Closing Time

So the Olympics are now over and the Flame has been extinguished. It was a great 17 days of athletics and a great show of national pride by all of Canada from Coast to Coast. You would usually see an outpouring of support by the US given similar circumstances but it was nice to see the passion that all the people in the streets wearing red and white HBC fashions. They might actually be the big winners of the games. The Olympic apparel was stunning (I know how that sounds, and no I am not trying to play Mr. Blackwell), but it was very well designed and made all of our athletes not only look like a winning team but made us look professional. When the average person is clamoring for the same stuff and not being able to get it because it is in such high demand and sold out says a lot.

Back to sports...The, I don’t want to say fringe sports, lets call them niche sports, managed to showcase themselves and their sports in front of the world. It is too bad that it will more then likely be 4 more years before we get excited for the luge or 4 man bobsleigh again. Similar to the Summer Olympics where people who have no knowledge or interest in gymnastics become super fans of the sport and 16 year old’s become bigger then professional baseball players. It is almost funny how we get so excited for people we have never heard of in sports that we never follow just because they are wearing the Maple Leaf. I guess the old adage is true... You play for the crest on the front not the name on the back.

It is almost funny that a bunch of media outlets report that we are expected to medal in whatever sport or discipline and if the athlete doesn’t perform we are disappointed. If someone we haven’t heard of comes out of nowhere and are successful they become the pride of a nation and morph instantly into rock stars.

We were also treated to great coverage by the "Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium" who offered some 4800 total hours of programming on CTV, TSN, RDS and RIS, APTN and Rogers Media’s Omni Television, Rogers Sportsnet, OLN and on radio on the Fan 590. The commentators were all pretty good and even Jamie Campbell did a good job in becoming the voice of the ski hill at Cypress Mountain. Canada was treated with live events when they happened. NBC in the USA have taken a lot of heat for their plan of holding events on tape delay for prime time and other events on MSNBC and CNBC (which are not available to a lot of viewers). In an age where now is almost too late, tape delayed sports is not a good model to continue with. Imagine the 3pm Gold Medal Hockey game between Canada and the USA being held until 8pm est.

See you in London in 2012 and Sochi, Russia in 2014

Canada Defeats USA In Ice Hockey...They're Our Rivals

As a collective sigh of relief rang out over an entire nation it was then replaced by a whole new sound. That sound was booming screams and ecstatic yelling. In the hockey game that was anticipated by many to be a showdown between Canada and their old rivals Team Russia became yet another chapter of the new number one rivals of Canada on the ice Team USA. This has been a rivalry that has blossomed from 1996 when the US beat Canada in the World Cup and has continued to grow on the international stage after the 2002 Olympics that was won by Canada in Salt Lake City. From then the reigns were handed over to the under 20 team during the World Junior tournament. After 3 years of epic games the rivalry has grown strong. 3 epic wins by Canada in the last 2 on last second heroics and then this year on an overtime goal by Team USA just solidified them as our new number 1 rivals.

Going into the game there was a lot of optimism that winning was just an inevitability for Canada, I was nearly convinced that it was going to go the other way. There seemed to be way too much hype by not only the TV media but of the fans as well. It felt like they were putting all their Olympic eggs in one basket and if the unthinkable happened then the entire Olympics would have been a failure even with a record tying amount of gold medals that Canada brought home. This isn’t Vegas and putting everything on Red is a ballsy move at best.

As the game went on Team Canada looked good, fast and strong. The most important thing in my mind was they needed to score first. It sounds like an obvious thing to say (in the same ilk as ‘I think the team that scores more will win the game" or "he can see better when his glasses are on") but it felt just like watching an Ottawa Senators game back in the day, you knew once they scored one the floodgates could open but until that first one went in there was a good chance that they would either get shut out or score meaningless goals after the game was all but decided. This felt even more apparent after seeing what USA goaltender Ryan Miller had done during the duration of the tournament and why he was the one reason why they were in the position they were in. Jonathan Toews opened the scoring with a nice goal from the "dirty area" on a rebound, just what was needed to get the ball rolling. Corry Perry made the game 2-0 on a nice play deep in USA territory that Miller had very little chance on. At that point there was a little breathing room. Then came the inevitable, a strike back by the US on a beautiful tip by Ryan Kessler that managed to squeak by his Vancouver teammate Roberto Luongo. That is when things were about to get interesting.

