No Olympic Fever Yet

With the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver / Whistler B.C. less than 100 days away, I can honestly say, I’m not all that excited yet.

I’ll be honest; I’m not a huge fan of the winter sports. Biathlon, cross-country skiing, figure skating and curling just don’t get me pumped up. If there’s a Canadian taking part, and there usually is, I’ll probably watch and send supportive vibes their way but that’s about it. About the only winter Olympic sport I have any desire to watch is hockey. I’m sure that probably comes as a shock to no one.

If there’s no hockey to enjoy, I can tolerate speed skating (short distances) and short track speed skating. I’ve been known to enjoy luge and bobsled races as well and ski-jumping is like watching Nascar…you’re always waiting for the next crash.

But hockey is what really gets me excited. Sure it’s our national sport and the majority of Canadians eat, sleep and drink hockey in the winter time but it’s not just the men’s game. I also enjoy watching the women play as well.

The ladies game might not have the hitting that the men’s game has but it’s still an impressive game to watch when the best teams hit the ice. One thing I’ve noticed about the Canadian women’s hockey team the last few times I’ve watched them play is how poorly they pass the puck. I blame that on the coach, who by the way is also a woman. Now there’s no way I can say anything negative without sounding like a male chauvinist pig but I’ve said for the last few years, Team Canada’s women’s hockey team would greatly benefit from having an experienced male coach in charge. There, I’ve said it.

I don’t know how many years Melody Davidson has been coaching the girls but it’s time for Hockey Canada t make a change and bring in a coach with a resume that screams champion. Who would that be? That’s not for me to decide but there are certainly plenty of candidates available. The only thing Davidson has that another coach might not have is “time”. You thought I was going to say “breasts” didn’t you? Shame on you!

To my knowledge she only coaches the women so she can devote all of her time to that endeavour. Another coach might have an obligation to an NHL or a Junior Club which isn’t as convenient for attending other events such as the Four Nations Cup as a tune-up for the Olympics. For this reason alone, I doubt we’ll ever see hockey Canada appoint a proven NHL calibre coach to right the ship which is the National Women’s Hockey Team. I may be wrong but I believe Canada is the only team with a female head coach.

While it’s nice to see the women’s team do well, the real pressure lies on the men’s team. The team has yet to be officially announced but will be filled with Canada’s best NHL players. The selection of this team receives more attention and discussion then any other topic in Canada. Canadians are more passionate about hockey than almost any other topic. Sure there are some who could care less but overall it is something that a lot of Canadians feel strongly about. We take pride in our hockey ability and hate it when another country beats us. It does happen from time to time though.

Quite simply when it comes to the Olympics and hockey…it’s Gold or nothing. Unless we win it all, we have failed and nobody knows that more than the management, staff and players on the team. The pressure to win is unmatched by any other sport in Canada. Ask any of the players on the team and they know what is expected of them. They demand it of themselves as well.

By no means do I mean to diminish the accomplishments of other Canadian athletes. I wish they could all win gold medals and I’ll be rooting them on when they compete. But while they may be skating, skiing or curling for gold, they know that the focus of an entire nation will be fixed squarely on Team Canada and its fight to dominate the hockey world once again.

So I don’t have Olympic fever just yet and if all goes well, once it does kick in, hopefully that will be the only fever I suffer through this winter. Luckily you don’t have to stand in line for an Olympic fever flu shot.