Tag: winter olympics

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Final

This afternoon we saw possibly one of the greatest hockey games of our time. I have never seen a level of play this caliber before. Both teams gave it their all and left their hearts on the ice.

It all started with a goal in the first period by Canada. They may have gotten the first goal, but now the question was “how would Team USA respond?”
The answer seemed to be “not very well” when Canada scored again in the second. It appeared that Team USA would be defeated. They had something to say on the matter though. They scored once in the second to bring the score to 2-1. And that wouldn’t be the last we heard from them.
Third period. Less than a minute to go. Empty net left by Miller for the extra man. That was when Zack Parise would get his chance to score, tying the game up at 2-2 in the final seconds. It would seem this game wasn’t over yet.
The game ended there and went to OT. Crosby would score about five minutes in, winning the game for Canada. Miller (USA’s goalie) looked incredibly dejected after the loss, but he should be proud of himself and how well he played throughout the entire tournament. He was named MVP, which I believe he greatly deserves. He made some spectacular saves and really proved to be an extraordinary player.
If we had to lose to someone I’m glad it was Canada and the level of play was as good as we saw. In my mind, neither team really lost, as they showed us what extraordinary players they all are.
At the end of the day the gold medal went to Canada, silver to Team USA, and bronze to Finland (who beat Slovakia by a score of 5-3 yesterday). The overall medal count for Team USA was 9 gold, 15 silver, 13 bronze, for a total of 37 medals. Germany was in second with 30 and Canada was in third with 26 (14 of which were gold). The medals aren’t what’s really important though. What matters most are the stories that we got to share, and the memories that will stay with us. Whether it’s Apolo Ohno’s record-breaking performance or the Canadian who skated in memory of her mother who recently passed away or Hannah Kearney’s gold medal in Skiing (which admittedly still makes me cry every time I see the replay), these memories will hold more weight than all the medals in the world. These are the moments that make these games truly special.

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Semifinal + Short Track

Today’s Olympic action brought us both men’s hockey semifinals and the final races in short track for both the men and women.

In short track, Apolo Ohno skated in both the men’s 500m and the 5,000m relay. He was disqualified from the 500m for touching another skater, which caused him to go down. Ohno didn’t let this setback stop him from scoring a bronze medal win in the relay, however. Canada received both gold and bronze for the 500m and another gold for the relay. On the women’s side, the 1,000m saw a silver medal go to American Katherine Reutter. Gold went to Meng Wang of China.

In the first semifinal, Team USA defeated Finland by an impressive score of 6-1. All six of our goals were scored in the first period in the span of 11 minutes, two of which were less than a minute apart from each other. The second semifinal was between Canada and Slovakia. Canada dominated throughout the game, scoring 3 goals in the first two periods and shutting Slovakia out. That was until the third period, when Slovakia started to make a comeback. They scored two goals, making it seem as if they might win in the final minutes. Canada was able to hold them off though, and won the game by a score of 3-2. The gold medal game will be Team USA vs. Canada. The bronze medal will be between Finland and Slovakia. May the best teams win.

The medal count as of now is 8 gold, 13 silver, and 13 bronze, for a total of 34 medals for Team USA. Germany is in second with 27 total while Canada is in third with 21.

More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Women’s Hockey Final + Figure Skating (Women’s Free Skate)

Tonight’s Olympic action brings us the women’s hockey final and the women’s figure skating free skate.

In women’s hockey, the bronze medal game was between Finland and Sweden. Finland took that game by a score of 3-2. The gold medal game was between Canada and Team USA. This was possibly the closest game either team has had all tournament. In the end Canada proved the better team, winning by a score of 2-0.

In figure skating, Canada received a bronze medal with an elegant performance by Joannie Rochette. I spoke before about the support of the crowd after the loss of her mother. This support continued tonight, and, I think, contributed to her win. This will be one of those moments she will never forget. I’m sure it was bittersweet for her, but hopefully she can find some sunshine through the rain. The other medals went to Mao Asada of Japan (silver) and Yu-Na Kim of South Korea (gold). This was not only the first gold medal for South Korea in this event, but the first medal the country has ever received for figure skating.

