Sunday, February 24, 2002
Golden girls year's best
By GEORGE GROSS -- Corporate Sports Editor
The late French crooner Maurice Chevalier immortalized the song Thank Heaven For Little Girls many years ago.
He may have had the Canadian women's hockey team in mind.
What these girls and women accomplished by winning the gold medal under the most adverse conditions will go down in the annals of Canadian sport as a heroic effort.
For that alone, this gallant collection of females deserves to be selected as Canada's team of the year 2002.
The Canadian girls overcame such adversities as having to:
l Play against a favoured United States team that had beaten them eight times in succession going in the Olympic tournament.
l Play on a U.S. ice surface in the presence of predominantly American fans, and the coup de grace,
l Play against an American referee, Stacey Livingston, who called 11 penalties against Team Canada, eight in a row.
Through these odds, the Canadian gals remained in full control of their emotions, played disciplined hockey and refused to be goaded into further foolish penalties, although the American referee made sure she invented some.
Pat Quinn, the occasionally cool mentor of the Canadian men's team, will be quick to point out to his proteges prior to today's gold medal game that they should borrow a page from the women's book, play with passion, but also with discipline.
Dave King, head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL, was another who expressed his admiration for the Canadian women's team.
"They had to overcome a lot of obstacles," said King, who has coached several Canadian men's teams in world championship competition.
"In all the years I have been involved in international hockey, I have never experienced having a referee from one of the two competing finalists."
The golden girls now have done more for women in Canadian sports than any Ottawa propaganda machine. More than six million viewed the game on television, a game that had Wayne Gretzky, as well as the men's teams of Canada and the U.S. watching intently as the minutes ticked away in the third period.
If the Canadian women's team -- a collection of truly dedicated warriors who captured the hearts of the country in its 3-2 victory over an American team that had won 35 consecutive games heading into the Games -- was indeed selected as Canada's team of the year, a lot of credit would have to go to coach Daniele Sauvageau for motivating and molding them, keeping their spirits up and their tempers in check.
The enormity of their accomplishments has to be understood by everybody who competed in sports, or watched tough competitions in person or on television. These Canadian women and girls did a phenomenal job.
All of this doesn't mean that I don't respect the Canadian men's hockey team. Far from it. I'll be cheering for them with all my might today, even though journalists are supposed to remain neutral.
But gold or silver today, it doesn't matter now. My vote for Canada's team of the year goes to the women's hockey side because it's not only to win or lose, but how you play the game. And the Canadian women played it almost to perfection against heavy odds.
GROSSLY ABBREVIATED: Congratulations to Joe Krol, the legendary Toronto Argonauts quarterback, who turned 83 on Thursday. His friends took him out for his favourite meal -- sweet and sour ribs -- at the Mandarin restaurant on the Queensway.
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2002 Games Women's Hockey Coverage
