By Adam McDowell, National Post
At the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the Canadian women's hockey team just can't win.
The scores are favourable: an 18-0 victory against Slovakia last Saturday; 10-1 against the Swiss on Monday, 13-1 against Sweden Wednesday, all results that challenged headline writers to find new synonyms for "rout." The problem: If the Canadians continue to pot goals every few minutes against weaker opponents, they are accused of running up the score; and if they hold back, they risk making their sport look bad and humiliating their opponents even more.
Team Canada head coach Melody Davidson said this week that whenever the Canadian women achieve a lopsided win over their international opponents, she receives emails condemning their rudeness.
"We played fine, we didn't battle as hard as we could. Our job was to win the hockey game and we did," said Ms. Davidson, defending her team after the demolition of Slovakia.
"It's definitely mentally hard. They care what Canadians and the world thinks of them. All we hear is about how we're classless and disrespectful. It's a no-win situation."
In international women's hockey, few teams can touch Canada and the United States (which has beaten China 12-1 and Russia 13-0 so far this Olympiad). Supporters say the pounding of other teams by the North Americans may be ugly to watch, but it is an important early step for the sport, and weaker countries will learn what it takes to win only by losing - sometimes horribly - in high-profile international play.
Critics of the blowouts, though, have suggested the sport be put on ice, as it were, until more teams can compete.
"I read in a Swedish newspaper that the status of women's hockey within the Olympic program is jeopardized because of what the newspaper claims is a non-competitive situation," said Szymon Szemberg, spokesman for the International Ice Hockey Federation.
He said the International Olympic Committee is not discussing that.
"The last thing that would help the women's program is to throw them out of the Olympics. This would be a devastating blow," he continued. "There are so many girls in the world today who make up their minds to become a hockey player [after seeing the Olympics]."
There are precedents for delisting a sport when the field appears uncompetitive: In 2005, the IOC voted women's softball out of the Olympics, to take effect as of the Summer Games in London in 2012. The U.S. team had won gold in all three Olympic tournaments to that point and enjoyed a 79-game winning streak in international play culminating in their 2004 gold medal in Athens. However, Japan managed to win the gold in 2008 in Beijing.
Booting a sport out of the Olympics happens only rarely, however. Events can be dominated by a particular country for decades without anyone complaining much, said Johnny Misley, executive vice-president of hockey operations for Hockey Canada. For decades, Canada's men's hockey team toyed with all comers. When the sport made its debut in 1920, the Canadian men outscored their opposition 122-3.
With regard to women's hockey, he said, "What is negative is the scrutiny we're receiving for a sport that's in its evolutionary stages. I think it's totally unfair that hockey's being singled out in the Olympic Games like this given the current wide margin in scores.
"We're kind of tired of it, actually, to hear that."
Hockey Canada strongly supports having women's hockey in the Olympics because it brings attention brought to the sport that can inspire young women to take it up.
New countries do emerge to challenge long-dominant ones in particular sports, and weaker women's hockey teams at Vancouver have viewed their Olympic trouncings as learning experiences along the way.
Swiss coach René Kammerer refused to be downbeat after the 10-1 defeat of his team on Monday. "Every year, every championship, every Olympics you see the progress of the countries [besides the United States and Canada]. Women's hockey made big progress during the last four years at all levels and all teams," said Mr. Kammerer.
"Slovakia now knows, when they go home and regroup and evaluate their Olympic experience, that in order to become competitive, they are 18 goals behind," said the IIHF's Mr. Szemberg. "If Canada would slow it down after two periods, and only won by 10 goals, they would not be doing Slovakia any favours."
The Chinese coach, a transplanted Finn named Hannu Saintula, seemed almost grateful for his team's 12-1 drubbing by the Americans. "It's a big honour for our team to be here," he said. "We can learn from every second, every face-off, every shift."
Other problems await female players at home. In some European countries they face a stigma against women taking to the ice, and in those countries the women's hockey programs suffer.
"Within USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, the women's hockey is treated as seriously as the men's program. If we go to the Europeans - the Finns, Swedes, Russians, Swiss - that's not the case," said Mr. Szemberg.
"In those countries I just mentioned, I would say 75% to 80% of the resources go towards the men. The leftovers go towards the women. Unless this attitude is changed, we will not have a dramatic change in results in major tournaments."
Mr. Misley, of Hockey Canada, agreed. "Hockey-mad" countries such as Russia must support their women's teams better. "We challenge those nations to do that."
Iya Gavrilova, one of Russia's women's hockey stars at the 2010 Olympics, said this week that she must hone her talent by attending men's drop-in nights at a rink in Duluth, Minn. "It's very hard to play hockey at a high level when you don't have a team to practise with," said the 22-year-old.
Despite obstacles for their women, the teams of Finland and Sweden represent a "second tier" of competitor, and are closest to challenging Canada and the United States, notwithstanding the Swedes' thrashing at Canada's hands yesterday.
Given the challenges facing female hockey players in non-North American countries, the wait for better competition could be long.
"Everyone laughs about the score against the Slovaks, but good for them to qualify for their first-ever Olympics," said Mr. Misley. "That's a good starting point for them, and where are they going to be in 20 years? It'll come, with time."
After Saturday's game against Canada, Slovak defender Barbora Bremova brimmed with excitement despite her team's loss. At home, said Ms. Bremova (one of her country's 263 registered female players), she typically plays in front of a crowd of about 40 people, made up of mostly family members. Compare that with Canada Hockey Place, capacity 19,300.
"It was an unbelievable experience," said the defenceman, 18, through a translator. "I am disappointed we lost but it was incredible to play against Canadian players like Hayley Wickenheiser."
