INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

codes of excellence were operationalized to legitimate the Olympic
hockey for an audience schooled on NHL hockey.
The specific case: “Hockey Night in Canada” goes to the Olympics
An examination of Gold Rush 2002 reveals four elements within
the CBC television coverage of the Canadian team in men’s ice
hockey competition at Salt Lake City: (1) those that are consistent
with typical HNIC broadcasts; (2) those reflective of Canadian hockey
culture; (3) those consistent with Olympism; and, (4) those that
display a disjuncture between Olympism and the HNIC valorization of
Canadian hockey culture.
As if to operationalize MacNeill’s (1986) spectacle of
legitimation, there were a number of elements incorporated into
CBC’s presentation of men’s Olympic ice hockey in 2002 that were
familiar to regular HNIC viewers. The same on-air personalities (Ron
MacLean and Don Cherry) and commentators (Bob Cole and Harry
Neale) were used. As well, typical “atmosphere” shots-e.g., fans in the
audience, coaches behind the bench, close-ups of goaltenders
following a goal-were commonplace. Most importantly, perhaps, the
incorporation of NHL players into the Olympics ensured that viewers
already had a familiarity with who was on the ice. Players such as
Saku Koivu, Mats Sundin, and Marcus Naslund who twenty years ago
might have been foreign to Canadian hockey viewers were, in 2002,
all captains of Canadian-based NHL teams.
The dominant values of Canadian hockey were reflected in the
Canadian team’s attitudes and behaviours at Salt Lake City. These, in
turn, were captured (one might suggest, celebrated) on Gold Rush
2002. The valorisation of a particular type of masculinity-and
accompanying values, such as willingness to “play through pain”were
evident after the Canadian team’s preliminary round match
against Germany. Ryan Smyth was hit from behind during the game,
and badly cut, but kept playing. Afterwards, Canadian Hockey
official, and former player, Lanny McDonald, praised Smyth by
noting that “he gets sewed up [and] he’s right back out there. That’s
the kind of guys you need on your team.” Interestingly, during the
Canada-Germany game, CBC aired a montage of body checks as
evidence of the level of physical play during the match. Another side
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