JIM LANG ON SPORTS

BY: JIM LANG
FOR RODPEDERSEN.COM

THE OLYMPICS

• Women’s Hockey

Thursday afternoon hockey fans were treated to an incredible game as Canada beat the USA 3-2 in over-time in the Gold Medal game of women’s hockey.

This was a great hockey game. Not a great “women’s hockey” game; but a great game, period.
Trailing 2-0 in the third period I was prepared to hear the Star Spangled Banner play as the USA received their Gold medal. But in a finish we won’t soon forget Marie-Phillipe Poulin scored the tying goal with 55 seconds left in the 3rd period and then buried the GWG in over-time. Safe to say Poulin should never have to buy a beer in Canada the rest of her life.

I still can’t figure out what that linesman was thinking when the USA nearly scored an empty net goal? That was the best hit of the game and all that, but Jesus, get out of the way!

It was pretty hard to not to get a little emotional as the women were singing Oh Canada as our flag was raised to the rafters.

• Men’s Hockey

Shortly after I stopped yelling about the women’s Gold medal win I started to worry about Friday’s semi-final match-up between Canada and the USA.

No team scares more in this Olympic tournament then the USA. Led by Phil Kessel the Americans can score in bunches and they are getting solid goaltending from Jonathan Quick.

Like many Canadians (and Mike Babcock no doubt) I am mystified by the lack of offence from Team Canada’s forwards. Over half of the goals by Team Canada so far in the tournament have come from their blueline. Fortunately for Team Canada Drew Doughty is playing like an all-world D-man in Sochi and Shea Weber still has that “hammer of the gods” shot from the point.

The first thing I would do is get Chris Kunitz the heck off of Crosby’s line. Kunitz would drop down to the fourth line and Matt Duchene can take his spot on the Crosby line.

The second thing that Team Canada must do is not let Phil Kessel beat them. By this I mean they need to use their size and physicality to take him away as a threat to Carey Price. The more you bump and grind Kessel the less likely he is going to hurt you. If you give him any space out there his speed and shot will make you pay.

The third thing I would do is make sure Team Canada steps onto the ice with some fire in their belly. I sensed a lack of that “win or die” passion in Canada early in their victory over Latvia. That win over Latvia should serve as a major wake-up call to Canada what could happen if they are not ready to battle the second they drop the puck.

The final thing I would do is make sure paramedics are standing by. I am not sure my heart can take much more of this drama at the Olympic hockey tournament.

• Russia

To quote the legendary Bob Cole; “They’re going home! They’re going home!”

Wednesday morning the vaunted Russian men’s hockey team got knocked out of the Winter Olympics by Finland. Led by Teemu Selanne Finland defeated the Russians 3-1.

The 43 year old Selanne scored a goal and added an assist as the Suomi sent Helsinki into a frenzy. Picking up the assist on Selanne’s goal was Mikael Granlund. Granlund was born in February of 1992. Selanne made his Olympic debut for Finland in February of 1992.

In all of my travels I have never heard a coach, player or member of the media utter a negative word about Selanne. Not a single one. Not even an “off the record” rumour. Selanne is one of those rare athletes that is as nice off the ice as he is talented on it.

While Vladimir Putin and all of Russia are mourning the loss to Finland there are legions of hockey fans all over the world that all thrilled to see Selanne still playing and contributing at the age of 43.
I know I am going to hate it when Selanne when he finally retires. I will miss his skill and talent but I will also miss the person. They broke the mold when they made that guy.

We know what hockey means in this country and what winning the Gold medal would mean. But we should also consider what it means in other countries as well. I am not saying Finland is going to win or that they are even going to beat Sweden in the semi-final. But I am saying that if Finland ever did win the Gold Medal Helsinki would embark on a week-long party the likes of which we have never seen.

Meanwhile Russia now has to deal with the after-math of the loss and figure out what the heck happened?

First off Tuukka Rask is a better goalie than either Bobrovsky or Varlamov.

Secondly the Russian blueline was a mess and ended up costing them the game and the tournament. How else do you explain Selanne being so wide open on his goal in the quarter-finals?

Third, why wouldn’t you start Sergei Bobrovsky over Semyon Varlamov?

The fourth and final reason the Russians lost was pressure. When your government spends $50 billion dollars to stage an Olympic games there is going to be a ton of pressure to deliver a Gold medal. (Ask Team Canada what it was like in Vancouver in 2010.) With the intimidating Putin watching from above the Russians knew what anything less than a Gold medal would mean.

Now Russia will be forced to deal with the pain that Canada felt in Turin in 2006. When you are a hockey power and you fail, the pain and the fall-out is felt by everyone.

• Figure Skating

Let us make one thing perfectly clear, I am no figure skating expert and I have never pretended to be. But even a bonehead like me was impressed by what I saw in the Ice Dance program with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. My wife and daughters were mega-ticked off that they didn’t win the Gold medal. True to their character Virtue and Moir were classy in defeat and not once, at least to my knowledge, did I hear them blame the judging for their defeat.

I loved the photo of Moir walking back onto the ice and kissing the Olympic rings one last time.

Damn I am proud of those two.

• Jennifer Jones

The skip from the Manitoba rink put on a curling clinic in Sochi, The Canadian Women’s curling team can be damn proud of what they accomplished in Sochi. Jones and her crew went a perfect 11-0 in their Gold Medal run. More than a Gold Medal Jones deserves to walk around Winnipeg with the WWE title belt after the way she curled.

(Follow Jim on Twitter at @JimLangSports)