Beery gold-medal celebration could get Canada's women's team in trouble

After Canada's women's hockey team defeated the U.S., 2-0, to win the gold medal Thursday at Canada Hockey Place, they decided to do some celebrating.

More than half an hour after they clinched their third consecutive Olympic title, they came back onto the ice. Beer was involved in their festivities.

The International Olympic Committee plans to investigate the matter and whether the players' celebration outside the locker room is harmful to their image and the game's.

More photos of the festivities after the jump...

 

-- Helene Elliott in Vancouver

Photos by Cris Bouroncle/AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[X]

Here the IOC has already made it clear that they want to get rid of hockey, and now the Canadian women simply hand them some boozy ammo. Smart going.

I just hope that the IOC sticks to their promise to give women's hockey a little more time to prove it belongs in the Winter Olympics.

[Derek K. Miller]

What? Gold-medal winners had some beer and cigars? This is shocking? I hope the IOC didn't notice Jon Montgomery chug that half a pitcher of beer on the streets of Whistler Village on national TV after his gold-medal skeleton win...

[Iris Heyes]

Beer and cigars! Heaven forbid, don't they know the rest of us only celebrate with bottled water and communion wafers? Next thing you know we'll hear that they had pre-marital sex and exceed posted speed limits. Harumph!

[Ezee-T]

Wait.......Doesn't this happen in Golf, Football(Soccer and NFL), Cricket, Rugby, Basketball and Baseball. Why can't they do the same?

[keith ager]

Someone out needs to get a life, they won gold after how many hours, weeks, months of hard training, and now they cannot let their hair down !.
Good on the Canadian win- party on girls!.

[logan]

i don't know, big deal. i would want to do the same thing. however, if lago had to go home from those 2 measly pics posted to tmz, then the canadian girls should have to deal with something similar...

[OrganicGeorge]

Good for them!

Let them party like rock stars, they earned it.

[Hockey Fan]

Way to go Canada....that is the way to celebrate. The IOC is being stupid no harm or damage was done. What's up with the US team only three girls happy that they won silver, maybe you should print that.

[a kid]

there just celebrateing get your granny pants out of a knott i personally do not follow hockey but when I think of the cold and winter and sports hockey is there

[Peter Smith]

Hey X...

Maybe they should give women the right to vote here and in Canada.

Donkey.

[Mr X]

Dear X!!!!!
You don’t think that if the Americans won gold, they wouldn’t be doing the same thing “Boozing it up in Vancouver”? No wait I know they would just be skating over the Canadian flag! Which is worse? JEALOUS MUCH!!!!!!!!! GET A LIFE. YES I AM CANADIAN AND PROUND THAT WE WON AND THAT WE KICKED YOU SORRY A**SES AND I AM NOT SORRY THAT WE PARTIED AFTERWORDS.

[Joanne]

Talk about sore losers....you can't tell me if the US won that they wouldn't be celebrating...SOUR GRAPES!

You couldn't just let Canada celebrate their victory and have some national pride...you had to take few photos of them have A BEER and make it sound like a drunken rage...Give me a break! US just can't stand losing....
Canadian Girls are GOLDEN so suck it up EH!

[Lisa]

Just a response to the comment by "X": Hmmmm, you really think that if the Americans won, it wouldn't be a similar situation? At least WE have respect for our rivals. I don't believe our hockey team walked all over the American flag after they won, as we couldn't get the same respect in Salt Lake City.... Maybe you should really think about what you say before you say it...and yes, it was smart going; it's called celebrating. Oh, and by-the-way, I am a proud Canadian if you didn't already figure that out!

[dramachic]

The team did not disgrace any other nations, unlike what has been done in the past (anyone remember a flag stomping incident?). These ladies work hard to get to this point, and having a celebration after is not anything new. Why shouldn't they be allowed to have a beer on the ice where they won the gold, after everyone had left?

[Prakash patel]

These pictures are just a reflection of how poor us news really is. Get overit people! They just won the gold medal. Are you trying to say that our us team would have celebrated with chocolates and soda? They deserved the win. Good on em for basking in the glory!

[Jethro Versteege]

I think there was nothing wrong with the women celebrating with some Moslen Canadian beer on Ice. It was the brewing company who was their major sponsor. Besides I have seen at every sports victory such as the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup and various other sporting tournaments athletes celebrating with champagne or brews of various kinds on the field and locker room. Why don't the Americans just get over the fact that they lost and stop picking on the people who beat them. It is so typically American that everytime they lose at something, they have to pick apart their rivals to make it sound like they were the better team. Maybe the US men's hockey team will win gold. And if they do, I would understand that they would party just as hard as the Canadian women did. After all its been since 1980 that the US mens hockey has won a gold. So have a few brews, celebrate the game and shut up!

[Common Sense]

Oh please, come off it. These women just won the Gold for Canada and set a Canadian record at the same time for a gold in women's hockey and this is how they're thanked. it's not like they were doing anything bad. The arena was totally empty and all the spectators had gone home.

[Kerry]

I don't believe there's anything wrong with the celebration of the Canadian Women's Hockey team! Would we be so critical if this was a men's hockey team??

[Common Sense]

These women just won the Gold for Canada and set a Canadian record at the same time for a gold in women's hockey and this is how they're thanked. It's not like they were doing anything bad. The arena was completely empty and all of the spectators had already gone home before they started celebrating.

[E from Chicago]

Congradulations Canada enjoy yourself you worked hard. And thanks for including us in your celebration. Chicago loves hockey. IOC leave the sport alone.

[Dawn]

Let them celebrate! They achieved something great! So if you win, you must celebrate in this well-defined way or you suffer sanctions? Really?!?! They followed the rules and won! Leave them alone!

[All Hockey]

There's nothing wrong with celebrating a big win, but with a touch of class...realize that every other sport does it, but within the confines & a bit of privacy of the locker room. Can't say that I've ever seen the Stanley Cup filled on the ice?!?

[A. Yelvington]

Who in their right mind came up with the idea that beer and hockey don't go together in Canada? That's CRAZY TALK! (It's the end times I tell you...)

[USAmerica1st]

I wanna party with this girls! They know how to celebrate: champagne, beer, and cigars. But the IOC always has its nose out of joint about the slightest thing. These are young people celebrating a once in a lifetime win, not stuffy old people out of step with youth.

[diane m]

OMG What a farse!!! So...... what do you do after YOU achieve something great!! We are Canadian we drink beer and enjoy ourselves!! Yup that needs to be investigated . GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!