Yes, men's hockey fans. No Olympic gold this time for Canada. Does one win (in 2002) constitute a dynasty? I guess not. By the way, the American team didn't fare any better. They also got eliminated in the quarterfinals.
As a side note, Canada didn't do too well in the preliminary round robin either. I can understand losing to the Czechs or the Fins, but the Swiss?!?!!?!?! Not exactly known as a powerhouse in world hockey circles. What about the Americans? Latvia tied them in round robin play! It was Latvia's only point in the whole competition!
You can use all the usual sports cliches to explain this development:
"They didn't put the puck in the net."
"They didn't go on the ice and make a game of it."
"Their defence wasn't as good as their offence."
"When the game was over, it's what was on the scoreboard that mattered."
...etc ad nauseum.
A lot of fans are asking, why did this happen? Who do we blame? And how do we not let this happen again, especially since the next winter Olympics in 2010 will be on Canadian home turf in Vancouver?
There are a lot of theories and comments out there, some of which include:
1. Players were overconfident.
2. Players didn't have enough preparation time before the Olympics, with the NHL shutting down just a few days before the players went to Torino.
3. Players were suffering from jet lag.
4. Not enough young players.
5. The team was suffering from FOG: Friends of Gretzky.
Here are my answers to those comments:
1. I believe that. We kept hearing players say "wait and see" when answering questions about their lacklustre performance. Maybe the money they make from their professional salaries went to their heads. Or maybe their hands and feet weren't doing what their brains were telling them to do.
2. I agree with that. Before professionals were allowed to compete, we had national amateur teams that played together year round, in order to prepare. Throwing together a bunch a players from different teams, used to different coaches and styles, does not a team make. The best Pat Quinn could do was work on the basics. Obviously, a little too basic.
3. Jet lag? I doubt it. I can understand that being a good reason during the first few games, BUT the last game against Russia was well into the competition AND it was an afternoon (in North America) game.
4. Not enough young players? There's a good reason. A team needs the youth and vigour of young players to keep up with the speed of the Europeans. There's a lot of talk now why Crosby was not on the team. Yes, you need some veterans to bring their leadership and experience with them, but you need some young guys to do the grunt work.
5. The FOG phenomenon? That's another good reason. Just because you're in his inner circle, doesn't mean you should automatically go to the Olympics. I'm also guessing that picking Bertuzzi, with all the controversy surrounding him, contributed to a morale problem. And the whole Gretzky betting thing didn't help either.
Sooooo...what do we do for the next Olympics on home turf? No jet lag excuses. A national team? Not likely to happen, given most people's argument that NHL players are the best of the best. Is Gretzky not as good a manager as he was a player? Was 2002 just a fluke? In Canada, that would amount to heresy and you would be stoned, ...er... pucked to death by people taking slaphots at your head. But maybe, just maybe, he should expand his horizons a little.
No. Let's lay this one on Gary Bettman. Yeah, that's right, Bettman. Why? He shut down the league just a few days before the players were to go to the Olympics. Not a lot of time to practice. Not a lot of time to get over jet lag. Not a lot of time for anything. Why did he leave it to the last minute? Money! He wouldn't be able to significantly extend the season, since even without the Olympics, conceivably the final Stanley Cup game would be played well into June. That means during the Olympic shut down, no butts in the stands, and more importantly, no TV revenue.
But "Wings", there are NHL players on the other national teams that are going to the medal round. Yes, that's true. And yes, they also faced the jet lag phenomenon. But I'm guessing these teams had players working together a lot longer than the North American teams. AND the NHL players that joined them added some depth, expertise, and leadership to the teams.
Hey Bettman! You want to bring Olympic gold to North America? Shut the league down for two weeks before the Olympics start!!! Let the players get together with their coaches. Give the coaches time to assess who plays well with whom so they can make up the best lines, and give the players time to get used to their linemates' playing styles. Maybe then we can have a hockey dynasty in North America.
Wouldn't it be nice for the Canadian and American teams to bring home Olympic medals every four years? Works for me. Heck, it won't be so bad if Canada doesn't receive gold every time, as long as they mine something. The Canadian women's team was able to do it, why can't the men? Don't forget, when the Americans win gold in the Olympics, it's a "Miracle On Ice." They make a movie about it and it becomes the stuff of legends. But for Canada? It's OUR game! It's expected of us. To not win feeds our humbleness and people quietly wimper 'next time.' But to win feeds our national pride. We are all Canadians, even if for only a fleeting moment. We need that, even if it's only every four years.
Mr. Bettman, put your wallet aside and do what's right for the game in North America, nay for our collective national pride (Canadian and American). Shut the league down for two weeks before the Olympics so that the Canadian and American teams have time to prepare. Besides, the players that don't go will have a nice mid-season rest, ready to come back to the NHL schedule all fired up. If not physically, at least with a sense of pride that their team won an Olympic medal.
Watta ya say Gary? Are YOU game?
Wings Over The World
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