Well that was close.
Coach Ted Nolan, 41 year old Sandis Ozolinsh and a bunch of jersey names I’ve never heard of, almost pulled the off the shocker yesterday in Olympic Men’s Hockey, losing a valiant fight 2-1 to Canada in the quarterfinals.
Make no mistake, Canada was the better team by a very wide margin, but the winning margin was tiny, very tiny and for some, too tiny.
For me, I’m encouraged, not for Latvia, but for international hockey. If we can have 8 teams in a major event quarterfinal with a decent chance of winning the contest, that’s good for the sport.
Interestingly, the Latvian door-bar heartbreak, came one day before the predictable final today in the Women’s Final.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked Canada-U.S. in women’s hockey for a decade and a half.
But that’s the crisis.
No one should like a sport, especially a team sport, where the result is that predictable beforehand.
Interestingly, the International Ice Hockey Federation stressed Women’s Hockey will always be a part of the Olympic Games, which is great, but only if nations other than those in North America, rise in Latvian like fashion and create some real competition and drama.
I’m Fred Wallace