Looking at the bigger picture

It is often said that, in team sports, bronze is better than silver because you have to win to get bronze, whereas you lose to get silver. I’m sure Team Canada would agree with that thought today after losing the World Championships in overtime.

It is certainly a tough pill to swallow. The 2008 Team Canada was said to be one of the strongest teams Canada has sent to the World Championships. In over 540 minutes of hockey, Canada trailed for less than 3 minutes. Dany Heatley set a number of modern day Canadian records, and half of the tournament’s top scorers wore the maple leaf. At the end of the day, though, they will have to settle for second best.

The pain on their faces was heartbreaking. You can hear the emotion in their voices as they talk about their failure.

But can this tournament really be considered a failure for Canada?

Sure, the mentality in this country is that, when it comes to hockey, it’s gold or nothing. However, you have to look at the bigger picture and the bigger prize – Vancouver 2010.

Although the end result of the 2008 World Championships did not favour Canada, it’s hard to deny that things look good for the 2010 Olympics. With the pressure of having the Olympics on home soil, this tournament gave Team Canada a small taste of what it will be like in 2010.

The World Championships is not usually high on the radar of most hockey-loving Canadians this time of year, since the NHL playoffs are in full force, but having the tournament in Canada and having all Canadian teams eliminated from the playoffs certainly made a lot of people pay attention.

You could argue that this World Championship team will not be the same team sent to Vancouver and there is certainly some merit in that argument, but the dominant play of this team at this tournament would lead me to believe that a lot of them will get the call. It has been said all tournament long that this was an audition for 2010, and a number of players played their way onto that team. Barring injury, I would fully expect Mike Green and Brent Burns to play again for the red and white. It is also a given that Dany Heatley, Rick Nash and Ryan Getzlaf will form Canada’s top line in 2010. And how about Jason Spezza on the checking/energy line? This tournament has allowed Hockey Canada to see how players adjust to a new system and to new linemates. A Sidney Crosby-Joe Thornton-Jarome Iginla line has been talked about for 2010, but no one really knows if it could work; we know that Heatley-Nash-Getzlaf works.

We also need to consider international rankings. Hockey nations are ranked according to their performances at international events, and the rankings at the conclusion of this tournament are going to be used for 2010. Since Canada did so well, and Sweden lost in their bronze medal game, Canada took over the number 1 spot in the world. This means that Canada will play in the first group at the Olympics with the 6th, 7th and 12th seeded teams – which, in theory, should make it easier for Team Canada.

So although this loss hurts to players and fans alike, we should all be proud of what has transpired at the 2008 World Championships. Lessons will be learned and taken to Vancouver in two years, where the ultimate prize will be up for grabs.

Few people remember Canada’s gold medal performance at Worlds in 2004, but we all remember the team that won in Salt Lake City.

I’ll take Olympic gold over a World Championship any day.

Canada will win gold in Vancouver

Twenty-four months. That's how long it is until the Vancouver Olympic Games. I get more excited by the day.

I found this CTV article by Michael Stittle this morning, a little advertising for tomorrow's Olympic special "Olympic Journey: Calgary to Vancouver", airing tomorrow night on TSN.

Twenty years after the Calgary Winter Games, Canada is haunted by an
embarrassing fact -- it's the only country to have hosted the Olympics twice
without winning a gold medal.

But athletes should bring in a record haul in Vancouver, says CTV Olympic
Host Brian Williams.

"In the past, Canadians were content to show up and then that was good
enough. Showing up is not good enough," Williams told CTV.ca.

"This is not an intramural activity. They're on the world stage. I'm
not saying they all have to win medals, but you must show up and do your best."

Canada won 24 medals in Turin, the most ever captured at the Winter Games.
Sixteen of those medals were won by women like speed skater Cindy Klassen,
arguably won of the finest athletes the country has ever produced.

Williams said the Own the Podium program, launched in 2005, has
contributed greatly towards the growing success of Canada's amateur athletes. It
gives them much-needed support in terms of doctors, physiotherapists and
equipment specialists.

[...]

"I will tell you that as I travel across this country, Canadian
athletes are not intimidated by the pressure," said Williams. "In fact, they're
looking forward to it, they're thriving under it, and they're all talking about
who will be the first Canadian athlete to hear 'O Canada' on Canadian soil."

