Hockey Gold

[RM]

I see the women's team came through for Canada.....

Now it's on to the men's finals tomorrow. I love these kind of matches. It's a win-win situation, since I won't be disappointed regardless of the outcome.

Here's hoping for a great game.

[fezo]

Crazy Canadians. When we won last week and said we hope to see you again in the finals we didn't really mean it! I'll be stunned if the US gets the gold.

[charlene]

Almost all of the Canadian medals have come from the female athletes...
nuff said.
;)

[Yuri]

I still like Gord's 'Gold' the best! What a winner!!!

[charlene]

and the girls know how to party!! (and of course there has to be the obligatory bitching to go with it!)

http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/772452--olympic-brew-haha-a-tempest-in-a-beer-can

10 of 21 canadian medals are gold..wow. from no gold at a home based olympics to 10 - very nice accomplishment..
7 are silver..

photographer blog - some great pics: http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/2010/02/golden-medal-hockey.html

[charlene]

omigoodness what a day at the Olympics!

from no gold ever won at home to now having 12 gold..!!
total medals 23.
most gold medals of any country so far!

Maybe the Own the Podium initiative should have been "Own The Gold" ..lol

what terrible weather to have to run the Snowboard competition tho..
those folks are fearless.

[RM]

Maybe the Own the Podium initiative should have been "Own The Gold" ..lol


Sure looks like it.........

I was watching the men's curling medal presentation.......what are the plants/flowers that they hand out to the medalists ?

[charlene]

it's customary for all Olympic medal winners to receive flowers..

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/There-s-quite-a-story-behind-the-Olympic-flowers?urn=oly,220230

and

http://blog.reeveconsulting.com/2010/02/09/vancouver-olympics-sources-ethically-produced-flowers-for-medal-ceremonies/

[Jesse Joe]

and the girls know how to party!! (and of course there has to be the obligatory bitching to go with it!)

http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/772452--olympic-brew-haha-a-tempest-in-a-beer-can

10 of 21 canadian medals are gold..wow. from no gold at a home based olympics to 10 - very nice accomplishment..
7 are silver..

photographer blog - some great pics: http://thestar.blogs.com/photoblog/2010/02/golden-medal-hockey.html


The teams captain 'Hayley Wickenheiser' explained it very well in that little video montage. ;)

[jj]

.....what are the plants/flowers that they hand out to the medalists ?


... looks like either broccoli or uncured BC weed


glad canada's men pulled off the USSR hockey challenge...and was sorry the US women's team couldn't pour it on for the 3rd period to create a more classic finish...with that said, hoping for a classic this aft, and hope the officials stay let them play...Miller and young Parise impressive....Doughty, Keith, Weber, Nash and other Canuck youth have also been a pleasure to watch

but pros aside, you can't beat the joy of watching young amateurs faces light up with joy (and so full of bounce, lol)...i love these 2 kids

YouTube- Crazy celebration of Charles Hamelin's 500m Gold

[charlene]

the girl in red is the g.f. (and medal winner herself) of one of the brothers who was speed skating and won gold..one of two medals for him and he's just been chosen to carry the flag in the closing ceremonies:
he's adorable..
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=54368.html#report+charles+hamelin+will+carr y+canadian+flag

Charles Hamelin won gold in the 500m short-track event, Friday, while Francois-Louis Tremblay earned bronze. Less than an hour later, Hamelin and Tremblay led their teammates to gold in the 5,000m relay.

[charlene]

Lol!

[RM]

it's customary for all Olympic medal winners to receive flowers..


Ma'am,

I was aware of that. Although my question was poorly phrased, the links you provided had the specific answer to my question.

Thank you.

[charlene]

I only pointed it out because someone I know who has watched the Olympics many times over many,many years mentioned not seeing a flower presentation before...

you're welcome...