During the third period both the team and the crowd seemed to get a bit tight and a little bit nervous. As much as Canada had fed off the crowd earlier in the game as well as others in the tournament it also took on the same characteristic that were less then positive. When you see 2 posts and a breakaway by Canada go the wrong way you had to feel like this was ramping up to be a monumental finish and maybe not a positive one. It seemed like in the last 12-15 minutes they went into a kind of prevent defence like in football. I don’t like it there and I don’t like it here. As far as I am concerned, all a prevent defence does is prevent you from winning. That is why a team can not be able to move the ball in an NFL game until the 2-minute drill and then they manage to be the best quick strike offence and manage to look unstoppable as the other team backs off the pressure. Right on cue that happened and Zach Parise netted the tying goal with 25 seconds and that was when the collective gasp was taken by and entire arena and with that a nation of passionate hockey fans.

I think that the saving grace was that there was no real intermission but just enough of a break that they were able to regain their composure and focus on the overtime going forward. Had that goal been scored with 5 minutes left the momentum would have flipped and I believe to outcome would have been different.

In the overtime there was truly a sense of the unknown, you wanted Canada to push for the goal but at the same time you were weary about the counter punch if you missed. That is how the World Juniors ended when Alex Pietrangelo pinched and almost won the game only to give up an odd man rush back the other way and it ended up behind goaltender Jake Allen and in the back of the Canadian net. The steady smooth Scott Niedermayer who was one of the best players on Team Canada nearly made a costly miscue in his own end and relied on Roberto Luongo to bail him out. If i am not mistaken I am pretty sure that the youngest player on the team playing one of the toughest positions on the ice was 20 year old Drew Doughty. Right after that Sidney Crosby and Jerome Iginla gained the US zone and just like that a quick strike move on a relatively harmless looking play became one of the biggest and most important or defining moments in the history of hockey in Canada.

It was well called by Chris Cuthbert "Crosby scores! The golden goal! And Canada has won a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic gold!" and later added "These golden games have their crowning moment!". 16.6 Million people took in at least a bit of the game - nearly 80% of all Canadians.

It's A Celebration!

The Canadian Woman's Hockey Team were victorious in their Gold Medal game versus the only real rival that they have in the world and the only team that can play at their level, Team USA.
I am not going to get into the politics involved in woman's hockey right now and whether or not it should be an Olympic Sport as the other countries are slow in developing programs in their respective countries. Finland does seems to be making an effort and china is a lot better they they have been but if they aren't careful it could spell the end of Olympic Woman’s Hockey...but I have deviated away from my original theme.

The Canadian Woman won a spirited and well played game versus the Americans where they managed a 2-0 shutout victory. 18 year old phenom Marie-Philip Poulin was the lone goal scorer and Olympic rookie Shannon Szabados pitched the shutout for Canada. This years team was a healthy mix of young and old and have come a long way since their camp in Calgary last summer and played over 50 games versus many Midget Boys AAA teams and international friendlies versus the same team they beast for the gold, Team USA.

Going into the tournament I knew that, as everyone else did, it was going to be a USA Canada Final. There were a few players that I was excited to watch and see how they would do; Captain Hayley Wickenheiser was one as she was the leader and the most recognizable player on the team. The young Szabados in net as the Canadians had 3 goaltender that could very well have been #1’s. Marie-Philip Poulin was the third (in the summer Lightning Captain Vincent Lecavalier saw her on the ice and remarked that she skated and shot the puck well enough to be in the NHL...and he was not joking). Last but not least was Meghan Agosta from Mercyhurst College - she was the most pleasant of all. Agosta was named tournament MVP with 15 points.

Like I said I was looking forward toward seeing Meghan Agosta play, she did not disappoint on the ice...or after the game. The Woman had a bit of an unscheduled party on the ice at Canada Hockey Place that got caught on “film” where some members of the team were on the ice enjoying beer and smoking cigars in celebration. They worked hard, they came up big, and then they played hard — the way athletes so often do.I don’t have a problem with this as much as some have. Boys may be Boys, but Woman can be Woman and there should be no double standard. If this were a men’s team it probably isn’t as big a deal. Sure it was not a good idea to be doing it in the arena, the lit cigars inside may have been a little above and beyond and maybe the alcohol should have been left in the locker room but come on, hockey players have done worse.

I say no harm no foul. Would I say the same thing if it was USA who won and did the same thing...i don’t know, and thankfully I don’t have to make that decision. I probably would have called them out and said it was a cocky US thing and was in bad taste...but Canada won, so it is OK. Canadians are often criticized for not being patriotic enough or wave the flag enough or pound our chests enough. It wasn’t the best decision but it is done and we are all still proud of our Canadian Woman.

Canada Takes The Next Step

“Hope nobody hurt their ankle jumping off the bandwagon. Miller stood on his head and Canada was in line to play Russia at some point, it may just be a little earlier then we may have wanted. Stop bitching and try to enjoy the extra game” ...

