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Bongiorno, folks, as I begin what is already Day 10 here in beautiful Milan for up-close coverage of the Winter Olympics.
I have settled in nicely, learned a handful of Italian words and feel like I already know this place like the back of my hand.
The sights and venues (and weather) are amazing, the competition is fierce and I truly am having the time of my life.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
By the end of this day — which officially marks the midway point of my bucket-list assignment — I will have filed 25 unique stories/features already, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading them half as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.
Here’s some random thoughts and snapshots from the week that was…
• Oh, how silly I was. Prior to arriving here, I had an idea that I would get up every morning and go for a nice, long walk prior to tackling the day. Little did I realize just how MUCH walking was going to be involved to simply do the job.
I’m averaging just south of 20,000 steps per day, with pretty much all of it being travel-related to get to and from my hotel, subway stations, bus stops, train stations and the multiple venues that are spread throughout Milan.
This is an extremely walkable city, especially when the daily temperatures are routinely in the teens. I love it.
• One constant as I make my way around the city: I’ve always got my hands pressed against my pockets, which contain my phone and wallet, and I always make sure my backpack is zipped tight.
Why? Pickpockets are apparently everywhere, and they warn you about this at pretty much every turn. Signs, vocal messages on the subways and trains and buses, you name it.
I have yet to lose any property — I really hope this isn’t a jinx — nor have I seen a pickpocket in action. Better to be wary, I guess.
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• Speaking of the subways, there are certain times (like before and after major Olympic events) where it would seem like the infrastructure isn’t in place to properly handle the influx of people.
I thought I was going to get crushed last Friday night both going to and leaving the opening ceremony at San Siro Stadium. Now I know how a sardine feels, I guess.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
• I’ve only gotten on the wrong subway line once, which took me in the opposite direction I intended. I also did that once on a bus. I figure two little blunders aren’t so bad, considering I’ve probably made more than 40 trips so far.
• It was also extremely crowded last night leaving the main hockey rink following the United States vs. Latvia men’s game.
And, my goodness, I thought I was going to witness something ugly when a very drunk and foolish young American fan decided it would be a good idea to repeatedly scream, “IT WAS A LATVIAN BEATDOWN! A BEATDOWN! U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” while on a jam-packed bus that was filled with Latvian fans.
Probably not his best life choice, but he was still in one piece when I got off at my stop.
• I truly was in hockey heaven yesterday. A hat trick of games, starting with Switzerland vs. Slovakia at noon local time, Canada vs. Czechia at 4:30 p.m. and then the aforementioned U.S. vs. Latvia nightcap at 9 p.m.
It reminded me, in a small way, of what the NHL bubble was like in Edmonton during the pandemic playoffs. Only this time, there were actual fans and one heck of an atmosphere in the building.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
• I’m getting a crash course in European fandom — singing, chanting, jumping, dancing, whistling — and it is truly tremendous. What a treat to watch and cover games in that environment.
It should be bonkers later tonight when Canada plays Switzerland, which is pretty much a home game for Nino Niederreiter and company. He told me the other day his house is about a 2.5-hour drive from the rink here in Milan.
• Food report: The pizza is outstanding, of course. I had the most amazing porcini pasta the other night in what was my first, and ONLY, sit-down dinner so far. (The other eight evenings have all been filled with events that run well into the night, and overnight).
And, boy, do they love their sweets here. My hotel, which is more like a hostel, has an incredible daily breakfast buffet where the offerings include things like pies, cakes, strudels, tarts and more.
I’ve typically stuck to the usual basics, but may have dabbled a bit. Guilty as charged.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
• My only complaint: where’s the Diet Pepsi here? Nowhere to be found. Italy is a Coke nation — specifically regular Coke and then Coke Zero, which seems to be the most popular choice for folks (me included, but it’s still not Diet Pepsi, which I miss dearly). No actual Diet Coke to be found.
• One of the best parts of this Olympics has been a chance to spend time with plenty of terrific, well-respected media colleagues from around the world. There’s never a dull moment, and it’s been awesome getting to know so many of them — either for the first time, or in a much better way than I previously had, given how much time we are spending together in close proximity.
I had an awesome chat last night watching the American game with Emily Kaplan, for example, who was seated beside me. I’ve loved getting to know the legendary Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. It never gets old talking shop with Elliotte Friedman and Pierre Lebrun. The list goes on.
• The mixed zones here after games and events are bizarre. Case in point: yesterday, Canada thumps Czechia. And all us media types line up along a railing to literally yell at players as they walk by, trying to get their attention to come over and have a few words.
Sometimes this leads to one-on-one chats, like I’ve had multiple times with players like Connor Hellebuyck, Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Nino Niederreiter.
Other times, it turns into a huge scrum. And other times, such as when American J.T. Miller goes by, it turns into nothing, as he simply says no thanks and keeps walking. It’s also bizarre to have players from BOTH teams doing interviews and walk-bys at the same time, but that’s how it works.
There is no open dressing or press-conference-type backdrop setting like you see in the NHL. It’s a free-for-all, because it’s the International Olympic Committee and not the NHL is running the show.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
• If you’re into quirky stories, there’s no shortage of those at these games. The suggestion that some Norwegian ski jumpers were injecting their penises to get more air. The bizarro confession by the Norwegian biathlete following his medal win that he cheated on his girlfriend (is Norway OK???).
A Slovak fugitive wanted on a warrant for 16 years arrested at the hockey rink prior to yesterday’s game against Switzerland. Seriously, is there something in the air these days?
• It’s about the pigeons. They are everywhere. I do not like this. They frighten me.
That said, I sucked it up and battled through what seemed like thousands of them to get a look the other day at the amazing Duomo di Milano, which is truly breathtaking and even more so at night.
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
• Last, but not least, I brought Scoop, the Free Press mascot, along for the journey here. Safe to say he’s having a pretty good time!
(Mike McIntyre / Free Press)
Ciao for now, folks. I’ve got four stories coming today — one of them is especially fun that I think you’ll love — and I’m going to get going on the writing.
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