Russia lost the $50B Gold Medal Wednesday night as President Vladimir Putin’s party "was wrecked by a middle-aged gatecrasher from Finland," according to Rick Broadbent of the LONDON TIMES. Russian Alexander Ovechkin, one of the most celebrated sportsmen in Russia and a friend of the president, "had highlighted the importance of the ice hockey tournament by suggesting the cost of the Olympics was ultimately all about one event." Ovechkin remarked, "The Gold only cost $50 billion." Russia lost 3-1 to Finland in the quarterfinals, "prompting a chorus of catcalls and disapproval from the fans packed into the Bolshoi Ice Palace." Russian TV "was quick with the hyperbolic reaction." A commentator on Russia's Channel One said, “Dear friends, life has not come to an end, but this is a severe and annoying defeat. We are all crying and we are crying with you too. We are hoping for revenge. Maybe one day there will be revenge, but maybe not with this team.” Finland defeated the hosts with a 43-year-old captain, Teemu Selanne, and "a string of players nearing the end of their careers, it was a triumph of hope over hype." Ovechkin "had been the face of the Games for Russia," but "has failed to produce anything like his best here." Ovechkin: “It sucks. There is no more I can say. We had a good start, scored a goal but two mistakes cost us the game. I have no more emotions” (LONDON TIMES, 2/20). R-SPORT reported Teemu said Russia's players were "out of gas" from playing too many games. Selanne: "We had nothing to lose. We were not supposed to win" (R-SPORT, 2/19).
NATIONAL DISASTER: In N.Y., Anton Troianovski wrote during a postgame news conference, Russian head coach Zinetula Bilyaletdinov "parried intense questions from Russian journalists," who peppered him with queries such as, "Is this a catastrophe?" Bilyaletdinov replied, "This has certainly been an unsuccessful appearance. Call it what you will." Russian players "struggled to make sense of their loss." Goaltender Sergei Bobrovski said in Russian, "I don't want to analyze or explain things off the cuff." In English, he said, "I got empty inside" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/19). The AFP wrote Bilyaletdinov knows that the reaction from the Russian media and fans "will be swift and scathying." He said, "Well eat me now. You'll eat me and I'll be gone" (AFP, 2/20). In Toronto, James Mirtle wrote, "The reality was always that Russia had only the fourth best roster coming in" (GLOBE AND MAIL, 2/19).