This is what I wrote on Sunday when Canada lost to the USA in the Round Robin portion of the tournament. Then there was the German game where Canada managed to beat Germany 8-2 on Tuesday. Some people were crying that they wern’t shooting the puck enough...they still managed 8 goals not bad for not shooting. In any event they moved on to face the Russians in a game where I would bet no one had any idea which way it was going to go. It was my belief that the team with the first goal would likely take the game, maybe in overtime or in the shootout but not in a 7-3 drubbing.

Mike Babcock proved that he can out-coach the Russian coach. Questionable decisions or lack of decisions were very costly to the Russians. Lines and match up adjustments needed to be made...they were not. Nabakov needed to be pulled after 20min...he was not (Russia outscored Canada 2-1 after Bryzgalov came in).

Now Canada is is still a long way from a possible Gold medal and regardless of who they play (Sweden or Slovakia) in the next round they have at least put themselves in position to play for a podium placement. A step up from the last Olympics where they ended up in a similar position to where Russia is in now.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the tournament plays out but at least for one night Canada can hold its head high and celebrate a great win and a well played game. I just hope that they know that there are still 2 games left until the job is done. The next game has to be played with the same physicality and passion that they had tonight.

I love Pepsi but lets be real, “Go Canada Go” still is a lot better then “eh-oh-Canada-go” and I am glad that it did not catch on. Also they can cut the Ole-Ole music in Canada Hockey Place this isn’t a “Footie” or “Soccer” match.

I Got A Fever! And The Only Cure Is More Olympics

I watched Beijing and I got hooked and bought into the whole Summer Olympic experience. I watched all I could and enjoyed most of it. Sure I am not going to watch the 3m springboard or the 200m backstroke again until the London Olympics but for those 2 weeks I was in. The same looks to be holding true for the Winter Olympic in Vancouver. I knew that they had me when I watched the entire ski jumping completion including the qualifying. After the announcer explained how they generated the speed and power to launch themselves down the hill, I began to try to break it down myself to see if I could tell if it was a good jump or not (I will admit that I am still no further ahead but that isn’t going to stop me). Luge-cool.....alpine-sure why not....speed skating - close so it is compelling...snowboarding- gnarly. The only thing so far that just isn’t holding water is cross country skiing. They don’t even race. There is a staggered start and they race the clock and then just sit back and hope that their cardio brethren doesn’t match their time. Then at the end to drop like they were hit by a sniper. Yeah, your tired, you sold out and left it all on the course...we get it, so does just about every other athlete in their sport. Marathon runners manage to stay on their feet you’d think that these guys could do the same.

The only down side is just what a Cluster F%#@ the first few days of the games have been. When you start off with a tragic storey like the death of a Luger even before the Opening Ceremony that casts a pretty somber shadow over the games. Then you go to the Opening Ceremony itself it was not as big a success as it could have been. All in all the show was great but there were a few exceptions. The singing of O Canada was sung by a girl with a great voice but she butchered the anthem. She tried to over "Pop" it like she was at the Grammy’s or something. Bryan Adams? Really? Where was Rush? The giant falic symbols were interesting and got some snickers from our brothers to the south. Couple that with the hydraulics not working and only 4 of the 5 sides of the Olympic Indoor Flame structure coming out of the floor.
The Electric "Green" Zamboni that kept dropping hot water on the ice at the long track oval causing countless delays (It didn’t help that the racers kept kicking chunks of ice up). Thankfully a gas one is on the way from Calgary.

Then you have to look at all the events out at Whistler where events are being postponed on a daily basis. Practices, qualifying and finals are being put on hold due to rain, fog, warm weather, snow...pretty much whatever happens it is bad for the hills. Some Snowboard competitions have been postponed as well and spectator tickets have had to be refunded.

Yep That is right people, pack your winter jacket and head to Canada’s warmest city!! Good for golf in February maybe not the best for Nordic events.
Either way I will watch the filler material and catch whatever events come up first.

Go Canada Eh! I’m OOOUT!

Crosby Staals and Nash!

Here is the new addition of CSNY (For the purposes of this to work I will throw Yzermans name into the mix). Coming on the heals of the Olympic Camp that was held in Calgary over the last couple of days I figured it was time to start looking at a possible roster. The camp culminated with a Red/White Scrimmage that packed some 19,000 people for an exhibition game into the Saddledome (and they can’t get 9,000 in some NHL cities for regular season games)....but no hockey works in Phoenix, Florida and Atlanta.

