Daily Archives: December 31, 2021

Michael Brinegar competes in the Tokyo Olympics.

Submitted and file photos

COVID cancellations were the big sports story of 2020. Those cancellations and fan limitations severely decreased in 2021, paving the way for some other big stories to land toward the top of The Republics Top 10 Sports Stories of 2021.

1. Michael Brinegar competes in Tokyo Olympics.

Brinegar had a summer to remember. The Columbus native and Indiana University redshirt junior qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in two swimming events in June, becoming only the second athlete from Columbus to make an Olympic team. In late July, he finished 17th in the Olympics in both the 800-meter freestyle and 1,500 freestyle. In October, he and other Olympic athletes from Indiana, were honored with the Sagamore of the Wabash award by Gov. Eric Holcomb.

2. Columbus North girls team, boys individual Reese Kilbarger-Stumpff win cross-country state titles.

Although the North boys did not repeat as team champions, Kilbarger-Stumpff, a senior, was a surprise individual winner at the state finals, leading the Bull Dogs to a third-place team finish in late October. A couple hours later, the North girls captured their second state team title in school history and their first since 2009.

3. Norths Tucker Smith sets state shot put records, wins Gatorade Indiana Track and Field Player of the Year and All-American honors.

Despite being only a junior at Columbus North in the spring, Smith rewrote the record books in the shot put. He broke the all-time state record twice with a best of 69 feet, 7 inches in late May and broke the state meet record with a 67-11 1/4 toss in early June. In July, Smith was named Indianas Gatorade Track and Field Player of the Year, and in December, he was named an All-American by Track and Field News.

4. Josh Holley qualifies for Boston Marathon.

Holley has been trying for several years to qualify for the Boston Marathon. In early November, he became one of only a handful of Special Olympics athletes ever to qualify for the iconic race when he broke the three-hour barrier, which was the standard for his age group with a 2:53:55 clocking in the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. The Columbus North and Purdue graduate plans to run the Boston Marathon in April.

5. Ali Patberg helps lead IU womens basketball to Elite Eight.

Patberg was a driving force behind the Hoosiers best season in school history. The Columbus North graduate was the third-leading scorer on an IU team that made the Elite Eight for the first time. A couple days after the season, Patberg announced that she would take advantage of the extra year granted to athletes by the NCAA because of COVID, and once again has the Hoosiers in the top 10 in the nation.

6. Tony Stewart wins TQ Midget race on night track is renamed Tony Stewart Speedway.

Last fall, local racing officials started talking about renaming the track at the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds after Tony Stewart, and in late June, it came to fruition. A few hours after a dedication ceremony and a rain and lightning delay, Stewart won the three-quarter midget feature race at the fair.

7. Norths Emily Moore wins state title on balance beam, finishes second in all-around competition in gymnastics.

Moore had come close to winning a state title her first two years, but as a junior, she captured the elusive crown with a victory on the balance beam. Moore also finished second in the all-around competition and third on the bars and floor to lead the Bull Dogs to a sixth-place team finish at the state finals in March.

8. Tough Mudder, Mill Race Half Marathon events return after one-year hiatus.

The Mill Race half marathon returned in September after being held only virtually in 2020, but the full marathon was canceled because of concerns of COVID and finding enough volunteers to staff the entire race course. The Tough Mudder race also was back in July at Ceraland after being away for a year following its 2019 debut.

9. Alan and Chris Walshs horse California Angel competes in Breeders Cup.

Four months after their trainer bought a filly for $5,500 at an auction in Florida, Columbus couple Alan and Chris Walsh watched California Angel earn $120,000 for winning the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine Grade Two event in Lexington, Kentucky. That qualified California Angel to compete in the prestigious Breeders Cup Nov. 5 in California.

10. School records fall.

Several longstanding school records were broken by local athletes and teams in 2021. Among the more notable ones, Columbus North softball won 25 games en route to winning a regional title, and pitcher-shortstop Maddi Rutan hit a school-record 15 home runs as a sophomore. In the fall, Columbus East senior Chris Quisenberry broke school records for career goals scored and single-season goals scored, and North senior Jenna Lang broke the school record for career goals scored before she sustained a season-ending MCL and PCL injury.

