Canada - USA - Women's Gold Medal Game

[mpare]

If you're not watching this game, you're missing a great one. The play is non-stop and the goal-tending is spectacular. After two periods, Canada leads 2-0.

[jonf]

Watching these two teams go at each other, I'm sure both teams are just dying for the day that women's hockey becomes full contact.

[gbower]

It's one helluva game. Third should be something else.

[wboudrea]

Wooooooo!!!! GOLD for the ladies. Great hockey game.

[mpare]

They appear to have had a great party on ice after receiving their gold medals. Here's a photo from ABC Sports that is priceless.

[fundonny]

Can't understand why there is a controversy over the celebration. They achieved the ultimate in their sport, at home. I mean, lighten up IOC!

[Shivas Irons]

I thought it was silly that Canada felt the need to apologize for this. The most ridonkulous part is the IOC is apparently fine with them smoking cigars.

Get over it IOC, we're Canadians, we like our beer.

[sharkshooter]

How is that any worse than Jon Montgomery drinking beer from a pitcher while walking around in public after his gold-medal performance in skeleton? Both are against the law, and I am as "black and white" as it comes as far as law enforcement is concerned - but is there no room for leeway here? Why is this one an "international incident"?

The women at least confined their party to indoors, away from the public.

[Shivas Irons]

Jon Montgomery drinking beer from a pitcher while walking around in public after his gold-medal performance in skeleton?

One of my favourite moments from these games

[jonf]

The "issue" is probably the fact that it's in a can rather than a clear plastic cup - it's like an advertisement for Molson. And we all know how strict the IOC is about advertising. Ridiculous, but I bet that's what it is.

And, not only did we beat the US...but I bet you those are Cubans, too.

[sharkshooter]

... it's like an advertisement for Molson. ....

I hear you, except the arena was basically empty.

[Baxter]

I just watched the ending of the game and saw what all the up roar is about...Not a womens hockey fan..so I don't watch them play....

It sure looks like they were paid by Molson's to bring the Molson product and bottle covers to the ice for the victory party. With the media not having the same freedom to the locker room..This was 100% planned by all involved..IMO...what a shame to carry on like this. I guess money took over logic..

[goochy]

It sure looks like they were paid by Molson's to bring the Molson product and bottle covers to the ice for the victory party. With the media not having the same freedom to the locker room..This was 100% planned by all involved..IMO...what a shame to carry on like this. I guess money took over logic..

agreed 100%. I watched the game with my 8 year old daughter who plays and is a huge Hockey fan and I had a really hard time explaining to her why the cigar smoking beer swilling was going on.

Really, is that the image the women want to portray of their sport in the biggest event to a world wide audience.

I don't want to sound like a prude, because I'm anything but, however I thought it was pretty classless to do that at the arena straight after the game. Pour it down your ears in the locker room if you like.

[Baxter]

agreed 100%. I watched the game with my 8 year old daughter who plays and is a huge Hockey fan and I had a really hard time explaining to her why the cigar smoking beer swilling was going on.

Really, is that the image the women want to portray of their sport in the biggest event to a world wide audience.

I don't want to sound like a prude, because I'm anything but, however I thought it was pretty classless to do that at the arena straight after the game. Pour it down your ears in the locker room if you like.

You don't sound like a prude to me...I would have hated to have watched that with my daughter...what a way to end her great evening..Sorry about that...She will forget and remember watching the Gold Medal Game with Dad...Good For You...

The stuff I heard on US Radio was shocking about what these "Ladies" were called.

Can you just think of the crap posted on this board and every thinig else you can think of...If it was Team USA that acted like this...There would be no stopping people from bashing them...I would have been ugly...Glad to see Double standards are a live and well....
any bets on how the Gold Medal Mens Team handles winning??? I say nothing like this Canadian insult...

[goochy]

any bets on how the Gold Medal Mens Team handles winning??? I say nothing like this Canadian insult...

Thanks mate...glad you understood how disappointing it was..especially after such a great game. I think the men will be much more "professional" and appropriate, win or lose (although hopefully win!)

[Chambokl]

I don't want to sound like a prude, because I'm anything but, however I thought it was pretty classless to do that at the arena straight after the game. Pour it down your ears in the locker room if you like.

Goochy... it was not straight after the game. The arena was empty when it happen. Why did they have to show this... no reason except to make trouble. There was only journalist left... no fans!

[goochy]

Goochy... it was not straight after the game. The arena was empty when it happen. Why did they have to show this... no reason except to make trouble. There was only journalist left... no fans!

Point taken about the timing...it wasn't right after the game but it was on the ice after the medals and it was clearly going to be seen. In my opinion it shouldn't have been done

[fundonny]

Come on. Years and years of training and competing and they can't celebrate openly when the achieve the top of their sport?

[jonf]

Gimme a break. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a beer and a cigar to celebrate winning a GOLD MEDAL. Good for them. Nobody has a problem when the Stanley Cup (or Superbowl or World Series or NBA or F1 or Tour de France) champs douse each other with champagne and chug out of the cup. That is exactly how professionals act when they win, so to claim that similar actions by the womens team are unprofessional is, quite frankly, absolutely ridiculous. People should quit getting their panties in a bunch about an innocent celebration and appreciate the fact that these are real people experiencing real emotions, not mindless PR drones whose only concern is what a few petty people in the media will feel about their actions.

