http://www.iihf.com/en/channel ... ampionship-oc09/home.html

Any ice hockey fans here? Now that the qualifing rounds are over the really good games begin. I have to say that usually the big teams take wins over smaller teams quite easily but there have been quite a lot of surprises this year: Latvia beating Sweden, Belarus beating Finland and most recently the Swiss beating USA, also Slovakia missing out of quarterfinals. I guess the surprises have a lot to do with the fact that many players are still stuck in NHL.

Anyway quarterfinal pairs:
Russia vs Belarus
Finland vs USA
Canada vs Latvia
Sweden vs Czech Republic

I think Russia, Finland and Canada will advance quite easily and Sweden vs Czech rep. will be a close game.

Quote from Kalev EST :

I guess the surprises have a lot to do with the fact that many players are still stuck in NHL.

As always, and not always stuck but not interested after a long season.

Earlier this year NHLPA (players association) threw out a good idea (which NHL doesnt like). They or the chairman suggested that olympics would continue as they are now (with NHL break), but also every four years a World Cup would be organized (and not in Autumn like in 2004, but during Jan-Feb and obviously in the middle of the season players are "hotter"). So every second year there would be a "real" tournament with best players, e.g. Vancouver Olympics 2010, World Cup 2012, Sochi Olympics 2014, again World Cup and so on...

Not sure if this idea has been even taken seriously but it would certainly be awesome but also degrade WC. I follow it every year but especially during olympic year it feels simply stupid. I think best contribution is that it is a great venue for smaller hockey countries to develop.

I don't really follow hockey, but I know I loved to hear our national song today after the Finland-Canada match.

Sadly Great Britain won't be joining you next year (hey, third in Division I is better than Luxembourg), but maybe for 2011

yaayyyy suck on that canadians
really great game last night .canada-finland.
was exiting to watch, but the canadians captains had some problems on his anger. he took 3 penaltyes in one round

Russia beat Belarus - no big surprise other than Belarus put up a bigger fight than people expected.

Usa beat Finland - how did that happen? Finland beat Canada and almost won their group. Usa was really bad against Russia and lost to the Swiss...

But I think it's positive that the games are close and smaller teams are making good progress.

ffffuuuuuuuu

...the match ruined my week......... **** the ******* ****....

Russia won!!!

Quote from EliteAti :

Russia won!!!

Quote from EliteAti :

Russia won!!!

bummer.

=_=

Srsly, why must the retarded Canadian national team always fight as after we pwn them?

Quote from Drift King CZ :

Srsly, why must the retarded Canadian national team always fight as after we pwn them?

i didn't watch the game, but nobody likes jaromir jagr.

oh, and i apologize for downie and ott, they are retarded. they'd fight their shadow if they weren't given a hockey stick.

Canada and USa were very dissapointing though. I dont know most of the names so it looks like the teams are young, many still playing in playoffs. I dont know the grid but I predict the final Russia-Czechs... hard to say who will win... Czechs?

Well, I must correct myself, ofc we didn't win always, but if I go through YouTube they are quite many times where CAN vs CZE fights when we won. And I don't know if anyone doesn't like Jagr, but he somehow proved that he can do great things and is probably the most important in the team... if we don't include the goalkeeper, of course.

Arent we in 2010 not 2009?

Quote from AndRand :

Canada and USa were very dissapointing though. I dont know most of the names so it looks like the teams are young, many still playing in playoffs. I dont know the grid but I predict the final Russia-Czechs... hard to say who will win... Czechs?

I told you

Chechy: Russia 2:1

:banana:

Well done CZE!

Quote from texasltu :

:banana:

Well done cze!

+1

Way to go Czechs! :bannana_p

****ing Czechs...:sadbanana