Šis un tas

Hockey is their life

February 24, 2006

So what if the Latvian ice hockey team crashed and burned during the Winter Olympics? The fans love the team regardless, according to a story that ran Feb. 22 in the United States on the NBC television network.

Correspondent Kevin Tibbles reported from Turin, Italy, on the legendary colorful and loud Latvian hockey fans, complete with their sarkanbaltsarkans facepaint—“the wackiest, happiest, noisiest fans imagineable,” according to Tibbles.

Latvians, according to the story, live for hockey, a point driven home by a quote from a young fan: “Hockey is my life.”

To read Tibbles’ story or view the video, visit MSNBC. One problem: You will need a Windows-based computer, because to view the video the required software includes Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 6.0, Windows Media Player 10.0 and Macromedia Flash 7.

Thanks to a number of readers who sent us the link to the story, and to all those who wrote in asking where they could watch the video.

— Andris Straumanis

Comments about this article

Ojars Aleksandrs Kuskis

Latvians shouldn't feel bad about their hockey team's performance in Turino. Canada's highly touted team with its $94 million worth of NHL professionals didn't do much better, and embarrassed Canadian hockey fans. It's wonderful for expatriate Latvians in the rest of the world to see a national team from little Latvia performing among the top 10 hockey teams in the world. lt's also great to see the Latvian fans making such a proud statement of support and having so much passion for Canada's, now the world's, game. We hope to see the Latvian team and many Latvians in Vancouver in 2010. And good luck to the Latvian team in the upcoming IIHF World Championship in Riga. I wish I could be there. - Ojars Kuskis, Orangeville (near Toronto), Ontario, Canada

05 Mar 2006 (United States)

right

tas ir skaidrs ka mes esam labakie. Latvians are the best

29 May 2007 (United States)

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