| 16 February 2010
Still searching for an Olympic nation to cheer for? Have you tried the rest and are ready to cheer for the best?
Sure, you could cheer for the Swiss, Norwegians, Latvians or some former Soviet bloc country, but let's get serious. You want to cheer for the gold, and you don't want to pick the wrong horse. Well, Caps Kremlin is here to offer some emotional guidance.
The True North, strong and free
Canada
NHL Superstars: Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Martin Brodeur, Chris Pronger...just about their entire damn team.
Emotional reason you should like them: Canada's batting average for gold medals at home is pretty pathetic. So if you're looking for the "underdog that isn't really the underdog" story, the red maple leaf is the choice for you. You can also brag about Alexandre Bilodeau's men's mogul gold to piss off Australians. See, bandwagoning the frontrunner isn't so bad.
Reason to hate them: Maybe you're one of those people who can't stand Sidney Crosby. Maybe you just don't want to go with the popular choice, or perhaps you were accosted by a maple leaf in a dark alleyway. Either way, hating on the host country is a worldwide pastime and it's perfectly fine to hop on this bandwagon too. Plus, someone's got to pay for that neck-beard poet rant in the opening ceremonies...
Washington Capitals on the roster: Nada. Cero. (Insert international word for none).
Its mighty wings spread above us
The Russian eagle is hovering high
Russia
NHL Superstars: Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Alexander Semin, Evgeni Nabokov...mostly Russian NHLers with a smattering of KHLers.
Why you should cheer for them: Assuming you're a Caps fan coming across this blog, the answer is quite simple -- Capitals players! Plus any Team Russia merchandise you buy doubles as Capitals gear. You also get be a fan of the tournament's featured villain and enjoy smack talking the Canadians throughout in the safety of another group.
Reason to hate them: Maybe you're a true-blue American who doesn't want to see the Ruskies win a gold medal on North American soil. Perhaps you like this concept known as "defense" and aren't a fan of the high-flying offensive style the Russians will employ. There's plenty of reasons to not cheer for the Russians, but as a Caps fan I imagine it will be hard to find one.
Washington Capitals on the roster: Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, Semyon Varlamov and former Caps Sergei Fedorov and Viktor Kozlov.
Thou ancient, thou free and mountainous North
Thou quiet and joyful beauty!
Sweden
NHL Superstars: Nicklas Backstrom, Henrik Lundqvist, Henrik Zetterburg, most of the Detroit Red Wings...
Reason you should cheer for them: Tired of the constant Russia vs. Canada chatter? So is the nation of Sweden, whose national hockey team possesses some of the NHL's best talent and hasn't received a fraction of the hype the Canadians and Russians have enjoyed. Plus you get to cheer for the NHL's most overlooked superstar, Nicklas Backstrom.
Reason to hate them: Their girlfriends are out of your league, they have beautiful blonde hair and chances are some Swedish hockey player is hitting on your lady-friend as we speak. Okay, maybe not, but for a team that has been standing in the media shadows of Canada and Russia, it's a little hard to not want to see them upset the popular picks. Keep in mind, they won gold in 2006, so there's another reason to dislike them, past victories.
Washington Capitals on the roster: Nicklas Backstrom.
Paradise on earth it is to see.
And this is that beautiful land,
The Czech land, my home.
Czech Republic
Reason you should cheer for them: They were the Cinderella story of the 1998 Nagano Olympics and won bronze at Torino in 2006. Yet another team with a good talent pool that won't be given much of a chance because of the media's love affair with the Russia and Canada rivalry.
Reason should hate them: You are going to have to cheer for Jaromir Jagr.
Washington Capitals on the roster: Tomas Fleischmann.
O'er the land of the free,
And the home of the brave.
United States of America
Reason to cheer for them: The original miracle machines, defenders of the free world and country with the absolute best color coordination. If you're not cheering for 'Murika, then you might as well just git out! Plus they're self-appointed underdogs and while a gold in 2010 won't quite have the same impact as gold in 1980, it'd sure be fun to brag about another "miracle" team.
Reason to hate them: They're the tournament's second villain and with Brian Burke as general manager a potential laughingstock (if they fail). Plus hating America, is like, the cool thing to do man. Fight the power.
So, who ya got?
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