Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been reticent about blogging about hockey of late. His much beloved Capitals were on a real roll until the night before last against the Habs in Montreal. (NB: Is your Maximum Leader the only one that keeps calling the arean the Canadians play in “The Forum?”) Then the Caps fell again to the Senators last night. That is no fun. But, your Maximum Leader is okay with the Caps dropping a few games, if it means they will go further in the playoffs.

After the games on Saturday, the NHL will break for the Olympics. The Olympics are causing your Maximum Leader some heartache. The heartache involves exactly for which team he’ll root in hockey. You see, your Maximum Leader believes that Olympic hockey is the best you’ll see on a quadrennial basis. (Some Stanley Cup finals are better, but oftentimes not.) He enjoys watching all the games he can. It is like watching all-star teams go against each other in every game. The skill level is so high.

NB to hockey fanatics: Your Maximum Leader doesn’t have any intention of using this post to describe the “international” games differences from the “Canadian/North American” game and which is better. They both have a lot going for them…

So here is the heartache… Your Maximum Leader is a proud American. But Team USA isn’t terribly good this year. Actually this Team USA is probably the weakest in recent memory. Normally your Maximum Leader’s pecking order for Olympic Hockey teams is: 1) USA; 2) Canada; 3) Sweden; 4) Czech Republic… Last)Russia/CCCP. This year, however, your Maximum Leader has (like Ted Leonsis) a secret crush on Team Russia.

Yup. Your Maximum Leader has a secret crush on Team Russia. Three Capitals will play for Team Russia. Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin, and Simeon Varlamov. There are no Caps playing for either Team USA or Team Canada. (Sweden has Nicolas Backstrom and Tomas Fleischmann is playing for the Czech Republic.)

Your Maximum Leader expects Team USA to go out pretty quickly. Indeed, he expects the Gold Medal game to be Russia/Canada. (Although he could see the Swedes going to the Gold Medal game over Canada if the stars align.) Your Maximum Leader has trouble rooting for the Russians once the US goes out. For all those years when the Commies put the Red Army team on the ice against our amateur and college boys… It still leaves a sour taste in your Maximum Leader’s mouth. He can’t see himself easily rooting for the Russians when the Canadians are still in it. But the Russians have more players on the team for whom your Maximum Leader actively roots on a regular basis…

See the problem…

Your Maximum Leader doesn’t know what he’ll do…

Carry on.