No mercy--or mercy rule in women's hockey

Goaltender Zuzana Tomcikova got off to a great start against defending champion Canada Saturday with an array of acrobatic saves in the first minute of her country's Olympic debut.

Unfortunately, the Slovakians had to play 59 more minutes before the heavily pro-Canadian crowd at Canada Hockey Place, better known during non-Olympic games as GM Place.

As the game passed the midway point Canada hit double figures in goals, building a 12-0 lead. Nine Canadian players each had one goal and Meghan Agosta had three.

And Tomcikova, a sophomore at Bemidji State in Minnesota, wasn't playing badly.

As bad as this might get--and Canada had every incentive to keep pushing, because goal differential is a tiebreaker in determining placement if two teams are equal in points--it's still not as bad as the rout Slovakia inflicted on Bulgaria in an Olympic qualifying game in September, 2008.

The score of that one was Slovakia 82, Bulgaria 0.

A mercy rule is worth considering.

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver

Photo: Slovakia goalie Zuzana Tomcikova tries to guard the net against Canada. Credit: Larry W. Smith, r, Canada, 13 February 2010. EPA/Larry W Smith

Comments

[FJKL@yahoo.com]

Why should a winner have to not try in the middle of a game?

[Peter]

Complete and utterly against mercy rule. I believe the true way to show respect to your opponents as equals is to go full force.

[D. Durling]

If a team is going to participate in an event, be it the Olympics, school tournament or recreational sport, they should come prepared for the best and worst. Having been on both sides of the coin for winning and losing spectacularly, let me just say this. Losing to a better opponent just makes you better. You see the level that you have to get to in order to be competitive and hopefully you take that lesson and be proactive with it. As a winning team, how do you keep your team sharp for the upcoming tougher matches if you start coaching your team to "take it easy". You can tell your team to pass more, but eventually the puck has to be directed to the net, the B-ball to the basket, or the soccer ball to the goal. Personally, I dislike when a better team starts to "play down" to my team's level. This, in my opinion, shows a greater lack of respect for a team than being being on the short end of a lop-sided score.

[daniel graham]

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe this....A MERCY RULE.....????...... I cannot for the life of me know where these IDOTS come from and where they come up with this BS.....why even have the olympics??? Lets all just sit around and be clones. CANADA YOU ROCK ......KEEP KICKIN ASS...I LOVE YOU

[Penguins]

A mercy rule for an olympic event? I can understand that for a kids game but these are adults. Also i bet it'de be more embarrassing to have the ref call off the game because you're team isn't even competitive.

[anonymous]

I think a mercy rule isn't needed I mean it feels great to beat a opponent, especially by a large amount I know that's what the coaches tell their players to try for in just about any sport professional or not.

[Gina]

As a "Soccer Mom" I agree....for kids sports. As a "Soccer Player", not a chance.

[candice]

We won fair and square... Slovaks will just have to play harder next time...

[Tom Perry]

No Mercy rule???
These are competitive athletes trained to give their all. Why would you reign them in during their opportunity to compete at a world class level?
The opposing team always has the right to leave the playing field if they are feeling disgraced, out classed, or just plain beatten.
Why don't they just introduce a 100% no contact rule to the Olympics and issue hermenically sealed, impact resistant bubble suits to all the competitors? (That would be for any sport)(Not just Hockey.)No contact boxing,fencing,martial arts,wrestling...
Lets not bring the level of competition down to match that of little Billy or Billiette's Saturday morning soccer game.(Although, and don't get me wrong, little league soccer is very entertaining in it's own rite.)

[Isaid It]

Why is it when an NFL football team wins by 41 points noone ever talks about a mercy rule, yet when women or children are annihilated in a sporting event we all want to feel sorry for them? This is sports, its a competition, you even said goal differential is used for tiebreakers, come on. If you know you're going to get beat that bad you don't have to show up, then we'd be talking about what cowards they are right? Instead of feeling bad for the losers we should be congratulating the winners, and the losers should feel bad themselves, face reality and find another sport or train a lot harder than they are now. Or in this case they can simply return to the kitchen where they belong.

[Robert Andersen]

I agree, if you slack off just because your in the lead, it's very disrespectful to your opponent. You owe them the respect of your fullest effort.