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Realizing Dreams: Brinegar's Olympics appearance heads Top 10 sports stories of 2021 - The Republic

What is your hometown and how has it shaped you?Well of course growing up skiing in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, deeply influenced me a racer. We used to take the bus from school to the town hill to ski three days of the week. Then we skied at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on the weekends, ripping around like Tasmanian devils. The support of the mountain resort to not limit our ability to ski crazy things and not to police our speed more than was necessary was deeply influential in my skiing. I still attribute many of my skills as a speed skier to the many facets of Jackson Resort and being free to ski them with my friends on Saturdays.

Jackson is also an incredible outdoor place. We have two major National Parks and tons of National Forest and Wilderness. I grew up hiking and exploring this outdoor space and that has carried into my love for adventure and the outdoors as an adult. Exploring new places is something I deeply love about my job. And I think my sense of adventure was created by this amazing place.

Whats your favorite workout?I always love a fun cardio workout where I adventure to a fun place. Like a run last summer where we jogged 20 miles to a hot spring. But we also do really hard strength endurance workouts in the fall. They aren't fun but they do make you feel very accomplished afterwards.

What is your earliest memory of the Olympics?I remember watching the Olympics in Salt Lake City on TV and wanting to go and watch it. I remember working out in my brain that I should work on making the Vancouver Games (somehow the math worked better in my brain back then). I also remember watching Lindsey [Vonn] and Julia [Mancuso] go 1-2 in Vancouver and thinking how amazing that would be to represent your team and to be able to do that with your friends.

Who do you socialize most with in your sport?My best friend is Avital (Shimko) Carroll. She is on the U.S. moguls team and is trying to make the Olympic team in moguls. We met while we were rehabbing and finally both made it back to competition.

I am also good friends with Mikaela Shiffrin. She and I get along well both because we have similar outlooks and work ethic. We also have known each other since we were 12 and the Shiffrin family played a major role in developing me athletically and helping me hone in on how to go forwarding the sport.

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Meet the Athletes: Breezy Johnson - NBC Olympics

Park City in February plans to celebrate a past Winter Olympics.

And then in April the community wants to mark the Games of 2022.

There is work underway to hold two events in Park City in coming months related to the Olympics. February will be the 20th anniversary of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Park City is expected to be one of the places to commemorate the Games of that year. In April, weeks after the Winter Olympics are scheduled to close in Beijing, an Olympic parade is slated in the city.

Only limited details have been publicized about the two events. The Historic Park City Alliance, a group that represents the interests of businesses in the Main Street core, provided information in materials that were distributed in anticipation of a meeting of the organizations board of directors.

According to the Historic Park City Alliance materials, the event honoring the 20th anniversary of the Games of 2002 is scheduled on Feb. 12 from 2-6 p.m. The materials indicate the gathering will include a livestream of the Olympic competitions in China.

Athletes who competed in the Games in 2002 will greet the crowd. There will also be sports demonstrations and the popular Olympic activity of pin trading. Details about the athletes who plan to attend were not included in the materials, but there are a number of them with ties to the Park City area.

The materials did not outline the scale of the event or an expected crowd size. They indicated, though, that one day Feb. 10 is for the loading and the setting up of the necessary infrastructure while the next day is set aside for permitting. The day after the event is designated for removing the setup. The multi-day schedule points to the likelihood the event will be of a sizable scale.

It seems almost certain the event will be the largest in Park City marking the Games of 2002 since the 10th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. The event that year resembled much of what is described in the Historic Park City Alliance materials although there was not an Olympics occurring at the time of that gathering like there is scheduled to be in February.

The Park City area hosted approximately half of the competitions during the Olympics in 2002. Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and the Utah Olympic Park were major competition venues. Main Street was turned into a pedestrian-only zone that drew large crowds and became one of the top places to celebrate the Games. The communitys Olympic legacy remains a point of pride for many Parkites, and there are a variety of physical reminders of the Games, such as the Olympic Welcome Plaza at the intersection of Park Avenue and Kearns Boulevard.

