Time for a mercy rule at the Olympics
DesertFan @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:30 am
Ok, the Canadian Women's team is awesome. They're probably going to win the gold and it's going to be a magnitude 9.0 shock if they don't. But tonight's 18-0 annihilation of Slovakia wasn't even a game. It's time for a mercy rule. A ten goal spread is too much to overcome from any point in the game. For most of the game, it was nothing but total humiliation for the Slovakian team.
sandorski @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 1:59 am
Ya, I could go for that. I stopped watching at 4-0. Kinda hard to enjoy a game when the other Team is probably wondering why they left their Village in some far off land. Volleyball has such a rule, so it wouldn't be too much a stretch to apply to Hockey.
Especially for Womens Hockey where there are so few good teams to begin with. Wouldn't want to kill the Sport before it gets established.
OTOH, this is a really good way for these lesser developed teams to know what they need to improve upon. Many of the lesser teams have good basics, they just need more Conditioning and Speed(especially).
Hyack @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:00 am
There is no way that's going to happen as long as ties are broken using the goal differential formula.
Tie breaking formula
$1:
If two teams are tied on equality of points in the standings after completion of the round-robin, the following tie breaking criteria applies:
1. Head-to-head (mutual) games between the teams concerned.
2. Overall goal differential.
3. Higher number of goals scored for.
4. Game Winning Shot competition between the teams concerned.
If three or more teams have the same number of points in the group after completion of the round-robin, then their ranking is determined by the higher number of points in a special standing composed just from the results of their head-to-head (mutual) games. If the number of points is equal between the teams in this special standing just from the results of their head-to-head (mutual) games, then the following tie breaking criteria applies (with no secondary return to the head-to-head results):
1. Goal differential in the standing between the teams involved.
2. Higher number of goals scored between the teams involved.
3. Goal differential from all games played in the group.
4. Higher number of goals scored from all games played in the group.
5. Shootout between the teams which are still equal.
1. Head-to-head (mutual) games between the teams concerned.
2. Overall goal differential.
3. Higher number of goals scored for.
4. Game Winning Shot competition between the teams concerned.
If three or more teams have the same number of points in the group after completion of the round-robin, then their ranking is determined by the higher number of points in a special standing composed just from the results of their head-to-head (mutual) games. If the number of points is equal between the teams in this special standing just from the results of their head-to-head (mutual) games, then the following tie breaking criteria applies (with no secondary return to the head-to-head results):
1. Goal differential in the standing between the teams involved.
2. Higher number of goals scored between the teams involved.
3. Goal differential from all games played in the group.
4. Higher number of goals scored from all games played in the group.
5. Shootout between the teams which are still equal.
xerxes @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:29 am
And to be fair, the Slovakian team did a 82-0 number on Bulgaria a few months ago.
QBC @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 7:15 am
All international hockey tournaments are done that way. Goal differential is silly, but take it up with the IIHF.
Alta_redneck @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 7:49 am
I wonder if anybody has ever asked these developing teams what they would find more humiliating. Playing their butts off and gaining valuable experience playing a world hockey power. Or having some rule that tells them their not good enough to play a full game with them.
DrCaleb @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:02 am
DesertFan DesertFan:
But tonight's 18-0 annihilation of Slovakia wasn't even a game. It's time for a mercy rule. A ten goal spread is too much to overcome from any point in the game. For most of the game, it was nothing but total humiliation for the Slovakian team.
While I agree that it was a complete blow out, and my 'Canadianness' is calling for something less humilitaing for the losers - should we play less than our best game? Should the women be forced to concede their win to a lesser team to save 'face'?
No. Would the opposition not take every opportunity to score goals on us if they could? We do not need to be embarrassed at how good the women's team is.
bootlegga @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:28 am
The problem isn't the massive amount of goal scoring, it's the sad fact that women's hockey consists of Canada and the US at one level, and pretty much everyone else at least a one or two steps below them. Because of that, there is a possibility that women's hockey might be removed from the Games at some future point in time, although Sweden winning the silver in Turin mitigated that somewhat.
DrCaleb @ Sun Feb 14, 2010 8:37 am
bootlegga bootlegga:
The problem isn't the massive amount of goal scoring, it's the sad fact that women's hockey consists of Canada and the US at one level, and pretty much everyone else at least a one or two steps below them. Because of that, there is a possibility that women's hockey might be removed from the Games at some future point in time, although Sweden winning the silver in Turin mitigated that somewhat.
Entirely possible, without some sort of national or international women's league for other teams to acquire knowledge and make themselves better. Otherwise, the Olympics is the only place for them to get that knowledge.