Participating in Olympics ‘never gets old’ for Angela Ruggiero

Four-time Olympic hockey player Angela Ruggiero said she hadn’t become blase about participating in the Games even though she made her debut 12 years ago in the inaugural women’s Olympic tournament at Nagano, Japan.

The 30-year-old defenseman said at a news conference that she considered quitting after the U.S. team won the bronze medal at Turin four years ago.

However, she said she renewed her love of the game after taking a few months off, and she joined Jenny Potter in Vancouver as the only four-time hockey Olympians on the team.

“It never gets old,” said Ruggiero, who returned to her former home of Southern California to work out last summer. “Having the experience of putting on this jersey and representing your country is like no other feeling in the world.”

-- Helene Elliott IOC reprimands hockey player

The International Olympic Committee has issued a reprimand against Russian women’s hockey player Svetlana Terenteva for an anti-doping rule violation.

A urine sample supplied by Terenteva on Saturday tested positive for tuaminoheptane. Primarily used as a nasal decongestant, tuaminoheptane is considered relevant in sports drug testing because of its stimulating properties.

In a hearing Wednesday, Terenteva said she had used Rhinofluimucil, which contains tuaminoheptane, under prescription, but that she had stopped using it Feb. 3 because she knew the substance would be prohibited starting Feb 4.

-- Houston Mitchell Who will light the Olympic torch?

Canadians are obsessed with Friday night’s opening ceremony, and the biggest topic is who will light the torch.

Wayne Gretzky’s name is being tossed around a lot, but most of the talk involves the late cancer hero Terry Fox, specifically an of avatar of Fox that would be visible to home audiences but not to fans in the stadium who paid upward of $1,000 -- and much more -- to attend.

-- Chris Erskine Parise injury not considered serious

A Team USA official says that an injury suffered by the New Jersey Devils’ Zach Parise, who is among the highest-scoring American players in the NHL, is considered minor and that Parise is expected to play here next week.

-- Helene Elliott