It is true that Canada could probably field 2 or maybe even 3 teams and would have a good chance at getting at least 2 medals. With that being said, it certainly makes it difficult to widdle down the long list of potential players to just 1 roster. Players need to be able to adapt to new roles, different positions and be willing to buy into what the management and coaches are looking for. There is an embarrassment of riches at the center position so there will be probably a couple of players moved to the wing. Having the ability to be one of those versatile players who have the ability to shift around could greatly help their chances on making the team.

The interesting thing about this process it the word team. It is not going to be, nor can it be just the top players or the biggest names. As we see during the playoffs it seems to come down to the 3rd and 4th line grinders and which ones show up and play bigger roles. The same thing will have to happen on this team and that may allow for some lesser known players to slide into the mix and in turn leave some very big names off the lineup.

Here is my early selection of what Team Canada 22 man roster will look like. Then just before the rosters are announced I will give a revised list and see if there has been any movement based on guys play at the beginning of the season, also taking into consideration any possible injuries that may crop up between then and now.

Just as they did during the 2006 Olympics I will also include a 3 man Taxi Squad or Black Aces as it were. Lets see how much different this team looks and time goes on. (Also I will admit that I have Jordan Staal on the team both for is penalty killing and energy but also to help with this blogs title).

Forwards:
Jarome Iginla - Sidney Crosby- Simon Gagné
Rick Nash - Ryan Getzlaf - Dany Heatley
Eric Staal - Mike Richards - Jonathan Toews
Shane Doan - Jordan Staal - Milan Lucic
Jeff Carter

Defence:
Scott Niedermayer - Shea Weber
Chris Pronger - Dan Boyle
Jay Bouwmeester - Dion Phaneuf

Goal: Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur, Marc-André Fleury

Taxi Squad: Vincent Lecavalier Mike Green Corey Perry

Making the Cut - Olympic Edition

Even back at the 2006 Olympics they were already looking towards Vancouver in 2010. They said that there was going to be a youth movement for the Men’s Olympic Hockey team in 2010. While there will be a much younger flavour to the team regardless of who is chosen and who is left off there will also be a decent number of return players as well. It will be interesting to see what mix that Steve Yzerman decides to go with. It is believed that he and his management team are going to fill roles and not just take a team of offensive skill or household names. That may open up the door for players that have some versatility and can be used in a variety of positions. Drew Doughty, Milan Lucic and Patrick Sharp are a couple of that type of player that people may not think of right off the bat but offer several options for Mike Babcock. Lets just say that they are an upgrade from others that have filled that role in the past (Rob Zamuner and Scott Hannan, I’m looking in your direction)

There is sure to be much debate as for players and lines but also the leadership. Mario is gone, Yzerman is gone and Sakic is gone. Do you give the "C" to Sidney Crosby, fresh of a Stanley Cup win but not being on the last Olympic Team and having limited international experience. Is Scott Scott Niedermayer a real leader or just a guy that is successful and has won everything? Maybe Jarome Iginla might be the direction to go. He is a guy that has played a lot for Canada, been the leader of the Flames and plays a 2 way game- skill and physical play both come naturally to him. It shows that he can also lead by example as well as with words. I have to say that he would be my first choice but there will probably be a lot of pressure from outside people in hockey as well as the sponsors and marketing people to get Crosby the "C". I am sure that Pierre McGuire will put his vote in for Sidney sooner rather then later. (Is Sid allowed to wear a Nike Team Canada Jersey in his role as Mr. Reebok? Just askin’.)

New Team Canada Jerseys

Now that the Canadian Olympic Jersey has been unveiled for the 2010 Hockey Teams I am proud to say that I ALREADY HAVE A TEAM CANADA JERSEY and don’t need to get another one, especially not this one. Needless to say I am not a big fan. With a $135 price tag, I find the design uninspired and not esthetically appealing.

I hope to not step on any toes but I find that the design, especially the leaf is too native. The embossing of the artwork on the new Maple Leaf is filled with images of gold medals won by Canada’s men’s, women’s and sledge hockey teams, a thunderbird, an eagle, First Nations symbols, a fleur-de-lis and other animals and items.

If it is a one off for just these games in Vancouver I guess it can be accepted but it is far from an inspiring design. If the games were in Edmonton would the leaf be embossed with an Oil Rig and a picture of the West Edmonton Mall?? I just hope this is not a keeper going forward. The old jerseys with the Hockey Canada Logo were cool and recognizable and hopefully will continue with all other International events like the World Juniors. Speaking of that the Hockey Canada Logo is still there on the shoulder, I thought that the problem was that they couldn’t use that logo at the Olympics and although not prominent it is still there... Riddle me that Batman.

My hope is that any of the other apparel for the Vancouver Olympics that HBC will have will be better then the Hockey Jerseys are.