from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail,

While there are many positives to be said about the naming of the men’s Olympic hockey team, the best thing about the event may be it puts an end to everyone within reach of a microphone or a keyboard playing general manager Lego with the 40-or-so names under consideration for the 25 jobs.

Only in Canada could you fill the stands of a hockey arena to watch middle-aged men in dark suits take turns reading from a list of names. If it looked at times like good church wardens moving up to read the gospel, so be it. The faithful were all ears and, in the end, cheers.

“Our goal,” Canadian Olympic Committee president Marcel Aubut said. “Easy. Finish No. 1.”

No pressure here.

So seriously do Canadians take this team that they once watched live, coast to coast, as a press conference was held to announce the third goaltender for the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, a player who would never play a game and not even dress for most.

read on