The Canadian women’s hockey team sure put a damper on their win. Winning an Olympic gold medal is certainly cause for celebrating, but not on the ice! The locker room, your hotel room, or take it to a bar. Coming out on the ice with beer champagne and cigars is inappropriate and disrespectful. The International Olympic Committee hasn’t decided yet the punishment for such actions will be. Some fans argue that if it would have been men doing this, there would be no discussion. These actions are only frowned upon because the participants were women. Arguing that NHL players always open a bottle of champagne on the ice after a Stanley Cup win.
Among those drinking were Quebec City’s Marie-Philip Poulin, the youngest player on Team Canada and its fourth-line centre, who scored twice in the first period. The 18-year-old Poulin turns 19 next month, but right now would be under the legal drinking age in B.C.
“I’m really sorry for what happened,” she said. “I think we just wanted to enjoy the moment and that’s just what happened. And it won’t happen again. We’ve learned from that. We’re just going to enjoy that medal right now.”
Also winning gold, but without the controversy, was the men’s relay team. Charles Hamelin, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Francois Hamelin and Oliver Jean in the 5000 metre short track. Favoured to win, the men entered the race full of hope and energy.
“Short track always has the potential to bring up some surprise results, especially at the Games because everybody wants it so bad,” said former Australian skater Steven Bradbury, who won a gold in Salt Lake City as the last man standing in a rambunctious final. “It’s when the tension is there and everybody is trying so hard and sometimes too hard that mistakes happen. We saw it with Ho-Suk Lee and he took out his teammate (in the 1500) We saw it with Charles Hamelin when he did an 8.9 second lap on the third lap of the 1000 metres, which is way too fast. There’s no way you can win from there.”
It was an exciting race and gold medal well deserved!

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