Men’s hockey the 1998 Winter Olympics was highly anticipated, called by many the “Tournament of the Century” as NHL players were finally allowed to compete.
The United States, along with Canada, was a heavy favorite with a loaded NHL roster featuring the likes of Mike Modano, Jeremy Roenick and Brett Hull. However, they fell dramatically short of the gold in losing to the Czech Republic in the quarterfinals, ending a rather uneventful Olympic run.
Already peeved with the accommodations at the Olympic Village, an area they were required to stay as opposed to lining up five-star hotels, many players called the trip to Japan a waste of their time.
Fifteen years ago today, instead of hitting the bars to blow off some steam, the U.S. team decided to destroy their rooms on the fifth floor of their Olympic Village apartments. An apparent 4 a.m. rampage took place in which they smashed furniture, set off a couple fire extinguishers and even launched one into the courtyard.
No players ever admitted to the shenanigans and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman implied guilty players would not be invited to the 2002 Salt Lake City games.
Immature or hilarious? You can decide.
About Jason Smith