Men Behaving Badly Bettman Promises Action Against Nhl Players Who Trashed Rooms After Loss

Some U.S. hockey players trashed their rooms at the Olympic Village after being knocked out of the Nagano Games, and the NHL was investigating who was responsible for the damage, estimated at $1,000.

Chairs were broken, two apartments were damaged by fire extinguishers, and one extinguisher was thrown from the fifth floor into a common area in the incident, which occurred about 4 a.m. Thursday (Nagano time), said Paul George, head of the U.S. delegation in the Olympic Village.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league’s vice president of security, Dennis Cunningham, would work with USA Hockey on the investigation.

“Obviously such conduct is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Bettman said.

USA center Doug Weight said reports of mischief were overblown.

“I’m really upset that all this stuff is happening, that people would think we were all hammered and destroying furniture and that we don’t care about the Olympics,” Weight said. “That’s not true….

“That night after the game (a 4-1 quarterfinal loss to the Czech Republic), a bunch of us and our wives and families were taken to a karaoke restaurant. We had a great time, singing and drinking a few beers.

“We got back to the village real late and we probably were too loud. Some guys were wrestling and stuff, but that’s it. I know nothing about broken windows or anything like that. As for the broken chairs, we’re big guys and the chairs aren’t real strong and some of them had been broken since we got here just from sitting on them to play cards. We weren’t throwing furniture.”

Don’t call now

The Games in Nagano haven’t even ended before a low-grade Olympic fever broke out in Utah.

As many as 400 people a day have been calling the offices of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee to inquire about tickets for the Winter Games of 2002, SLOC spokeswoman Shelley Thomas said.

Before you rush to the telephone yourself, don’t. Callers are being told to try again - in about three years.

Ratings continue to slide

No Tonya, no Nancy, no blockbuster rating.

The women’s figure skating competition, the crown jewel of the Winter Olympics television package, began early Wednesday morning (PST) to unspectacular ratings.

The show, which featured the one-two finish by Americans Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski, gave CBS a 20.7 rating/32 share. While that is the highest rating from Nagano so far, it trailed the 48.5/64 from Lillehammer by 57 percent and the 22.8 from Albertville by 9 percent.

CBS is on track to post the lowest Winter Olympics ratings since ABC’s 13.5 from Grenoble in 1968.

Finnish star finished

Finland’s Mika Myllyla, who won the first cross country ski race of the Nagano Games, the 30K classical, won’t be skiing in the last one.

Myllyla was supposed to compete in the 50-kilometer individual race Saturday, but pulled out due to illness that included a fever.

Tough lesson

American Kristina Koznick’s first Olympic experience ended with her in tears.

Koznick, one of the favorites in the women’s slalom, was too cautious on the first run and then blew off the course trying to make up time in the second.

“I told myself I was going to go all out (in the second run) and I did,” she said between sobs. “Whether it was going to be medal-worthy, I don’t know, but at least I went all out. The Olympics is, ‘Get a medal or be a statistic.’ I guess I’m a statistic.”

Koznick, 22, was 1.44 seconds behind leader Deborah Compagnoni after the first run.

“It’s not that people thought I was a medal favorite. It was more myself,” Koznick said. “I know I’m capable of medaling and it bothers me that experience is what’s getting in the way.”