VANOC/IOC Copyright laws prevent me from posting images of our women’s ice hockey team savouring their spectacular gold medal win last night.

So, I pulled out a cigar instead.

Nothing says swagger like a gal with a cigar.

Wow. Women sure can play hockey, can’t they?!

What a joy (and relief) it must be to show it off in front of a home crowd on the world’s largest sport stage – and against such a formidable opponent.

Wouldn’t you want a beer or fag after riding out that kind of climax?!

Last night’s game was a beautiful thing to watch because it balanced and combined everything that’s great about hockey: Aggressive but clean. Skills and smarts. Discipline and passion. Communication and assertiveness. Line combos that clicked. Youth were confident. The vets composed. The passing crisp. All this made for a match that flowed. Even if “ it wasn’t always pretty” as Wickenheiser said post game, Team Canada pulled off what was by all standards an elegant and impeccable win.

This balance is what women’s hockey has to offer all hockey.

Too bad what could have been a glorious morning after has been mired by a fabricated “controversy.”

Virtue and temperance isn’t exactly the IOC’s bag, so excuse me if I take a moment to rail at the IOC’s “probing” into the women’s hockey team celebration. Talk about a double standard. I guess the IOC’s rep for bribery, doping scandals, under-the-table wrangling and wining&dining escorts doesn’t prevent them from feeling entitled to huff over a couple of broads swigging champagne and pulling on cigars.

Why are women always made to feel bad about feeling good?

Next the IOC will make a rule about NOT HAVING FUN.

Last time “scandal” hit the women’s team – leading up to their disappointing loss in Nagano in 1998 – Hockey Canada felt compelled to “investigate” when a popular player was cut from the roster. Unfounded claims (aka mean-spirited rumours) over supposed “relations” of an “inappropriate nature” between a coach and player were said to have played a roll in the decision. The ways in which the media talked around lesbianism and lesbian sex acts, and blew up this unfounded “controversy” into full-blown international “scandal” was both laughable and insulting. It said more about traditional sport reporting and its biases and proclivities (or naivete), than it did about the realities of the women’s game and it’s players. “Can’t a dyke be Canadian?” is what I wondered.

So, lets cut to chase, shall we? There is a bigger threat that the IOC has begun lording over women’s hockey at these Games: On numerous occasions now, usually prior to key matches, the IOC has openly discussed suspending women’s ice hockey from Olympic competition.

This is a direct challenge (even if it’s whispers at this point) to the women’s game, which deserves a passionate defense. (see more on women’s ski jumping and the notion of equity at the Games.)

The main argument the IOC has made is about how disparity still exists in female hockey at the international level, with only 2 teams in actual competition. But how quickly we forget that at the dawn of the men’s game (most games really) parity was a far off notion in international hockey, where Russia and Canada had blow-outs of their own. We’ve also conveniently forgotten all the time, energy and subsidies spent on developing men’s pro hockey.

To be fair to the other countries participating in these Games, their players aren’t exactly pilons out there,  and in the women’s bronze medal game in Vancouver yesterday, Finland won over Sweden in overtime. All these players have shown remarkable skill improvement since the sport was introduced in 1998 – and most countries spend much less money on their programs than Canada does. (As for numbers, we have 80,000 female players, Slovakia only 200.) My question to the (paid) sports media is this: where are the in-depth investigative features about what a Slovakian athlete faces in her daily struggle to play hockey and make a living? What challenges or prejudice or success does she encounter? (In the meanwhile, check out this new website dedicated to the international women’s game, run by Elizabeth Etue, who made Chasing the Dream: Women’s International Hockey and the Quest For Glory and wrote one of the formative books on women’s hockey in Canada.)

If the final game last night doesn’t convince people of what’s possible in the women’s game, and for women team sports generally, I’m not sure what will…

The truth is that women’s Olympic hockey has driven the growth of this game for girls worldwide, even if it is still (admittedly) experiencing growing pains. It will no doubt take more for some countries (who lack infrastructure or the financial commitment of their federation) to improve. It takes patience. But Canada has proven it’s possible.

Context has also been missing from the debate and coverage.

If the IOC were to make the foolhardy decision to cut Olympic hockey for women, it would literally smash the dreams – and progress – of your girls/women. As all hockey parents know, building a hockey player requires time, energy and regular fits of early morning grumpiness. Hockey is notoriously difficult to fund, support and administer. It’s easy to forget that team sports aren’t like individual ones – they require complex infrastructure, countless volunteer hours, patrons, archivists, media and sponsors. To build it, you need human and actual capital, as well as access: to ice, equipment, feeder systems, development opportunities for young players, as well as for coaches, officials and trainers. To build a winning hockey team is an amazing achievement, and when it happens, it is especially – and spectacularly – uplifting. This euphoria doesn’t come easy or cheap. It’s why it feels so damn sweet!

That’s not to say that passionate advocates and believers of the female game don’t need to lead the discussion about how to continue growing a strong female hockey network globally. They can, should and already do.

(It was symbolic that the Canadian NHL guys, who play in the most organized, wealthy subsidized league on earth, watched from the stands last night. While it’s not the first time they’ve supported the Olympic women’s team, it’s probably the first occasion they’ve truly had to marvel at its progress. We are only now starting to explore what’s possible for hockey in this country when it’s funded and men respect women’s capabilities – and style of play.)

The past few years, the major complaint that has stuck in women’s hockey has been the lack of good refs and how to call a game (gasp) without hitting or punching. This didn’t appear to be a problem last night.

The benefits of female hockey have been felt by countless girls and boys, men and women in this country. Canada has managed to build a grassroots game since the 60s that encourages and values participation, and also nurtures and grows true champions and integrated, successful humans. This is downright commendable and it’s one of the most neglected stories of “our” game.

What makes me proud isn’t jingoistic. Our female hockey programs are of the highest quality – and in a world where girls often have no rights to speak of, this is r/evolutionary.

The culmination of all this work and energy and experience were on display last night for the world to see.

In my view, this fact alone is worthy of excessive celebration.

As always, the women’s game faces it’s challenges and contradictions. On the one hand, there’s never been a better time to be a female hockey player in this country: Girls playing today have better training, coaching and opportunities, and as a result they’ve grown into their own (warning: this may involve the occasional cigar, and lesbian).

This has also allowed players to start building their own elite semi-pro league (CWHL), even if it is mostly outside the traditional sport complex and media spotlight. Unfortunately, as women’s hockey is on the edge of making it big, it also pushes precariously close to the edge of oblivion. So lets write this story up right.

We all saw how 18-year old Marie-Philip Poulin can play.

Personally, I can’t my eyes eyes off her.

She is the promise of what is to come…