The Japanese Olympic Committee is still outraged over the way snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo wore his Vancouver Olympic uniform in “hip hop” style last month and proceeded to scold Japan’s skiing officials about tightening up its morals.
From Yahoo! Sports:
Dreadlocked boarder Kazuhiro Kokubo narrowly escaped being kicked out of the Games after arriving with his trousers pulled low on his hips, shirt hanging out and his tie loose.
The 21-year-old with double nose piercings was banned from attending the opening ceremony and forced to apologize at a news conference before finishing eighth in the men’s halfpipe.
A senior Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) official said on Monday apologies were not enough.
“All members of the (Ski Association of Japan) must provide strict guidance to the athletes,” JOC secretary general Noriyuki Ichihara told reporters on Monday. “The JOC will also try to lend its weight to the moral education of the athletes.”
Wow, I couldn’t imagine what the JOC presided over all American athletes if they’re upset over how Kokubo dressed. They probably would have petitioned our government to shut down the entire freaking country after Pacman Jones’ fourth arrest.
As the Buffalo Sabres visited the Pittsburgh Penguins last night, Team USA/Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller got a strong ovation (along with chants of U-S-A, U-S-A) while Canadian/Penguin Sidney Crosby drew boos from the crowed when the jumbotron showed footage of his gold-medal winning goal.
Miller’s ovation is at the start of the video, while Crosby is introduced at around the 1:10 mark. Pittsburgh won, 3-2, but Miller didn’t play.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (02/28/2010 @ 7:44 pm)
Yes, after Zach Parise of the United States tied the game at 2-2 with 24 seconds left in regulation, Sidney Crosby scored in overtime, securing the gold more Canada.
But you already know this. You watched the damn game. Everyone watched. But perhaps someone you know went with the Lakers taking on the Nuggets instead. That person will never like hockey or appreciate the thrill an Olympics can create.
The Americans were not supposed to medal; some of the players even had to cancel flights they had previously booked in preparation for a quick elimination. Nevertheless, they went out there and authoritatively beat a couple teams that were supposedly more talented — teams like Canada.
One couldn’t ask for a better hockey game. While the feeling of dejection produced by Crosby’s finisher will linger for some time, the rush of excitement that followed Parise’s goal is proof of why I love sports.
I hope you all enjoyed the game. I know I did. Now start watching the NHL again.
An impressive run for the USA hockey team fell short at this year’s Winter Olympics, as the Americans lost to Canada 3-2 in overtime in Sunday’s gold medal round. Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller 7:40 into overtime to allow the Canadians to become the first host nation in 30 years to win the gold medal in men’s hockey.
The win certainly didn’t come easy for Canada, however, which led 2-1 for most of the game.
After pulling goalie Ryan Miller late in the third period, Jamie Langenbrunner redirected a Patrick Kane wrister off Roberto Luongo’s body and Zach Parise gathered up the rebound and snuck it past Luongo to tie the game with just 24.4 seconds remaining. But after seizing the momentum thanks to the thrilling goal, USA couldn’t get the job done in overtime and the heavily favored Canadians (who were 1/2 to win the tournament at the start of the Winter Games) seized the gold.
Even though they lost, USA’s push for the gold was arguably the most exciting part of the Winter Olympics. It would have been nice to see them go undefeated and complete the underdog story, but there’s no shame in beating Canada once and nearly knocking them off on their home ice in the finals. Gold would have been fine, but there’s a lot of pride for USA in taking home the silver.
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