 8-6 lead over the U.S. in points, and a bye to the Quarterfinals.
Overtime Win: Canada
This results in Canada being tied tied with the U.S. in points at 7 piece however, Canada still gets the bye due to a better goal differential.
Regulation Loss: Canada
This would leave Canada down in points vs. the U.S. 9-5. Since Finland and Sweden both already have six points in the Group C standings, Canada is automatically out of the running for the ‘wild card’ bye and they would have to play on Feb. 23 in the Qualification Round.
Overtime Loss: Canada
This would give Canada 6 points in total, a goal differential of 8, and still leaves them in the running for that ‘wild card’ bye. There are TWO scenarios where Canada would lose the bye
1. If the Sweden vs. Finland game goes to OT and they both get points, Canada loses the bye.
2. If Sweden beats Finland by a single goal in regulation, but it is a higher scoring game than Canada’s by at least two goals.
That all make sense? Clear as mud?
Super Sunday is the big day for the Preliminary Round of this tournament, where the top two seeds in each grouping are set to do battle.
Be sure to check back in after the dust settles to see how this all panned out.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
Ryan Getzlaf is good to go for Canada and Stevie Y and company couldn’t be happier. Despite his great skill set and dominating size, there is a OTHER reason why a healthy Getzlaf is good news for Team Canada.
His name is Corey Perry.
Having a healthy Getzlaf, means having a better Corey Perry.
With the big center in the Anaheim lineup, Perry had 37 points in 33 games to kick this season off. When Getzlaf went down to injury for four games, Perry recorded zero points and was a minus -5.
I’m thinking that the Team Canada brass were cognitive of this when they cleared Getzlaf to play on Monday.
Let's get some Gold Medals on these gentlemen.
This duo will be playing with another little known player by the name of Eric Staal.
Yup, he has a Cup ring.
With the line combo’s being confirmed at this morning’s Team Canada practice, I guess what a good question now is, which line is considered to be the second line on this team?
Heatley-Thornton-Marleau OR Staal-Getzlaf-Perry?
Patrice Bergeron is going to be living a dream.
Not only did he get named to the Canadian Men’s Olympic hockey team, but he also landed himself a spot on the top line with one of the greatest players on the planet, Sidney Crosby.
Calgary Flames fans may not be happy with Jarome Iginla being taken off this line, but Bergeron gets the nod for three reasons:
As per the lines from practice this morning at Canada Hockey Place:
As per Monday’s practice.
Forwards
Zach Parise-Paul Stastny-Patrick Kane
Ryan Malone-Joe Pavelski-Phil Kessel/Ryan Callahan
Bobby Ryan-Chris Drury-David Backes
Dustin Brown-Ryan Kesler-Jamie Langenbrunner
Defence
Ryan Suter- Brian Rafalski
Tim Gleason-Erik Johnson
Jack Johnson-Brooks Orpik
Goalies
Ryan Miller
Tim Thomas
Jonathan Quick
Little different than what I had projected.
Want to see what a scary top two lines look like?
Alex Ovechkin-Pavel Datsyuk-Alexander Semin
lya Kovalchuk-Evegni Malkin-Maxim Afinogenov
Sergei Fedorov-Viktor Kozlov-Alex Radulov
Danis Zaripov-Segey Zinovyev-Alexey Morozov
Notice how close my predictions were on the top two combinations?
1. Semin/Datsyuk/Ovechkin
2. Kovalchuk/Malkin/Radulov
3. Afinogenov/Federov/Morozov
4. Zaripov/Kozlov/Zinoviev
And as for Afinogenov taking Radulov’s place on the second line, well, I’ll beg to differ. I think that a couple hundred thousand Sabres’ fans may agree.
As for the defense, they rolled 5 man units, so it’s tough to see what the top 6 are going to be.
Denis Grebeshkov-Konstantin Korneev
Fedor Tyutin-Sergei Gonchar
Dmitry Kalinin-Anton Volchenkov
Andrei Markov-Ilya Nikulin
Evgeni Nabokov
Ilya Bryzgalov
Semen Varlamov
Definitely some depth issues, but with Gonchar and Markov manning the points, this team can put some handsome looking power play units on the ice.
Good luck Latvia.
Ryan MacIntyre
ryan@hockeyjackass.com
Ryan Getzlaf is headed to Vancouver tonight and is meeting with Stevie Y on Monday morning to discuss his ability to play in the Olympics.
To make his case, he went out and scored two goals and recorded four points vs. Edmonton.
If Getzlaf isn’t good to go, it will be Jeff Carter who will take his place.
The Franzen saga continues for Team Sweden
Frazen snubbed by Team Sweden
Franzen, who is back healthy and playing now, wasn’t happy about being left off the Swedish roster. Apparently, officials didn’t even follow up with the Detroit doctors about his torn MCL that he has been rehabbing.
It’s a big controversy in Sweden.
As per PuckDaddy, when asked about it, Swedish GM Mats Naslund said,
“You can ask yourself the following question: Would he have been back on the team if Detroit would have been first in the conference? Or is it because they’re in a tough spot? “Surely it’s been forced because of the situation the Red Wings are in.”
Franzen was sarcastic in his reply,
“He should know about me. He’s around here every day. Has he seen me practice? I don’t think so,”
It’s almost here.
Arguably the most anticipated hockey tournament of all time. It’s Olympic hockey being played in the country where it all began.
No pay cheques or bullshit cap numbers to deal with; it’s all about pride and patriotism.
Over the next few weeks, HockeyJackass is going to be providing you with the lowdown on what’s going down in Vancouver.
My First Goal: To show you how this tournament works.
THE TOURNAMENT
Twelve countries have qualified, and they have been broken up into three Groups.
Courtesy IIHF.com
The Power Houses: Canada, Russia, Sweden
The Good Teams: U.S.A., Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia
Happy to Be Here’s: Switzerland, Germany, Lativia, Belarus, Norway
Each team has three preliminary games, meaning that they play everybody in their particular group. Rankings will be based on the following criterion:
Oh wait. Just about EVERYWHERE.
Might be hard to cheer Kesler and Team Canada simultaneously on the 21st…but I’ll find the strength.
I’ll be at Molson Hockey House on February 18th cheering for team Canada & sending photos to HockeyJackass of the drunken debauchery. And every other night, I’ll be around town watching all the other games!
See you there?
The Vancouver Canuck Olympic representatives.
A handsome group. Now, no injuries gentlemen.
Why is it that Kesler looks bigger than the Sedins put together? Who organized this shoot?
