From Russia with Tears

Russia suffered the worst result in the history of the championship hockey when Canada defeated Russia 7-3 in the quarterfinal match on Wed. It is the first time in 50 years that the Canadians have beaten the Russians: at the 1960 Olympics, Canada prevailed over the USSR 8-5.

The huge loss has been a bit overwhelming and for some, humiliating. According to the Russian press, the explanation for the loss: the Canadians were better prepared, goaltender Evgeni Nabokov was half asleep in net, and Nabokov’s teammates played like children. “The hockey players are to blame,” said Russia Olympic Committee spokesman Gennady Shvets reports BFM.ru.

After the game, Russia’s head coach Vyacheslav Bykov and general manager Vladislav Tretiak dined at the Russia House in Vancouver. Bykov reportedly maintained a serene expression on his face, but with a fixed gazed. Tretiak expressed deep disappointment with the result of the game, but remarked that “If we keep criticizing the team, who will want to play for it?

According to Korrespondent.net, Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin, who was held scoreless in the game, pointed out: “Do not judge out team on one game: we are still strong. I do not think the Canadians are stronger than us.”

In Canada vs. Russia: Battle of Opinions, the article criticizes the way some newspapers reported on the game. The article essentially argues that, win or lose, this is sport, it should be looked at with calm and understanding that one team can’t win all the time. (The article also says that words like “humiliation” and “fail” are not acceptable in reviews unless it’s about some hockey giant’s loss, and apparently the author doesn’t consider Russia to be one).

Another opinion in the article says that millions of fans in Russia spent a sleepless night (knowing that they would have to go to work in the morning) only to see this ridiculous disappointment. Bykov’s approach for being too democratic is criticized; he should have been tougher with the guys in order to make them a team, and that a bunch of individual super stars were unable to create a constellation.

Hockey was Russia’s last hope at these Olympics, but the quarterfinal game with Canada was the worst disappointment. The author thinks that if the players receive enough criticism, then hopefully in 2014 we won’t see the same result.

When the Games End, Let Olympics Commemoration Begin

Memorabilia will be released in a few months to commemorate the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

2010 Winter Olympics and A Path of Northern Lights will be released in April. 2010 Winter Olympics is a DVD with highlights of NBC’s coverage of the games, including the opening ceremonies and behind-the-scenes footage. A Path of Northern Lights relieves the torch relays of the Olympics in English and French.

For release in June, the bilingual edition of With Glowing Hearts is the official commemorative book for both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Available now is Complete Book of the 2010 Olympics, which offers a wealth of Winter Olympic history.

Simple Resolution for NHL about 2014 Olympics

The NHL suspended the season for two weeks for 135 NHL players to participate in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In a news conference with IIHF President Rene Fasel, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman remains indecisive whether the NHL will continue to participate in the Olympics Games looking forward to 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin has been vocal about jumping ship to Sochi should Bettman resolve to end the NHL’s participation in the Olympics. Other players might contemplate following suit.

With the season put on ice for two full weeks, the NHL does not profit financially from its participation, but the break allows professional athletes the exciting opportunity to represent their country in a world tournament.

A simple resolution that could appease the NHL, IIHF, and the players is to allow the players to participate in the Olympics without suspending the season. To reconcile the loan, the NHL can allow the teams to recall players from their minor leagues affiliates.

The Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, and New York Islanders would not have been especially affected if the season continued during the 2010 Winter Olympics since they simply lost 1-2 players. In contrast, the Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red Wings, and San Jose Sharks loaned the Games a handful of their players, and consequently would struggle to fill the void.

Justifiably it will certainly be difficult for the Ducks who do not have an AHL affiliate, or for teams that share ECHL affiliates, such as the Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, but coaches have been known work magic to fill the rosters.

If the NHL resolves the player shortage during the Olympics, then the league will need to work out television coverage. The NHL has a partnership with NBC, which has held rights to televise the Olympics since 2000. If NBC bids for U.S. rights to televise the 2014 Olympics, then the NHL must sort out coverage from the television network. Moreover, the NHL will have to contend with competing with the Olympics for North American viewers.

In the end, it could be a win-win situation for the NHL, IIHF, and the players.

Women’s Team USA Hockey Impressive at Olympics

Those that once believed that women can’t play hockey have been proven incredibly wrong by Team USA: Jenny Potter has registered two hat tricks so far in the tournament; former Olympian-turned-Olympics commentator Cammi Granato equated a goal in the game against Finland as Ovechkin-like; Jocelyne Lamoureux’s backhanded pass between the legs goal against China was a work of genius; Jessie Vetter shut out Russia and Finland; and Angela Ruggiero has been fairly strong defensively.

