I was one of the (I'm sure) millions who was thrilled by Team USA's
performance in  the Olympics.  In fact, I was wishing the American
contingent would have put on a "medals ceremony" of its own for
USA's fourth place, which was far more than anyone expected. (Maybe
a fourth metal like copper?)
 
However, I was not completely unsympthetic with (Joe Greene?) the list
member who said the team's performance was an embarassment, in terms of
its behavior, not play.  I wouldn't have used quite as strong a word,
but I was pretty distressed by some things.  Actually,  although all
the talk on the list has addressed Donatelli's remarks/apology, I was
more concerned by the unnecessary and extremely poor--in terms of world
opinion--judgment displayed by the team by getting into fights, most
especially the meaningless one at the end of the game with France, the
host country, for gosh sakes.  It doesn't matter if one or two U.S.
players were provoked--is there something that says you can't be
cool once in a while, especially when you've won the game?  The one
thing I can't understand about this great game, as played in its
birthplace, North America, is the culture that tolerates and even
promotes fighting.  There is no intrinsic reason for the level of this
which occurs in hockey.  The contact in football is even more constant
and at least as painful as in hockey, and anymore it's at times worse
in basketball (when you consider basketball players wear no protective
gear).  Yet fights in those two sports are far less common and in fact
make the national news when they occur.  What's the deal with hockey-
Canadian and U.S. style?  Please don't say it's because it's more
physical than the European style, because as I just noted     other
North American team sports offer even more "provocation" and yet display
far less retaliation.
 
On another Olympic hockey note:  I was not able to watch the USA-Unified
game, but did see all of the bronze and gold medal games.  I was amazed
by the DEFENSE of the Europeans' top teams, even more than their
offensive prowess, which was really impressive, but I expeced that.  It
seemed like over 90% of the U.S. and Canadian passes were intercepted by
the Czechoslovakian andUnified teams, and the North  Americans virtually
never got anything even resembling an open net at which to shoot.  In
fact, the bronze medal game, at least, struck me as looking like a power
play for Czechoslovakia when the teams were at even strength.  Question:
why don't we see play like this over here?  It sure looked to me like th
U.S. and Canadian teams could hardly ever carry the puck over the enemy
blue line (or even the red line), and when they tried dumping it into
the corners the Europeans virtually always got to the puck first.  I've
been wondering how Czechoslovakia and the Unified team would make out in
the NHL, especially if playing on international sized rinks.
 
Officiating:  would anyone out there be willing to consider the possi-
bility that hockey needs more than one referee?  (Or maybe to give the
linesmen a penalty-calling role?)  How can one individual in a game
which is this fast possibly see everything?  As for the notorious
Pierre B., it sounds like the fans in the East who have such a hate on
for him are primarily unhappy because he doesn't tolerate backtalk from
the players.  Well, why should any official?  You see plenty of tech-
nical fouls called in basketball, and even ejections in baseball and
unsportsmanlike conduct penalties imposed in football, for such things.
Why should hockey officials put up with more than is expected in other
sports?  I wonder if this attitude is  related to the fighting item I
bring up above?
 
Different subject:  what meaning, if any, do the four Division I
leagues' end of season playoff results have on who makes the national
chamionship tournament?  If none, then I presume the playoffs are
purely a money-maker.
 
Finally:  I am writing this in San Antonio and will be in Baltimore
for the weekend.  Somehow I suspect I will not find anything about
college hockey game results in the local media in either place, so
would REALLY appreciate someone's putting (at least) the WCHA results
on the list as soon as they're available (or better yet in  terms of
my getting them, directly to me).  Thanks, if some one does! :)
                      ***********************************
                     *      Steve Christopher, NMU       *
                    *  "Go 'Cats!''Going for two in '92!" *
                     *        [log in to unmask]         *
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