Jovorock
02-26-2006, 01:10 PM
After listening to Blob McKenzie, TSN and SportNet idiots, finally a media guy gets the story right. All these guys had Canada losing was the end of the world, a loss of "epic proporsitions"
http://kelownacapnews.com/ then click on Feb24th sports for a direct link.
Significance of Canadian hockey loss at the Olympics is overblown
By WARREN
HEnderson
Feb 24 2006
For those of you who are still suffering from the indignity of Canada's early exit from men's hockey at the Olympic Games, please remember one thing: It's just a game.
Yes, it's true, hockey is part of the very fabric that makes up our country, it helps to define our national identity, and it's our collective passion.
But to compare Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Russians to some sort of human or national catastrophe is ridiculous beyond words.
Following the game, an analyst on one of our country's TV sports networks described the defeat as "an epic disaster" and a "colossal failure."
When I think of epic disasters, I think of the tsunami in southeast Asia in 2004 that killed more than 300,000 people. I don't think of hockey.
When I think of colossal failures, I think of the U.S. government's inability to care for its own people in the aftermath of the devastating flood last year in New Orleans.
I don't think of hockey.
But in Canadian culture, we feel the need to somehow be melodramatic about the implications of not winning a particular hockey game or, more specifically, a medal at the Olympics.
I love hockey as much as the next red-blooded Canuck. I grew up skating outdoors on sloughs and creeks, played dozens of games in tiny rinks on the Prairies in -25 degree weather, and faithfully watched Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night.
I celebrated Paul Henderson's game winning goal in 1972 in the Canada-Russia summit series, Mario Lemiuex's deciding goal in the 1987 Canada Cup, and Joe Sakic's gold medal-clinching marker against the Americans at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
They will all stand as classic moments in Canadian hockey history.
And, rest assured, there will be more to come.
But to lose sleep or feel great anxiety over the events of the last week in Italy, doesn't make much sense.
Hockey is meant to entertain us, not to bring us misery.
There's no shame in losing to a team with the likes of Ovechkin, Kovalchuk and Kovalev. Or to the Finns, another nation where the passion for hockey is abundant.
Canada simply didn't play well. End of story. Let's move on.
Contrary to the old myth, hockey does not belong to Canada alone. It's a global sport with global appeal that many other countries have learned how to play, and play very well.
So, like the rider who has fallen off his mount, Canadian hockey needs to pick itself up, dust itself off and get back on the horse.
Let's be ready for 2010. But let's at least enjoy the ride there.
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com
http://kelownacapnews.com/ then click on Feb24th sports for a direct link.
Significance of Canadian hockey loss at the Olympics is overblown
By WARREN
HEnderson
Feb 24 2006
For those of you who are still suffering from the indignity of Canada's early exit from men's hockey at the Olympic Games, please remember one thing: It's just a game.
Yes, it's true, hockey is part of the very fabric that makes up our country, it helps to define our national identity, and it's our collective passion.
But to compare Wednesday's 2-0 loss to the Russians to some sort of human or national catastrophe is ridiculous beyond words.
Following the game, an analyst on one of our country's TV sports networks described the defeat as "an epic disaster" and a "colossal failure."
When I think of epic disasters, I think of the tsunami in southeast Asia in 2004 that killed more than 300,000 people. I don't think of hockey.
When I think of colossal failures, I think of the U.S. government's inability to care for its own people in the aftermath of the devastating flood last year in New Orleans.
I don't think of hockey.
But in Canadian culture, we feel the need to somehow be melodramatic about the implications of not winning a particular hockey game or, more specifically, a medal at the Olympics.
I love hockey as much as the next red-blooded Canuck. I grew up skating outdoors on sloughs and creeks, played dozens of games in tiny rinks on the Prairies in -25 degree weather, and faithfully watched Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night.
I celebrated Paul Henderson's game winning goal in 1972 in the Canada-Russia summit series, Mario Lemiuex's deciding goal in the 1987 Canada Cup, and Joe Sakic's gold medal-clinching marker against the Americans at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
They will all stand as classic moments in Canadian hockey history.
And, rest assured, there will be more to come.
But to lose sleep or feel great anxiety over the events of the last week in Italy, doesn't make much sense.
Hockey is meant to entertain us, not to bring us misery.
There's no shame in losing to a team with the likes of Ovechkin, Kovalchuk and Kovalev. Or to the Finns, another nation where the passion for hockey is abundant.
Canada simply didn't play well. End of story. Let's move on.
Contrary to the old myth, hockey does not belong to Canada alone. It's a global sport with global appeal that many other countries have learned how to play, and play very well.
So, like the rider who has fallen off his mount, Canadian hockey needs to pick itself up, dust itself off and get back on the horse.
Let's be ready for 2010. But let's at least enjoy the ride there.
whenderson@kelownacapnews.com