Your Monday Hockey Reality Check

I am a hockey fan, and former player of the game. I admit, I fell in love with the sport as a child, when my father took me to see the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers at the old Chicago Stadium when I was in 1st grade. I didn't understand the game then, but loved it. I hit the ice for real in the days after the "Miracle on Ice" USA win over the Soviet Union (which occurred 30 years ago today).

As a former player, and someone that covered the sport in both Chicago and Raleigh with the Hurricanes, I will tell you this:

Sunday's USA win over Canada was not the stuff of miracles, and it assured Team USA of absolutely zero.

I pick up the paper this morning over my coffee, and see the word "miracle," used in the headline describing Team USA's 5-3 win over Canada.

Was Canada supposedly invincible? If they were, they certainly didn't look it against Switzerland, especially when they had to go beyond the first 3 shots of a shootout to finally put the Swiss away. The Canadians are playing under the most intense pressures in sports. Imagine the pressure on Tony Romo, quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Or Joe Girardi, Manager for the NY Yankees. Those are big-time, everyday pressure packed sports jobs. Those two face the heat of a city. Team Canada is facing it from a country. Even the Quebec province.

I'm not making excuses for the Canadians. I am also not making the American's victory into something more than it is. There are nights in the NHL that a hot goaltender can be the difference in a win. Take for instance the Hurricanes recent 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Raleigh. You remember that one, right? It was the Saturday after the statewide snow/ice blast. I was foolish enough to drive to Raleigh in that soup for a game. Ring a bell? Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward was peppered with shots. Chicago outshot the Hurricanes 41-24, but Ward made sure the Hurricanes had the support on the back end.

Ryan Miller did that for Team USA against Canada. Canada thoroughly dominated play, but Miller was the difference. Period. End of story.

Do not call it miraculous. Last I looked, both the USA and Canada rosters are populated by players that are on NHL teams. This was an NHL All Star Game, only there was defense, hitting, and passion. There was no miracle here. This was the essence of the sport. It was poetry. It was beautiful to watch.

So, as you go through your day, maybe with a little more bounce in your step, keep in mind the USA hockey team hasn't won anything yet. They are the top seed heading into the medal round, and along with Russia, Sweden and Finland, will have a bye into the quarterfinals. Team USA hasn't seen any of them yet. The road to gold is a bumpy one, and it's only beginning.

Mike Solarte

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I can no longer resist

I was going to see how far into the Olympics I could go without blogging about them. I am not anti-Olympics. I just can't stand the coverage restrictions that are implemented on news gathering organizations (what we can show, when we can show it, etc.). Can't stand that at all.

I love me some Olympics, though. Big time.

I'm getting this post up a little earlier than Monday's, but not by much. Hard to wake up early when you stay up watching boxing and softball until 2:30 a.m.

Monday's action was outstanding. US Swimmers stole the show early-Michael Phelps wins his 3rd gold, Aaron Piersol wins one (although it sounded like the announcers were dogging him about not having a "competitive" outward appearance), Natalie Coughlin wins one. Good stuff.

The US Gymnastics team took bronze in the team competition, which was pretty good, apparently, as I don't follow my men's gymnastics like I should. The only thing I would have changed was the smack-talk from the US after winning bronze. They were looking into the camera, and chirping "third place, baby!"

Hold on.

Look, I like the idea of a podium finish, getting the hardware, it's a great feat, considering this team was very inexperienced. Chirp when you win it all and no one expected it. The bronze medal high-fives amongst the teammates is cool, just don't scream it into the camera that 3rd place rocks. It really doesn't.

I congratulate them on earning a medal, considering nobody thought it possible. What hurts worse is that they actually led for the silver heading into the final rotation. The first 2 Americans on the pommel horse basically fell of the thing, giving them low scores. The final American was brilliant, and that performance salvaged the bronze. Had they won silver, behind the Chinese, I never would have written the above paragraphs.

The Games have provided plenty of great moments, and Phelps will try to deliver 5 more in the pool before it's all said and done. The US basketball team, now known as "The Redeem Team", flushed Angola 97-76 on Tuesday (sorry to spoil it if you were taping it for viewing later). They have the promise of bringing hoop gold back home. The US women's hoop team rolls along as well.

Better get the coffee ready for some more late night TV watching.

-Carolina Panthers with just 2 practices in Spartanburg remaining, Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. The team will fly to Philadelphia on Wednesday for Thursday's pre-season game with the Eagles. Good to see some of the injured bodies back to practice (Jon Beason and Damione Lewis were back to work), and Ken Lucas is working out on the sidelines, just staying in shape. Wednesday promises to be a fun morning. A light workout, the last speech from Head Coach John Fox, and the annual rite of passage for the first year guys--the rookie hazing.

Normally that phrase gets people up in arms, because hazing, in the past, has consisted of a collection of things that just don't jive in the culture we live in today. Panther rookie hazing is quite harmless. The new guys are taped to a goalpost, and the veterans douse them with the ice-cold water buckets, Gatorade showers, or whatever. Someone cuts the rookies loose, they shower up, and all is well.

Sounds silly, but it's a wonderful team-building thing. The veterans see a rookie that is willing to take that abuse (albeit mild) from them, but they also see the laughs going along with it. Those vets then know that these kids are a part of their family, and they can be counted on when the chips are down.

I won't even tell you about how I was hazed on my college hockey team as a freshman.

You don't want to know.

Mike Solarte