Opportunities to take on a meaningful role in high level sporting competitions, even if in a volunteer capacity, simply do not come along every day. Many are aware that I was fortunate enough to be assigned as one of six scorekeepers who worked men’s and women’s hockey at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
Since that incredible experience, I have recounted on many occasions that the presence of Lady Luck was likely as key to opening that door as were the thirty plus years of scorekeeping background that I possessed.
If not for the fact that former NHL official and Skead resident Dan McCourt was sitting next to VANOC official Barbara Byrne at a WHL game in Vancouver in late 2008, if not for the fact that Dan even thought of mentioning a couple of local lads who might have an interest in being part of the minor officials crew, there is virtually no chance that long-time friend and timekeeper Todd Guthrie and I ever find ourselves at ice level for the Canada/USA gold medal encounter.
A little over a week ago, I was fortunate enough to travel that path, to some extent, once again. This time around, my debt of gratitude is owed to David Brisson, a gentleman that I had never even met until earlier this month.
As head of the results section for the 2013 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championships in Ottawa, David was kind enough to pursue the possibility of having me move down to the scorekeeper’s bench for the recent tournament, far and away my favourite place to work during any hockey game.
Assigned to a half dozen games, but none involving Team Canada, the experience was certainly different from the Olympics. That wasn’t a bad thing at all.
Without the ultra-heightened security measures that are required for the quadrannial sporting festival that draws more attention than any other competition on earth, these championships provided the chance to mingle more closely with coaches and athletes with ease.
It was astounding to notice the youth of the athletes suiting up for the six teams other than Canada and the U.S., with many participants aged 22 or less. As was the case in Vancouver, the friendliness of all of the foreign athletes and their respective entourages was extremely welcome for any volunteers who needed to pry them away from their pre-game rituals, seeking to have lineups and starting rosters completed.
If life is nothing more than the collective gathering of all of our experiences during our time on earth, then the 2013 Women’s Championships added a few more memories to the data base.
Catching up with Norwegian referee Aina Hove, who had worked both the Women’s Canada Cup (2009) and the Olympics, was a definite treat.
Chatting with German official Nicole Hertrich, who explained that the bulk of her on-ice experience comes courtesy of junior men’s and semi-pro teams in Germany, given that trying to track down high level female hockey would be a near impossibility, was enlightening.
Watching the Russians in their opening game, and predicting to a co-worker that they were easily the most improved team in recent years, but also my early tournament bet to nab the bronze medals (I have to get these predictions right once in a while!), have now been added to the collage of wonderful hockey memories I’ve enjoyed.
Small wonder this is a volunteer role I would take on over and over again.
****************************************************************Throughout much of the tournament, talk in the media, among hockey pundits, often centered around the concern over the World Championships in women’s hockey being nothing more than a two-horse race. With a first hand view to a number of international clashes over the past couple of years, I thought I would provide a personal perspective to this discussion.
As some have noted before, the problem right now is not that the non-North American nations are not improving, but moreso that Canada and the U.S. continue to improve at least as quickly, if not more rapidly.
Common sense suggests that, over time, this gap will close. The incremental improvement of the top two will begin to flat-line, which will open the door for the rest of the world to play catch up. This, however, might not really happen in earnest for another ten years or so.
There is some good news. Behind the perennial gold medal finalists, the level of parity is increasing rapidly. No game that did not involve Canada or the U.S. was decided by more than four goals, and seven of those games were settled by just a single tally.
Every one of the six other teams has now produced at least a handful of athletes who are capable of skating with the world elite. Many countries are now producing goalies capable of keeping the scores respectable.
But much like I witnessed at a number of the OWHA Provincial games I attended in Ottawa over the same time period, the thing that sets the best of the best apart is offensive skill level. Producing accurate shooters who can fire pucks with speed, players with offensive creativity, forwards capable of making moves that can turn a defenseman inside-out – this is what is needed if someone other than Canada or the USA are to make their way to a championship final with greater regularity.
