Hop, Suisse
Biggest upset in the olympic hockey actually happened before the Finland - Czech Republic game had its opening whistle blown. Switzerland beat Canada 2-0. Despite them having already won the Czechs, this was a surprise.
The finns’ game against the czechs was the first real test of the team, the previous two (Italy and a surprisingly quiet Switzerland) having been just trial runs.
From the beginning the game had all the makings of a classic. Extreme pace, with dangerous situations in both ends. Finland came out on top, with two beautiful and two ugly goals against the two by the opponent. Then again, it’s worth remembering that this is not a sport where style in scoring matters, and all goals are counted.
Stylewise, however, the finnish team got a big black demerit from Jarkko Ruutu’s ugly smash on Jaromir Jagr. No concussion nor broken bones thankfully, but blood on ice meant a 5-minute no-comeback penalty. Which was killed effectively. The game did not suffer further violence (apart from a token brawl), without a tight leash by the referee this might have turned into a much less enjoyable game.
It was a great game and today’s followup against Canada ought to be interesting, especially when the adversaries are incensed over having lost to a minor country.
Watched the game in Chelsea, a sports bar packed to the gills. Had good visibility on multiple screens, only occasionally marred by bystanders. Had a ten-minute forced stay outside when a fire alarm tripped during the first period. The place was emptied, and customers allowed back inside only after the first goal had been scored.
EDIT 26.8.2008: NBC no longer stocks the olympics-related news.
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