Sochi Orimpikku 2014

[matsuki]

If you let S. Korea skate, you pretty much already have roller derby...

I wonder if they have more disqualifications for illegal contact than they do medals at this point...


......and in more interesting news, US destroyed Chekko 5-2 this morning

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Canada squeezes past Latvia 2-1

So next up is US vs. Canada and Sweden vs. Finland for the chance to go to the ultimate NA vs. Euro battle rawiyaru!


P.S. Who the hell designed the logos for the US Jerseys?

[Coligny]

If you let S. Korea skate, you pretty much already have roller derby...

I wonder if they have more disqualifications for illegal contact than they do medals at this

14 minutes of this !? Makes Nascar races looks good...

[Taro Toporific]

...Winter Olympics is fucked. Except when Tonya Harding competes...

Watch the Tonya Harding (1992) in the evolution of the figure skating jump. VIDEO: http://slate.me/1oUiQF9

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[matsuki]

....and 2014

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...and to really be an asshole:

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(Mao ate it come grind time...16th place, whereas her "rival" Kim is on top)

[BigInJapan]

Canada squeezes past Latvia 2-1
So next up is US vs. Canada and Sweden vs. Finland for the chance to go to the ultimate NA vs. Euro battle rawiyaru!

Sochi 2014: Canada breaks U.S. hearts with golden goal in women's ice hockey
(CNN) -- There was heartbreak for the U.S. women's ice hockey team as Canada snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory in overtime of the Olympic final at the Bolshoy Ice Dome on Thursday.

The Americans were on course to avenge their final defeat to Canada four years ago after Meghan Duggan opened the scoring midway through the second period, and Alex Carpenter doubled the advantage two minutes into the third.

But the defending champions refused to give up and were rewarded for their persistence with a goal from Brianne Jenner with three and a half minutes of normal time remaining.

The Canadians threw caution to the wind and pulled off goaltender Shannon Szabados, but had a lucky escape when a long-distance U.S. effort bounced safely off the post -- and Marie-Philip Poulin stole in for a last-gasp equalizer with just 55 seconds left to send the match into overtime.

Poulin then popped up with the golden goal in the ninth extra minute to seal an incredible comeback and Canada's fourth straight Olympic gold in women's ice hockey.

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Now all that's left is for the the Canuck men to take the gold, again... (the US hasn't gotten men's gold since Lake Placid in 1980)

[matsuki]

I passed out halfway through the second period so this was quite a shocker to wake up to. US outplayed Canada and just let up it seems. Kudos to the Canadians for not giving up.

Still, we'll see what happens with the mens...

[BigInJapan]

And the US men's hockey are shut out by Canada.
I missed the game, but it sounds like it was a good one. Canada goes on to face Sweden for the gold/silver medal game.
Sweden got the gold in 2006 (Canada had already been knocked out of the medal round), so it should be a good game.
Carey Price gives Team Canada huge confidence heading into the Olympic gold medal game against Sweden

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[matsuki]

Well shiiii, they better beat Sweden now!

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Glad to see the Commonwealth cuntry emerge victorious in the Justin Beiber Cup...

On a separate matter, I know fuck all about ice hockey, but one endearing memory comes from the early 1980s when there used to be an ad on Australian TV of a toothless player skating around and celebrating a goal/result. From memory, the name on the bloke's name ad an M and a couple of Cs, but no vowels and was something Slavic, so it is, in my mind, akin to MCCLVNVICH or the like. I thought it was footage from the Miracle on Ice, but a check of players' names shows I'm off the mark. Does anybody have an idea of who I'm talking about? It would date to a player from the late 1970s to early 1980s and I think they were Merkin.

[Taro Toporific]

....and 2014
(Mao ate it come grind time...16th place, whereas her "rival" Kim is on top)

Mao_faces.jpg

[Coligny]

She could be the next mascot for an NHK kids show... Without the furry costume...

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

P.S. Who the hell designed the logos for the US Jerseys?

It looks like the prewar logo the Untied States used to use at the Olympics.

[matsuki]

....and 2014
(Mao ate it come grind time...16th place, whereas her "rival" Kim is on top)

Mao_faces.jpg

She has to be the only skater that facial contortion actually improves her looks...

[Coligny]

....and 2014
(Mao ate it come grind time...16th place, whereas her "rival" Kim is on top)

Mao_faces.jpg

She has to be the only skater that facial contortion actually improves her looks...

Her "O face" is quite scary though...

[kurogane]

The harmony of The Force has been maintained, and all is right with the world.

A bona fide circus freak defended her bobsleigh gold (2 woman sleds), and the hockey ended as God and Gordie Howe intended. Almost more of a relief than a source of genuine joy, but such is the way of the force for its defenders.

