Navigating the Waters

My 10-year old son and I are avid hockey fans and we have been following the disappointing fortunes of both the Canadian and U.S. hockey teams. Each team barely made it through the preliminary round (each helped out by some very weak teams in each division). The Canadians were thoroughly trounced by a formidable Russian team, while the U.S. lost to a surging team from Finland. Neither North American team played well enoughes to deserve to win.

The semi-final game yesterday between the Czechs and the Russians was outstanding, with the Czechs stifling the powerful Russian offense and prevailing in a 3-0 shutout. As a result, the Czechs took the bronze medal.

The Finland-Sweden game today was less exciting, but the Swedes did enough to win 3-2 and capture the gold medal, while the Finns were awarded the silver.

All in all, the Olympic hockey tournament was fun to watch. I was amazed that even marginal NHL players like Aki Berg of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who played for Finland, and Tomas Vokoun, who played for the Czechs, ended up playing like champions in the Olympics. There must be something about playing for one's country that brings out the best in some players.