SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT LAURA BORDEN: VANCOUVER, British Columbia
Is it possible to even compare Olympic hockey to NHL hockey? I don’t think so. I’ll start with the superficial differences before exploring the question of whether NHL players should be playing in the Olympics. This year, the Olympic committee decided not to change the size of the rink for Olympic play. It remains NHL size, rather than the bigger size, better suited for the more open and quick style of European hockey.
There is no trapezoid behind the goalie, so good stick handlers, such as Martin Brodeur, supposedly gain an advantage. Finally, icings are called automatically with no touch-ups. But those rules don’t even start to compare to biggest difference I have noticed – the fans.
Even before entering the arena, there were mobs of fans draped in their country’s flags. Every fan was representing their homeland. Every fan was fully engaged in the game. There were no groups of people in business suits, trying to impress clients instead of watching the game. No one went for a walk in the middle of a period to take a break. And everybody screamed, rang their cowbells, and sat on the edge of their seats for the whole game. Don’t even think about leaving early to avoid the crowd!
It was amazing to be in the middle of such a super-charged atmosphere. As a supreme lover of hockey, this is the best environment one can hope for. The preliminary games have had the excitement of NHL conference final games. I can’t imagine what the finals will be like. Each player and fan is fighting with all their energy for the honor of their countries.
What would this be like without the NHL players? My opinion is that it would not be as entertaining to the casual fan. There have been a few ugly hits and injuries, but this would happen in any game. Is it worth sacrificing the excitement of the games for the perceived safety of the NHL players? I definitely don’t think so. The fans root for their countries, but I think they also appreciate the games more when they recognize more of the players. The NHL is the center stage for professional hockey. Current rivalries have translated to the Olympic stage. The promotions for today’s Canada/Russia game all show Crosby against Ovechkin. In the United States, we are familiar with this same matchup watching Pittsburgh versus Washington.
I interviewed some of the Philadelphia Flyers going to the Olympics before they traveled to Vancouver. They were all excited about the trip and couldn’t imagine a better honor than playing for their country. When I asked Kimmo Timonen about the differences between playing for Finland and the Flyers, he said about his Olympic team, “They speak in Finnish.” Ok, I probably could have figured that out. But he was proud of his team and keeps his medals at his Mom’s house. Chris Pronger keeps his medals in a bank vault, but being a previous winner doesn’t make this trip any less special, as he plays for the host country.
There has been a lot of debate about allowing NHL-ers to play in the Olympics. But remember, hockey is not the only sport that allows its professional athletes to compete for country in the Olympics. In fact, hockey was one of the last sports to allow professionals to compete. Professional hockey players have been able to participate in the Olympics since 1988, but they did not stop the NHL schedule for the Olympics until 1998 in Nagano, Japan (insert Soviet Union definition of “professional” and “amateur” here). By allowing these players, I feel that the fans are getting the highest quality of play.
The competitors have been staying in the Olympic Village and are living the true Olympic experience. This may cause a disruption in NHL play, but every team gets a well needed mid-season break. The level of play has been incredible and I can’t imagine it being as exciting if I didn’t know the familiar names of the players I see every night at the NHL games.
