Welcome back, sportz freaks to another edition of Z Money's Sportz Talk. My sincerest apologies for making you wait this week for my latest posting, but the combination of homework, meetings, and the nuisance we have all come to know as snow, it's been very hard for me to keep up. As a result, my faithful readers will be treated to a new post today as well as tomorrow, the 12th. So without further a due, let's get down to business. Now that football season is officially in the books, we can all start to look forward to the many gifts we sports fans receive in the next few months. Things like March Madness, the NHL and NBA playoffs, and the start of Spring Training are all on the horizon, but before we get to any of that, we will have the pleasure of watching a special event that comes to us only once every four years. Of course, I'm referring to the Winter Olympics, which will begin tomorrow evening from the Canadian city of Vancouver. I, for one, am extremely excited as I always am when the Olympic season comes around. I felt like the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing were fantastic, and with stars like Michael Phelps representing the U.S., you could really feel a unity within the country, as practically everyone with a television set tuned in to watch him break record after record. If this is any indication of the pride and excitement that wil be flowing through our great country in the next two weeks, then we are in for one heck of a ride. And just as in the Summer, the U.S. has a lot of thrilling events headed by some major stars to look forward to.
The biggest event of the Winter Games, at least in my eyes, is that of the International Hockey Tournament. For this two week session of Olympic proportions, the National Hockey League shuts itself down, and the stars of the game leave their regular teams ot represent their respective countries in an international showdown. Players seen as hated rivals are now forced to join together in order to represent their home land to the best of their ability. Canada is one of the strong favorites yet again this year, as they are lead in by future Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur (NJ), not to mention that the tournament will be taking place on their home ice. Led by goaltender Henrik Lundqvist (NYR) and legendary forward Petr Forsberg, Sweden is also seen as a big threat, as they walked away with the 2006 crown. The United States will try to make a name for itself as well, as stars by the names of Zach Parise (NJ), Chris Drury (NYR) and goaltender Ryan Miller (Buf) will unite to represent the stars and stripes. The tournament is certainly up for grabs, and the thrill of each and every game will be felt whether you are there live, or watching from a distance on your television sets. You'll most likely find yourselves rooting for players you wouldn't normally cheer for otherwise, but it's all for the pride of your country. Crazy things can always happen, and let's hope for our sake that they do.
In addition to hockey, the US will also be cheering representatives in such other sports as Skiing, Bobsledding, Snowboarding, and Figure Skating. Fast-rising Lindsey Vonn is the odds-on favorite to take Women's skiing, while the "Flying Tomato", Shaun White looks to repeat as Olympic champion in Snowboarding. Sasha Cohen won't be competing for the U.S. this year in the world of figure skating, but new blood is coming up and ready to fight for the gold. Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu, first and second place, respectively at the US figure Skating Championships, will be headed to Vancouver and hope to contribute to the Gold Medal push being given by the Americans. But whether it be skating, skiing, hockey, or even curling, you can bet that people across the nation will be cheering on their fellow Americans in all aspects of the Winter Games, and we can only hope that our fine representatives can dominate the way we know they can. As a nice bonus this week, not only for the Olympics, but since you've been so patient with me, I've included a wonderful highlight package of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice", the infamous year that the United States hockey team defeated the heavily favored Soviets. It's moments like those which are so special that pose the question legendary commentator Al Michaels once asked: "Do you believe in miracles?" Hopefully, the US will experience yet another 'miracle' in the next few weeks. Enjoy the games, everyone, and be on the lookout for my next post, which will be updated tomorrow evening. Last but not least, God Bless America.
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