More details about the event are expected to be released during the City Hall permitting process for the event.

The materials from the Historic Park City Alliance also highlight a planned event on April 1, which is designed to highlight Utah-linked athletes who will have competed in the Winter Olympics in Beijing as well as athletes from earlier Games. A Main Street parade is expected to anchor the event.

The anniversary event and the one celebrating the athletes of the Games of 2022 will occur at around the time there is expected to be increased activity in the efforts to hold a second Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and the wider Olympic region. The International Olympic Committee after the close of the Games in Beijing will likely turn its attention to selecting a host for the Winter Olympics of 2030. Salt Lake City sees there being a possibility of being selected for those Games. The Park City area has a significant role in the Salt Lake City bid for another Games.

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Park City readies bash to celebrate 20th anniversary of 2002 Winter Olympics - The Park Record

The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are right around the corner. This major international sporting event will be held in Beijing and will welcome athletes from all over the world. In support of athletes and officials from across the region traveling to the Chinese capital, Singapore Airlines is set to operate daily chartered flights from January 21st to March 16th.

Supporting both Singaporean Olympic officials and athletes, as well as their foreign counterparts, Singapore Airlines will be operating daily flights between Singapore and Beijing. According to the South China Morning Post, the daily servicebetween Singapore and Beijing will run from January 21st to March 16th, 2022.

The news was confirmed in a post from Singapores Transport Minister, S. Iswaran, who issued a statement following bilateral meetings between Beijing and Singapore:

While air connectivity between our countries remains below 3% of pre-COVID levels, the Beijing Winter Olympics in Feb 2022 will be a good opportunity for us to enhance people-to-people exchanges as Singapore Airlines will be operating chartered flights through Changi Airport as a connecting hub for the region. -S. Iswaran,Transport minister of Singapore

Iswaran also notes that bilateral discussions will continue regarding the mutual recognition of COVID-19 health certificates, which he calls a key enabler for safe travel.

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Offering a statement to Channel News Asia on December 30th, the airline said:The flights are for both Singapore and foreign Olympic officials and athletes.

Indeed, at the time of this articles publication, it appears that there are no Singapore Airlines flights to Beijing bookable to the general public- at least according to the airlines website.

Interestingly, data from RadarBox.com indicates that the carrier has been operating daily flights since the beginning of December- sometimes even operating flights twice daily. Flights take the form of services SQ801/802 and SQ806/807. However, these flights also dont appear to be available to the public.

Singapore Airlines has been operating either a Boeing 787-10 or an Airbus A350-900 to connect the two cities. The duration of the flight is just under five and a half hours heading north, and closer to six hours heading south. Its unknown whether the A380 will make an appearance on this route.

Channel News Asia also notes that games spokesperson Zhang Liang has confirmed that the games will be reliant on chartered and temporary flights to fly athletes and other participants to the games. Commercial flights will also supplement capacity. During the peak periods of arrivals and departures to Beijing, an average of at least 15 inbound flights and 13 outbound flights can be provided every day,Zhang added.

Beijing Capital International Airport will be the main hub for receiving and processing arrivals. With the global health crisis still having an impact worldwide, strict limits and restrictions are in place for travel into China.

Will you be attending or watching the 2022 games? Let us know by leaving a comment.

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How Singapore Airlines Is Taking Advantage Of The Winter Olympics - Simple Flying

On Monday, USA Hockey named John Vanbiesbrouck general manager and former Boston University coach David Quinn head coach of the mens Olympic team as it looks to regroup after last weeks announcement that NHL players would not participate in the Winter Games.

The topic of putting together a roster to travel to Beijing was front and center during the press conference.

I think were going to have a good balance of players that are playing overseas right now, and maybe a couple from AHL and the NCAA as well, said Vanbiesbrouck, who acknowledged there might be some reluctance from players, but that the opportunity to represent their country would sway them.

