t was difficult for Canadians when they lost hockey gold at the Olympics. Now, just a few weeks later, it looks like maybe winning the gold at the Olympics isn’t “The Greatest.” The U.S. Men’s Hockey Team has been in a whirlwind of controversial news for their post-win off-ice activities rather than their medal-winning plays. I guess one spends much more time off the ice rather than on it. Which means a lot more opportunities for mistakes that lead to penalties. Or whirlwinds that lead to tornados.
The windstorm picked up with Trump’s reference to the women’s team during the now-famous locker room telephone conversation. That added to the fact that they did not receive a congratulatory call from the president, and their invitation to the White House was timed after the men’s win. It was sufficiently late that travel arrangements and next steps were complete. It really was the misogynist nature of the comments that made for all the reaction.
That means that the post-victory locker conversation with Trump is going to have a long shelf-life. Like a Twinkie in a bomb shelter. This was just one of the post-win “missteps.” How many? I got stopped when the list got to 14 things they did wrong - AI provided a well-prepared list. AI asked at the end of the list: “Would you like to see a comparison of the media coverage between the Men’s and Women’s teams following their respective gold medal wins? Isn’t that the actual controversy - how extensive gender discrimination is in USA Hockey.
It turns out it goes right to the top of the political system. And how do we know that? Today the Globe and Mail revealed in an article that the American Ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, says he is “disappointed and outraged “over Cathal Kelly’s column on the U.S. men’s hockey team at the State of the Union Address. Hoekstra demanded an apology. (This is in sharp contrast to the person who chastised Canadians over being too sensitive to the 51state threats, over the Prime Minister being called a governor, the border being referred to as “just a line”, increased tariffs, along with the demand to close down the Gordie Howe Bridge, and so on.) The Globe and Mail responded by asking what the consequences were of not apologizing. I guess the Globe and Mail knows a thing or two about escalation in the U.S.
The hockey gender gap controversy is gaining momentum. Forbes has an article on this. The author says the post-win missteps showcase that USA Hockey is in a crisis and needs to reset to get back on track. Given the gender war in the US is political, this doesn’t seem likely. The article is HERE.
We lost our mid-March flower show - Canada Blooms - to COVID and financial constraints. I will miss the wonderful displays. Here’s an Alice in Wonderland themed one - perfect for our topic of the day.
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