U.S. denies stomping Canadian flag; Real or not, report motivated fiery Canadians Calgary Herald Friday, February 22, 2002
Canada and the United States fired shots at one another for 60 minutes, but the sniping didn't stop at the buzzer Thursday. Gold medals in hand, the victorious Canadians took aim at the biased officiating of the American referee and accused Team USA of abusing the Maple Leaf before the game began. "I heard they laid it on the floor and stomped on it," said Canadian defenceman Geraldine Heaney. "That's childish. If that's what motivates them, go ahead. It obviously didn't work this time." Alternate captain Hayley Wickenheiser of Calgary got in her shot on national TV immediately following the game. "I hear they had our flag on their dressing room floor," Wickenheiser told CBC. "I wonder if they'd like us to sign it." The American players were adamant they didn't stomp on the Maple Leaf. In fact, forward Julie Chu said she was offended by the suggestion she and her teammates would stoop to such disgusting behaviour. "Maybe they used (the rumour) for motivation. Whatever gets them fired up, I guess, but we definitely didn't do that. For anyone to suggest we would step on another country's flag, that's definitely not the truth." True or not, it's yet another indication these teams have seen one another too often under pressure situations. Contempt occasionally replaces the respect they have for each other as the two best teams in the women's game. Heaney, who played her last game, said the Americans have attitude. "A lot of our players think they walk around cocky because they won the eight games before the Olympics," said Heaney. "I just ignore it." Other people on the team react differently and some go to great lengths to crawl under their opponents' skin. Before the final game, Wickenheiser said she felt the Americans would crack under the pressure before their home crowd at the E Center. After the Canadian victory, she claimed she was right. "They came out very tentative and we could all feel that. We could see the fear in their eyes." That description met with a snort from American coach Ben Smith. "She's a great player but maybe she's not an optometrist." THE END ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bUrHhl.bVKZIr Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
