Wait? They have a relay for this now? They really are trying to up the number of events it seems.
***2026 Winter Olympics (Milano Cortina) Thread***
- Thread starter BigJCy
- Start date
Canada looks like a wagon. They have probably 4 of the top 5 NHL players on their roster plus up-and-comers like this Celebrini and experienced vets like Crosby.
Long track speed skating is fine, but I've always been a bigger fan of short track speed skating - much more chaotic, more chance for upsets.
This is one of my beefs with the Olympics. They keep adding events for the same sport. The luge should be one event. Done. No 'two man', no relay. It's just the same 2-4 teams competing for the medals. Same thing with 2 vs. 4 man bob sled. It's the same driver, they just throw 2 more people in the back and call it a different event.
I'll get hate for this, but there are too many swimming events too. You have your different strokes, ok, fine. Have a few distances for each one, fine. But now you've got like 30 swimming events with all the different relay combinations, distances, medleys, etc... It's too much.
I like the short distances for short track, the long distances are lame. Everyone goes super slow for 80% of the race and just stays in a pack, then spring the last couple laps. Essentially turning it into just another short distance race because the first 10-15 laps were a waste of time.
I get hate from swimmers when I present this position: yes Michael Phelps was amazing, but comparing him to other great Olympians e.g. Carl Lewis, Bolt, and saying he's the best vs. them because he has more gold medals is confounded because swimming with its litany of events is the only sport where winning so many medals is even possible, e.g. you can get a medal for swimming the 4x100 freestyle then another medal for swimming that exact same stroke and distance in the 4x100 medley.
Ledecky is more impressive than Phelps to me, she was simultaneously the best in the world at a ~2-minute race and a ~15-minute race, physiologically that is impressive at an unprecedented level. It would be like in track if someone was the best at both the 800 meters and the 5k (has never happened, never will).
That middle section in the women’s was wipe out central.
I caught the run of the gold medalist. She was slow at the top but was flying through the middle. Absolutely insane how fast she was going and still maintaining control.
Women's Hockey Playoff Round
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Czechia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. Italy
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 13
(6) Sweden def. (3) Czechia, 2-0
2:10 pm CT - (1) USA vs (8) Italy
Saturday, Feb. 14
9:40 am CT - (2) Canada vs (7) Germany
2:10 pm CT - (4) Finland vs (5) Switzerland
Semifinals
Monday, Feb. 16
9:40 am CT - TBD
2:10 pm CT - TBD
Medal Games
Thursday, Feb. 19
7:40 am CT - Bronze
12:10 pm CT - Gold
1. USA
2. Canada
3. Czechia
4. Finland
5. Switzerland
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. Italy
Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 13
(6) Sweden def. (3) Czechia, 2-0
2:10 pm CT - (1) USA vs (8) Italy
Saturday, Feb. 14
9:40 am CT - (2) Canada vs (7) Germany
2:10 pm CT - (4) Finland vs (5) Switzerland
Semifinals
Monday, Feb. 16
9:40 am CT - TBD
2:10 pm CT - TBD
Medal Games
Thursday, Feb. 19
7:40 am CT - Bronze
12:10 pm CT - Gold
The 4x100 medley includes three other strokes, though, so if you're really bad at one of them and can't make up for it in another one, or if other racers do well in all four, then you're not going to win. It's a completely different thing.
USA women up 1-0 on Italy after 1, and less than 6 minutes into the 2nd period it's suddenly 4-0.
Is US women's hockey considered to be the powerhouse? Kind of assumed it would be Canada but apparently not based on the head-to-head result.
