A Dutch Repeat

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2012 London Olympic women's field hockey champions are the Netherlands! The Netherlands dispatched the Argentinian squad earlier today by a 2-0 score to win the tournament with a perfect 7-0-0 record. The Dutch women successfully defended the gold medal they won in Beijing, and now look ahead to Rio de Janeiro where they could possibly three-peat as the Olympic champions!

The gold medal game saw it's first goal scored by 25 year-old Carlien Dirkse van den Heuvel on a penalty corner at 44:42 of the match. Another penalty corner saw the Dutch jump out to their 2-0 lead when captain Maartje Paumen converted the attempt. Paumen's goal put the pressure on Argentina as she scored at the 53:21 mark of the game. With just over 16 minutes to play, the Dutch defence put up a wall, giving goalkeeper Joyce Sombroek - a medical student in the Netherlands - easy looks to preserve the shutout. After the final whistle, the Dutch women claimed their third gold medal in their Olympic history! Congratulations, Netherlands!

Argentina captured the silver medal with their loss in the final, but the Argentinian women showed that their second-overall world ranking was not a fluke. 27 year-old Carla Rebecchi had a great tournament as she notched four goals while veteran Luciana Aymar scored three penalty corner goals for Argentina to lead the squad as she competed in her fourth Olympic Games. While they missed out on gold, the silver medals won by Argentina are a great accomplishment. Congratulations, Argentina!

In the bronze medal match, Great Britain squared off against New Zealand. Alex Danson notched the first goal of the game for Great Britain after she converted a penalty corner at 44:51. Great Britain increased their lead when Crista Cullen hammered a penalty corner home at 58:33, and time became an enemy for New Zealand. Sarah Thomas added a third goal off a penalty corner at 62:37, and it was almost academic at that point. New Zealand did break Elizabeth Storry's shutout when Stacey Michelsen converted a penalty corner at the 67:27 mark, but it was all but over at that point. At the final whistle, the British women captured the bronze medal with a 3-1 victory over New Zealand! Congratulations, Great Britain!

It should be noted that Crista Cullen and Alex Danson of Great Britain led the tournament in scoring with five goals apiece. There were only five penalty strokes that resulted in goals, and none of the four teams in the medal rounds recorded a penalty stroke goal. All five of Crista Cullen's goals came courtesy of penalty corners, making her the most lethal player when given the advantage.

There are your medalists from the women's field hockey event at the 2012 London Olympics. Tomorrow, we'll run down the men's medalists as the 2012 Olympiad nears its closing.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the field!

September 15 Is D-Day

The first mention of the words "lock" and "out" happened today as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman dropped those two words in succession in speaking to the media today. As it stands, Gary Bettman's calendar has 37 days remaining as he stated that the NHL players would be locked out if a new collective bargaining agreement isn't struck by September 15. For those of you keeping score at home, this would be the third league shutdown under Gary Bettman since the current commissioner took over operations. I should stress that both sides are currently working towards an agreement, and, from all reports, it appears both sides are still working together. But the line in the sand has been drawn by the league, and now both sides need to get their acts together before that deadline hits us.

"I re-confirmed something that the union has been told multiple times over the last nine to 12 months," Bettman told reporters after a two-hour meeting on Thursday. "Namely, that time is getting short and the owners are not prepared to operate under this collective bargaining agreement for another season, so we need to get to making a deal and doing it soon. And we believe there's ample time for the parties to get together and make a deal and that's what we're going to be working towards."

Look, let's be realistic here: there are NHL owners who are still losing money in the new system despite the "controlled" spending limits. Where I feel that the league has lost its way is in determining how the salary cap increases. Because of this, more teams are determined to spend to the floor rather than the ceiling in order to increase profit, and that's simply good business for the owners. They make money, they remain happy.

"The fundamental proposal, our initial proposal, relates to the fact that we need to be paying out less in player costs," Bettman said to the media.

The players, on the other hand, see the NHL boasting about "record profits" and "increase revenue", and they start to wonder why they are having a portion of their salaries going to escrow. And now the owners are saying that player costs are too high once again and that salaries need to decrease. If you're a player, and you see teams like the Flyers and Wild and Devils giving out $100 million contracts, do you believe that the problem is player salaries?

"We made a presentation directly related to the owners' proposal - a revenue-sharing system as it would be combined with the player compensation system that they had proposed," NHLPA Executive Director Donald Fehr told the media. "In the course of doing that, I indicated to them that for a couple of different reasons it didn't look to us like it was the way to go.

"In particular, the biggest reason was that it seems to us, both overall and on a club-by-club basis, all of the revenue-sharing payments - both the new ones and the existing ones - would be paid for by player salary reductions."

So the chasm remains as wide as it was when the owners forced the players to cave during the last lockout. Owners can't afford to pay players without bleeding red ink, and the players can't seem to understand why the owners are crying poor when salaries are still rising in the NHL under a salary cap system.

