Canada's Natalie Spooner, seen here scoring against Germany during Saturday's game, said she is glad that hockey players, unlike their curling counterparts, don't have to wear microphones at these Olympics.Sun Fei/The Associated Press
Natalie Spooner is relieved hockey players aren’t wired up in Milan after a heated argument between Canadian and Swedish curlers was caught on microphone at the Olympics
“Very, very glad,” Spooner said when asked if she was happy she wasn’t mic’d up during Team Canada’s hockey games.
Spooner suggested it’s best that interactions between hockey players be left to the imaginations of viewers at home.
“It’s competition and people get heated,” she said.
Spooner, along with many viewers, watched with amazement as the Canadian and Swedish curling teams engaged in vocal sparring during their match, which was caught by the microphones they wear.
The brouhaha unfolded late in Canada’s 8-6 victory over Sweden when Swedish third Oskar Eriksson accused Canada of cheating.
Eriksson said two members of the Canadian side broke curling rules by incorrectly touching stones that were beyond the hog line. When the Canadians responded with surprise, the Swedish player said he’d show Canadian curler Marc Kennedy a video later.
Kennedy responded by swearing at Eriksson, which was picked up by the TV broadcast. The Canadian said later he had no regrets about defending his team in the moment.
“I just probably regret the language I used,” Kennedy told reporters.
Curlers wear microphones so that viewers can hear the interactions and strategizing of the teams. For years, it’s been part of the game.
NHL players sometimes wear microphones for televised hockey games, but those interactions are typically not broadcast live, and are often filtered into highlights shown later. Hockey players have been heard on microphones warning opponents they are mic’d up to avoid any untoward remarks going public.
Spooner said she’s fine leaving the microphones for the curlers, but also understood where the Canadians were coming from.
“It is crazy that they have to be mic’d during the game,” Spooner said.
“But at the same time, it’s competition and he wants to win – and it was how he felt in the moment."
Team Canada coach Troy Ryan, stoic on the bench during the women’s games in Milan, was equally as reserved when asked about the curling controversy.
“I’ve learned long ago to not make comments on those situations,” Ryan said with a smile.
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