NearPup

Quite happy with the outcome of these qualification tournaments tbh. Slovakia and Latvia have some of the best hockey fans in the world and Denmark is by far the best hockey nation that had never qualified for the Olympics.

Quite happy with the outcome of these qualification tournaments tbh. Slovakia and Latvia have some of the best hockey fans in the world and Denmark is by far the best hockey nation that had never qualified for the Olympics.

100 %.
 
We had only 12 players from our league in Salt Lake because the NHLers were available only from the 2nd round, our GM however succeded thanks his conections with some NHL GMs to allow players to come for a match and return back to their club, I will never forget Stumpel, Demitra and Palffy after last night NHL game travelling the whole USA the morning, arrive the early evening to Salt Lake, totally exhausted played a match at the Olympics and the same night returned to their NHL team to play the next day there...
 
We lost all 3 games despite having one fantatsic team but not allowed to play, some guys arrived our last match but could not make it to ice in time, so just were in the stands to see how we lost to Austria and were eliminated...
 
We were allowed to play with the full team only for the 13th place match against France, we won 7-1 with some 60 shots on goal difference or so...we were so pissed there that the same year we baceame three months later world champions with our full team...the next lobby from our governing bodies helped and in Torino the NHLers were allowed to play during the whole tournament

Even ignoring quotas, the 1998 and 2002 formats sucked. It was especially bad for teams outside the top 6 because they couldn’t get NHL players for the first round.

The expected outcome is brewing in Bratislava
 
(Congrats )

RIP to the last good IOC President 

The expected outcome is brewing in Bratislava
 
(Congrats )

Somebody on the team needs to understand the Canadian coach 😅😅. 

I somehow missed Kate O’Brien's life threatening injury.
 
That silver paralympic medal must be really sweet.

I somehow missed Kate O’Brien's life threatening injury.
 
That silver paralympic medal must be really sweet.

Situation about the Belgian men's team:
https://www.hln.be/sport/grootschalige-fraude-3x3-lions-organiseerden-fictieve-wedstrijden-om-op-olympische-spelen-te-geraken-boic-wacht-af~a808e67d
 
Basically it says there's been a major fraud, in which Belgium entered 27 tournaments in the FIBA systems where their players gained enough points to get into the OQT and eventually qualify for Tokyo. Mongolia-style, basically, but as far as I know the tournaments in Mongolia were at least actually played, whereas here it says the Belgian tournaments were entirely made up and not a ball was actually touched...

@hckošice are you still with us? 🤣

http://onhockey.tv/index.php?place=sportsbro&channel=2844774

Official report shows 46, which is still... a lot. Poland only had 19 shots.
 
Belarus can still probably qualify with two regulation wins (assuming Murray isn't randomly on the form of his life and Poland just takes this tournament) but it's definitively a terrible start for them.

John Murray shut-out with 70 shots...

This women's high jump jump-off is making me grateful that Tamberi and Barshim agreed to tie. Both athletes missed six times in a row before there was finally a clearance...

Milton Velodrome has contributed to this

The New York Rangers have announced they will retire his number (30).

Sweden 
 
”King Henrik” Henrik Lundqvist retires. 
 
He is one of Sweden’s biggest ice hockey stars ever. He is most famous for the fantastic Olympic Gold Medal Game 2006 against Finland which Sweden won. 
 
Thank you for all memories you have given us. You will be truly missed. 
 
https://www.nhl.com/news/henrik-lundqvist-retires/c-326000932

Today, the president of the republic Zuzana Čaputová welcomed the medalists in the presidential palace in Bratislava.
 
All medalsists from left: Zuzana Rehák-Štefečeková (Trap Shooting - Gold), Jakub Grigar (K1 Canoe Slalom - Silver), Rory Sabbatini (Golf - Silver) & K4-500 (Canoe Sprint - Bronze)
 

 

 

 

 

 

I think Slovakia is more likely to win the qualification tournament than O'Toole is to be the next PM...

The point of Trump's peace treaty with the Taliban was to hand the country over to them. Everyone knew this would happen, the only surprise is that it happened so quickly.

this is amazing sometimes how people believe whatever they read.
 
first I have to say I'm really ashamed of what Iranian regime did here, they gave legitimacy to Taliban by inviting them to Tehran to "negotiate" while this group is still considered as terrorist by their own list. people still remember what Taliban did to Iranian diplomats in 1998. Iran almost went to war because of that.
 
but Iran wasn't the first one taking pics with Taliban giving them legitimacy, that was Mike Pompeo. (and that was exactly when Taliban won the war) and while Iran has/had some influence in Afghanistan that's mostly culturally. Iran could not play a major role. unless they wanted to send troops and fight with Taliban. that was possible and probably not "that" hard for Iran but they stupidly thought they can manage living with Taliban next to our borders. and I have to say some stupid officials here just want US troops out of the region, Taliban is more "manageable" for them
 
and again, Iran will be in lots of trouble in future, I assume none of you guys know that something like 3 million Afghan refugees are living in Iran. some of them even born in Iran. all of them (or their parents) fled Afghanistan when Taliban took over for the first time. the number was much higher but lots of them came back after the fall of Taliban in 2001. I assume lots of them (plus a lot more) will cross the borders again. and the current Iran can't handle its own people, let alone millions of refugees, it will be a disaster.
 
and I assume with Taliban in charge there will be more drugs coming through our borders, another problem Iran has to deal with.

Yes for PyeongChang.
 
This time it was schedulled on purpose specially for the summer NHL break.

Congrats on India's best ever Olympics!