Stormin Norman Rumack

Not surprisingly, Jacques Rogge’s comments about women’s hockey needing to become more competitive, have drawn a quick and defensive response from many involved with the game, in Canada and elsewhere. I think his comments were both reasonable and accurate. The International Olympic Committee president, as detailed in a Globe and Mail story,on Friday February 26, stated: “We cannot continue without improvement. There is a discrepancy there, everyone agrees with that. This is maybe the investment period in women’s ice hockey. I would personally give them more time too grow- but there must be a period of improvement. Rogge warned, according to the Globe story, “..the sport either picks up or it will be kicked out- just as softball has been from the Summer Games.” Rogge wants to see “ the lesser teams, including the two that battled for the bronze medal, improve considerably if the game……intends to stay within the Olympic Rings.”

 

For some reason, when this subject is brought up for discussion, many...

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The global economic crunch has struck the seemingly ultra wealthy world of professional soccer and the English Premier League specifically, with the sad news that the Portsmouth Football Club, will now become the first E.P.L. team to go into financial administration as of Friday.  Who ever would have thought it would be possible for a team in the big bucks and glamorous life of the world’s most popular sport, to run into this kind of financial trouble ? Other professional sports leagues, including Major League Baseball, the N.B.A., and the N.H.L., have had and continue to have, franchisees that are carrying big debts, and lose money. Until the recent financial crises that struck everywhere around the world, many owners of sports teams could afford to own teams that struggled, because their other businesses were doing well. When the global economy soured, and wealthy sports franchise owners, began losing money on their major business holdings, everything  changed. Soccer fans around the world have become familiar...

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NHL should be great after the Olympics, and Barrie and Windsor shine in the OHL

 

The very first time I saw a Russian hockey team play against Canadians, was in the once in lifetime, 1972 Summit Series. Canada won that incredible 8 game showdown, with incredible athletic courage,to go along with divine like heroics by Paul Henderson, and did so on the road, in not so hospitable, back then, Moscow. One thing you could definitely say about the hockey players from the former Soviet Union, was that no matter the outcome of the game, they always showed up, and gave their best effort the vast majority of the time. Canada’s complete crushing of Russia in Vancouver last night, was not only a supreme effort by the home side, but it was probably the worst ever game that anyone can remember, by any Russian professional hockey team. The shocking dimension of the beating that they took in this highly anticipated meeting, was that there seemed to be almost no resistance from the net on out, by any of the Russian players, to the aggressive and very physical style of play, exhibited by Team Canada,...

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here was a second element of beauty to Monday night’s pairs skating finals, won by Canada’s Tessa Virtue, and Scott Moir. Aside from their championship form on the ice, there was something else that caught my eye, that seemed to be a rare moment in highly competitive sports. While the medal winners were waiting to go on the ice for the ceremony, backstage, there was a genuine joy among the competitors for their rivals.  Maybe this happens more often than I’m aware of in figure skating, but these rare moments of idyllic sportsmanship, were just as enjoyable for me, as the actual skating itself.  The silver medal winners from the United States, Meryl Davis, and Charlie White, are training partners with the Canadian pair, working out together in Michigan. Both couples are coached by Marina Zoueva. In the few minutes of down time before they were awarded their medals, there was a genuine show of warmth, affection and respect among the four athletes. It was easy to see, that this was not just polite, politically correct...

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I can’t say that I’m surprised, in fact, I actually expect to get sports fans asking me if I think another team’s fans or, in the case of the Olympics, if another country’s athletes and fans are going overboard with their celebrations, when they are victorious.  I received one such inquiry on Sunday. This particular fan was upset, pointing out that the American athletes and fans were in some cases, a bit too celebratory, and not surprising, this Canadian fan, was upset that American athletes would enjoy their victory, when a Canadian athlete who lost, was in close proximity. I’m almost certain that this discussion would not have taken place, if Team Canada had not lost to the USA in men’s hockey. It’s funny how when fans are in a state of despair, they need to find something to help them vent their frustration and anger. It’s always easy in that kind of quandary, to blame something or anything, on somebody or something external. A disappointed Canadian hockey fan, finds any slightly over the top celebration from...

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Obviously, for just about everybody in Canada, the only sporting event that really mattered this weekend was the Team Canada-USA men’s hockey game. There was one other game however, that I was paying attention to, and that happened to be the Saturday Premiership game between league leaders Chelsea, and home side Wolverhampton Wanderers, a game in which the Blues emerged as 2-0 victors at Molineux Stadium, in front of 28,978 enthusiastic supporters, most of them backing the home side. Carlo Ancelotti’s team, on the strength of Ivorian Striker Didier Drogba’s two classic goals, giving him 25 this season, and two brilliant saves from Peter Cech, moved four points clear of rivals Manchester United, after the Red Devils came out on the short side of a 3-1 loss to a fired  up Everton squad at Goodison Park.

The win was especially noteworthy for Chelsea, in light of the absence of several key players, including defenders Ashley Cole,Ricardo Carvalho, Alex, Juliano Belletti, and of equal importance, midfielders...

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I put a question out for readers on my Facebook page on Saturday, asking sports fans about their feelings regarding Tiger Woods press conference, staged on Friday, by Woods and his agent, Mark Steinberg. I was wanting to know if those who watched the 15 minute presentation, found Woods to be sincere or perhaps more scripted, or maybe a bit of both. I was somewhat surprised to read comments from a few individuals, who felt that the media was at fault for the on-going Tiger talk. I was baffled that any sports fans would blame the media for the focus on Woods, when it was the superstar golfer and his agent who arranged for this on a Friday, in the midst of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.  Oh, by the way, Accenture, was the first sponsor to drop Woods after some of the rumors about Tiger, became factual. The televised press conference was picked up by most of the major networks, so probably most of the planet could see Tiger and listen to what he had to say. It is amazing to me how often idol worshipping...

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Tiger Woods seemed to say all the right things that he needed to say, at his press conference. He took responsibility for his multiple mistakes and acknowledged that everything that had occurred relating to this story,starts and ends with his poor judgment, and irresponsible behavior. There are a few issues which will, from my perspective, diminish what he, or his agent Mark Steinberg,  were hoping to achieve.  To stage a press conference in front of a controlled crowd, with Tiger friendly individuals, be they relatives, sponsors, friends, or hand picked friendly media, is a big mistake. For the individuals watching, who weren’t aware that the selected individuals in the room were controlled Tiger Woods allies, who would play strictly by his rules, or those of his agent, even the most naive, would pick up on the control placed over the entire gathering and hear that in Woods’ opening comments.

 

The failure in a restricted public apology, lies with the fact that some viewers are less believing of ...

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