[jj]

It's a win-win situation

i think you said it best, rm

on that note, i missed most of yesterday's action as we were doing a mini olympics thingie with local youth

the theme was: Everyone's a Winner :)

[charlene]

the girl in red is the g.f. (and medal winner herself) of one of the brothers who was speed skating and won gold..one of two medals for him and he's just been chosen to carry the flag in the closing ceremonies:
he's adorable..
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/news-centre/newsid=54368.html#report+charles+hamelin+will+carr y+canadian+flag

Charles Hamelin won gold in the 500m short-track event, Friday, while Francois-Louis Tremblay earned bronze. Less than an hour later, Hamelin and Tremblay led their teammates to gold in the 5,000m relay.

now it seems that Joannie Rochette will carry the flag...perhaps both will!
lol

[charlene]

what's Harrisons medal for? Gold medal in cuteness?
;)

[charlene]

Our Father who art in Vancouver, hockey be thy name. Thy will be done, the gold will be won, on ice as well as in the stands. Give us this day, our hockey sticks, and forgive us our penalties as we forgive those who cross check against us. Lead us not into elimination but deliver us to victory. In the name of the Canadian hockey teams, AMEN! ▌♥ ▌GO CANADA GO!!!!

[Auburn Annie]

LOL - loved it! We have a house divided here, one American, one Canadian.

It's tied 2-2 with 24 seconds to go right now. This is going to be interesting.

[charlene]

The KID does it! GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Auburn Annie]

Very happy for the team, always feel badly for the losing goalie - but dem's da breaks.

[RM]

Here's hoping for a great game.

Wow, I can't believe one of my hopes came true. A great game.

CONGRATULATIONS CANADA !!!!!

The gold medal is in the hands of its rightful owner.

I have a question : Why is it that when the U.S.A. has a 'power play' opportunity, it seems to last 40 seconds, but when Canada has the same opportunity, theirs seem to last 4 minutes. Does it have anything to do do with the currency exchange rate ?

[charlene]

It was a great game..some fab goals and great plays,. I worried the whole game that Sid wasn't doing much..
his second last shot on goal missed and I said to lisa "sid has to step up here and get a goal" and he spun around, plowed it at Miller and there it was! in the net for GOLD!
lol
I'm exhausted.
love this ad; it was meant to be for sid.. he's awesome.
YouTube- Tim Hortons Sidney Crosby Commercial

[charlene]

it just seems that long.. I feel the same thing! same 120 seconds for everyone..
lol

[charlene]

a wonderful video essay - this was aired last night . 24 hours prior to winning gold in hockey.
http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/index.html?assetid=16afced6-f953-42f8-88ce-46c9493947e9

the streets of downtown toronto are filled with fans and the area of yonge and dundas has shut down the traffic for the party that's happening.
it's probably the same from coast to coast to coast.

can't wait for the closing ceremony! looks like Neil Young will be there...not keen on someone who hasn't been a part of Canada for so long being a part of it but he'll get a great welcome for sure.

[fezo]

Crazy Canadians. We didn't really mean it when we said we'd see you for the gold...

What a game. I don't ever expect to see another like it.

[charlene]

Canada's new colour scheme - red, white and GOLD !
lol
fer sure eh?

[Jenney]

I had to tape the game and just finished watching it. I made sure not to go online, turn on the radio or anything so that I wouldn't find out before watching it. What a game!! My dogs are still wondering what all the yelling was about!

Congratulations Canada!! You deserved it!

[charlene]

Thanks Sparky - it was heart stopping game!
To come back after the loss to the U.S. and then beat Germany Russia and Slovakia was hard to believe but to have the game with the U.S. tied in the last minute was a killer! oy!
Sid is so great - he seems to always come thru for the big ones. Outstanding kid.
The U.S. coach and manager now have to come back to Toronto and deal with the Leafs.. gawd help them both...(Wilson and Burke)
lol

[Jesse Joe]

(14 "GOLD") it was a great 2 weeks, Canada did very well this time around. http://forum.mininova.org/style_emoticons/default/thumbs%20up.gif


http://forum.mininova.org/style_emoticons/default/rave.gif



To view it click on the yellow You Tube- Broadcast Yourself (Embedding)

YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.


And Neil Young was as cool as ever with his old Martin acoustic guitar.

