Hockey Players Drinking? Say It Ain’t So

I’m glad the Canadian women’s hockey story blew over.  So what if they were smoking and drinking during their semi-private celebration.  It wasn’t like they did it in front of the their opponents or on the medal podium. They waited until the arena was empty and they cut loose, with cigars and champagne. Wouldn’t you?  All those years of training, all that sacrifice and you actually win the gold.

The day after it happened Gilbert Felli, the International Olympic Committee’s executive director of the Olympic Games, said that drinking in public was “not what we want to see” from athletes at an Olympic venue. The organization will investigate the actions and will speak with the international hockey federation and Canadian Olympic Committee and ask them to “act accordingly.”

Steve Keough, a spokesman for the Canadian Olympic Committee, told the Associated Press, “We condone celebrations. … We don’t condone actions of irresponsibility. I think Canadians understand it’s quite an emotional moment for our team. It was not our intention to go against any IOC protocols.”

By Saturday, IOC spokesman Mark Adams suggested the only outrage was coming from the press.  “To be honest, I think people are in search of a story that doesn’t exist,” he said. “I think people are looking for someone to say it’s terrible.”