Whereas body checking is allowed and cherished in men’s hockey, no body checking is allowed in women’s hockey—physical contacted is permitted—women’s hockey has as much excitement as men’s hockey when the women make great offensive plays and play competitively hard-hitting as Team USA has played in their last three games.

Goaltenders Stand Out in Olympic Men’s Hockey

As yet in the Olympics, the goaltenders have played reasonably well including the non-NHL goaltenders. NHL’s Ryan Miller (USA) limited Switzerland and Norway to one goal, and Roberto Luongo (Canada) shut out Norway and Henrik Lundqvist shut out Germany; non-NHL Edgars Masalskis (Latvia) and Vitali Koval (Belarus) in general both fared well when contended with 45 shots on goal from Russia and Finland respectively.

The masked man have remained fairly focused, especially those that have not had to see much action—Miikka Kiprusoff (Finland) faced only 12 shots on goal the entire game against Belarus, and Miller faced made eight of nine saves against the Norwegians.

The only player who plays the entire game, the netminder has the greatest influence on the outcome. “As a goalie you have a lot of influence and your performance is one of the key points in that success,” said Jonas Hiller, goaltender for the Anaheim Ducks and the Swiss Olympic team

Capitals Season Ticket Holders Brace for Increased Prices

The 2010-11 season ticket renewal packets have begun to arrive in the in-boxes and mailboxes for Washington Capitals season ticket holders. Naturally success on the ice has equated into higher ticket prices, but the steep ticket prices have caused for some extreme sticker shock.

In this weakened economy, some fans face a difficult decision whether to renew their season tickets, as they will be forced to dig deeper and deeper into their bank account.

While invariably considered a bargain, Capitals tickets have increased upwards of about 10-33 percent. As studies compared league prices, the Capitals increased ticket prices to seemingly a financial appropriate level in comparison to the league. For instance, in the 400-level (mezzanine) seats, prices increased $6-11 per ticket. Tickets in 414 are 87.5 percent less than in comparably the same section in Philadelphia. The team still ranks in the bottom third in ticket pricing.

The average ticket cost $44.75 in 2009-10, an increase of more than 7.4 percent over the previous season, according to the NHL Fan Cost Index.

The franchise had a club-record 29 sellouts during the regular season last year, more than triple the total from the previous year. For a so-called non-hockey town, the Capitals have become the hottest ticket in the District, prompting sellout after sellout, and increased ticket prices.

NBC Disappoints U.S. Olympic Hockey Viewership

The NBC coverage of Olympic hockey has outraged U.S. viewers.

Notwithstanding a NHL-NBC partnership, during the Sweden-Germany men’s hockey game, the network switched coverage to Switzerland-United States men’s curling then eventually aired the rest of the hockey game. There was no stoppage in play so fans missed precious minutes of the first period.

The U.S. viewership has been on the losing end of NBC’s Olympic coverage or lack thereof.

Fans can voice their disappointment with NBC’s treatment of hockey to @NBCOlympics and @NBCOHockey or email nbcolympicsfeedback@nbcuni.com.

Poor Goaltender Turned Folk Hero Bank Robber

Julian Rubinstein, a former SI reporter, writes a great crime story, recording the remarkable true-life saga of Attila Ambrus, a Transylvanian-born jack-of-all-trades turned thief in Ballad of the Whiskey Robber.

Nicknamed the Whiskey Robber, Ambrus led the Hungarian police force on massive manhunts after pocketing $840,000 in 29 robberies. He taunted law enforcement while evading capture for several years. After his first escape from jail, he eluded police for 109 days before being re-captured then sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security prison (his sentence was subsequently extended by two years in 2002).

Rubenstein paints a fascinatingly vivid story of Ambrus’s life in the Eastern bloc against the backdrop of post-Cold War Hungary and Romania in Ballad. Ambrus fled Romania to find a better life in Hungary, but after a dismal career as a professional hockey player, to make ends meet the penniless Ambrus committed a string of robberies of post offices, travel agencies, and banks to pay for a lavish lifestyle of luxury cars, gambling, drinking, and the occasional prostitute.

Ambrus’s career as a goaltender conceivably prepared him for a career as a bank robber, but while he was a cunning criminal, Ambrus is the worst goaltender in history, even worse than Ken McAuley and Brian Ford. In a single game, he gave up 23 goals, and on average he allowed 17.6 goals per game.

An absolute must-read, Rubinstein’s surreal account of Ambrus seems straight out of Hollywood—Johnny Depp and Warner Bros. purchased the film rights to Ballad of the Whiskey Robber—and is worthy of appearing on the big screen.

Photo courtesy of Julian Rubinstein

Capitals Look to Move Forward to New Streak

The Montreal Canadiens snapped the Washington Capitals’ 14-game winning streak at Bell Centre on Feb. 10.

Caps fans, suffering from cabin fever owing to #snovechkin, watched in agony as the Capitals came back from a deficit only to fall short in overtime.

