On the ice, however, the reality is less romantic. Finland dominates, while Italy struggles. Chiara is surprised by the pace, play, and physical tension. “Everything is much faster,” she comments.
Certain players, meanwhile, have already become pop figures. San Jose Sharks alternate captain Alexander Wennberg is an excellent player for Team Sweden, but is not the absolute star of the team. And yet, his chiseled looks have made him very famous, even far beyond the ice. “You look at Wennberg and say ‘yes, he could be part of the spin-off,’” Chiara notes, before the’s interrupted by a particularly exciting play. As it happens, Chiara finds herself shouting along with the others.
Outside, meanwhile, hockey has already delivered one of the most unusual images of these Games. Tuesday afternoon, on green line of the Milan subway, the players of the Canadian national hockey team—all NHL stars with million-dollar salaries, a team worth more than $220 million in contracts—were spotted on the train.
“When I saw the pictures I thought it was a meme,” Chiara reveals, “Like, ‘Even demigods take the subway.'” Canada’s team had decided to leave the Olympic Village after just two nights, and they’d moved to a five-star hotel. “We’re not being disrespectful, we just want to give ourselves the best chance to win,” goalkeeper Logan Thompson said. “Which then,” Chiara noted, “is a very elegant way of saying they just wanted a better bed.”
On Saturday, the game ended with a score of 11-0, Finland the victor. “I don’t know if I definitely like hockey now,” Chiara admits after her first game. “I do know that I like what it made me feel.” Because sometimes you don’t get hooked on a sport, you get hooked on a story. And then, if you are lucky, you end up screaming for both at your city’s Olympics.
