Let me be the first to say that men's and women's Olympic hockey has been off the chain these past two weeks. Team USA women's hockey has five consecutive shutouts and will face Team Canada for a seventh-straight Olympics. It's also been fun to watch our seven Olympians suit up and represent their countries. I'm sure Jake Oettinger would have loved some playing time in the final period of their last group game, but that's a completely different story for another time.
It was announced today that the Dallas Stars will be hosting a mini training camp to get the rest of the players who enjoyed their break back on the ice. While it's not yet known whether it's open to the public, it's good to know the Stars will be warmed up and shouldn't have any rust going into their first game against the Seattle Kraken. I know the players are amped up to be back on the ice, focusing on their only goal for the rest of the season: winning the Stanley Cup.
As of now, all seven players on the Dallas Stars have made it to the quarterfinals. Team Czechia just did enough to beat Denmark this morning, winning 3-2. They will, unfortunately, move on to play the juggernaut Canada in the quarterfinals. Your Finnish Mafia is doing a good job, as they earned the bye for their outstanding play in their final two group stage games. They get the honor of taking on Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
As for Team USA, they await the winner of Sweden vs. Latvia later this afternoon. Team USA looked really shaky during their group stage games. Connor Hellebuyck has been a brick wall in most games; it's the offense that has me really worried. That would really alter Jake Oettinger's dream of winning a gold medal. If they play as they did during the group stage, Team Canada is going to be dancing their way to another gold medal win if both teams end up in the gold medal game.
In conclusion, it's sad that our Olympic coverage at Blackout Dallas will conclude in a couple of days. It's been an honor and a privilege to cover our Olympians as they live out their dreams playing for their countries. It's something that many journalists don't get to do in their careers, and I love watching hockey on the world stage. I hope one of our seven Olympians comes home with the gold medal and that we honor him during the first game back next Wednesday.