Category: The Olympics (Page 5 of 26)

Canada’s women’s hockey team knows how to party! Buuuuuut they’re also in trouble.

February 26, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

The International Olympic Committee will investigate the Canadian women’s hockey team after a number of players celebrated their gold medal victory on Thursday night by tossing back a few cold ones and smoking cigars on the ice in Vancouver.

From Yahoo! Sports:

A number of players, including 18-year-old superstar Marie-Philip Poulin, were drinking alcohol on the ice following the team’s 2-0 defeat of the United States. (The legal drinking age in British Columbia is 19.) Players lingered for more than 70 minutes after the awards ceremony reveling in the arena, which was empty except for media and arena staff.
Gilbert Felli, the IOC’s executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was “not what we want to see” from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to “act accordingly.”

The Olympic Committee is wound a little tight and I find it amusing that an event that essentially introduced steroids to athletic competition is so image conscious now. I don’t condone underage drinking, but if the Committee decides to send these girls home or ban them from the Closing Ceremony after this, then it would be ridiculous and a gross overreaction.

Considering other things that go on at the Olympics, chugging some brews and lighting up a few stogies to celebrate a win is mild.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The Olympics

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Canada overtakes U.S. to capture gold in women’s hockey

February 25, 2010 / Christopher Glotfelty

Canada defeated the United States 2-0 to win their third-straight women’s hockey gold medal at the Olympics.

From ESPN.com:

Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals and Shannon Szabados made 28 saves Thursday before a raucous crowd ringing cowbells and waving thousands of maple leaf flags.
After Poulin’s two first-period scores, the Canadians dominated every aspect of the biggest game in this young sport, earning their 15th straight Olympic victory.
Playing with a consistency and passion its men’s team would do well to emulate this weekend, Canada remained unbeaten at the Olympics since 1998, when the Americans won the first women’s gold.
The Canadians kept nearly the entire game in the Americans’ end — outpassing, outshooting and simply outworking the only team in women’s hockey with a chance of standing up to them.

I didn’t even know the U.S. team made it to the gold-medal game. I guess the win would have been nice since chances are dwindling.

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USA-Canada rematch brewing? Canada knocks off Russia

February 25, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

Goalie Roberto Luongo stopped 25 of 28 shots to lead Canada to a surprising 7-3 victory over Russia in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Winter Olympics.

From the Washington Post:

They weren’t kidding around. Team Canada, so rattled after losing to the United States in pool play Sunday, pole-axed the talented Russians, 7-3, in a quarterfinal game Wednesday evening at Canada Hockey Place. The Canadians will face the winner of Wednesday night’s late game between Slovakia and Sweden in the semifinals Friday.
What all of Canada had built into an Alex Ovechkin vs. Sidney Crosby matchup — the red-clad, hockey-mad fans gave the arena the look of Verizon Center during a Caps-Penguins playoff game — instead turned into an eye-averting onslaught. Ovechkin was certainly a focal point, both for the crowd, which booed him during introductions and every chance it got, and for the Canadians, who hit him so hard and so often that Ted Leonsis probably had difficulty getting out of bed this morning. But neither of them had a point.
Not only were the Canadian goals plentiful, despite the Crosby drought, but some of them were works of art, tremendous displays of teamwork and crisp passing and anticipation. That isn’t always the case in Olympic play, where teams usually get only one or two practices before pool play begins.

One more win for USA and Canada and the greatest rematch known to man will commence.

All right, so it wouldn’t be the greatest rematch known to man (everyone knows that the Ninja Turtles vs. the Shredder in “TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze” was the greatest rematch known to man), but it would make for great, Olympic-style drama.

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United States narrowly defeats Switzerland

February 24, 2010 / Christopher Glotfelty

Propelled by two goals from Zach Parise and another powerful performance by goalie Ryan Miller, the U.S. men’s hockey team has advanced to the semifinals. The team faced a tough competitor in Switzerland, but found an edge in the last period to earn the 2-0 victory.

From ESPN.com:

But Zach Parise put all that frustration aside, deflecting a wrist shot from Brian Rafalski early in the third period, then scored into an empty net late to seal a 2-0 quarterfinal win that sends the U.S. to the next round against the winner of Wednesday night’s game between the Czech Republic and Finland.
“Relief and excitement, especially in a tight game like that when you are doing everything but score,” said Parise, who failed to score on his first 13 shots of the tournament. “The goalie was great and we did a good job of sticking with it. “We were pretty confident and said just keep putting pucks at him.”
Ryan Miller made 19 saves to backstop the victory and move the Americans within two wins of its first men’s hockey gold medal in 30 years.

For myself, the U.S. hockey team’s run has been the most exciting part of the 2010 Winter Olympics. The feeling makes me want to gather up some of my closest friends and head to a fun bar to enjoy the next game. We can drink frothy glasses of beer, share stupid stories, look at pretty girls, and root for our countrymen.

Wait — never mind. NBC is broadcasting the game at 3 PM ET on Friday. Scratch those plans.

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