To be fair, while firmly admitting through multiple interactions and experiences with him that he is a douche, he has mellowed out over the last year and change. I think after his shenanigans in Madison and some of the more public displays of him being a moron, some people within the organization probably pulled him aside and lit him up a bit. He's slowed a bit in the last few weeks, but his start to the season was the best hockey he's ever played. Between him and Miller finding form when not playing with a team that is not horseshit like the Sabres. Seriously, one of the best goalies in the world and you have the second worst goal differential in the league. I still think the US is 3rd best behind Canada and Russia, but they have some key talent that can take games over and make shit interesting.
A good goalie is a game changer. That said Brian Burke an asshole, douchebag and picked a horrible team. I'm still annoyed they didn't pick Bobby Ryan. If the Americans make it to the medal round I'll be happy. Anyone here think the athletes may be a bit skittish about going to Sochi? I've heard a few guys are nervous about it.
A speed skater from Wisconsin came out and basically told his family not to come for safety reasons. I get the impression that the Olympic Village will be pretty locked down and safe, but people are worried about families and such who won't be as tightly protected. Like the Atlanta bombings basically.
Atlanta was different, it was Pre 9/11 and there wasn't an immenent terrorist threat that had already committed violent actions as a warning to all those attending the games.
There is no way in Hell I would rank USA below Russia. Russia, even with home ice doesn't blow my skirt up like they used to. However of they don't win, Putin will think they're gay and have them dismembered by Secret Police.
Looks like Mike Smith is keeping is family at home, I'm sure he won't be the last to do so. http://nesn.com/2014/01/canada-goalie-mike-smith-wont-bring-family-to-sochi-its-not-worth-it/
I'm half-hoping for a boycott, because I don't want every great NHL player turned into fertilizer. Fucking fundamentalists. Worst people on earth: stupid, crazy, uneducated and impossible to reason with. Mail them all to Neptune. With how abysmal Russia's human rights are, why do they even get the Olympics? It's just as dumb as giving them to China who didn't deserve them.
How'd Russia get the Olympics? Dumb question. Its always been about money. The IOC and FIFA are notoriously corrupt.
Exactly, same was as a crime ridden shitshow in Brazil got both the Olympics and the World Cup, Russia is also getting a WC, and a fucking sandbox, with no current soccer capabilities and has to move it to a different season which fucks with club seasons, is getting a WC. C.R.E.A.M.
Hey, we'll treat these Olympics like our own personal ugly sweater party if we want to, alright? Because 'MERICA!
I know the sibling of one of Canada's hockey players, and their family isn't going because of what they were told beforehand. As I understand it, the families are being told that they shouldn't even leave the hotels unless they are going straight to a shuttle to go to the events or straight to the airport. The players are very, very nervous and most of them don't even want their families over there for this.
Jose Canseco, esquire, chimes on on twitter: I can't decide if he's a closet-case gay or just insane.
So according to CNN now, athletes aren't supposed to wear their national colors outside the sporting venues. If this is what we're hearing, things must be much worse than any of us know. I imagine there must be a Delta team, or elite anti-terrorism group attending the games with them.
Jesus H. Christ. Just move the shit to Finland already where everybody is friendly and doesn't want to turn innocent world athletes into ash piles. Fucking Russia should have never been considered for Olympics in the first place. Putin's opinion on all the threats is "Meh, just ignore it." Well, no; KGB sociopath we DONT want to ignore it because those are our people and for that matter everyone's people. You're the dipshit who stuck the games for no reason in a place a day's drive from the lunatics who hate you most.
My parents went to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The US had boycotted the '80 Olympics in Moscow because of the invasion of Afghanistan, so the Russians boycotted the '84 Olympics because they are a childish nation with a massive inferiority complex. My parents were at a bar around the stadium and there was a guy selling t-shirts with the Olympic logo and the caption "Fuck the Russians" underneath it. I wish I still had that shirt.