[charlene]

I loved the closing ceremony (for the most part) up to and including Neil Young..after that..not so much. I guess the music after that was aimed for a different age demographic! lol
Where were the hockey boys??? !!!
The best part was the malfunctioning cauldron arm coming up, then Catriona rising and lighting it..she didn't get that chance in the opening ceremony...the ultimate 'do-over' !!

[Jesse Joe]

I totally agree having that mime do his (her) thing was a very clever move on their part, funny !!! yet it was as if Vancouver was saying this will work before it's all over, & Catriona getting to finally do what she couldn't @ the Opening Ceremonies, really great for her.

Really enjoyed Catherine Ohara, Michael J Fox, William Shatner & the others that I can't think of right now.

And for the music after Neil Young... ???

[lighthead2toe]

Last night here in the capital City of Ottawa it was Christmas.

Tears and beers flowed when Crosby made it ours.

The "Heart and Crown" pub in the Byward Market downtown Ottawa was where it started for us at 1 PM for lunch and then the bevvies began to flow.

The place was packed by game time and when it ended throngs of hockey fans poured into the streets of Ottawa to make their way to the Parliament Buildings to continue the celebrations.

Streets were closed off and fans were high fiving each other, cheering, singing and
shouting as the night wore on.

Lucky me to be here for this surprise occasion.

On another note, Gord's upcoming concert here is very well advertised. Posters are everywhere in the malls, stores, coffee shops, etc.

Very good vibes all around in the great Canuck Capital!

Cheers, Ron J.

[jj]

US women's team couldn't pour it on for the 3rd period to create a more classic finish...with that said, hoping for a classic this aft

ok, that WAS a classic

had to say i was happy for 'hockey' when the game became tied...i flipped to NBC before OT and it was fun to hear Roenick's ecstacy, he was just plain giddy...that arena was simply charged for hours

ugh, after seeing the puck get tangled in the ref's skates, under-credited was the glorious second effort pass from Iginla as he hit the ice (Suter could only look on...it felt like retribution from his uncle Gary's ugly hit on Gretzky 20 years earlier) ...looked like Miller readying for a poke check, hence he left the five hole open...but certainly the mvp

Johnson gave Rafalski a short, odd pass that went sour on that first goal...and Whitney got a bit turned around on the second, plus no forwards back...quick releases on all the Canuck goals

Luongo certainly did the deed (4 straight wins in 5.5 days) but sure let that first clunker, then couldn't squeeze the puck in the dying minute...big play by Rafalski...great persistence by the young Americans

it was wonderful to watch the skilled Canadians move the puck out of their own end and cycling the puck around in the other...we don't see anything like that in Toronto, ever:cool:

i'm glad that hockey may have adopted a new fan or two over the past few weeks, but i'm not too concerned if not...maybe some will see there's more to the sport that fighting...it was nice to see that element absent

now watching other pro sports will be like watching paint dry, except golf which was already like that, lol

here is a clip of some fun down near massey hall..ie. On Yonge Street

YouTube- Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Celebration Toronto Canada 2010

ps) rj, they profiled Granville Island one morning on CTV, showing many buskers, food and tourists...a nice spot for sure you have, congrats Vancouver!

ps2) after pacifying me with a respectful 45 second version of the Maple Leaf Forever, they spent the next 10 minutes butchering it in Broadway/Vegas fashion...so excruciating....the rest was pretty much all KOS, lol

...i would have liked to have heard more (there couldnt have been much less) what the 'story' was behind each nation's chosen flagbearers

Rochette glowed in that wonderful sweater with the mooses (or is plural 'mise'?;) ) embroidered in...i had one that had pheasants on that i miss muchly...a day came where i decided to wash the luck out of it....but it shrunk for some reason...then again, i suppose i may have expanded a tad

[charlene]

I thought of you during The Maple Leaf Forever..lol

I'm always yelling at the tv - 'just shoot the puck at the net! it will bounce off someone or something and maybe go in!' (there's some swearing involved usually) and at times I find all the fancy stickhandling/passing SO aggravating!
and dear Sid said all he did was fire it at the net, he didn't see it go in but knew it did from the crowd reaction..most of the players didn't see it go in either.. just FIRE the damn puck I say!
more good news on the hockey front - The Leafs didn't lose any games in the last 17 days...
lolol

we are used to waving the maple leaf here in Toronto - it's blue and white and but we fly it/wear it anyway.

