Westlake pulls no punches in Sochi
SOCHI, Russia — If the television networks that broadcast NHL hockey in Canada are looking for a fresh voice, someone who can be thoughtful and opinionated, we’d like to off er up Canadian sledge hockey captain Greg Westlake. He loves the camera. And it likes him. And he’s not shy about ruffl ing feathers. After Canada beat Norway 3- 0 in Saturday’s bronzemedal game at the Paralympics, Westlake, an irritating pest on the ice, was asked about his jawing and shoving with aging Norwegian star Rolf Einar Pederson, a nemesis for the past eight years. “I like Rolf; man, he’s so fun to play against,” the feisty Westlake said. Then he paused and gave a wry smile. “Ah, I’ll give a better sound bite. I hate the guy. I think he’s a bad teammate. As long as I’ve been around, they’ve never won a championship. I don’t think he’s a winner. He’s got a loser mentality. When things get tough on him, he folds. He’s their best player and my job is to make him fold. “( Saturday) you saw it — he’s 40 whatever years old, he acts 13 when you give him a shot. He can’t take it. I eat a lot of punches, I’m not well- liked. And I get up and keep my hands down. I keep playing because you’ve got to win on the scoreboard. He doesn’t have that mentality. It’s really fun to wind him up and watch him go.” Geez, Greg, tell us what you really think? PRAISE FOR RUSSIA: Canadian athletes and offi cials have been near- unanimous in their praise for Russia’s staging of the Winter Paralympics. “It’s been tremendous,” said wheelchair curling skip Jim Armstrong. “The venue has been great, the volunteers are just second to none. Russia should be very, very proud of the Games they’ve put on.” Triple gold medallist Brian McKeever said the organization and the facilities have been fi rst rate. “We haven’t wanted for anything. Logistics for us has been spot on. The volunteers have been amazing, really friendly, very helpful.” The Russians set Winter Paralympics records for ticket sales, frequently fi lling the stands at the cross- country and alpine venues and in the sledge hockey and curling arenas. At Saturday’s gold- medal sledge hockey fi nal between Russia and the U. S., organizers somehow crammed 6,878 people into the 5,800- seat Shayba Arena. QUOTABLE: “From an ordinary, Soviet- style resort, Sochi was transformed into an international all- year- round ( winter) sports destination.” — Dimitry Chernyshenko, president and CEO of Sochi 2014 . It’ ll be fascinating to visit Sochi in 2024 and see if he’s right.