NHL Off-Topic thread

[Dead2009]

Report: Fanatics NHL Jerseys to Debut in June
https://news.sportslogos.net/2024/05...june/hockey-2/

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dead2009

Report: Fanatics NHL Jerseys to Debut in June https://news.sportslogos.net/2024/05...june/hockey-2/

Only good thing is that Fanatics is using the same maker that Adidas did. So if all this ends up being is a change in logo on the jersey, it'll be fine, but hopefully we don't see a worse quality in jerseys and Fanatics trying to make jerseys like their apparel, all looking the same for every team with the only difference being the team colour and logo on it.

[Majingir]

Triple OT in game 2 between Boston and Montreal in PWHL!

[Majingir]

Someone in this city seriously messed up big time and cursed everyone they could.

PWHL Toronto blows 2-0 series lead (both wins were shutouts) and loses in 5.

[pietasterp]

Majinger angling to be the tonyj5 of the hockey forums...

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

Majinger angling to be the tonyj5 of the hockey forums...

That name brings me back. Your one-stop shop for LPGA content.

We should really set him up with the Kayla bot; what an OS power couple they'd make!

[Majingir]

USA loses to Czechia in WHC quarters.

An upset sure, but it's also their 6th quarters loss in the last 13 world championships and haven't even been in a gold medal match since 1960?!

How does US hockey do so poorly on international stage?

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

Majinger angling to be the tonyj5 of the hockey forums...

The way women's sports have taken over here is cool to see. Especially for hockey where people are already used to seeing lots of them in the Olympics and other international events, it's nice to watch them more often now.

WNBA, we'll see how that goes. Not that the league is some big money maker, but there is definitely a huge amount of hype around that too.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

USA loses to Czechia in WHC quarters. An upset sure, but it's also their 6th quarters loss in the last 13 world championships and haven't even been in a gold medal match since 1960?! How does US hockey do so poorly on international stage?

For some reason, the IIHF double-counts Olympic medals from 1920 through 1968 as World Championship medals. The only "true" World Championship gold for the US came in 1933. They haven't even reached a gold medal game since the IIHF added playoffs in 1992.

I think the reasons the US has struggled here compared to best-on-best or World Juniors are threefold:

1. Before the mid-90s, nobody in Canada, much less the US, cared at all about this tournament. The combination of TSN raising the profile of the World Juniors, the IIHF abandoning the round-robin-only format, the breakup of the Soviet Union (they had a stranglehold on this tournament for years), and Canada winning gold in 1994 after a 33-year drought led to the Worlds (somewhat) breaking through into the Canadian consciousness

2. As soon as the NHL agreed to participate in the Olympics, the Worlds became a proving ground for players on Canada's Olympic bubble, so you started to see more prominent NHL players showing up. 10-25 years ago, the US didn't have nearly the depth that Canada had, so there were a lot more roster locks. Prominent American players didn't need to worry about losing their spot on Team USA, so usually only the scrubs showed up.

3. The US has obviously caught up with (and perhaps surpassed?) Canada when it comes to depth, but because of no Olympics in the last decade, there hasn't been any reason to view the Worlds as a tryout. I expect that to change, and soon. Wouldn't surprise me if the US becomes a consistent contender at the Worlds going forward.