[...]

Stories of passion, of trying to overcome the odds, are already emerging among Canadian athletes looking toward the 2010 Games.

One of the most remarkable is cross-country skier Brian McKeever. He has less than 10 per cent of his vision -- he's legally blind -- but is considered one of the top competitors in the world.

McKeever's vision problems come from Stargardt's, a form of macular degeneration that has left him with only peripheral vision. Because of his condition, he relies on his brother Robin to guide him from behind during races.

Robin is a former Olympic athlete who competed at the Nagano Olympics in 1998. He gave up his Olympic aspirations to train McKeever, pushing him to fight beyond his limitations.

"Brian has competed in a regular world cup event and finished in the top half," said Williams.

"He hopes to compete in Vancouver-Whistler. The problem is that at the world cup, robin was there to ski behind him and direct him; at the Olympics, you're not allowed to have someone directing you. It will be interesting to see what happens, but it's a wonderful story."

If McKeever is allowed to compete with Canada's Olympics team, he'll have to deal with intense pressure to perform better than any other Canadian team in the history of the Winter Games.

High quality journalism

Okay, I'm a bit of a nerd. I'm one of those freaks that will notice spelling mistakes and the occasional grammatical error (though sometimes I am guilty of those...)

I can also pick out a factual error now and then, and this one caught my eye as I was reading an article about Clara Hughes.

For those who don't know, Hughes is a Canadian athlete who started out in speed skating, switched to cycling, and then switched back to long track speed skating. She's also one of Canada's most decorated Olympic athletes.

At this weekend's World Cup event in Russia, Hughes placed second. Here's what CBC wrote:

Hughes claimed silver in speed skating's team pursuit at the Olympics in Turin
last year, to go with two bronzes she won in cycling at the 1996 Atlanta Summer
Games and a bronze in speed skating at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

Okay, all of the above info is true. Hughes did win two bronze medals in Atlanta in cycling, a bronze in speed skating in Salt Lake, and a silver in Torino. But how in the world did they miss her GOLD medal in the 5000 m event in Torino??? I can still see her collapsing from exhaustion after her race.

Looks like somebody needed a fact checker for their article...

I am a liar...for an hour, at least

Eh, hiatus schmiatus. I'm bored and there's too much interesting stuff happening to not write anything.

So, here's a quick recap of this week in the NHL:

- Wearing black apparently means you're a thief. Tuomo Ruutu of the Blackhawks was arrested earlier this week after he was spotted jogging a mile away from the scene of an armed robbery, and he fit the description of the criminal. No worries though, as the Chicago PD realized they had their wrong man when they started questioning him. Kinda hard to miss that Finnish accent...Luckily, Ruutu thinks the whole ordeal is hilarious.

- The NHL's superstar goalies began the season on a sour note (think Brodeur and Luongo), but now they are playing like superstars again. Luongo has three shutouts in three games (whaaa??) and Brodeur's Devils are on a roll, blanking the Habs tonight. I guess they call these guys franchise goalies because they always rebound from a shaky game - or a shaky stretch of games.

- Speaking of Brodeur, his shutout against the Canadiens was his 94th career shutout and, when added to his 22 shutouts in playoff games, he is the all-time record holder for shutouts. Sweet.

- Pens win tonight, beating the Stars 4-1. I guess their little break did them good. Three-game winning streak, back at .500, Leafs game tomorrow night on HNIC...good times.

- Speaking of the Leafs - JFJ is still kickin' in Toronto. I'm a little surprised, as I thought Peddie's comments, although unprofessional, signaled a change to come. Sure, that change could come tomorrow, but I figured it would come earlier in the week.

- Ottawa's in a free fall. Five-game losing streak, Alfie out with a groin injury, and now Volchenkov is out for a month with a broken finger. Nothing like losing one of your top D-men to make a bad situation worse. The Sens better hope that Alfredsson's groin heals itself quickly.
Update (01 Dec): Ottawa lost to the Rangers. Alfie came back, but was the invisible man - except for a couple of secondary assists. That would be 6 straight losses, my friends...bad times.