Go LEAFS Go !!
lolol

[lighthead2toe]

ok, that WAS a classic

had to say i was happy for 'hockey' when the game became tied...i flipped to NBC before OT and it was fun to hear Roenick's ecstacy, he was just plain giddy...that arena was simply charged for hours

ugh, after seeing the puck get tangled in the ref's skates, under-credited was the glorious second effort pass from Iginla as he hit the ice (Suter could only look on...it felt like retribution from his uncle Gary's ugly hit on Gretzky 20 years earlier) ...looked like Miller readying for a poke check, hence he left the five hole open...but certainly the mvp

Johnson gave Rafalski a short, odd pass that went sour on that first goal...and Whitney got a bit turned around on the second, plus no forwards back...quick releases on all the Canuck goals

Luongo certainly did the deed (4 straight wins in 5.5 days) but sure let that first clunker, then couldn't squeeze the puck in the dying minute...big play by Rafalski...great persistence by the young Americans

it was wonderful to watch the skilled Canadians move the puck out of their own end and cycling the puck around in the other...we don't see anything like that in Toronto, ever:cool:

i'm glad that hockey may have adopted a new fan or two over the past few weeks, but i'm not too concerned if not...maybe some will see there's more to the sport that fighting...it was nice to see that element absent

now watching other pro sports will be like watching paint dry, except golf which was already like that, lol

here is a clip of some fun down near massey hall..ie. On Yonge Street

YouTube- Olympic Hockey Gold Medal Celebration Toronto Canada 2010 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHc6VGIK8-I)

ps) rj, they profiled Granville Island one morning on CTV, showing many buskers, food and tourists...a nice spot for sure you have, congrats Vancouver!

ps2) after pacifying me with a respectful 45 second version of the Maple Leaf Forever, they spent the next 10 minutes butchering it in Broadway/Vegas fashion...so excruciating....the rest was pretty much all KOS, lol

...i would have liked to have heard more (there couldnt have been much less) what the 'story' was behind each nation's chosen flagbearers

Rochette glowed in that wonderful sweater with the mooses (or is plural 'mise'?;) ) embroidered in...i had one that had pheasants on that i miss muchly...a day came where i decided to wash the luck out of it....but it shrunk for some reason...then again, i suppose i may have expanded a tad

From the news I hear Granville Island was hopping and the buskers were on a roll, JJ.

I was offered a spot to perform there during the Olympics but had to say no as I previously made travel plans for Ottawa. I traditionally go there each year to play a series of gigs with a band during the St. Partick's Day festivities.

Very thankful I am to still get offers at this late stage in life.

RJ.

[podunklander]

The game was outstanding...but I had to take off before OT!!! Would have loved USA to win the gold of course...but happy for Canada to get it and the silver medal isn't too shabby! And didn't get back home until later so I missed most of the closing ceremonies. What songs did Neil Young play?

[charlene]

He sang "Long May you Run".
U.S. viewers - http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/assetid=29ba804f-1a8c-4c0e-9920-9ef6b541dd39.html#neil+young+performs

trying to find a site for Canadians...CTV maybe...

[charlene]

the prediction of Crosby/Canada Gold was made months ago:
lol
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/22_Minutes/ID=1429683831

[jj]

Almost all of the Canadian medals have come from the female athletes...
nuff said.
;)



i missed this (and i never actually noticed that before, interesting)...but ok, not quite enough said:p

this from Clara Hughes:

"I hate to say this as a female, but there is a lot more depth in men's sport.
"It takes a lot more resources to be able to develop men. In my sport, speedskating and also in cycling, when you get a top-10 result as a male, it's something out of this world coming from North America," Hughes said.
She said she studied the amazing results of Canada's male cross-country ski team, which is clearly building momentum and will be a force in Sochi in 2014. They had a handful of top-10 results, making a serious though unheralded dent in the Scandinavian stronghold.
"Those are phenomenal results and they unfortunately won't be appreciated as much because they weren't a medal," said Hughes.
"There is so much depth, especially in the endurance sports. It takes more time. It takes more resources. I'm not saying it's easier to win as a female but, in terms of depth, it's different.
"I do think it takes more time and more resources for the men and the guys have shown that it is possible.
"I'm not saying it's easy (for women), so don't get me wrong, because it's so hard. Sport at this level is unfathomably hard. But it's different."


