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] * ***********************************