Why wasn't the US Hockey team the home team in the Gold medal game?

[NewIdentity]

In hockey being the home team is a huge advantage because you get to kind of dictate who plays against who.

In ice hockey (http://www.operationsports.com/wiki/Ice_hockey), during stoppages of play, the home team is allowed to make player substitutions after the visiting team, allowing them to obtain favorable player matchups. This rule makes the home team designation important even in tournament games played on neutral ice. Also, when lining up for each faceoff, the away team's centre must place his stick on the ice before the centre of the home team. This gives the home team's centre the ability to time the faceoff better and gives him greater odds of winning the faceoff.
The US should have been the #1 seed and had the home Ice advantage for the gold medal game. Unless something is really screwy for the Olympics, I have no idea why Canada would have been the home team, since they were not even the #1 seed in their own group?


I was scratching my head throughout the whole game trying to figure out why the US was not listed as the home team, and nobody I was watching the game with could answer my question??

[EagleFan]

They were. They got last change.

[Chief Rum]

In hockey being the home team is a huge advantage because you get to kind of dictate who plays against who.


The US should have been the #1 seed and had the home Ice advantage for the gold medal game. Unless something is really screwy for the Olympics, I have no idea why Canada would have been the home team, since they were not even the #1 seed in their own group?


I was scratching my head throughout the whole game trying to figure out why the US was not listed as the home team, and nobody I was watching the game with could answer my question??

Where did you see the US not being the "home" team? My understanding going into the game, for the exact reason you stated, the US was the home team (they were the #1 seed out of the preliminaries).

Canada has often been referred to as the home team because they are the host nation playing on home ice. But I think the US actually had the home team gameplay advantages today.

[NewIdentity]

Where did you see the US not being the "home" team? My understanding going into the game, for the exact reason you stated, the US was the home team (they were the #1 seed out of the preliminaries).

The way it looked on the NBC scoreboard, and the fact that USA wore their AWAY jerseys. I also remember asking this question when I would see the US player put his stick on the ice first for a faceoff.

[rowech]

They pointed out countless times that USA was home and had last change.

[Travis]

The way it looked on the NBC scoreboard, and the fact that USA wore their AWAY jerseys. I also remember asking this question when I would see the US player put his stick on the ice first for a faceoff.

At least in the NHL, darks have been home jerseys for a few years now. I was assuming that's how it was at the Olympics as the Canadians wore their whites for their last two games (both games where they were the "visitors").

[Ryan S]

The way it looked on the NBC scoreboard, and the fact that USA wore their AWAY jerseys. I also remember asking this question when I would see the US player put his stick on the ice first for a faceoff.

Outside North America the home team is always listed first on the scoreboard, so that might explain it, especially if they were using Olympic graphics.

[FrogMan]

It was mentioned on CTV (Canadian coverage) that USA was the home team and they specifically had the discussion about which of being the home team with the crowd or being home with the changes was more advantageous.

USA were the home team as far as changes go.

FM

[Radii]

They pointed out countless times that USA was home and had last change.

+1, I heard it mentioned more than once for sure.

[Fidatelo]

TSN analysts discussed at one point how they didn't feel Ron Wilson (US coach) was maximizing the advantage by line-matching. So he definitely had the opportunity, he just didn't really use it.

[Capital]

US was the home team. All through the tournament that "home" or higher rated seed wore the dark jerseys. US was the "away" team in the first game against Canada.

[stevew]

THEY WERE THE HOME TEAM!

[Pumpy Tudors]

MICHELLE WIE WAS THE HOME TEAM

[Butter]

From what I hear, US was the home team.

[Dr. Sak]

TSN analysts discussed at one point how they didn't feel Ron Wilson (US coach) was maximizing the advantage by line-matching. So he definitely had the opportunity, he just didn't really use it.

Now we know why he coaches the Leafs.

[Logan]

MICHELLE WIE WAS THE HOME TEAM

<3

[Toddzilla]

This thread is the failest fail in the fail of failer fail.

[stevew]

Bumping, just in case WrongWay/Tuar/Iwashere/14ers/NewIdentity didn't get it, THE US WAS THE GODDAMN HOME TEAM!

[Karlifornia]

NewIdentity, SameOldBullshit...

[RedKingGold]

Let's browbeat NewIdentity until he reveals his OldIdentity.

[Maple Leafs]

In hockey, each team has a small device behind their bench that monitors the noise their fans are making. At each stoppage, an official checks both devices, and the team with the loudest fans gets the last change. Usually that gives the advantage to the "official" home team, but not always. For example, this is why Toronto always gets last change when they play in Ottawa.

So basically, if the US wanted last change then they should have cheered louder. Better luck next time, losers.

[Butter]

I have officially awarded the US hockey team the Platinum medal in hockey, due to their obviously superior effort, and their ability to pull off the quadruple line change in overtime, as opposed to their Canadian counterparts who could barely pull off the triple.

[KWhit]

You know, with regard to the original post, I was wondering the same thing.

Why wasn't the US team considered the Home team? It boggles the mind.

[JPhillips]

Why were the Olympics held in Canada when the US is clearly more awesome?

[Dr. Sak]

Canada used an illegal player in the finals. Dan Boyle should've been suspended for the Slovakia game because of his slew foot on Semin. Canada therefore has to forfeit the Slovakia game and the US becomes the Gold Medal winner because Finland (who the US beat) beat Slovakia.

[heybrad]

I think you've cleared up any confusion on the home team, but who were the visitors and why?

[Passacaglia]

So wait...was the game played in the US and Canada at the same time? But...where did they bury the survivors?

[Dr. Sak]

Egypt

[ISiddiqui]

The Dread Pirate Roberts says there will be no survivors...

[Wolfpack]

The Dread Pirate Roberts says there will be no survivors...

Nonsense. You're only saying that because no one ever has.