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Mon 13 Feb, 2006 05:06 pm
So, like, the Canajuns play football, just like the 'Mericans . . . yeah, they got three downs to make ten yards, which makes the passing game more important (witness Warren Moon), and their field is ten yards longer--but its basically the same game. They got basketball--Hell, and Canajun invented it. They play baseball, too--and not just a couple of major league teams thrown north across the border, i take the dogs for long walks, and i let them off the leash to run on the baseball diamonds (plural) behind the hockey rink a few blocks away.
Ah, but that last sport--hockey. They think they own it. Now, not unnaturally, the Canajuns expect to do well in the Winter Olympics. And, of course, the consider themselves, in a completely reasonable manner, to always be contenders for the gold in hockey.
But now they're gettin' nervous. Why? Because there's a sudden, unexpected threat on the Olympic horizon? No, because it's gotten too easy. The Canadian Women's team plastered the Italians. The Italians were in the competition because they're the host nation, and get an automatic berth. No one really expected much from the Italian women, although their goalie was surprisingly tough (kinda hard, though, with that many shots on goal--she must have wondered where the rest of her team was). The Canajun women beat the Italians sixteen-zip . . . that's right 16-0.
But then they played the Russians, and beat them 12-0. Now, Italian girls, you don't expect them to grow up with skates on their feet--but the Russians ? ! ? ! ? You can hear in the the voices of the Canajun sports commentators--they're starting to feel jinxed. No one was really surprised at a the whitewash of the Italians, but the Russians. Pride goeth before a fall, or so it seems to the Canajuns--this is making them distinctly nervous . . .
Is curling an Olympic sport? The Canadians would do well there, too. More power to 'em...
(Have to admit, I don't really follow the Winter Olympics.)
[Revised the next day] Yes, curling is an Olympic sport!
Yes, it is, Boss . . . and, of course, the Canajuns expect to do well with it. It was interesting today to hear sports commentators on CBC discussing the broadcast and print media discussion of this topic--people are now claiming that the women are piling on the goals (after playing Sweden, an 8-1 win, they are 36-1 against their opponents), and that it is ill-mannered to do so. Now there's a typical Canajun reaction. Of course, there are plenty of commentators and "man on the street" interviews to suggest that they should get every damned goal they can.
Can you imagine that sort of debate about an American team?
USA!
USA!!
USA!!!
I've heard calls for the removal of women's ice hockey as an Olympic
event. The whole thing is just a yawner till the North Americans face off
against each other.
Watch out for the Finns, though. Give them a little time and they're going
to be a threat.
George wrote:I've heard calls for the removal of women's ice hockey as an Olympic event. The whole thing is just a yawner till the North Americans face off against each other.
There was a story in yesterday's USA Today paper that pretty much was saying the same thing - Olympic Women's hockey is pretty much a Canada vs. US thing. The other country's that have teams are pretty much there for fluff right now.
The hope is that long term the other teams will improve and be more competitive. Apparently the same sort of thing happened with Men's hockey back in the 1920s and 30s.
Remember when the men's basketball team won every game for years--and that was before NBA players got involved.
USA women's hockey team didn't do too well today. They'll be in the bronze medal round. Now it's up to the Canada/Finland game to see who'll be in the gold medal round.
Well, sonofagun, the Finns and the Swedes may just have saved women's
hockey as an Olympic event. Too bad (from my Yankee perspective) the
USA women had to be the ones to prove it.
More humiliation: Lindsey Jacobellis had a big lead in the women's
snowboard cross and then apparently hot-dogged it on the penultimate
jump and fell. The second place rider blew by her for the gold.
The Canajun women continue to romp. It was a good game at the start. Canada hit Finnland for two goals in the first period, both on power plays. Then the Finns hung tough for most of the second period, until Canada scored again near the end of the period. It became a blow-out by the end of the third period, when it looks as though the Finnish coaches took the A-team out to save up for the bronze medal game with the U S of A.
The Canadians beat the Swedes 8-1, early on--but the Swedes didn't have their best goalie in the net (Martin? I disremember her name), and they are the only team who have scored on them. The gold medal game will pit the Canadian steamroller against the Surprising Swedes, the only team to score on them, and the spoilers for American hopes.
A CBC commentator said that when she went to the American locker room, it looked like many of the team had been crying. She said the coach told her that now he had to get them mentally prepared for the bronze medal game--he guessed, he'd never been in that situation before. It's always been Canada and the US in the final.
Slovaks beat the Ruskes! Men. Ice hockey, but of course. What else would I be talking about. That makes the whole Olympics worthwhile even if we lose in everything else from now on.
In 1968, after the "Prague Spring," the Russians faced the Czechoslovaks in water polo in the Olympics. I believe the Czechs and Slovaks won, although i may be wrong. The water in the pool turned pink, though . . .
That wasn't the only bloodshed, Set. In 1968, or was it 1969? Probably 1969, for it was after the Prague Spring, Czechoslovakia beat Soviet Union in ice hockey - and ice hockey is the most popular sport over there still. Well, soccer too I guess, but we do better in ice hockey. It was pure madness in the whole country.
Many, many moons ago, one of the US "Big Three" networks had a "background" show on the winter olympics (maybe ABC Wide World of Sports?)--which used to be held in the same year as the summer olympics. They did a piece on the Czechs and hockey--they talked to one old guy who used to coach the Czecho-Slovak team, and all he talked about was that every Czech and Slovak boy's ambition was to play, to beat and to humiliate the Ruskis . . . and everytime he said "Ruske," he turned and spat on the snow . . .
you can still see that in many a czech or a slovak pub, especially during the world championship season :-)
And now, the Swiss have beaten the Canadian men 2-0. The Swiss had three NHL players (including a first-class goalies), and the rest were club players. The Canadians were, of course, NHL players to a man.
Gerber was just incredible, especially in the third.
and now the Canadian women have the gold medal for hockey
~~~~
hopefully the men's team can still learn something about how to play and how to want to win
....and slovaks beat the U.S. team...
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