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latebloomer

Back to the Stones now, troops!

But wait! Is NBC (or anyone) showing the Paralympics?* After the London Games, many of my UK friends thought the Paralympics were even more exciting than the main Games. And then there's the Special Olympics, too, of course.


*Answers own question: the good news is yes! The bad news is, a good chunk of it is on NBCSN, which I don't get.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-02-24 10:21 by Aquamarine.

Like andrewm I am also skeptical about the future Olympic Games as far as NHL players are concerned. There have been some problems alraedy to find a common language between NHL, International Olympic Comitee and International Hockey Federation, and I am afraid that this recent doping case might be the last nail in the coffin. It shows how worlds apart the professional big money North American leagues and the Olympic Games are from each other. Too many compromises from each side. Both sides are going to lose their face, when these differences in procedures and values are making headlines, as they are now doing. What first started as a great PR happening for both sides (as Basket Ball in Summer Olympics), is now starting to look ugly. NHLPA (the organization of NHL players) naturally is trying to take care of its members, and do not want cases like Bäckström's to happen again. It is them - the NHL players - who are keen on taking part in the Olympic Games, not the owners of the teams (who are losing money when the players are not at their work). But are them any longer?

The cruel fact is that Bäckström will face two years prohibition of competition if the rules of WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) are going to be followed. As it would happen if Bäckström would be anyone else but not a high profile NHL player. NHL alraedy proclaimed that the case will not have any effect on Bäckström's right to do his work there (and get his multi-million salary on doing that), since the substance he was caught using is not illegal in NHL. A very crap situation, and most likely some sort of compromise needs to be done to get out of it. I predict Bäckström will get a "warning", and just loses his personal medal.

So taking the point andrewm made about injuries, plus the clubs losing money, etc. it is rather likely that the 'dream is over' - we won't seeing all the best hockey players any longer in Olympic Games. A time to rebirth World Cup with NHL standards and values?

- Doxa



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2014-02-24 11:09 by Doxa.

As long as money runs the world NHL players will be back in the winter Olympics playing hockey and NBA players will be back in the summer Olympics playing basketball.

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Aquamarine

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latebloomer

Back to the Stones now, troops!

But wait! Is NBC (or anyone) showing the Paralympics?* After the London Games, many of my UK friends thought the Paralympics were even more exciting than the main Games. And then there's the Special Olympics, too, of course.


*Answers own question: the good news is yes! The bad news is, a good chunk of it is on NBCSN, which I don't get.

They can be more exciting and in the grand sceheme of things the paralympic athletes should be more admired than regular Olympic athletes.

Come On, your picture reminds me of this guy:



A damn good reason to put this picture again - even though Kleermaker above claimed that Putin won Putin's Games, that's not really true. That loss against Finland in ice hockey quarter-finals really hit hard on him - the gold in ice hockey was THE thing he was after. People in Netherlands who use those John Holmes types of skaters, and see ice hockey ones gayish, perhaps don't realize how huge thing ice hockey is in Russia. Something you guys think of football...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-02-24 14:43 by Doxa.

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Doxa
Come On, your picture reminds me of this guy:



A damn good reason to put this picture again - even though Kleermaker above claimed that Putin won Putin's Games, that's not really true. That loss against Finland in ice hockey quarter-finals really hit hard on him - the gold in ice hockey was THE thing he was after. People in Netherlands who use those John Holmes types of skaters, and see ice hockey ones gayish, perhaps don't realize how huge thing ice hockey is in Russia. Something you guys think of football...

- Doxa

Correct Doxa! Olympic Hockey is far behind me now....

This Russia and Canada dichotomy: If you look at purely the statistics it's pretty even between the two. Canada dominated before 1954 (before Russians started with hockey), USSR were really good until the fall of the Berlin Wall and Canada has been dominating international hockey ever since (in par with USA). At least the statistics tells us so.

