NHL players started to arrive in Nagano yesterday and,
in Toronto, Damien Cox writes that the players' entrance
"began to set the stage for what many believe will be the
greatest hockey tournament ever held" (TORONTO STAR, 2/10).
GOOD FOR HOCKEY? NEWSWEEK's Frank Deford examines the
NHL's presence in Nagano, and writes, "[T]he Olympics appear
to be a gamble worth taking, even if hockey labors under a
number of spectator burdens. First of all, the game
televises terribly. Second, in a celebrity sports world,
hockey never creates identifiable stars, and, in fact, NHL
rules work, perversely, to actually diminish its heroes. ...
[H]ockey has failed to find any poetic rhythm in the United
States." Deford notes the "insane pettiness of hockey
owners." One "high hockey official" said NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman "has stupid owners, and he can't control them
like [NBA Commissioner David] Stern controls his dummies."
Deford: "The Olympics are so important to the NHL ...
because they can present the sport to a broad American
audience heretofore unwise to the sights and sounds of the
rink. ... [T]he NHL is certainly wise to seek Olympic
exposure. Already, media coverage ... has soared." In a
sidebar to Deford's piece, NEWSWEEK's Larry Reibstein
profiles the Blues' Brett Hull (NEWSWEEK, 2/16 issue).
STILL SOME CONCERN: In Ft. Lauderdale, Mike Mayo
writes, "Leave it to the NHL to mess up something that
should have been as easy as an empty net goal." Noting the
late start times on CBS, Mayo adds, "This time the only
Miracle on Ice will be if anybody's awake to catch the final
score. And forget about getting scores and timely coverage
in most editions of East Coast newspapers" (Ft. Lauderdale
SUN-SENTINEL, 2/10). In N.Y., Filip Bondy: "[T]here is
still concern that the games will be played at the wrong
hours, and momentum will be lost" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/10).
CAMP NAGANO: USOC President Bill Hybl, on NHL players
staying in the Olympic Village: "To the credit of the hockey
players, they want to stay in the Olympic Village."
Jamaican bobsled team member Ricky McIntosh: "Let's hope
they are friendly and don't look down on us. ... I hope they
just come in and fit in" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/10).