Its the same approach USA Hockey took in 2018 in PyeongChang, when four NCAA players were on the roster: Will Borgen (St. Cloud State), Ryan Donato (Harvard), Jordan Greenway (BU), and Troy Terry (Denver). Donato led the squad with five goals no other player scored more than once while Terry led with five assists, leading some to believe that a greater number of college players would be sought this time around.

Id be shocked if any kid on my team wanted to leave and not defend the Hockey East title, and not play for a national championship, so they can go play in China and get stuck in quarantine over there. . . . I know its the Olympics, but is it really the Olympics this year?

Greg Carvel, UMass men's hockey coach

But coaches might not be clamoring for their players to be selected.

I talked to a couple of guys in our league about it, said New Hampshire coach Mike Souza. Its an incredible honor for any young man or woman to go over and represent the country on that stage, and you certainly wouldnt stand in the way of anyone having that opportunity, but you lose that player for the rest of the year.

Souza has been advocating for his brother-in-law, Chris Bourque, who was on the squad in PyeongChang and is currently playing in Germany.

Its certainly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people, said Souza. Me personally, I would never stand in the way of a young man if they had the opportunity to do it.

Four years ago, Donato and Greenway were able to return to their teams to finish out the regular season and play in the postseason. The 2022 Beijing Olympics run Feb. 4-20. USA Hockey hopes to set a roster by mid-January.

A lengthy quarantine is expected at the conclusion of the Games, meaning college players would miss the regular season, and best-case scenario would be available only if their team made a deep run into the postseason.

If Im a kid playing college hockey, its the last thing on my mind, that Im going to leave this team that Ive invested all of my time and energy in, to go play in this random tournament against random players, thats patched together, said UMass coach Greg Carvel.

On Tuesday, Team USA was forced to forfeit its preliminary-round game of the World Juniors when it had a pair of players test positive for COVID-19. On Wednesday, the tournament was scrapped altogether after two more teams were forced to forfeit games, perhaps increasing concerns players may have about heading to Beijing.

Id be shocked if any kid on my team wanted to leave and not defend the Hockey East title, and not play for a national championship, so they can go play in China and get stuck in quarantine over there, said Carvel. To me, thats a pretty sketchy situation.

Ive not had that conversation with anyone. I know its the Olympics, but is it really the Olympics this year?

All of this serves as a backdrop as the surge of the Omicron variant continues to wreak havoc across the sports landscape, with professional leagues as well as college conferences adjusting their COVID-19 protocols.

The NBA, NFL, and NHL are reducing isolation time for players who test positive and are asymptomatic, including unvaccinated players, to five days from 10. The leagues are doing so after the CDC changed its guidelines for those who are asymptomatic, recommending a five-day isolation period and masking over the second five days.

Hockey East could follow suit, depending on the state-level data and guidance that the leagues state schools follow. As it did last year, the league could revise its policy for requiring teams to complete conference games, with 15 skaters, two goaltenders, and one coach needed to compete.

But thus far, the league has not had to institute those protocols. Nor is it changing its forfeiture policy as some conferences have done for their basketball teams, with Hockey East instead relying on the procedures already on the books that allow schools to reschedule if a team is affected by an outbreak of a health-related situation like MRSA or other contagious infections/viruses.

For now, schools are just focusing on returning to play. Last year, many teams were isolated on campus and did not go home for the holidays. This season, the rest of the student population has returned to campus, and some players may have returned home briefly over the the break. While the league reports a vaccination rate of 99 percent, players and coaches will be tested on reentry.

So far, so good. It was all systems go for Providence, which competed in the Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee, coming away with a 6-2 win over Bowling Green Tuesday, followed by a 2-2 tie against Wisconsin. UMass Lowell was also in action Wednesday, winning, 3-2, at St. Lawrence. Boston College and UNH are hoping to get in a pair of games at the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth, while other teams are scheduled to return to action later in the weekend.

Follow Andrew Mahoney on Twitter @GlobeMahoney.

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For mens college hockey players, the appeal of the Olympics may not be there this time - The Boston Globe

Starting Jan. 1, some NBC Sports Olympic sports programming will appear on USA Network as NBCSN ceases operations.

