WEIGHT OF GOLD
Russian hockey team carries country’s expectations
‘G ood afternoon, friends and fans,” Vladislav Tretiak began.
He was in the Pushkin conference room — the largest in the main press centre of the Sochi Olympics — where presumably all the hundreds of credentialed people crowded into the seats were media members.
But the legendary goaltender who’s now head of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation knew better. He knew because about half of them had applauded the Russian team as it filed onto the grand dais to sit shoulderto-shoulder before the microphones: 25 players, the entire coaching staff, and in the middle, the great Tretiak. Friends and fans, indeed. Credentialed they may be, but any idea of objectivity over the next couple of weeks of the Olympic men’s hockey tournament is not expected of the Russian media. Many are fans first, journalists a distant second — and in this, they are perfectly attuned to their countrymen, because for devotees of the Russian team of 2014, hockey is all, and nothing less than gold will do.
It was that way for Canada four years ago ... minus the cheering in the press box. Of course, these days, the CBC has joined the fanboy and fangirl club, reporters snapping selfies of themselves with Canadian athletes and openly cheering for them on social media. But we digress. The Russian players, even Tretiak, looked mildly stunned at the size of the gathering to hear what everyone knew would be a lot of very carefully worded answers to not-very-probing questions.
“We’re very glad to see so many people for this news conference. I participated in four Olympic Games, and I don’t remember such an interest in ice hockey players,” said Tretiak, who won three gold medals before the breakup of the Soviet Union.
But it was the one that got away that still lingers.
A story told by International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams at Tuesday morning’s daily briefing pretty much summed it up. He recounted a speech made a few nights ago by Dmitry Chernyshenko, president of the Sochi Olympic organizing committee, on hockey’s importance in the hearts of Russians.
“He said, as a child, there were three horror films he knew from the West,” said Adams.
“One was A Nightmare on Elm Street, the second one was Friday The 13th, and the third one was Miracle on Ice.”
So, yes, Adams added: “I think the Russians are soaked up in this one.”
Asked by an Associated Press reporter how long it had taken him to get over the shock of losing to the American amateurs at Lake Placid in 1980, Tretiak took the aggressive line.
“Well,” he said, “let me tell you this. In ’84, we managed to rectify our mistakes.” He had to pause until the applause died down.
“But we have to give credit to the U.S. team. In 1980, it was a miracle. And, in fact, it made it possible for ice hockey to develop so fast in the United States. It gave it great emphasis.
“In 1980, it was a good lesson that the Americans taught us. You have to respect your opponent. And only after the game, you can tell what you think about them. We did not have respect for the competitors at that time, but we don’t have that at this Olympics.”
Sounds about right: 1972 was our lesson in humility, and 1980 was theirs.
But now they are home, trying to win the first-ever gold medal for Russia. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the only gold won by Russians was under the flag of the Unified Team in 1992.
They haven’t won a hockey medal of any colour since their bronze in Salt Lake City, 12 years ago. So there they sat Tuesday, all staring at the same audience, all feeling what the Canadian team members felt four years ago: the weight.
“Well, we are on our home turf, and we remember the Vancouver Olympics and we know the Canadians had a very difficult time. We know we have a lot of support here, but we also know that we have a lot of responsibility, a lot to answer for,” Tretiak said.
“You are right in saying ice hockey is extremely important in Russia, and this is very obvious,” he said, noting the size of the audience. “But sports is sports. We will do our best, but how we perform, we will have to see.”
Alexander Ovechkin, who got most of the questions Tuesday, knows that this time, the Russians won’t get a free pass if they lose, though he said it didn’t feel that way in Vancouver, either.
“Obviously, the first Olympics I took part in was in Turin, and I was very young. Vancouver was ... uh ... a different story,” he said. “I did have a lot of pressure, in fact the entire team was pressured. When we lost to the Canadians, it was a big blow to us, it was a big blow to everyone in Russia.
“We haven’t had a single match here yet, but I can see there is a certain pressure,” he said, again referencing the news conference mob.
Asked to answer in English, he said: “I think that whoever hosts the Olympic Games has the most pressure, and we are in the same position Canada was four years ago. But I’m pretty sure we have guys old enough to handle that pressure. I’m pretty sure that as soon as we step on the ice, we’re gonna think about how to win the game and not about the pressure. OK?”
He smiled. We smiled. They applauded.