A comment on these two posts seems appropriate:
 
>proclaiming the "Official Training site for the 1994 Team USA" (or some simila
>phrasing.)   It seems to me that Coach Taylor wants to stay at home while the
>team prepares for Norway.  My only thought is that someone is going to spend a
>lot of $$$ to keep ice for the team given the present weather patterns.
 
>     Well, not really -- that's the rink at Cromwell, CT, with 200 x 100 ft.
>ice.  It's pretty well booked year round w/ all the normal customers that
>any other rink has -- especially in CT which has a shortage of available
>ice (and not just this time of year:-)).  It just happens to be close to
 
If 1994 follows the pattern of 1992 I don't think the ice skaters of
Connecticut have anything to worry about.  In 1992 Albany was the "official
training site" for the Olympic team.  The illustrious Knick Arena had its ice
surface modified to Olympic dimensions (just another one of those little
additions which raised the eventual cost by some $12 million) and the County
also built a separate training rink at Olympic dimensions solely for use of the
Olympic team.  I think the team was here maybe three times for tournaments,
and I don't know if they ever skated in the training facility.  The team
officials decided they liked Lake Placid better and spent most of their time
up there.  I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happens with the 1994
team.
 
One other comment on an Olympic-related issue: I don't completely understand
what is going on with the Kariya situation at Maine.  After the draft he said
he was pondering whether he should sign with the Ducks, play with the Canadian
Olympic team, finish his education, etc.  But I remember that news conference
Shawn Walsh held during the playoffs in which he announced Kariya would
definitely be back with the Black Bears for the 1993-94 season, or some part of
it.  Have things changed or was Walsh merely trying to hype up interest in the
team as they made their workmanlike path to the championship?  What was the
intention of Walsh in making that announcement and was it grounded in reality?
By April most hockey observers knew Kariya was a lock for the first round, and
who would pass up the BIG $$$$ of the NHL for the sublime rewards of the
college experience?  You can always come back summers to complete your degree--
just ask Adam Oates.
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