Gary Bettman made a comment about "fundamental economics", but it seems to me that both sides are crying poor when they really aren't as poor as they make themselves out to be. In the long run, all this bickering really does nothing but hurt the game. If the game is all about "fundamental economics", perhaps both sides need to take an economics class to understand that supply-and-demand is a major component of their business.

Those that keep the game in business - the fans - simply aren't buying this "woe is me" garbage any longer.

Get a deal done, and find a way to get rich by providing a great product at an affordable price. That way, everyone stays happy and in business.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Dropping Like Fly(er)s

After it appeared that the Flyers were ready to land at least one of the two biggest free agent defencemen on the market this summer, GM Paul Holmgren must be having migraines today after it was announced that defenceman Andrej Meszaros will miss considerable time after suffering an injury during his training regimen this summer. Meszaros is a warrior on the blueline, and his loss, combined with missing out on both Suter and Weber and the continued absence of Chris Pronger with his eye injury, will significantly affect the Flyers at the start of this upcoming season.

Reports indicate that Meszaros had surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn right Achilles tendon after suffering the injury while training in his native Slovakia. Having known a couple of players who went through the same injury, returning to hockey is a slow process as it took them nearly 18 months of recovery and rehabilitation time to return to the sport. NHL players, of course, have access to all sorts of additional medical staff and procedures, but the recovery time will still be significant.

The Flyers need a physical presence on the blueline, and Brayden Coburn can certainly bring that. But his game is vastly different from the physical game that Meszaros plays, and Meszaros' play on the powerplay will be missed once again. You could see the absence of Meszaros in last season's exit at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. Meszaros returned from back surgery to play in only Game Five, and wasn't a factor after missing 30 straight games to remove a disc fragment that was impinging on a nerve root.

The addition of Luke Schenn will help, but Schenn needs to play much bigger than he had in Toronto. If the potential is still there, Schenn will need to reach it fast this season to help the Flyers cope with the loss of Pronger and now Meszaros. Kimmo Timonen's play should be a steadying factor, but after Timonen, Schenn, and Coburn, the ranks grow a little thin.

Bruno Gervais and Marc-Andre Bourdon have been brought in as help, and there is hope that Nicklas Grossmann can continue to improve. Grossmann showed solid play last season at times, but still has some growing to do in order to become an everyday defenceman. Andreas Lilja can play as a fifth or sixth defenceman, but he's 37 years-old this year, and he only saw action in about half of the Flyers' games last season. He may not have the legs any longer in a tough Atlantic Division. Erik Gustafsson might be your seventh guy if Lilja can't cut it.

There's no doubt that the Flyers would have one of the most imposing bluelines in the NHL if they had everyone healthy. There's a fantastic mix of youth, experience, finesse, and physicality in this group when they are healthy. This is a defence corps that a lot of people would say has the Flyers set for a Stanley Cup parade if only they were healthy.

So while Flyers fans wait on a date for Chris Pronger's return, they'll now sit patiently as Andrej Meszaros recovers from his latest setback. While they still have some horses in the stables, the Flyers' defensive set would be much more complete with both Pronger and Meszaros healthy and contributing. If they can get back before the end of the season, it may just swing Philadelphia's fortunes in the playoffs.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

Men's Hockey Set For Medals

Like the women's side of the event, the men's field hockey tournament was dominated by the Dutch. If there is one country that could go for double-gold in these Olympics, the Dutch field hockey squads were a good bet. Like the women, they rolled out the preliminaries without a draw or loss, and they were impressive in their marching over the competition. Needless to say, the Dutch men look poised to capture a medal in London. Let's see who else made the cut as they prepare to award the medals in men's field hockey.

NETHERLANDS: While they certainly didn't blow out any teams in the field, the 18 goals scored versus the seven scored-against is still an impressive feat on the Olympic stage. Mink van der Weerden has been on fire since the tournament has started, leading the Dutch squad in goals, and Billy Bakker has been right behind him. Those two do make up a big portion of the offence this far, but make no mistake in that any of these Dutch men can score. The Netherlands will be the favorites for gold when the medal round begins, and they may run roughshod over the British squad.

GREAT BRITAIN: Great Britain earned the second spot in Pool B with a 2-0-3 record. Their only wins came over Argentina and Pakistan, tying with a weaker South African squad, and two strong teams in Australia and Spain. However, in not allowing Spain or Pakistan to earn victories, Great Britain remained in the running for one of the top two spots in the pool. Spain's loss to Australia in the early going hurt Spain in the end as Great Britain qualified for the medal round one point ahead of the Spaniards.

While Great Britain will find great motivation from their home crowd, the Dutch team just seems to be a more well-rounded team in terms of its scoring and defence. The game will be close, I believe, but the British men will find themselves playing for the bronze medal.

