SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
And with all of this happening in the world, it's still time for sports. There's a golden hangover for some in the U.S. men's hockey team and March Madness approaches. Michele Steele joins us now. Michele, thanks so much for being with us.
MICHELE STEELE: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: Let's begin with men's hockey 'cause the U.S. men's team, Olympic champions, received a warm welcome. Big Macs in the Oval Office. They went to the president's State of the Union address. But some of those great players who play for Canadian NHL teams have returned to what I will call a frosty reception.
STEELE: Scott, frosty is right. Five members of this team play in Canada, including Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk. And this week, the White House's official TikTok used AI to make a video that made it seem like Tkachuk sounded like he was hurling expletives...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...At Canadians. He had to denounce it as fake, just to manage the backlash up north. And beyond the video, the entire team is under scrutiny for laughing when the president joked about having to invite the women's team. Only backup goalie Jeremy Swayman from the Bruins has suggested they should have reacted differently. Otherwise, no one has publicly reached out to the women's team despite some women's players expressing dismay. Now, Scott, I do want to end this on a brighter note. The PWHL, the Professional Women's Hockey League, just sent - set a new women's attendance record in the United States last night for women's hockey - 17,000 fans in a sold-out Seattle arena. So in the end, maybe the women are having the last laugh here.
SIMON: Yeah. Of course, it's the last day of February. March Madness, I guess, begins tomorrow. Duke, Arizona and Michigan - obvious suspects as to who's going to be involved. But what are some teams trying to get in the tournament that you're keeping an eye on now?
STEELE: It's the best time of year if you're a college hoops fan like me, Scott. You're right, the blue bloods are safe. But keep an eye on these teams 'cause they're sweating out their resumes right now. And one that I'm watching here in the Midwest, in the Big Ten, Indiana lost against Northwestern. They're definitely, you know, sort of on that last four in line for most bracketologists. Big game for them against Michigan State tomorrow. That could decide their fate. Also watching Santa Clara and TCU, both of those teams. One bad loss in the conference tournament - and those are coming up next week - could really end their season. But it could be a big week for those bid stealers, you know, smaller teams winning their...
SIMON: Yeah.
STEELE: ...Conference tournaments to get to the big dance.
SIMON: I want to hear some good news. Could you tell us about Liam Cunningham, 17-year-old from Minnesota, who made the cut for the U.S. sled hockey team at the Paralympics?
STEELE: Gosh, I'm happy to tell you some good news here. It's a beautiful story. Liam is a 17-year-old defenseman from the Midwest, Lakeland, Minnesota. He was diagnosed very young with a rare bone condition as a kid. It led to over a dozen surgeries. So he spent much of his childhood in a wheelchair watching his brothers play hockey. Grew up in a hockey family. That's common in Minnesota. The family introduced sled hockey to him when he was 7 years old. And guess what? He's been a prodigy ever since. Made the national team at just 15. Now he's on a plane to Milan as the youngest athlete ever on a U.S. Paralympic roster. And I've heard that the other people on his team have called him sort of a veteran just in terms of his composure. So how cool is this? Despite all the noise surrounding the Olympic teams this week, I just love that we're focused on the pure joy of the game and Liam Cunningham.
SIMON: That's terrific. Michele Steele, thanks so much. Talk to you soon.
STEELE: See you next time. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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