Stars fans are entering their 2nd week without Dallas hockey. The Olympics are in full swing with plenty of sporting events to watch for the desolate Stars fans. Both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments are underway, soothing anyone missing the NHL. Several Stars are competing, some of whom already had a friendly joust between nations. Other Olympic sports are heating up with medals aplenty. Stars fans are not suffering from a lack of hockey entertainment.
Women’s Tournament
Canada and the United States reign supreme in women’s hockey. The quarterfinals are Thursday, with the United States facing off against the home nation of Italy. The United States went through the preliminary round via pure domination, winning all four games, scoring five goals in each game. They only allowed one single goal in four games, even shutting out the Canadians. Hilary Knight of the Seattle Torrent tied the record for the United States’ all-time Olympic leader in points with 32, looking to break that record in the medal rounds. Many of the players in the Olympics compete in the PWHL. The PWHL only competes with eight teams, but these Olympics could generate interest for a rapid expansion to other cities, maybe even Dallas.
Men’s Tournament
The men’s hockey tournament began on Wednesday. Finland are the defending gold medalists, albeit during the period when no NHL players competed. Slovakia upset Finland 4-1. Their four Stars players return to the ice over the weekend. Finland plays Sweden in a rivalry game on Friday. That is a chance for Finland to get back into the win column. Canada dominated Czechia, winning 5-0 in their opening game. Thomas Harley recorded two assists for Team Canada. Stars fans are familiar with playing against Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Now imagine them on the same team. The unfortunate Swiss and French are up next on the schedule for Team Canada and their NHL All-Star team.
The United States started with an unfortunate first period, having two goals called off for goaltender interference and an offside call. Later periods proved the strength of the US team with a 5-1 victory over Latvia. Stars goalie Jake Oettinger may see ice time as the United States plays on Saturday and Sunday, when they play Denmark and Germany. Two Stars players. probably playfully, had a minor scrum in the Czechia/Finland game. Radek Faksa and Thomas Harley (almost) dropped the gloves late in that game. It’s nice to see Stars players enjoying themselves. Whoever returns to the Stars’ locker room with medals will have serious bragging rights when NHL hockey resumes.
Other Sports
Some sports, like Luge, are completely finished at the Olympics. Stars fans may enjoy the start of the bobsled competition. Bobsled gained massively increased attention at the 1988 Calgary Olympics with the running of the Jamaican Bobsled Team. That notoriety became more prominent with the release of Cool Runnings (1993). The Jamaicans are back at bobsledding this year. The competition is fierce with runs and heats all next week, leading up to the final day of the Olympics. Many entertaining sports fill the schedule, including but not limited to snowboarding, speed skating, and ski mountaineering.
The Stars resume play on Wednesday, February 25th. They entered the break riding a six-game winning streak. Olympic hockey is entertaining so far. The hockey venue for the 2030 Olympic Games is an interesting build. The hockey games are in the outdoor stadium of the Stade de Nice. The 36-40k-seat stadium will undergo a conversion into two combined indoor hockey arenas. Stars fans will have to enjoy the Olympics before NHL hockey returns.
Dallas Stars Nation Blogger. You can time how fast I skate with a calendar. Lifetime GAA about 12.50.
Tags: Esa Lindell Jake Oettinger Mikko Rantanen Miro Heiskanen nhl Olympics Radek Faksa Roope Hintz stars Thomas Harley
Categorized:Stars