Fuckin' hockey

It's the semi-finals of the Olympic men's hockey today. Canada's squaring off against Russia. It's the second intermission, and panic's mounting. We've had maybe a dozen shots on goal all game. We're down one-nil.

We have some of the greatest players of the game playing all on one team and they can't find the fucking net. Well, I don't know, I've never played, but I've heard that aiming the puck in that general direction's a good start.

Sigh. It chokes me to be so bitter at my boys. I love them so. But shoot the fucking puck. How hard is it?

I was worried as soon as the thing happened with Gretzky and the gambling scandal. Of COURSE Gretzky didn't know about it. The guy's golden for a reason. He has more integrity than any sporting person I've seen in my time. There's very few players who sit in that realm of being great on and off the ice, and the only people in my mind right now are Gretzky, Ali, Ripken, Jordan, people like that, with ethics to match the egos. He wouldn't get involved in something that stupid.

Being Canadian and being a hockey player are up there with being a dad and a man for Gretzky. It's what he is. He won't fuck with that. You just understand that.

The implications were just ridiculous, and I can't really sit back and say I think the press was using its head by even mentioning it. Back in the day, journalists would've sat back and said, "Yeah, but look at who it is. Are you serious?" They'd wait a day to see what else came, and then they'd run with it. Maybe someone with an exclusive would run something, but the rest would wait before repeating the tale. Ahh, maybe I'm a romantic.

Anyhow, that shit's wearing Wayne down. My boy lost his mom this year and it clearly has been kicking his ass. He didn't need his wife to be involved in this scandal, too. Wayne's an incredible man, but there comes a time when a load is so great it makes it impossible for you to express those positives about yourself that help energize others.

I wonder if he's lost it for this tourney. And maybe he should've stepped down.

But there are a couple dozen guys in that room who should've fucking stepped up before now. They shoulda watched the women, took the inspiration, and remembered what they learned in PeeWee: If you're gonna score, you better shoot.

The third period's starting. Oh. Did I mention we've been shut out two games in a row, haven't scored in 10 periods? Right. That too.