i guess north american men and women are fortunate to have left over Olympic facilities such as luge runs, skating ovals, etc to train on...and if especially if you live in BC or Alberta, you're all set, take your pick...where is our closest luge run or oval, i wonder?

anyhow, I'd really like to see Russian women get the opportunity to pursue hockey the way north american gals have...two years ago there was a vacant field about 15 minutes from me....now there are 2 rinks there...this summer they are adding 2 more at that facility...there are already 2 other rinks in town...many adopted Canucks are getting into the action...and they seem to dig up money for all the required gear... weeknights and weekend mornings are total madness in those parking lots

[charlene]

The Russians/Pravda think our men's hockey team was all drugged up to be able to beat them..and that the Canadians laced their food with drugs..

We can give them the name of our drug dealer.
lol

Sports Vancouver 2010
HockeyNewsPhotosVideoBlogPreview.Russians accuse Team Canada of drug use
By MIKE ZEISBERGER, Toronto Sun

Last Updated: March 1, 2010 2:24pm

.When the Olympic flag was passed on to Russian officials at the conclusion of Vancouver’s spectacular Olympic closing ceremonies, maybe someone should have handed over a few crying towels as well.

Given all the whining coming out of Russia, the host country for the 2014 Winter Games, they probably could have used some.

Having watched its Olympic team underachieve the past two weeks, the lead column Monday in the Russian-based publication Pravda ripped the 2010 Games, even pondering the unsubstantiated accusation that the gold-medal Canadian mens hockey team might have been using performance-enhancing substances.

Said Pravda: “Doesn’t it feel great to slam the door behind you as you walk out, stick up the middle finger using the palm of the left hand on the upper right forearm for extra leverage and blow a giant raspberry? That is exactly how it feels as Russia leaves Vancouver after disappointing Games with a question: was the Canadian ice hockey team on drugs?”

Where did that come from? Do the Russians know something that the IOC’s drug testers don’t? Was there tomfoolery going on while potential Team Canada players were peeing in bottles in the months leading up to arguably the greatest hockey tournament we have ever seen? A little switching of the specimen bottles, perhaps?

If that’s the case, we have a question for Pravda: Where’s the evidence to back up those allegations?

Continued Pravda: “The middle finger and the giant raspberry go to the Canadian ice hockey team. Were they on drugs the day they beat Russia so overwhelmingly? These days, and since the USSR’s 8-1 thrashing of Canada in the early 80s, Canada-Russia ice hockey games are always very closely fought events and there has not been such a monumental difference between the two sides. Very strange, the more so since the same Team Canada (whatever the hell that is supposed to mean) put in an extremely lacklustre performance against lowly Slovakia and was lucky to reach Sunday’s final. And for anyone who is about to be shocked by the question, one supposes it is OK to make cheap and gratuitous references to Russians and doping, but when the ball rolls back home it hurts. Right?”

In the end, it sounds like a lot of sour grapes.

Unless proof of Canadian cheating is provided, we’ll stick with the premise that Team Canada crushed Russia 7-3 in the quarterfinal because the Russians were outscored, outhit, outskated, outclassed and outworked.

The stage had been set for Alexander Ovechkin to prove to Canada and the rest of the hockey world that he was the best. Didn’t happen. In fact, on the day the gold medal hockey game was held, the only sweat produced by The Great Eight came from participating in the closing ceremonies.

And, by the way, how do you think Alexander The Great feels after watching his rival Sidney Crosby A) beat him in the Stanley Cup playoffs; B) win a Stanley Cup; and C) score an Olympic golden goal on home soil, igniting a coast-to-coast celebration?

All in the span of 10 months.