[jonf]

Can you just think of the crap posted on this board and every thinig else you can think of...If it was Team USA that acted like this...There would be no stopping people from bashing them...I would have been ugly...Glad to see Double standards are a live and well....
any bets on how the Gold Medal Mens Team handles winning??? I say nothing like this Canadian insult...

The irony of claiming a double standard when these exact actions are perfectly acceptable from male athletes is not lost on me.

This reaction really is a perfect example of lingering sexism.

[davevandyk]

No prob with this at all. It happens in all sports as mentioned above. The girls deserved to celebrate and why shouldn't they do so in this manner? When I won my Club Championship my buddies and I sat on the 18th fairway and celebrated together and that was a lowly Club Champ, very minimal compared to a Gold medal.

Our world has gotten WAY too touchy about things like this over recent times. It's not very hard to explain to your children that this is how some adults choose to celebrate their success. If you can't explain that to them, how do you explaint the beer you drink yourself or the glass of wine with dinner?

[fundonny]

Also, i'm sure the suds were graciously provided by Molson but I sincerely doubt Molson threw them a cheque to consume it.

[mpare]

Your conclusion that money took over logic is dependent on what I assume you will agree is your speculation that (1) this was 100% planned and (2) that Moslon provided the alcohol and (3) that the ladies agreed to all of this. That's one hell of a lot of guesswork on which to impune these hockey players.

...
It sure looks like they were paid by Molson's to bring the Molson product and bottle covers to the ice for the victory party. With the media not having the same freedom to the locker room..This was 100% planned by all involved..IMO...what a shame to carry on like this. I guess money took over logic..

[mpare]

We often disagree, but not on this one. I agree with you 100%.

The irony of claiming a double standard when these exact actions are perfectly acceptable from male athletes is not lost on me.

This reaction really is a perfect example of lingering sexism.

[goochy]

That is exactly how professionals act when they win, so to claim that similar actions by the womens team are unprofessional is, quite frankly, absolutely ridiculous.

Hi Jonf
I think we'll have to disagree on this one mate
I am a former professional sportsman and I genuinely believe their action was inappropriate and misguided. I don't begrudge them celebrating and I am thrilled that they won. I just honestly believe that the drinking and cigar puffing on a Olympic venue (with or without many fans present) was a mistake...it was obviously going to be shown everywhere. I respecftfully suggest that the subsequent comments from The COA and the players themselves show that they too feel it was a mistake.

Anyway, what's done is done.

[mpare]

Dick Pound said it correctly: " ... let them have some fun." http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/hockey/st...-drinking.html

Hi Jonf
I think we'll have to disagree on this one mate
I am a former professional sportsman and I genuinely believe their action was inappropriate and misguided. I don't begrudge them celebrating and I am thrilled that they won. I just honestly believe that the drinking and cigar puffing on a Olympic venue (with or without many fans present) was a mistake...it was obviously going to be shown everywhere. I respecftfully suggest that the subsequent comments from The COA and the players themselves show that they too feel it was a mistake.

Anyway, what's done is done.

[jonf]

Hi Jonf
I think we'll have to disagree on this one mate
I am a former professional sportsman and I genuinely believe their action was inappropriate and misguided. I don't begrudge them celebrating and I am thrilled that they won. I just honestly believe that the drinking and cigar puffing on a Olympic venue (with or without many fans present) was a mistake...it was obviously going to be shown everywhere. I respecftfully suggest that the subsequent comments from The COA and the players themselves show that they too feel it was a mistake.

Anyway, what's done is done.

If you think it's inappropriate that's fine. But I can't simply 'agree to disagree' on something that is fact. Professionals DO celebrate like this all the time. It isn't up for debate. And no, nobody ever complains when it happens.

So, if you think it's inappropriate, that is perfectly fine, but I would expect you to demonstrate the same degree of disappointment when Sid the Kid drinks from the cup (seriously...how can drinking on the ice surface be worse than drinking out of the actual cup itsel?), Lance Armstrong downs some champagne, and the World Series Champs flood their dressing room with bubbly.

I would bet that in that same situation again, those girls would do the exact same thing they did this time. They earned it and they know it. They only apologized because our overly sensitive society decided they needed to, not because they really felt they had done a horrible thing.

[goochy]

If you think it's inappropriate that's fine. But I can't simply 'agree to disagree' on something that is fact. Professionals DO celebrate like this all the time. It isn't up for debate. And no, nobody ever complains when it happens.

I don't want to go round in circles here but please don't think for one minute I don't think they deserved to celebrate. They totally derserved to celebrate. In the locker room, in the team hotel etc they can party as hard as they like. It wasn't what they did, it was where and when. Trust me I KNOW professional athletes celebrate when they win.

I just think it was ill advised to do it in front of the media at an Olympic venue. The Olympics are special and are supposed to stand for something higher. I know that may sound naive but I know many Olympians and people involved in the Olympics truly believe this.

I guess "inappropriate" is the best word I can use. BTW I would feel the same if the winners of the mens' game tomorrow did the same thing

[jonf]

so what's your take on Jon Montgomery's beer chug?

[goochy]

so what's your take on Jon Montgomery's beer chug?

"inappropriate" in front of the media....I must be really coming across as a crotchety old geezer..lol