Sure there are those that get bored of watching ice dancing or curling for hours but there are also those that are infatuated with the Olympics, I am one of them.
I will go to class, find a TV and turn on the Olympics, probably infuriating some professors in the process. I can't get enough of the competition, the camaraderie and the fans going crazy.
Recently, I have been glued to the TV set watching the hockey pool play and tournament rounds unfold, both men's and women's. The issue with the women's game, team USA and Canada are head and shoulders above the rest of the competition. So good in fact, that the debate is now starting to eliminate women's hockey from the Olympics due to a lack of competition, a sad state for an exciting sport that should encompass women.
The sport can only hope for a hard-fought nail-biting battle between Canada and team USA in the gold medal game today. I hope for one as well.
The men's tournament, however, has levels of competition everywhere. Team USA won their pool over Canada, which may be an upset in many people's eyes, mine included.
The Russian team, another gold medal contender also lost in pool play, causing mayhem to the "bracketology" of Olympic hockey.
Many predicted that the Russians, Canadians and Americans would finish in the top three, in whatever order, that cannot happen now. Russia and Canada met in the quarterfinals Wednesday, eliminating Russia from medal contention.
Canada jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second period. A game that was supposed to be one of the best in the tournament turned into a blowout early and it didn't get much better. Final score, 7-3.
The one "surprise" team from this tournament is the Swedish team. In pool play, team Sweden only gave up two goals in three games. Yes, their offensive isn't as good as Canada's or Russia's but if they can scrap their way to one goal, the defense might just have enough to make the Swedes a strong gold medal contender.
The Swedes have to make it past Slovakia, however. That game was played late last night. Team USA won in their quarterfinal matchup against Switzerland 2-0 yesterday. Again, it wasn't pretty but a win is a win. We'll see if the Americans can find a way to rise to the level of their competition's play, since they have proven they can drop down the that level.
Team USA will play the winner of the Czech Republic/Finland game. I am worried about these potential match-ups. Both European teams cause problems for team USA, but we'll see how well that plays.
