"It's safe to say that Olympic hockey hosts don't exactly have the best track record of success. Of the last five host nations of the Winter Olympics (China, South Korea, Russia, Canada, Italy), just two nations qualified for the knockouts of the women's hockey tournament (Canada in 2010 and Russia in 2014). The remaining three either went to the 5th-8th place bracket or, post-2018, were eliminated in the preliminary round."
"Jokes aside, that 2006 tournament saw the Italian entry finish in last place in a group featuring Russia, Sweden, and Canada. Italy scored just one goal while giving up thirty-two throughout their three group games. It didn't get much better in the knockouts. Despite losing just 5-2 to Germany in the 5th-8th place semifinal, Italy would then lose 11-0 to Switzerland in the seventh-place round."
Olympic host nations have struggled in women's hockey, with only two of the last five hosts reaching knockout rounds. Italy last appeared at the Olympics in 2006 in Turin and finished poorly, scoring one goal and conceding thirty-two in group play before heavy losses in placement games. The current Italian roster features just over half its players in domestic clubs, while the rest compete in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, the U.S. collegiate system, and Canadian U Sports. Italy will face France, Sweden, Japan, and Germany in Group B, leaving uncertain prospects for significant improvement.
Read at Puck Prose
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