Because the Olympics just can't handle the in-your-face raditude of America, fuck yeah, they're forcing Ryan Miller and Jonathan Quick to cover up parts of their masks, before the blow the minds of the staid people of Vancouver.
Both Miller and Quick got custom goalie masks done up for the games, a rare opportunity for athletes to show a little individualism. Miller put two slogans on his mask: "It's Miller Time," because, you know that's his name, and "Matt Man," as a tribute to his cousin who died of cancer. The IOC said no to both.
IOC Rule 51, which bars ''advertising, demonstrations and propaganda," falls between rules governing the distribution of explanatory pamphlets for each sport, and clarifying the order of seniority of Olympic officials. Still, it's important enough that the International Ice Hockey Federation enforced it, requiring Miller to cover the "Miller Time" slogan with tape. They allowed him to keep "Matt Man."
Meanwhile, Jonathan Quick was told that his mask, with the words "Support Our Troops," also fell afoul of the law. I can understand the Canadians getting snippy over a beer allusion, because they've long claimed their beer is superior. But their military?