From another angle I think it has more to do with context. If you grew up in Northern Europe in the seventies and eighties you have seen the "Russian Machine" dominating World Championships. (Which, maybe, most Canadians haven't since the yearly championship wasn't that big over there). If you have seen the technicals skills and beautiful skating from those guys it's very hard to pick any other team before the Russians. At least not from my perspective...

Canada kicked USA's asses in both mens and womens hockey and that's really what matters to us the most. Loved to see the agony of defeat on the US womens team after we came back from a two to nothing deficit to win and I like most Canadians felt it looked good on them. Then the mens team schooled them one more time on how the games really played but atleast the losers of that contest took the loss with much more class.
Then Canada also took gold in both mens and womens curling. Great to see!

yawn

I hear that 5 of the 13 or so gold medals picked up by Russia were really 3 for a South Korea skater and 2 for an american freestyle board specialist, they were generously given Russian passports just before the olympics. Just reading international papers on tour, sorry if I mess up here...

Bjornulf

I haven't checked that story BV but I wouldn't be surprised if it's true. I don't think Russia is the only culprit here though. Succesfull athlethes seems to have a VIP lane to citizenships in many countries.
Especially before big occasions like The Olympics...

Bjørnulf is right. There was a piece on this in the norwegian papers the other day.

The snowboarder who won two medals married a russian girl, and moved to Russia a long time ago, though.

NO-one fancies the Swedish Girls? We are in big need for medals in every sport except skiing...



2 1 2 0

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bv
I hear that 5 of the 13 or so gold medals picked up by Russia were really 3 for a South Korea skater and 2 for an american freestyle board specialist, they were generously given Russian passports just before the olympics. Just reading international papers on tour, sorry if I mess up here...

On the other side, 5 golden medals (4 in women biathlon and 1 in halfpipe) in Sochi have been won by athletes that currently do not represent Russia for various reasons, but all of them at some moment in the past were acting members of respective Russian teams:

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

So I still would assume that 13 - 5 + 5 = 13

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AP

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bv
I hear that 5 of the 13 or so gold medals picked up by Russia were really 3 for a South Korea skater and 2 for an american freestyle board specialist, they were generously given Russian passports just before the olympics. Just reading international papers on tour, sorry if I mess up here...

On the other side, 5 golden medals (4 in women biathlon and 1 in halfpipe) in Sochi have been won by athletes that currently do not represent Russia for various reasons, but all of them at some moment in the past were acting members of respective Russian teams:

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

So I still would assume that 13 - 5 + 5 = 13

Good point!

I didn't know about Domracheva being russian earlier, though.

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rob51
Canada kicked USA's asses in both mens and womens hockey and that's really what matters to us the most. Loved to see the agony of defeat on the US womens team after we came back from a two to nothing deficit to win and I like most Canadians felt it looked good on them. Then the mens team schooled them one more time on how the games really played but atleast the losers of that contest took the loss with much more class.
Then Canada also took gold in both mens and womens curling. Great to see!

pride is pride but don't be an ugly Canadian

What treacle said. Yikes.

SWEET!! [sports.yahoo.com]
If you're in Russia, and you're a medalist at the Sochi Games, life is pretty good for you right now, with cash and a new car waiting for you.

Russia gave all of its gold medalists in the Sochi Games $120,000, plus a brand-new Mercedes GL SUV. This led to a bit of logistical leapfrogging with athletes like Julia Lipnitskaya, who is only 15 and not yet of legal driving age in Russia. (She got a personal driver to go along with the car.) Silver medalists got $76,000 and a Mercedes ML, and bronze medalists got $52,000 and a Mercedes GLK.

A total of 45 cars were distributed to gold medalists. Russia won a Sochi-leading total of 33 medals, including 13 golds. The cars were provided by the Russian Olympians Foundation, a consortium established by Russian businessmen in 2005. Russian athletes who won medals in the 2012 London Games received new Audis with personal drivers.