[Jessica]

A mercy rule would be beyond insulting. These are athletes who spend their time specifically training for these events, not some little league crap. This world is getting way to concerned with self esteem and feelings, and just because they're women doesn't mean they're going to cry harder about it than any men's hockey team would. The very idea of a mercy rule is beyond ridiculous! Not worth considering at all. Life's life, you win you lose, all athletes should put in 100% if they're doing what they love and not be stopped by idiotic rules.

[Nikita]

I'm sorry. I thought thus was the Olympics, not a childrens game. Don't penalize a team just because they are that good. That is very wrong on many levels. And for even SUGGESTING there be a mercy rule shows that people are not professional and are becoming sore losers. Don't play if you can't handle the loss. It isn't fair to do that to a team just because they beat you. Learn from it, and get over the loss. Comeback next time ready and prepared.

[tammy12]

Im not a sports person but enjoy the Olympics. A mercy-rule applied to this is simply an oxymoron.

The whole purpose of the Games, as I understand it, is to compete all the way to the end by the world's best and most proffessional athletes in their respective disciplines.

If we will start expecting these games to be some kind of socializing, "everyone's feels-good" event, not different than soccer games for elementary school children, then may as well stop it all together and just make a big party and eliminate the prizes, the word competition and excelence out of it and instead hand out participation diplomas; kind of like those political meetings (UN Summit, Earth Summit,CC summit, World Economic Summit, etc) except call it the "Sports Summit".

[Dave Thompson]

A mercy rule? The Olympics are the premier sporting event, in the world. Implementing a mercy rule would be insulting to everyone having to take part in it, and completely against the spirit of the games. Every Olympic event should be a show of 100% of your effort, for the entire length of the event. Anything less is disgraceful.

[Keith]

Mercy Rule???????? PLLLLEEEAAASSSEE this politically correct garbage is going way too far. Hockey is historically known as a fast paced aggressive and sometimes violent game. In the olympics it is played by people at the top of the field and they know what they are getting when they play the sport. A mercy rule so they dont get dere itty bitty feewings hurt? Gimmie a break......

And Gina, I dont mean to be critical.... but as a "soccer mom" you should be encouraging the league your child plays in to keep score and eliminate any "mercy rules". As a father of 2 I am not being unfair or speaking out of turn when I say this. Winning and losing in organized sports is a part of growing up and your childs education. As a parent I understand the desire to spare your children any physical or mental pain but losing in a game teaches your child valuable lessons that they will need to succeed in life. Some of these are... How to win with honor and respect for the losing team (sportsmanlike conduct)..... How to lose gracefully..... How to work hard to accomplish a given task...... How to deal with disappointment with honor. If they didnt keep score in a league my son was in I would pull him... demand a refund of any fees, and find him something more productive that would terach him something. Remember this old adage? "Winners never quit and Quitters never win". It holds true today just as when it was originally uttered. Not keeping score in a game to spare the feelings of the child is doing him or her a severe disservice. It would be like going into a karate Dojo and being handed a black belt without having to work for it... ya got the belt but dont know jack. One more adage for you...." It's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game. " Your child's acceptance of loss is something you as a parent have to teach... and if there is no loss how are you going to teach it.

The IOC needs to take off their underoos and try on some adult underwear.... Mercy Rule for the worlds best athletes? RIDICULOUS.

[Jeff]

Maybe it is worth dividing this into 2 arguments. I believe that any team - be it professional or amateur, regardless of which sport, age, or gender - should be playing at "full force" during any game. "Playing down" does nothing good for either team.
That said, the other argument is when the match should be called (as opposed to the winning team easing up, which is completely different). When you get to something like 15-0 in hockey, the losing team is no MATCH for the winning team, so declare it so at that point. I admit this could impact point differentials though for tiebreakers.

[Gloves]

Goal differential is a tiebreaker in determining placement if two teams are equal in points. It's important for all teams to try to score as many goals as possible to determine their seeding in the next round of the tournament. A mercy rule simply can not apply.

[Cheap Football Tickets]

while transporting non-revenue sports to further locations will add expenses, it will be far outweighed by the increased revenue pool of the new conference. As a football cellar dweller, IU probably benefits more than anyone else considering the equal split of revenue. Plus, selling out the ND/Nebraska game in Bloomington every other year should help too.