The Beijing Olympics are over, and by all accounts they have been a colossal shit show. TV ratings fell off a cliff. When the moment everyone talks about involves a bunch of crying figure skaters, you know you’re in trouble. Normally Mrs. TOK and I are Olympics junkies, but for the first time in years we skipped the opening ceremony and we only watched a few hours here and there. We just couldn’t stomach the propaganda from China.

Now the crews are busy modifying the sports venues for the Beijing Paralympics, which begin on March 4. As much as I dislike China, I’ll be watching, because adaptive sports are close to my heart. For the first time NBC is going to air coverage in prime time, on their main channel. There will also be much more coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock channels than in the past. It’s a tough situation, where I don’t want to support an oppressive country, but I do want to support those amazing athletes.

Let’s take a look at the Paralympics’ marquis event, Para Hockey (the official name for sled hockey). Hopefully all my articles have gotten some of you interested, and you might even recognize a player or two. Here is the broadcast schedule.

The Teams

Teams are broken down into Group A: United States, Canada, Korea, and RPC; and Group B: Italy, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and China. There are initial games within each Group, and then they move on to a single elimination bracket. Teams had to earn their places at tournaments held before the Olympics, but China, being the host country, automatically gets a place. Some teams such as Japan and Sweden didn’t make the cut this year.

Here are a few of the notable teams for 2022.

Team USA

USA is once again the heavy favorite, having won the last 2 gold medals and 3 of the last 4. Stars such as Declan Farmer, Rico Roman, Josh Pauls, Travis Dodson, Kevin McKee, and Brody Roybal return, but there are a few changes to the team this year. There are six rookies. In goal, Steve Cash, the winningest goalie in sled hockey, has retired and will be replaced by backup Jen Lee. Jen is a great goalie, plays with a lot of energy, and is the team’s biggest cheerleader on and off the ice. (Note: This is really how he is, all the time.) The team has spent the last few months living and training in Nashville so they’re as ready as ever.

Team Canada

Canada is reeling from the last Paralympics, where in the gold medal game they missed an empty net, gave up a tying goal, and lost in overtime. “I was THIS close!” Yeah, they were THAT close. Canada has beaten USA in recent World Championships so they are definitely a contender for gold if they consistently play at a high level.

Team RPC

Russia missed the last two Olympics and Paralympics due to a doping scandal. (Which apparently isn’t over, based on what we saw in this year’s Olympics.) This year the athletes are allowed to play under the name RPC (Russian Paralympic Committee). In last year’s World Championship they made their return, and placed third, at one point losing to Canada by only one goal. This is a hungry team that just got a big boost of confidence. I would expect them to medal and possibly get as high as silver if they can pull an upset.

Team Korea

While consistently getting trounced by USA and Canada, Korea has made great progress over the past few years and is now in the top Group. It’s been fun to see a country not known for hockey put so much into their program and make such improvements.

Team Slovakia

I have a sentimental attachment to this team. My family on both sides come from Slovakia, and the legendary Blackhawks player Marian Hossa has been supporting the team now that he’s moved back to the Old Country. They barely qualified with a tournament win early this year, and this will be their first ever Paralympic appearance. I follow the team on Facebook, and when they won they were met at the airport by a crowd and got tons of coverage on national TV. This team is grateful and happy to be playing, which makes them fun to watch even though they most likely won’t win a medal.

My Picks

Most likely the finish will be USA Gold, Canada Silver, and RPC/Korea Bronze. But I’m going out on a limb and calling it USA Gold, RPC Silver, Canada Bronze.

The time four gold medalists just showed up to our practice. Left to right: Travis Dodson, Rico Roman, some local club player from Chicago, Steve Cash, Brody Roybal.

 

Jen Lee showing off his gold medal. I knew him when he was just a lowly backup.

 

Jack Wallace at last year’s Sled Classic in New Jersey. Jack is a big boy and usually has as many penalties as goals.