So sez Barry Melrose about Team Russia's early exit in the Olympic hockey tournament in a video clip available here. A quote from that article (which is a good read and sings the praises of Datsyuk, among others. It ain't ALL bad.):
So. Hockey Day In Portales is over and two out of the three teams I was rooting for won. Team USA spanked the Czechs, 5-2 and I switched over from that game after the Americans went up 5-1 in the third period to watch the Canadians get the living HELL scared out of 'em. Canada was playing Latvia... Latvia!... in their quarter-final game and eventually won, 2-1. That game was a near-run thing if I've ever seen one, with the score tied until mid-way into the third period when the Canadians got the go-ahead goal on a power play... by yet another defenseman. The Latvians never gave up, however, and the outcome was in doubt until the final seconds. Mr. Babcock just HAS to be tearing' his hair out over that one, because what should have been a cakewalk... wasn't. By any stretch o' the imagination.
It will be USA-Canada and Sweden-Finland in the semi-finals that will be played the day after tomorrow. Both games should be excellent and I won't dare miss either one. But right now? I'm goin' down and try to recover from (a) the excitement and (b) some sort o' sinus affliction that came over me about two hours ago. We're definitely a lil bit left o' center and the water-works in my head are just killin' me. The couch calls...
As the buzzer sounded Wednesday after the 3-1 quarterfinal loss to Finland, Ovechkin skated toward the bench, staring seemingly into space, no doubt wishing he could be anywhere but here.
He had let his country down. In this, his Olympics.Wow. Double-wow. We'll be seein' fallout from this miserable series for a long, long time. As I said elsewhere: I ALMOST feel sorry for those guys. Almost.
"It sucks. That's all I can say," Ovechkin said afterward.
Asked what his emotions were, he answered: "No emotion right now."
Sidney Crosby got the golden goal in his Olympics four years ago. Alex Ovechkin was the golden goat in his.
So. Hockey Day In Portales is over and two out of the three teams I was rooting for won. Team USA spanked the Czechs, 5-2 and I switched over from that game after the Americans went up 5-1 in the third period to watch the Canadians get the living HELL scared out of 'em. Canada was playing Latvia... Latvia!... in their quarter-final game and eventually won, 2-1. That game was a near-run thing if I've ever seen one, with the score tied until mid-way into the third period when the Canadians got the go-ahead goal on a power play... by yet another defenseman. The Latvians never gave up, however, and the outcome was in doubt until the final seconds. Mr. Babcock just HAS to be tearing' his hair out over that one, because what should have been a cakewalk... wasn't. By any stretch o' the imagination.
It will be USA-Canada and Sweden-Finland in the semi-finals that will be played the day after tomorrow. Both games should be excellent and I won't dare miss either one. But right now? I'm goin' down and try to recover from (a) the excitement and (b) some sort o' sinus affliction that came over me about two hours ago. We're definitely a lil bit left o' center and the water-works in my head are just killin' me. The couch calls...
I caught the last parts of them. The Finland-Sweden Semi could be very, very interesting.
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