According to the Pravda column, the entire Russian contingent may have been the target of some fiendish scheme aimed at curtailing their medal count.

“We will never know, will we?” asked Pravda about the potential of the Canadians being on drugs. “We will never know, because the officials at Vancouver predictably did not mete out to the Canadians the shockingly humiliating treatment given to the Russian skier Natalya Korosteleva, asked to produce a urine sample during the break between the quarter-and semi-finals of her event. Had she complied, she would not have had time to enter the semis. And such was the hounding of the Russian athletes that there are rumours many refused to eat for fear their food would be laced with steroids.”

Lacing their chow with drugs? Quite the conspiracy theory.

By slagging the Games and the Vancouver area, the Russians are walking on thin ice. Criticize if you like. It’s called freedom of speech. But you certainly are setting the bar higher when the world congregates in Sochi, Russia in 2014.

When you rip others, you expose yourself to be equally slagged. And, after evaluating and dissecting each and every wart of the 2010 Vancouver Games - even when there didn’t seem to be any there at times - you can bet that any hiccups will be that much more magnified in Sochi.

Especially by many of the so-called experts and observers who considered Vancouver 2010 to be one of the most popular and successful Olympics of all time.

[podunklander]

hmmm I don't think it has anything to do with setting the bar higher or not...my guess is that the bartender was pouring 80 proof

[jj]

not to beat the topic to death (on the other hand, why not? lol), an updated version of our 'actual' national anthem here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8PfX4VS_Lo&feature=player_embedded#

FYI: here is the original version performed to kick of the MLG closing ceremonies (@ about the 2:30 mark):

YouTube- Maple Leaf Gardens - Closing Ceremonies Part 1 of 8

btw, I miss Paul Morris....

[charlene]

new lyrics to Tom's song about the Canadian Hockey Gold : (it's not him singing tho)
YouTube- The Canadian Gold Medal Hockey Song

[charlene]

new lyrics to Tom's song about the Canadian Hockey Gold : (it's not him singing tho)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8PfX4VS_Lo&feature=player_embedded

[jj]

new lyrics to Tom's song about the Canadian Hockey Gold : (it's not him singing tho)
YouTube- The Canadian Gold Medal Hockey Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8PfX4VS_Lo&feature=player_embedded)

fun eh:) i posted this the other day...(man, i figured at least you would read my post, but no, lol)

see above where i referred to it as "an updated version of our 'actual' national anthem";)

then i posted the original version, the rest is his(her)tory, lol

btw, i notice they didnt show the Fox tribute segment (with acoustic version if Northwind) on the taped version of the opening ceremonies national broadcast...you had to watch the CTV BC feed to see what they felt the need to edit out....there is nothing decent on tv Friday nights so why not just show it...Williams said those ceremonies rivaled the best he's seen (I believe he's seen 16 Olympics)

and some dummy scheduled the big Norway Canada sledge battle at midday tomorrow instead of primetime...too bad, Sportsnet actually airs live sledge hockey

btw, i notice the sledge goalies have several spikes on the back of their glove (supposed to be for traction, right)...this really is Gladiators on ice

[charlene]

i thought that link was for the MLG/Tom clip so didn't open it!
duh!

those sledge guys are hell bent for leather out there. I'll have to remember to tune in tomorrow..

[jj]

i thought that link was for the MLG/Tom clip so didn't open it!
duh!

those sledge guys are hell bent for leather out there. I'll have to remember to tune in tomorrow..

i gave two links but forgot to embed the 2nd, lol

Norway are physical and are 2nd seed...i am in aft meetings, you will have to twit or tweety bird me the play by play...i dont know what that means but it sounded quite impressive, imo:cool:

[charlene]

sorry - I'm not a twit...
lol
no twit..no tweet..

[jj]

congrats to the USA men's sledge team!....and those Japanese did well also, so fast, their captain was really something to watch

I can't believe the men's semi (w/Canada) was aired in the midst of a weekday...maybe just as well I missed it;)

well, cu you in 4 years...btw, they do have sledge hockey for "able" bodied adults (based on the shape I'm in, I just barely qualify)...I bet it would do wonders for the abs and my sagging guns