Niagara Falls, NY – Happy Monday. And if you’re in the Northeast, especially in the state of New York, hope you’re enjoying your blizzard. We in Western New York have had more than our share; we’re still expecting another 3 to 5 inches. But supposedly the New York City tri-state area—as we call ourselves, because I still view it as my city—is expecting anywhere from 3 to 20 inches, which is a huge gap. Even 10 is a lot. So snuggle up, call in sick to work, and enjoy today’s article. : The USA versus Canada Olympic hockey, Olympic hockey overtime, and why this might not be the New York Knicks’ year.
USA versus Canada Olympic hockey,
When it comes to the Winter Olympics, especially hockey, I kind of look for Canada. Having lived by the border so long and having so many Canadian friends, I tend to have a soft spot for them. Especially because the Winter Olympics are their time to shine and get recognition—that’s when they can pretty much go toe-to-toe with a lot of other countries in sports. And when it comes to hockey, it’s their thing. A lot like how I root for New Zealand in rugby—it’s their national identity, and every time they don’t win, it’s like the whole nation gets depressed. So when the USA and Canada were on a clear collision path in the women’s and men’s ice hockey tournaments this year, I was nervous. And I definitely was not going to watch the games, because I felt like I was watching USA versus Ghana in the World Cup. But it all cleared, and the USA won both games in overtime. I was happy. Mainly because on the US women’s side, they achieved a first with the first Black woman to win a team medal. And in the men’s game, watching them celebrate and bring out Johnny Gaudreau’s kids and his jersey for the medal photo was very touching. You could tell that was probably a key part of uniting the team and their effort. So on top of the good hockey, we had some good storylines.
Olympic Hockey Overtime
We have to change overtime in Olympic hockey. Period. I’m sorry, but the NHL has corrupted international hockey. Period. Just like how in international basketball the three-point line is different and the lane is different, we have to have some difference between international hockey and NHL hockey. Period. This 3v3 overtime thing is absolutely nonsense. It ends the game too fast. Period. The US and Canada both needed overtime in their quarterfinals, and then in the final playing each other, it went to overtime again. But it’s not like the rink is rented out by somebody else—it’s not like they’re short on hockey time. Period. I mean, do they need the hockey players to leave for the figure skaters or something? Period. Let’s let them play. And if we get three or four overtimes, so be it. Period. We can make the overtime periods seven minutes or something, or maybe ten—not the full fifteen—but play it out. Period. Before the NHL started tinkering with overtime, I remember growing up as a kid reading about a wild Stanley Cup Playoff game where I believe it was three or four overtime periods. It was in the New York City area—I cannot remember if it was the Islanders or the Devils—but it was just all out, and you’re watching the highlights and seeing the all-out effort on every play. And I was like, “We need to bring that back.” We need the full 5v5. Go out and play this game till there’s a winner, like the good Lord intended us to do. 5v5.
New York Knicks
I know This was supposed to be the year. They got a new coach and were deep on the bench. The Celtics were going to be without Tatum for the majority of the season, so it was unlikely they’d be in good shape for the playoffs. The Pacers weren’t going to have Haliburton, so they weren’t a threat—and they haven’t proven to be a threat this season. But the team that the Knicks beat in the first round of the playoffs last year, who ended up being a tough matchup for them? The Detroit Pistons have finished their rebuild in two years. You people at home complaining about GMs, I want you to watch and pay attention to that. Two years ago, the Pistons had the worst record in basketball, losing something like 20 straight. Now they’re the number one seed in the East. And every time the number two seed has come up to challenge them, the Pistons have slapped them down. They blew out the Knicks in Detroit twice and then just came to win in New York the other night by double digits. Whatever it is about this matchup, it is bad for the Knicks. And it leads me to really worry about the playoffs. Can the Knicks get four games over these Pistons? I’m not sure. The athleticism is a problem, and it seems like they have not found a way to solve the Cade Cunningham conundrum. The other night he dropped 42 on them, and he looked like he could have gone for 50 if the game had been closer. The only thing that can hurt Detroit from winning is the fact that the team is still very young. A huge part of the rise to becoming champions often involves losing one or two times. It’s usually that second time where you make the Conference Finals and you’re close that propels the team to the next level. That is where the Knicks are. So whatever is going on, they need to use that playoff run from last season to propel them past Detroit in the playoffs. Unless somebody upsets Detroit and clears a path, but so far it doesn’t look like that’ll happen. But anything can happen in the playoffs. I’m just preparing my fellow Knicks fans now to be ready for disappointment.
Come back tomorrow, for more takes to help ease the back pain of digging out with Aristotle.
