I thought everyone in Canada was a hockey fan (more or less) - it's like a huge national sport deal, and I'm sure the Great White North felt the same way about those girls dominating in hockey as the USA did when our women's softball team pretty much destroyed the world 6 years ago. It's just a Canada deal (largely because you can keep outdoor rinks open for what? 10 months a year?) the US and the former USSR. But, in those places, it's a HUGE deal. Like that soccer game stuff is in Europe (for reasons I don't get).
And yeah, the fake "oh my god I'm so sorry (I got caught)" that we tend to inflict on TV preachers and political types (because they deserve it) is getting out of hand. I mean, do we expect hockey players NOT to party after winning a gold medal? That would be weird. Like anyone was somehow surprised that 'the world's greatest golfer, internationally famous guy and BILLIONAIRE, Tiger Woods' was getting some on the side? I really hated that whole mia culpa. Really, I so wanted him to walk out there and say: "Hey, you know what? I'm Tiger F-ing Woods and I'm the greatest golfer in the history of golf. I've already made a billion from you chumps, and if I never hit another ball again I've got it made, but you know what? I'm going to keep on beating everyone else, just because I can. I know I won't be getting that extra money from Buick anymore, but hey, I can get rid of that boring car and get the Maserati GranTurismo that I ought to be driving. So I'm not sorry about anything. Now bring on the white women." Hell, I would have started watching golf.
And I even find that argument about using the rink to be stupid. Those girls OWN that rink. Now and forever, that is their ice. So why not? How much time on ice, how many falls, how much pain went into them being good enough to be there, and good enough to win? Lots. So good for them. The photos reminded me of the times when we go up and party on the stage after the show. It's our stage (in that we do all the work on it) so why not? And the other staff people are out in the seats and they are having their beers in their area, so too are we.
What is it some kind of news that jocks like to party? That they expect to party when they win a world championship? Not to anyone who went to a college/university or high school with a super-huge athletic program its not. Want a party, find the dorm floor where the football team lives. It's just that easy. I kinda want my hockey players to be beer drinking, body checking, cigar chomping, Zamboni joy-riding types regardless of gender.
It's just the same thing that happened to rock concerts when they went from being 'outlaw' type events to civic economic development projects, what happened to Marti Gras once the corporations took it over - the working to make everything as bland and homogenized as possible, least the most easily offended among us ever get offended.
So, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to buy me one of those jersey's from that team (#25) and wear it to honor not only their hockey, but their being world class jocks too.
