U.S. Olympic hockey team boosts military might

[darrels joy]

U.S. Olympic hockey team boosts military might

Posted Jan 14, 2010 By Mark Kerr

EMC Editorial - Players from the U.S. men's hockey team hope American soldiers give them an edge when they vie for a gold medal at the upcoming Olympic Games in Vancouver.

For all of those keen viewers who watched the Winter Classic hockey game on NBC to the bitter end on New Year's Day, you would have seen Brian Burke, general manager of the U.S. team, announce the squad. The final player introduced was Tim Thomas, who had just won the Winter Classic for the Boston Bruins.

When Thomas came out Burke handed him a folded American flag that flew in a combat mission in Iraq. Thomas also received the name of the wounded American soldier who has adopted him during the Olympics.

All of the American hockey players will receive a similar package with a flag that has flown in either Iraq or Afghanistan and, in turn, will send a signed USA jersey to the soldier that has adopted him.

The U.S. hockey team is partnering with Operation Homefront for the project, matching "Wounded Warriors" with American hockey players. Operation Homefront assists soldiers and their families.

American defenceman Mike Komisarek of the Toronto Maple Leafs said the program gives players a better understanding of what it really means to represent their country. Burke told the Toronto Star that "the real heroes in Canada and the U.S. don't wear hockey uniforms, they wear service uniforms. They inspire our players, and provide them with role models."

There is part of me that's extremely cynical about the move. It seems somewhat exploitative to use the men and women who are risking their lives as inspiration for winning an Olympic medal, which is not all that significant in the grand scheme of life and death.

But the other part of me thinks that I am only critical of the program because I am jealous that the Americans thought of this idea before the Canadians did. Pairing a hockey player with a wounded soldier gives the athletes a better idea who they are playing for during the Olympics. Representing their country will no longer be an abstract idea for the Americans when they hold a flag that was flown overseas and read about a soldier who was injured while on duty.

Any negativity I had about the program ended when I saw Thomas accept the flag from Burke. Even though he didn't know what to do with it at first, Thomas was obviously touched by the gesture. It's good that these millionaire hockey players, living a much more privileged life than soldiers or other Olympians for that matter, realize that hundreds of thousands of people are making greater sacrifices than them. Sending a signed jersey and sharing the Olympic experience with these soldiers is the least the USA men's hockey players could do.

So a tip of my hockey helmet goes to the USA Olympic hockey team. Team management has done a great job of reaching out to wounded soldiers. As a Canadian, though, I hope the program doesn't help the Americans pull off another Miracle on Ice.

http://www.emcfrontenac.ca/20100114/...military+might

[revwardoc]

Close, but no cigar. Too bad for the US team. We won the overall medal count despite coming in 3rd in total gold. Can you imagine if the US had beat Canada? It would've made the Jonestown pact look like a picnic.

[revwardoc]

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-feat...nhomepage&cid=

Russian resignations demanded over Olympic flap President Medvedev angry over low Russian medal count at the Vancouver Games

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev demanded Monday that sports officials step down over the country's dismal performance at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Russia, a traditional winter sports powerhouse, won just 15 medals -- with only three golds -- in one of its worst performances. Officials said before the games that 30 medals and a top-three finish in the medal standings was the target.

Russia placed 11th for golds and sixth in the overall medal count.

In televised comments, Medvedev said if those responsible for preparing the athletes don't resign then the decision will be made for them. He did not mention anyone by name.

"Those who bear the responsibility for Olympic preparations should carry that responsibility. It's totally clear," Medvedev said. "I think that the individuals responsible, or several of them, who answer for these preparations, should take the courageous decision to hand in their notice. If we don't see such decisiveness, we will help them."

In post-Soviet history, Russia had never finished outside the top five in the medal standings and only won fewer medals once before, in 2002 at Salt Lake City. Russia was the top nation at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, garnering 23 medals -- 11 of them gold.

In nine Winter Olympics between 1956 and 1988, the Soviet Union failed to top the medal standings only twice, finishing runner-up on both occasions.

Medvedev lamented that Russia "has lost the old Soviet school ... and we haven't created our own school -- despite the fact that the amount of money that is invested in sport is unprecedentedly high."

The results leave Russia particularly red-faced as it takes the torch for the next games in its Black Sea resort of Sochi in 2014.

"Without messing around, we need to start preparations for Sochi. But taking into account what happened in Vancouver, we need to completely change how we prepare our athletes," Medvedev said.

In an interview with the newspaper Vremya Novostei, sports minister Vitaly Mutko blamed several factors for the Vancouver flop. New sports such as freestyle skiing that "no one takes seriously" in Russia have allowed other countries to race ahead,
he said.

Mutko also claimed luck was not on the country's side, saying in several disciplines Russia lacked "a shot here, a second or a point there," singling out Evgeni Plushenko, who took silver behind Evan Lysacek of the United States in a closely fought men's figure skating competition.

Doping bans had also deprived Russia of several leading medal contenders, he said.

Several Russian politicians have called for Mutko, who was appointed sports minister in May 2008, to step down.

[Boats]

The Olympics have changed in twenty years. Countries demand perfection and when they've given their all - they are shamed. You do you best and some days your dead on and other days - you fall short - that's life. You gotta admit - these kids do a rather good job doing their sport. I think they are deserve a big atta boy for just being there.