- Party's over in Phoenix. The Coyotes had a great stretch of games when they got their hands on Bryzgalov, but the Russian goalie showed his human side tonight when he allowed 5 goals on 7 shots in the first ten minutes in a game against the 'Hawks. Chicago went on to win 6-1.

- Caps are still the worst team in the NHL. Twenty-five games, 8-15-2 = 18 points. Their closest 'rivals' for basement dwellers are the Kings and the Oilers, with 21 points a piece. I shouldn't bash them too much, though, since the Pens aren't all that far ahead..

- Gary Bettman, commish extraordinaire of the NHL, announced this week that the League may not allow players to play in the 2014 Olympic Games. His reason? Those Games are in Sochi, Russia, so it won't really benefit the NHL (like the Vancouver-Whistler Games), and the time change might be too rough on the players...funny, isn't this the professional sports league that is starting to play regular season games in Europe and is thinking of expanding across the pond?

I know a lot of people don't like seeing professional athletes compete at the Games, but I like to see the best of the best compete for the gold - if they happen to be pro, so be it.

- In probably the only 'real' change in the NHL this year, the League has decided to change the schedule for next season. Now, each team will play every other team. Here's the breakdown: 6 games against division teams (24 games total), 4 games against conference rivals (40 games), 15 games against the 15 teams in the other conference, and three 'wildcard' games. I am dubbing this the 'Sidney Crosby Schedule Change,' because Western teams have been complaining about only seeing Crosby in their respective cities only once every three years, and I agree with their reasoning and actually think that the schedule could divided so that each team plays in every other city. Oh well...

Enough from me...hiatus, continue.

Start saving for the Olympics now!

Who wants to go to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver/Whistler??? MEEEEE!!!!!!

But wait, I'll have to part with something dearly precious in order to attend. Perhaps my left kidney?

That's about the only way most of us will be able to afford the tix for the Games. VANOC announced their ticket prices today, and some of these prices are more than what I make in a month.

Do you want to attend the kick-ass party also known as the Opening Ceremonies? Fork over between $175 and $1100, and the ticket's all yours.

Perhaps Men's Hockey is more your thing. You'll have to part with $755 shiny loonies to get the best seats at the gold medal game (or only $450 and $350 for nosebleed seats), making this the most expensive (sporting) event to attend at the Vancouver Games.

Women's Hockey? Those tix are being sold for as little as $25 a pop. What the frig? This speaks volumes as to the status of women's hockey compared to men's hockey. I bet these el-cheapo tickets are for the Italy-Japan games anyway - there's no way these tix would get you in to see Wickenheiser and the girls play the so-called evil enemy.

About half of the tickets will be under $100, which ain't too bad, considering it's the OLYMPICS...and the Games are in OUR country. I'm guessing that most of these cheap tix will be to outdoor events, like cross-country skiing, where you can watch people ski past you for only $25. Once in a lifetime, peoples, once in a freakin' lifetime...

But if you're like me and you are drooling at the idea of watching the competition live and in person, you'd better start saving those loonies now. Tickets go on sale October 11th...2008. And they will sell out fast, real fast.

You might also want to work on finding a new friend in the Greater Vancouver area, because something tells me that it will be hard to find a hotel room, or even a vacant cot in the lobby of a shaddy motel.

Perdita Felicien wins silver at Worlds

Perdita Felicien is finally on the upswing after disaster struck three years ago.

Felicien was in the final of the 100m hurdles at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. She was expected to win gold for Canada, but she tripped. In that split second, Felicien saw her Olympic dreams vanish and she was left injured. Her injuries kept her out of commission for months and her confidence was shattered. She didn't even qualify for the finals for the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

Fast forward to the summer of 2007 and things are different for Felicien. She won Nationals, captured the silver at last month's Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, and now she placed second at the 2007 World Championships in Japan - on her 27th birthday, no less.

"This silver is like a gold for me. I just wanted to bring something to Canada," she said following her race.

Felicien has her eyes firmly set on next year's Olympic Games in Beijing, China. She may not be favoured to win gold at the Games in August 2008, but I have a feeling that she will turn heads with her performance.

Nothing like crashing in the finals at the Olympics to make you want to win it all the next time around.

And I hope that she shows everyone that she still has what it takes to be a champion.