The champions waged war after Alex Ovechkin’s controversial disallowed goal, but in the end the streak drew to a close notwithstanding relief goaltender Jose Theodore made incredible saves.

Brooks Laich had a noteworthy game, and “I hope his pride for what he’s done isn’t diminished by the loss,” reads Hockey Night in Baltimore.

The Capitals will face the Ottawa Senators tonight, a fresh start to start a new streak. The failure—the defeat—is an opportunity to re-examine the team’s commitment to winning.

The overtime loss is merely a detour, and it is expected that Bruce Boudreau hit an emotional nerve in the locker room after the game that will re-direct the Capitals to start the birth of a new streak leading into the Olympic break. Failure isn’t permanent, and with any luck the team will learn from the game against the Canadiens to move forward.

Hockey Wives Work, Too

Harold Macmillian said, “No man succeeds without a good woman behind him.”

Incessantly in the background, hockey wives, and other professional sports wives, will be recognized today on Pro Sports Wives Day.

Hockey wives live in the shadow of the NHL, contending with marital issues in the media, and raising kids practically on their own while the father travels the country—not as scandalous as the television series portrayed.

Most importantly, their own careers take a backseat in order to be with their husbands as loyal and devoted supporters of his career and because the wives are constantly on stand-by, like military wives, should their husbands be traded or assigned.

A hockey wife, writing anonymously under the pseudonym Hockey Wife, chronicles her trials and tribulations as a young hockey wife in The Life of a Hockey Wife.

Stacy Dallman and Cristina Mink are hockey wives, who found it hard to maintain a linear career while married to professional athletes. Stacy and Cristina started their own at-home businesses—Paci Plushies and BellaMink—as a compromise that offers flexibility to devote quality family time and earn an income.

Frequent or indeterminate moves present challenges to hockey wives in maintaining careers. In response to this problem, Dallman and Mink found solutions that do not in any way impinge upon their place alongside their athlete husbands.

Capitals’ Streak Ends at 14, Laich Earns First Hat Trick

The Washington Capitals’ winning streak ended in Montreal. The Montreal Canadiens put an end to the 14-game win streak, defeating the Capitals 6-5 in overtime.

Capitals forward Brooks Laich tallied his first hat trick. He earned the second star of the game. On Nov. 19, 2005, Laich registered his first NHL hat trick against the Canadiens.

Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges received a slapshot by Capitals defenseman Mike Green to the left side of his head with 10.9 seconds remaining in the first period. Gorges laid face down on the ice motionless for several moments before he left under his own power. He was not taken to hospital, but did not return.

Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore relieved Michal Neuvirth at 6:11 into the second with the score tied at 2. Neuvirth exited the ice during a commercial break and is listed day-to-day with a minor injury, but could play tomorrow.

Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin had a goal waved off 14:10 into the second. Ovechkin plowed Canadiens defenseman Hal Gill into Carey Price as the puck slid into the net. Initially ruled a goal, the on-ice officials reversed their decision, waving off the goal.

The Capitals face the Ottawa Senators and St. Louis Blues leading into the Olympic break.

Capitals Know How to Win

The Washington Capitals played one of their most dynamic games, against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Super Bowl Sunday. About 15,000 fans trekked out into #snovechkin2 (one trekker’s story) to witness the Capitals win their 14th straight game—a new franchise record—and Alex Ovechkin earn his ninth hat trick, the first of the year.

The Capitals’ continued commitment to winning by a well-built team that is focused and disciplined explains their winning streak; and the team looks to continue its winning streak, achievable as long as the team does not become complacent or overconfident. In the words of Olympian Carl Lewis, “If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.”

The Capitals will be on the road leading to the Olympic break; their first game immediately is Mar. 3 against the Buffalo Sabres.

The NHL will suspend its season for two weeks for the Olympics and five Capitals players will go to represent their home countries. With any luck, the team’s talents, skills, and bag of tricks will remain resilient, especially for those on a two-week vacation.

On the Ice and In the Closet

A 17-year-old high school hockey player knows all too well the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in hockey.

Hidden behind a pseudonym, “Mikey” chronicles his double life and his internal strife in a gay hockey kids life. He divulges himself to some extent in the blog, much more so than he can at home or on the ice, although names have been changed and details kept vague: “u know i say sorta be honest up there cause the weird thing is that i hate that my whole life is sorta a lie,” he writes in his teen-speak shorthand reponding to an e-mail interview.

“Mikey” has been grappling with issues: wrestling with his sexuality and living a gay and a straight life off and on the ice, concealing his sexual identity from his family and his teammates.