USAs first Olympic sports broadcasts will be the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials and U.S. Figure Skating Championships next week. USA will also air 2022 Winter Olympics coverage with a full schedule to be released.

Beijing Winter Games competition begins Feb. 2, two days before the Opening Ceremony.

USAs daily live coverage of the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials begins Wednesday. Its daily live coverage of the U.S. Figure Skating Championships begins Thursday, with NBC splitting weekend coverage.

Most linear coverage can be streamed via authentication on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, plus NBCOlympics.com for events leading up to and during the Beijing Games.

Peacock continues to be the place for comprehensive Winter Olympic sports programming, including the Alpine skiing World Cup, and original series, documentaries and full event replays related to the Olympics.

Peacock is available across a variety of devices and platforms, with the full list available here. To learn more about sports on Peacock and how to sign up, visit https://www.peacocktv.com/sports.

U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Trials West Allis, Wisconsin

U.S. Figure Skating Championships Nashville

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How to watch Olympic sports on USA Network after NBCSN shuts down - Home of the Olympic Channel

Team U.S.A. takes the ice for national anthems before their international hockey exhibition game against Team Canada on a My Why Tour stop in Maryland Heights, Missouri, U.S. December 17, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Dec 28 (Reuters) - The United States and Canada women's ice hockey teams agreed to cancel the final two games of their My Why Tour, a series of exhibition contests ahead of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, USA Hockey said Tuesday.

The games in Edmonton and Red Deer were intended to be a warm-up before the Olympics begin on Feb. 4 but instead the U.S. will keep the team at their "home base" in Blaine, Minnesota, until leaving for Beijing to begin their title defence.

"We're obviously disappointed as the competition against Canada is an important part of our Olympic preparation," Katie Million, director of the women's national team programs, said in a statement.

"With our team's departure for China less than a month away, our focus is doing the absolute best we can to make sure our players and staff are in a position to be able to participate in the Olympic Games."

Another game between the two teams was also called off last week, with USA Hockey citing "concerns around COVID-19."

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Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Christian Radnedge

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Canada, U.S. exhibition games cancelled ahead of Beijing Olympics - Reuters

In his first media interview since the Board of Governors meetings earlier this month, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke with The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun on Thursday on the decision not to send NHL players to the Olympics, preparation for Saturday's Winter Classic and whether or not a full 82-game NHL season is feasible given the recent postponements due to COVID-19.

"A larger and larger percentage of our player population has been affected by COVID this season and that number continues to grow every day," said Daly. "Really by sheer numbers, if you accept the fact that once youre hit by COVID youre not going to get hit again this year, then I dont foresee an issue in finishing the season."

In terms of the Winter Classic going ahead as planned on Jan. 1, Daly said everything is going "very, very smoothly. No hiccups," and addressed the expected freezing temperatures.

"Obviously we know how to put on these games, we know how to make the ice, we know how to account for the weather conditions from a technical standpoint. Obviously I understand its going to be cold in Minnesota; maybe the coldest weve encountered yet for an outdoor game," Daly said. "Im less worried about the players in those types of conditions because the bench areas are heated and the nature of our game is that youre taking short shifts and exerting yourself and when you come back to the bench youre in a warm environment. Im really less worried about the exposure of the players, Im worried more about the spectators. But I was just assured theres a lot of indoor space where they can seek shelter from the elements if theres a need to. And we have extra measures in place to make sure were keeping everyone as warm and protected from the elements as possible."

With capacity restrictions continuing in arenas across Canada due to rising COVID-19 cases, Daly also addressed whether or not he anticipates further postponements for home games in Canadian cities.

"We're going to try and be as cooperative and flexible as we possibly can be. But as I said with respect to other elements of the schedule, theres only so much we can do. I dont think we can fully compensate for the problem," Daly said. "If in fact these attendance restrictions carry on for multiple weeks, theres no way we can make up all those games or move or shift all those games. Like everything else, itll be a balancing act."

For more, here is the full interview.

