The Universal Cynic

"If you just sit back and record what you see; the tragic and exquisite are the same to some degree. But most events depict a common theme: There's far more disorder than there is harmony."
-- Bad Religion's Mediocrity

I'm not here to pose the pensive questions about who should've been on the roster and who should have stayed behind. The holier-than-thou Canadian media deem that to be below them...but then, they proceed to launch into a discussion of Staal v. Bertuzzi. Sigh.

Is it wrong of me to be strangely relieved that this is all over for Canada? Is it wrong of me to place my priorities with what occurs on the Senators squad?

Stanley Cup first. Gold medal second. Those are my priorities, and if that makes me an unpatriotic heathen, so be it.

I know it makes little to no sense. Sure, it's nice to see Sakic and Thornton in Canadian jerseys. The American fans and media like to remind Canada on a regular basis that, "they may be yours, but they play for us". The Olympics are one of those rare occasions where the elite come home and represent the nation.

Pity they couldn't pull off anything successful.

It's pleasant, and it's refreshing. But ultimately I hold no allegiance to Sakic, Thornton or any other player in a non-Senators uniform. And I know there are no guarantees for players like Alfredsson or Chara to remain in an Ottawa jersey permanently. But these are the players I associate with the most. I spend year in, and year out cheering for them. I cover them for the majority of the year.

The Senators had a mind-boggling eight players head over to Torino to participate in the Olympic tournament (nine, if you include Jason Spezza's position with the taxi squad). Dominik Hasek has already gone down with an injury that will sideline him once the NHL resumes. And rumours of other minor injuries to Ottawa players are surfacing as the tournament continues.

It's sounds pathetic and maternal, but I can't wait for the Olympics to be over and for the remaining Senators to return to Ottawa (hopefully in good health and spirits). I'm well beyond concentrating my focus on the Olympic run. It's the Stanley Cup run that I care about now. Truth be told, it was my priority, long before Canada exited the preliminary round.