“Mikey” came out to his preteen brother and his best friend, but it is doubtful that the high school junior will reveal yet his secret to his teammates, much less his older brother or his father, for fear that he would be ridiculed. “i would never tell my older bro cause hed tell my dad n would make fun of me n give me more crap than he does. … him knowin im gay would be like this huge weapon gainst me ... hed freak if he found out n would proly wanna kick me outta the house.”

The current climate permeating the rink and locker rooms makes it relatively difficult for gay hockey players like Mikey to open up about their sexuality; on average, athletes remain in the closet until retirement, which is “Mikey”’s strategy for fear that coming out would hurt his chances at obtaining a collegiate hockey scholarship or becoming a professional player.
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke’s late son Brendan Burke* opened up about his homosexuality in Nov. 2009. While the elder Burke loved and accepted his openly gay son, time will tell whether this public declaration will open doors for other hockey players to come out of the closet. Nonetheless, “Mikey” doesn’t think the NHL is ready for such surprises. “i dont think it is ready. i mean i think hockeys gonna be the last to be ready cause its so bout tradition and manliness….”

Sports are an expression of both physical ability and masculinity, and these qualities are called into question whenever an athlete comes out. “u know part of me wants to be out n tell some of these kids who think there tough who i take down each game hey a gay kid put u on the ice ... i think of that every game.”

“Mikey” thinks that if a NHL player decides to be openly gay “…its gonna have to be some superstar who comes out cause if its like a 3rd string grinder dude there gonna be like yea but hes not that good hes not a star or nething proly cause hes gay.”

Moreover, professional sports are perceived as homophobic as gay slurs, the venomous symbols of hurt and bigotry—“faggot,” “homo,” “queer”—are commonly hurled at fans and players, and fired off in the locker room as the slang of choice. “u know like the biggest put down u hear all the time n i know its like this in the nhl is stop bein such a fag when someone doesnt take a hit or wimps outta somethin. so i cant see bein accepted in that kinda world for along time.”

Like gay soldiers under DADT, the acceptance of gay athletes has been contingent on their silence about their sexuality. Athletes suppress their homosexuality and evidently self loathe by “acting straight” to blend in. Because of trailblazers like Brendan Burke, in due course homosexuals will hopefully be able to shed this charade and be accepted by their teammates as openly gay athletes.

*Our condolences to the Burke family on the tragic death of Brendan Burke on Feb. 5, 2010.
“Mikey” is a fraud: “The Gay Teen Hockey Player Blogger Who Wasn’t”

Boudreau Shares His Experience in “Gabby”

Bruce Boudreau and Tim Leone let fans experience Boudreau’s Cinderella story in an autobiography, Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer, released in Oct. 2009.

In Gabby, Boudreau chronicles his journey from being on the bench to accomplishing his dream of being behind the bench in the NHL, and the consequential so-called “Boudreau Effect.”

Boudreau’s autobiography is a candid narrative, guiding the reader through a three-decade history of a persistent minor hockey league player who became the Colombo of coaching.

Boudreau and Leone capture Boudreau’s own voice for 201 pages, conveying the sense that Boudreau is reading the book to you, dropping knowledge and pearls of wisdom, spewing witty wisecracks at those that dismissed him, and revealing run-ins with the cops on ice.

Boudreau proves that hockey is a small world, which comes full circle when he finally arrives in the NHL to coach the Washington Capitals—Boudreau reconnects with old friends, teammates, and former players, and even stomachs verbal abuse from a former player, hockey’s infamous problem child.

Straddling a line between inspirational and touching, Gabby is Boudreau at his most witty and talkative self.

Photo credit: Kelly J. Stoner (Gabby book signing, Oct. 2009)

Mother Nature Drenches Team’s Hope for Golden Shovel

Rain and mild temperatures forced the commissioner to postpone the playoffs of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championship on Lake Nokomis, MN until Jan. 30.

Pond Hockey features the on-ice action of the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

The three-day tournament started Jan. 22, but the temperature had risen to about 35 degrees and heavy rain fell, flooding the rinks, forcing hockey players from across the country to chase the puck in inches of water. “It was the worst thing ever. It could barely be recognized as hockey,” said Bob DeGemmis of team Villanova Hockey Alumni.

Team VU Alumni, competing in the tournament for the third year, went 4-0 in the round robin and made the playoff round of 32 out of 160 in the open division before the tournament was suspended.

The day after teams had departed Lake Nokomis, Mother Nature dropped the temperature back down to 10 degrees, allowing the organizers to resume the playoff round Saturday.

Alas, Team VU Alumni couldn’t pull together a team—which had comprised players from CT, DC, MN, MT, and VA (and one teammate and his wife are credited in Pond Hockey)—to compete in the playoff round for the coveted Golden Shovel. “So sad since we were the #8 seed and had a bye in the first game,” said DeGemmis.

Photos credits: "the Shovel" courtesy of Bob DeGemmis; team photo by Kristen Gundling.