 mericans were presumably less happy with the proceedings. The
millionaire-filled hockey "Dream Team" won just one of its four
games, and, pining perhaps for the days of being an amateur
underdog, trashed parts of the Olympic Village before departing.
A sparkly Tara Lipinski ("Occupation: pupil") and an obviously
disappointed Michelle Kwan ("Hobby: corresponding with pen
pals") claimed gold and silver, but Nicole Bobek, who'd hoped to
join them on the medal stand, ended up a disappointing 17th. It
generally fell to women to lift America's spirits: Nikki Stone,
told she could never ski again after a back injury two years
ago, claiming a gold in freestyle aerials; or Chris Witty,
daughter of Walter Witty (just one letter from a daydream),
winning a bronze and a silver in speed skating.
Perhaps the most rousing moment came when the U.S. women's
hockey team beat four-time world champion Canada, 3-1, to take
an emotional gold. The two games between the fierce enemies
introduced fans to a style of fluency and electrifying intensity
that put many an NHL game to shame, as well as to such new words
as "underwomanned." Though body checking is not allowed in
women's hockey, it would have been hard to tell that to any of
the bodies flying across the ice, while Maple Leafs clashed with
Stars and Stripes all around the packed arena.
"We have an intense dislike and an intense rivalry," said
Canadian coach Shannon Miller after seeing 20 penalties in a
preliminary game, on Valentine's Day, that officially meant
nothing. But when the American women beat her team for the
second time in three days, Miller looked up and "had a feeling
of joy going through my body. Because what I realized was an
Olympic gold medal was being hung around the neck of a female
hockey player."
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4
|
