Pressure? What pressure?

Personally, I have generally thought pressure and intensity is good in sport. Everybody deals with it and responds to it in different ways, but it brings the best out of the best and whether as a spectator or an athlete, those high pressured, life or death games are the ones to watch or be involved in.

I've never quite witnessed such an intense focus as that which Team Canada are facing and have faced in these Olympics. Hockey is clearly the main event of this Olympics. The scrutiny from the media, the fans, everybody across Canada is absolutely huge and it is affecting the team. To concede a goal against the US after 41 seconds in such a big game was bad enough, but to concede a second 22 seconds after equalising was bordering on criminal. Yzerman and Babcock selected a team that possesses the experience at dealing with big hockey matches either in the Olympics or Stanley Cup, but nerves have crept in. The likes of Brodeur, Pronger and Neidermayer all looked vulnerable at times during that game, and we are talking about some of the best players the world of hockey has to offer.

Take Sid Crosby. If Ovechkin is the Cristiano Ronaldo of Hockey, then Crosby is the Leo Messi or Kaka. He's the clean cut, humble superstar of Canadian hockey, and seemingly unaffected by the attention surrounding him. The expectation on him is greater than ever in these Olympics, and for all the success he has had in the NHL, even he has not faced the pressure that he is faced with right now.

The same could be said for most of the Canadian athletes. They are receiving huge media attention, and it is clearly affecting a number of them. Jennifer Heil in the Freestyle Skiing was clearly disappointed to only win silver. Mellisa Hollingsworth felt compelled to apologise for coming 5th in the Skeleton, feeling as though she had let her nation down. I don't think it comes as a surprise that those Canadian athletes who have succeeded since Feb 12th, are those in the lower profile sports or those athletes with lower expectations on them.

That is not going to happen for Team Canada unfortunately. They now face a qualification game against Germany on Tuesday, and then Russia awaits in the quarter-finals. What was considered to be the dream final, has turned out to be the nightmare quarter-final match up. I do not envy the team and the pressure they face, though they can still turn this around and come good. Whether they will, I am not sure, but while this has been an amazing Olympics and one every Canadian should be proud of, playing on home ice is not always so favourable.