It seemed a rather successfully organised and executed affair, which is a shame for anti-Poutineites, but probably better all around. At least there was no Munich or Atlanta replays.

Where are the next ones? Is it another built from scratch Podunkery?

[Coligny]

Best of Ice Skating:

[BigInJapan]

Canada's PM posted this tweet after the men's hockey team won the gold medal (again)

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[Coligny]

So, you guys got to keep Bieber ?

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[BigInJapan]

So, you guys got to keep Bieber ?

Nope, we won, so the Yanks are stuck with him...

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[kurogane]

Canada's PM posted this tweet after the men's hockey team won the gold medal (again)

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Do you think Deceivin' Stephen even knows what all that Twaddle-verse lingo means?

I don't.

What are all the '#' for//

At any rate, we won. A national sigh of relief wrapped in celebratory joy.

[matsuki]

The harmony of The Force has been maintained, and all is right with the world.

A bona fide circus freak defended her bobsleigh gold (2 woman sleds), and the hockey ended as God and Gordie Howe intended. Almost more of a relief than a source of genuine joy, but such is the way of the force for its defenders.

It seemed a rather successfully organised and executed affair, which is a shame for anti-Poutineites, but probably better all around. At least there was no Munich or Atlanta replays.

Where are the next ones? Is it another built from scratch Podunkery?

LOL, they definitely desrved gold this year.

Next up is PyeongChang South Korea...which oddly sounded like Pyong Yang when the BBC announcers talked about it Not even a Gangnam joke? Would be neat to fly over for a game or two during that.

[kurogane]

I don't think NHL's head waterboy will let them play next time.

Mind you, a return to actual Olympic amateur hockey could be a nice break. The women's sure showcases that, though it can also be a great insomnia cure. They'll probably get the axe anyways. It's a 2 team show, after all. At any rate, they need to cut all these Red Bull marketing events they're trotting out. I mean, Olympic Ice Climbing??? ................. good one...............

What? They're serious?

Anyways, another Korean Olympics, eh!??? I wonder if they'll trot out some rollerball style ping pong? What was the crap they designated last time in Seoul????? Kimchi Bowl Noodle Slurping?

[matsuki]

What was the crap they designated last time in Seoul????? Kimchi Bowl Noodle Slurping?

Judge bribery...which earned them a gold

In a highly controversial 3–2 judge's decision, South Korean boxer Park Si-Hun defeated American Roy Jones, Jr., despite Jones pummeling Park for three rounds, landing 86 punches to Park's 32. Allegedly, Park himself apologized to Jones afterward. One judge shortly thereafter admitted the decision was a mistake, and all three judges voting against Jones were eventually suspended. The official IOC investigation concluding in 1997 found that three of the judges had been wined and dined by South Korean officials.This led to calls for Jones to be awarded a gold medal, but the IOC still officially stands by the decision, despite the allegations. Jones was awarded the Val Barker trophy, as the best stylistic boxer of the 1988 games, which was only the third and to this day the last time in the competition's history when the award did not go to one of the gold medal winners. The incident led Olympic organizers to establish a new scoring system for Olympic boxing.[43] A similarly controversial decision went against U.S. team member Michael Carbajal. These incidents led Olympic organizers to establish a new scoring system for boxing.

[yanpa]

Is this thing over yet?

Also, what was the event which looked like Mario Kart on skis?

[Russell]

All them politicians found the perfect reason not to attend the Paralymbics in Sochi...

[Taro Toporific]

Mao-pickle-face.jpg

...and 2014
Mao ate it come grind time...16th place, whereas her "rival" Kim is on top

Mao Asada to take a year off from competitive figure skating
The Associated Press | May 19, 2014
TOKYO -- Japanese figure skater Mao Asada will take a season off from competitive skating and says there is a 50 per cent chance she will return to the sport.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, Asada said she is mentally and physically tired and wants a chance to focus on other aspects of her life, including attending university.
"I worked very hard from Vancouver to Sochi," said Asada, who won silver at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. "Now I feel it's time to take a year off and rest. We'll see how I feel after a break. At this point it is 50-50"...
...Asada said she can't picture herself competing at the next Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018.
More...

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[Russell]

She is a smart girl making good choices in life.

[Yokohammer]

She is a smart girl making good choices in life.

Except for shoes.
I don't think she's making particularly good choices regarding shoes.

(Just being an ass ... actually I agree.)

[Russell]

She is a smart girl making good choices in life.

Except for shoes.
I don't think she's making particularly good choices regarding shoes.

(Just being an ass ... actually I agree.)

OK, I'll follow up on that.

Are there any shoes in the first place that fit with those legs?!?

[matsuki]

She is a smart girl making good choices in life.

Not that I disagree with her choice....but doesn't taking a break and all that go directly against the whole "We Japanese" work til you die prime directive? (or does she get the geinojin exception here?)