Hockey! (Am I really posting about hockey?)

Okay, so I'm definitely not the world's biggest hockey fan, but I enjoy the game. And considering the Olympics are on, and the women just won gold, I figure I'll drop a few thoughts on the matter.

First, the women's gold medal game today was boring. Hate to say it. I love that Sweden beat the Americans, but it was a really boring game. Sweden just doesn't measure up to Canada. Still, there was a time when the Canadian men were always dominant, and now the rest of the world has caught up. Give it 10-20 years and the women's hockey will be much more interesting.

Second, the men really need to pull their socks up. I have no idea why they aren't able to score, but it could be as simple as a lack of chemistry and playing time together. Sometimes the best players just don't connect. We'll see what they do in the next little while. I also get tired of hearing how bad they're playing. I mean, they outshot Switzerland 49-18 and everyone was saying how bad they played! Come on! They ran up against a hot goalie. 49 saves! That's incredibly rare. In a normal world, they would have won that one. Sure, maybe they can play better, and it's not good that they lost to Finland, but let's not panic yet.

Finally, I got the opportunity to play hockey myself last Sunday (Feb. 12). It's only the second time that I've ever played hockey in full equipment (the first was in December). Skating is definitely not my strong point. Then again, neither is stopping. Or shooting. Or passing. Or defense, or offense, for that matter. Basically, I suck. But it was fun. Fortunately it was just a fun league. It was even at the level where I almost scored (got it through the goalie's legs, but someone else stopped it on the goal line. Dang.)

Anyway, that's my thoughts for now. Later. And remember, keep your stick on the ice.