Brian in MA wrote:
Ringmaster wrote:
Well, I guess two teams dominating the tournament is better than one. As you probably know, every WC and Olympic gold medal game (with one exception) has been between Canada and the USA. It's just getting old.
But I can't stand watching women's hockey. They're just so slow. There's a reason the national teams play against minor league boys.
Watch in person and it's actually quite fast. I went to a college game recently (BU-Vermont) which featured Victoria Bach, currently leading the nation in scoring and was the final cut from the Canadian Olympic team. Unbelievable how fast she is and a lethal shot to boot. I catch plenty of high school girls games also and the speed of the game gets better each year even at that level. Huge difference if you watch video of the 1998 Olympics and now.
"Can't stand" probably isn't that accurate. Any hockey is better than no hockey, but I do find it frustrating to watch at times due to the slower pace compared to NHL, major junior, or even provincial junior. The big ice at the Olympics didn't help either.
Can't say I've ever seen a women's game in person. But at my son's practice tonight, the Calgary Inferno (pro women's team. 9 members on the Canadian Olympic team) were practicing on the ice next door. While they certainly are much, much, much better than 20 years ago, I find the pace and power to be substantially less than pro or even junior men.
But I'm glad they're playing and I wish them all the success. However, I find the best local value for my hockey dollar is major junior.