AUSTRALIA: Australia won Pool A with a 3-0-2 record. The Hockeyroos played some inspired hockey as they put up big scores early in the tournament. Downing South Africa 6-0 and Spain 5-0, they drew their next two games against Argentina and Great Britain before hammering Pakistan 7-0. Needless to say, if Australia gets rolling, the score can get out of hand in a big way. While they can score, they seem to fall into other teams' schemes. If the pace slows, Australia can be contained.

Australia looks like they should fare well in the medal round, but they'll run into a very good German team from Pool B. I'm not sure the Australians can carry the play against the Germans, so this one is a toss up. If I was forced to bet, I'd never bet against the Germans, though.

GERMANY: Germany comes into the medal round with a 3-1-1 record, falling to the Netherlands and playing square with New Zealand. Florian Fuchs has his name all over the scoresheets, though, as he has put this German team on his back. Germany plays a very controlled game, though, opting to remain in their system rather than playing the game wide-open when presented with the opportunity. As a result, the scores haven't been reflective of the skill of Germany which is in its structure and defensive play. If defence win championships, the Germans may very well have the best shot at the gold medal.

Germany's solid defensive play was exposed by the slick passing game of the Netherlands, and this could prove to be a way to beat the Germans. New Zealand tried to emulate the Dutch gameplan, and were successful in gaining a draw. But the Germans appear to be learning quickly from their mistakes, and this could be beneficial as the tournament rolls on.

There are your four men's teams who will be competing for the gold medal in London this week. The Netherlands appear to be the odds-on favorites once again, but anything can happen in one-and-done tournaments. An injury, a mistake, a slip-up... anything can change a team's fortunes in a second! That's why this tournament has been so good thus far! Keep your eyes on the men's event for some drama and excitement as the medal ceremony nears!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the field!

Women's Hockey Set For Medals

The Dutch women capped off an impressive Olympic preliminary round today as they captured the top spot in the tournament in being the only team with a draw or loss on their record. Needless to say, the Netherlands looks strong in advancing into the medal round as the London Olympics have been nothing short of excellent in the field hockey event. Let's take a look at the four teams that will be playing for medals, and how they advanced through the tournament.

NETHERLANDS: The Netherlands were the class of the field again in this tournament. In five games, the Dutch women were perfect in scoring 12 goals and only allowing five against. The Netherlands saw good all-around scoring from a number of players, making them extremely dangerous on the offensive end of the pitch. Their defence has been exceptional, turning away penalty corners and offensive chances regularly. Because of their record and play, the Dutch women should be your favorites heading into their semi-final match against New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND: The Kiwis were a group that came into the tournament determined and focused after winning the Oceanic Cup in 2011. The finished second in Pool B, but their strong play saw them defeat Australia 1-0 on July 29 to start the tournament off right. In defeating Australia, the tie-breaker would go to New Zealand if necessary. In seeing Germany falter against Australia, that gave the New Zealand women a chance to capture one of the top two spots if they continued to play well. They finished the tournament 3-1-1 in losing to Argentina and drawing with Germany, and the tie-breaker pushed them past the Australians for a shot at a medal.

The Kiwis may find themselves in tough against a strong Dutch squad. New Zealand doesn't score in bunches, so they'll need to play near-perfect defence to beat the reigning Olympic champions. Unfortunately, I can't see the Dutch faltering, so New Zealand may play for the bronze medal after all is said and done.

ARGENTINA: It appeared the Argentinians may have come into the tournament with the idea that they could cruise through the preliminary rounds based on their world ranking. After a shocking loss to the United States, Argentina woke up and rattled off wins against New Zealand and Germany before drawing with Australia. Because of their win over New Zealand, they would win any tie-breaker with New Zealand. Their matching 3-1-1 records at the end of the preliminaries pushed Argentina to the top of the pool, New Zealand into second-place, and the Aussies out of medal contention.

Argentina will have their hands full with a strong British squad that looks energized playing in front of their home crowd. However, Argentina has looked better and better as the tournament progressed, and we could see the Argentinians deliver a heart-wrenching blow to the British population with a win over the Britons.

GREAT BRITAIN: The British ladies come into the medal round with the worst preliminary record at 3-2-0. The started off strong with wins over Japan, Korea, and Belgium, but dropped their final two games to China and the Netherlands by 2-1 scores. The British ladies certainly have the speed and finish to capitalize, but it seems that they get caught by teams looking to slow the pace in games. The British women will have to force the pace if they want to beat the Argentinians.

I'm not sure if the British women will be able to get past a ball-controlling team like the Argentinians. They play well and like to push the action downfield, but they need the ball to do that, and the Argentinians like to play a very controlled, structured game. It should be a good match, but Great Britain may be in trouble in this game.

There are your medal contenders in the London Olympic Games, ladies and gentlemen. Honestly, the Dutch are an impressive squad, and I really encourage to catch their games if you can. They play the game as well as any men's team does, and they have enough talent to probably send two squads. In any event, though, anything can happen in a one-and-done format, so we'll see what happens when the semi-finals start on August 8!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the field!