Team Canada is expected to win a medal in hockey at the Olympics. They obviously want that medal to be made of gold.
With that in mind, the athletes decided to bail on the Olympic Village after a few nights.
The Canadian hockey team packed its bags and moved to a hotel. While this kind of arrangement is not uncommon at the Olympics, it is in direct contrast to the cold-blooded Americans on Team USA.
The Olympic Village is more like a college dorm.
Because this year’s Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo will utilize 25 event venues across four main clusters in Northern Italy, there is no way to keep all of the athletes together in one location. They are all spread out based on their sport. There are six different lodging facilities across the country that range from ski lodge hotels to dorm-style apartments that will later be converted to affordable housing.
The main lodging facility is the latter. The vast majority of athletes at the Winter Olympics are bunking together in residence-style housing at the athletes’ village in Milan.
That includes most of the hockey teams.
It is a lot like a college dormitory. Athletes are assigned to a specific room, typically with a roommate. They commingle with other sports and other countries during their time away from competition and practice. They have 24-hour access to a large cafeteria-style banquet hall on campus at the athletes’ village as well as individual country-by-country dining facilities that prepare food specific to their individual needs.
Lucas Raymond of Sweden told Sportsnet that he values the community element of the experience. And it’s not like he is uncomfortable — even if the bed is not quite as big as what he is used to.
“It’s got everything we need. It’s got a bed, a bathroom. That’s part of the experience, being in the Olympic Village. And just talking with guys who’ve been here before just how much fun that is.”
Jake Eichel of Team USA agrees.
“It’s a really cool experience. It brings me back to what it’s like in college. You got a roommate who’s two feet away from you in the same room and you’re in a small little dorm, but I think it just brings the guys together.”
Matthew Tkachuck added that it is great for team camaraderie. Vibes are high!
The Canada hockey team moved to a hotel.
The Canadian hockey team spent its first few nights in Italy at the athletes’ village. They ultimately decided to leave.
Team Canada moved to a five-star hotel, away from the rest of the athletes. Their rooms are covered by the NHL and NHLPA. General manager Doug Armstrong says it’s no big deal. Players had the same arrangement at the Olympics in 2010 and 2014.
“The players have always had a hotel room in all of the Olympics prior to this, in Vancouver and Sochi,” he said. “They’ve stayed with their families. They have a room in the village, they have a room provided by the NHL and NHLPA outside there. And so I think this has sort of grown a life of its own. This is no different than the tournaments we had before. We just wanted to give our players that option to stay where they’re most comfortable to prepare for the games.”
That is true! This is not abnormal.
Team USA’s basketball team typically rents out a hotel for the Games. A number of athletes in Paris, from all different countries, chose to bail on cardboard beds for air conditioning at a hotel.
Goalie Logan Thompson says it is not an insult.
“We want to win gold, and we want to give ourselves the best opportunity to do so.”
That’s fine, but Team USA has no problem with the arrangements of the athletes’ village while Team Canada cannot compete to the fullest of their abilities without a luxurious bed. That’s soft.