(Photo: Mike Stobe / NHLI via Getty Images)

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly addresses Olympics, Winter Classic and if a full 82-game NHL season is feasible - The Athletic

World Athletics boss Sebastian Coe says he has no sympathy for athletes who abuse doping rules, describing them as architects of their own downfall.

The double Olympic champion was responding to questions about British sprinter CJ Ujah, who tested positive for two banned substances after helping Team GBs 4x100m relay team win silver at Tokyo 2020. The 27-year-old strongly denies wrongdoing and his case is now with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, having also returned a positive B sample.

Ahead of the summer Olympics, Christian Coleman was the highest-profile track and field to miss out on the Games, having missed too many drug tests - but Coe says the rules all competitors have to follow are obvious.

Tokyo 2020

Athletics already has the new Bolt - its time to appreciate Thompson-Herah

24/12/2021 AT 13:32

Take Great Britain out of this, I would share the disappointment in any federation and in any athlete that falls foul, said Coe.

We spend hundreds of thousands of pounds a year through the Athletics Integrity Unit, for its education programme, making sure athletes and federations understand what the roles, the rules, the obligations are.

So, yes, I am disappointed in so far as every positive is not a good story. But in a way it does show that we are at least tackling this issue now and we are a federation who are not doing junk tests.

'He was reeled in like a fish' - Italy snatch men's 4x100m relay gold from GB

Coe also had his say on political boycotts of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, describing them as meaningless. The UK, US and Australia are among the administrations that are staging a diplomatic boycott of the Games due to Chinas human rights record, particularly in relation to Uighur Muslims. But the head of World Athletics does not believe they will have much effect.

Im not insouciant or cavalier about human rights, I take them very seriously, he said.

But thats not to be an apologist for countries that do not conform to the basic standards around human rights. Ive never witnessed sport leaving any country in worse shape than when its been there. The impact across the board can be, on many occasions, quite profound.

Tokyo 2020

Thompson-Herah and Warholm named World Athletes of the Year

02/12/2021 AT 09:48

Tokyo 2020

World Athletics finds 'disturbing' levels of abuse directed at female athletes during Tokyo 2020

01/12/2021 AT 14:00

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World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe ahead of Beijing 2022 Olympics: Dopers architects of their own downfall - Eurosport COM

Let me start by saying I think there is a NEGATIVE ZERO chance that this actually happens. Canadian Major Junior will object. The NCAA will object. Both leagues would be playing important games relative to their playoffs/conference games. I am sure there are financial ramifications and some risk with sending the U-20s to China to play in the Olympics...

This would be incredible and the second best option to having NHL players participate. It would make people still care about the Olympics in a genuine way that did not exist in the 2018 Olympic Games that literally not one single person watched. You would get the best of the best amateurs playing on the World's biggest amateur stage the way the Olympics were always supposed to be. The kids who got this chance ripped away from them still get to represent their country. The Olympics still get a top tier competition in their flagship winter sport event. Fans get to watch a tournament they actually care about. It is a win win win as long as you don't count the NCAA and Canadian Major Junior teams. Michigan in particular would probably scream bloody murder and pressure their guys to opt out since they have a potential national championship hanging in the balance with Owen Power, Kent Johnson, Luke Hughes, Matty Berniers, and Mackie Samoskevic all on WJC rosters. Let me be the first to sayfuck Michigan. We want a good tournament at the international level. Something that NEVER happens anymore. Hasn't happened since 2014, actually. Put the stars of tomorrow on the world stage and let's find a resolution that works for everyone. The NHL wants that sweet sweet China streaming money that the NBA has. That is the only reason why they agreed to let their players go in the first place. Well, imagine a scenario where they get familiar with names like Connor Bedard, Shane Wright, and Matty Berniers because they went to a shootout in the Gold Medal game. Fans all over the world get familiar with those stars and they become household names to the point that their future wives are instagram influencers like TJ Oshie. I want it so badly. I don't even care if Putin gives Datsyuk and Kovalchuk fake names and birth certificates to get them on the Red Army Team Team Russia. Just give me a world class event in February because we are desperately going to need entertainment that month.

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Send The WJC Teams To The Olympics And Save Both Events - Barstool Sports