For comparison's sake, the United States Olympic Committee pays its winners $25,000 for a gold medal, $15,000 for a silver and $10,000 for a bronze medal. Kazakhstan leads the medal payment rate at $250,000 for a gold, but has not had a gold medalist at the Winter Olympics in 20 years.

Of course, not all athletes benefit quite so handsomely. Dario Cologna of Switzerland won two golds in cross-country skiing. His reward from his hometown? A pig, which he named "Sochi."

Julia Lipnitskaya, who is only 15 and not yet of legal driving age in Russia. (She got a personal driver to go along with the car.)

In most euro countries you can't drive till you're 18. Good for her!

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The Sicilian

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More Hot Rocks

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ab
Miller was heroic and nearly stole the gold medal for the USA in 2010, but he's a bit battered after four more years of playing behind terrible teams in Siberia, I mean Buffalo. The Sabres are bad enough to give a goalie post-traumatic stress disorder.

Quick earned the number one USA goalie job 2014 after winning the Cup in 2012 in Los Angeles. He hasn't disappointed so far. So I'm guessing that he'll play the rest of the way.

i'm a Sabre season ticket holder. I wish Ryan all the best when he leaves. There is no way I'd want to play with this team. Ever since Pegula bought this team it's down hill to dead last. He's in it for the money. I don't care what any body says. He's raised the price of everything here in three years and has done nothing for the team. He called this place Hockey Heaven three years ago. Are you kidding me? Miller to St Louis is the strong rumor.

Miller to St.Louis for who? TJ Oshie or Derek Roy

Told you he was going to St Louis

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Max'sKansasCity

Of course, not all athletes benefit quite so handsomely. Dario Cologna of Switzerland won two golds in cross-country skiing. His reward from his hometown? A pig, which he named "Sochi."

Looks like he gets more from the government... Switzerland offers its gold medalists $88,600.

[www.nbcnews.com]

Norway does not pay for gold medals, but in real life you will be almost as popular as the king if you win a bunch of gold medals in cross country skiing in Norway. Or down hill racing. Or any other winter sports really. The sponsors will queue up, like Red Bull, Fischer, Coop and others who want a share of the fame in change for a fortune.

The best winter sports athlets in Norway are like the Gretzky's and Beckham's in Norway. You have Petter Northug, you have Slatan, and you have Messi. And of course Aksel Lund Svindal, Marit Bjørgen, Therese Johaug, and best of them all, the one with the most gold medals ever - Ole Einar Bjørndalen.

Bjornulf

Well done, mr. Putin. That's Olympic spirits. For your colleague back in the 1930s it took several years from the Greatest Games On Earth to start 'protecting your people' in other countries by conquering violently their areas, for you it took several days. The Triumph of the Will, indeed. God help us Europeans (and everybody).



- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-03-03 20:24 by Doxa.

Your post brought this to mind, Doxa. From twitter:


Archbishop Clement of Ukrainian Orthodox church human shields Ukr army base

After closing of the Olympics it was followed up by the Cold War!

Ukraine take care

Heard about Godwin's law, Doxa? These are serious matters, for sure, but I wouldn't go that far...

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Doxa
Well done, mr. Putin. That's Olympic spirits. For your colleague back in the 1930s it took several years from the Greatest Games On Earth to start 'protecting your people' in other countries by conquering violently their areas, for you it took several days. The Triumph of the Will, indeed. God help us Europeans (and everybody).



- Doxa

Putin would look unbelievably good with a moustache.

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treaclefingers

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rob51
Canada kicked USA's asses in both mens and womens hockey and that's really what matters to us the most. Loved to see the agony of defeat on the US womens team after we came back from a two to nothing deficit to win and I like most Canadians felt it looked good on them. Then the mens team schooled them one more time on how the games really played but atleast the losers of that contest took the loss with much more class.
Then Canada also took gold in both mens and womens curling. Great to see!

pride is pride but don't be an ugly Canadian

gloating is always tacky....