Italian women make history in Olympic hockey debut

Saturday, Feb. 11, 11:51 p.m. local, Day Two

	This was a common sight for Italian goalie Debora Montanari, who allowed nine of Canada's 16 goals in her Olympic debut. Robert Laberge/Getty Images
	RELATED • Day 1: Turin starts showing off charms

While Barbaresco and Barbera are the two of the more famous red wines in the Piedement, the Turinese haven't yet acquired the taste of Bill Barber. When it comes to hockey around here, you're more apt to skate over linguini than alongside the next Lemieux.

But tonight was the debut of the Italian women at the Olympics and since Miriam was clearly enchanted by my company yesterday, she offered me an extra ticket to watch Italy play Canada in the opening round of the women's hockey tournament at the Palasport Olympico. I told Miriam what I had read about her country's chances against the mighty hockey nation. "Oh, good God," she said.

Indeed, we needed a Miracolo on Ice. The Canadians won gold in Salt Lake City and are heavy favorites in Turin. They have the world's best player (Hayley Wickenheiser) and babies who come out of the womb wearing skates. The Italians have a pair of 15-year-old defensemen and forward Anna de la Foresy, whom one journalist nicknamed Dancer because he thought she looked like she was dancing on the ice when she played.

You couldn't blame the Italian team coach Markus Sparer for preaching mercy.

"I hope we can stay within 20 goals," he told the Toronto Star.

Forza Italia! They lost by only 16.

Canada scored after 1:36 of play. Then they scored 16 seconds later. And again. And again. And I'm mainly talking about Caroline Ouellette who had a hat trick after 6:53. The Canadians outshot the Italians 26-3 in the first period, and 66-5 for the game. They won 16-0. It was the most lopsided result in women's Olympic history, topping Canada's 13-0 rout of Japan at the Nagano Games.

Was it competitive? Absolutely not. But it was fun. The crowd was jumping and the most of the seats were filled even if the home team is a long work in progress.

Of course, the Italians had already had a good day with Enrico Fabris' bronze medal in the 5,000-meter event in long-track speedskating at the Oval Lingotto. That race produced two memorable American moments: Chad Hedrick winning the first medal for the Stars and Stripes, and SI creative director Steve Hoffman begging me to put his name in this blog so his kids could see it. Only one of those two men deserved the press.

Miriam and I enjoyed amazing seats at the game, about 15 rows behind the Canadian bench, which meant we could clearly see the grins from the Canadian forwards after target practice on Italian goaltenders Debora Montanari and Luana Frasnelli. If not for the courageous Montanari, who allowed nine goals on 47 shots, the score would have actually doubled. Ouellette and Wickenheiser each had five-point nights and Canadian goaltender Kim St. Pierre probably could have gone out for gelato during the third period and Canada still would have won easily.

The crowd remained strong all evening, though there was barely a reaction when the public address announcer delivered the score of the U.S. women defeating the Swiss 6-0. There were plenty of Italian and Canadian flags, signs (CANADIAN GIRLS RULE) everywhere, and funky in-game entertainment.

After every goal, a group of teenage dancers dressed in gold shirts, orange socks and generally looking like extras from the movie Flash Gordon, grooved to the sounds of loud music. They were roughly the same age as the Italian teenage defenseman Valentina Bettarini and Katharina Sparer, the daughter of the coach.

Miriam spotted about two dozen Italian fans wearing a t-shirt with the likeness of Italy's best player -- speedy forward Maria Michaela Leitner -- so we headed over to examine the situation. It was there we met Maria's brother Hartmann and sister Mathilde, who were part of a group of 50 friends and family cheering Maria on. Hartmann said his sister was an elementary school teacher and had played with him and his buddies until she was 14. Smiling, he begrudgingly admitted that his sister was now a better player than him. Said Mathilde: "We talked about a lot of things when we saw her but not about the game. I think she was nervous."

Someone whose nerves were far from frayed was Randy Lebedow, a 40-year-old Team Canada superfan from Cloverdale, British Columbia, who traveled all day and night from his home to watch Wickenheiser and Co. play in Turin.

Lebedow, who works for PCL Construction in Vancouver, said he would be in Italy for less than 48 hours and was heading back to Milan the next morning to catch a plane back to Vancouver.

Why would a man do such damage to his body and bank account? One, he's from Canada, where hockey rules all. Lebedow was also determined to win a contest from 96.9 Jack FM in Vancouver, which was offering $25,000 to the person who constructed the most creative and unique way to show the world they listened to the station. Buoyed by goals and the prospect of some serious jack, Lebedow proudly help up his sign (I LISTEN TO 96.9 JACK FM) on the other side of the globe. Contest over, if you ask me.