Canadian Men’s Hockey Team Represented the Spirit of the Olympics
Sure, they didn’t win Gold or Silver, or even Bronze. But I was proud of the Canadian Men’s Hockey Team.
- They stayed in the Olympic Village with the other competitors, even the ones who didn’t make six figure salaries.
- They played selflessly, with heart and determination, and they played well.
- They simply got beat by teams that were a tiny bit better than they were.
- They made no excuses, and blamed no one but themselves for those heart-breaking defeats.
- They showed up at other Olympic events to cheer on other Canadian athletes.
- They played good, clean, skate-pass-shoot hockey: showing the sport at its best.
Why didn’t they win? It’s hard to fault Clarke, Gainey, or Crawford. They chose solid, two-way players, and those players generally performed up to expectations. The one deficiency in this line-up was players with a deft touch around the net… like Kariya and Sakic(!). Gretzky played well, but he’s not 25 anymore. Lindros also played well, but he’s not a finesse player. Once they knew Kariya was in doubt, I wonder if they shouldn’t have added Vincent Damphousse or someone else with a deft touch around the net. But, again, I’m not quibbling. The team was well-chosen. Unfortunately, I think Canadians simply have to face the fact that the rest of the world has caught up to us and we are no longer the dominant hockey power. We were close– the games were thrilling– but we’re going to have to work hard and develop new talent if we hope to ever reclaim the World Championship or the Olympic Gold Medal.