David Krejci telling his family not to go to Sochi

Jan 19, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Boston Bruins center

(46) waits for play to begin against the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period at the United Center. The Blackhawks beat the Bruins 3-2 in the shootout. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Olympic Games are supposed to be about nations putting away their acrimony in the spirit of healthy international competition. The atmosphere in Sochi is quickly turning ugly.  Protests are erupting all over the Russian state, and Russian President Vladimir Putin feels all too willing to escalate matters. This is creating a very uneasy air for the Olympic athletes and their families. This includes the Olympians who currently play for the Boston Bruins.

“I told my family not to go, but my mom wants to go so I can’t stop her,” Bruins center David Krejci (and player for the Czech Republic) said to the media today. “I would prefer if she wouldn’t go, and I understand everybody that doesn’t want their families to go. It’s kind of a scary situation. I’m pretty sure the Russian President is going to take care of everything, and make the Olympic Games safe.”

The Bruins will be representing five countries this year (Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, and Sweden), and there is a tension brewing in the Bruins camp.  CBS.com stated that Patrice Bergeron asked his wife not to go to Sochi. There is no other information on the other players at this time.

“We’ll see what happens,” continued Krejci. “I’ve been reading the papers and watching the TV. I know there’s been a lot of talk about it, and I know they’ve sent a lot of military people over there. It’s going to be interesting(Hopefully not in a Doctor Strangelove sort of way, or the Chinese curse sort of way.). You kind of don’t know what you’re getting into, but I’m pretty sure they’ll do everything they can to make it safe. If once you get there and all you see is military people everywhere, it’s going to be tough to focus [on hockey],” he said. “But I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fine. All the athletes will be at the village so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be fine.”

I’m old enough to have been alive during the Munich Olympic games. It changed the way a lot of my parents’ generation looked at the Olympics. Thankfully, we haven’t had anything like that since. It still worries me seeing our Bruins, the best of the NHL, and hundreds of American athletes and their families walking into a potential disaster.