By hanshotfirst on Skatehive
Wow! What a game! I'm not really into the Olympics very much. The way it is presented on TV seems to focus more on the soap opera stories of the contestants rather than the sports. In addition, I'm not super into any of the sports... except hockey! I realize some people still pine for the days when the Olympics were a showcase of amateur athletes from across the globe competing, but that ship sailed at least 60 years ago when countries like the Soviet Union were basically fielding professional teams. They just didn't happen to play in an American sports league. They couldn't compete in any league because they could not leave the Soviet Union. So all they did is train and play games together. That is why the 1980 Miracle on ice US Hockey Team was so legendary. Those were really amateur kids who overcame a ridiculously slanted playing field (or rink) in order to beat a group of grizzled veteran professional players form the U.S.S.R. At least now, everyone is playing with the same rules.