That’s all for tonight, folks. More to come tomorrow.

Johnny Weir Speaks Out

Johnny Weir has responded after comments made questioning his gender and the example he sets for future skaters.

I thought his response showed a lot of class for a number of reasons. First of all, even though he was obviously offended by the comments made, he did not ask for an apology for himself. Rather, he wanted one for others who may have been hurt by these remarks. He also spoke of his belief in free speech, which, in my opinion, is what we call “taking the high road”. After all, it is hard to say that someone who speaks ill of us has every right to do so. I am proud of his reaction and think, contrary to belief by some, he has proven himself an excellent role model for future skaters. Bravo!

I end this with one final quote, which Weir shared during the press conference. “Out of ugly I think the most important thing to do in life is to make something beautiful.” If the world could follow this same philosophy, oh what a beautiful place that would be.

Olympic Update – Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal

The Men’s Hockey Quarterfinal has just finished, and boy was it a good one. Both teams remained scoreless through the first two periods. Team USA scored a goal at the end of the second, but it didn’t actually cross the goal line until after the horn sounded to mark the end of the period. The third period saw a power play goal by Zach Parise, bringing the score to 1-0. The score would remain that until an empty net goal at the end of the period, also by Parise. Final score: 2-0. I good day for Team USA. We will play either Finland or Czech Republic in the Semifinal.

More Olympic action to come tonight.

Olympic Update – Figure Skating (Women’s Short Program)

The highlight for tonight’s Olympic action was the women’s short program for figure skating. Especially worth note are two skaters who performed towards the end of the night. The first is a Canadian skater, Joannie Rochette. Even though she found out her mother died on Sunday, she still showed up for practice and performed her short program tonight. The crowd was inspirational, cheering her on every step of the way. I found myself routing for her over the American skaters even. She finished third tonight, giving her a good chance at a medal.

The other spotlight for tonight shines on the 17-year-old American skater, Rachael Flatt. As I watched her perform her short program I couldn’t help but think “17 and full of spunk”. Her program was both sassy and fun, proving she is someone the other skaters should watch out for. She finished fifth tonight, making her far from out of the race for a medal.

The top three skaters at the end of the night were Yu-Na Kim of South Korea, Mao Asada of Japan, and Rochette.

The total medal count at this point is 7 gold, 9 silver, and 10 bronze for a total of 26 medals for Team USA.

More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Women’s Hockey + Figure Skating

Tonight’s Olympic action brought us the women’s hockey semifinal and the free skate for ice dancing.

In women’s hockey, Team USA beat Sweden in their semifinal by a score of 9-1. The other semifinal, Canada vs. Finland, had Canada win by a score of 5-0. USA and Canada will meet in the final on Thursday.

In ice dancing, the final component (the free skate) was performed by all teams. The gold medal went to Virtue and Moir of Canada. The silver went to Davis and White of USA. The bronze went to Domnina and Shabalin of Russia. Another American team, Belbin and Agosto, just missed the podium at fourth place.

The total medal count at the end of the day was as follows: 7 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze, for a total of 25 medals for Team USA.

More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Speed Skating (women’s 1500m) + Hockey + Figure Skating

Tonight’s Olympic action brought us women’s speed skating and the original dance for ice dancing. In the women’s 1500m for speed skating, gold went to Ireen Wust of the Netherlands, silver to Kristina Groves of Canada, and bronze to Martina Sablikova of the Czech Republic.

The standings for ice dancing at the end of the night are as follows: in first place is Virtue and Moir of Canada, in second place is Davis and White of USA, and in third place is Domnina and Shabalin of Russia. Another American pair, Belbin and Agosto came in fourth. The medals will be decided with the free dance tomorrow.

The big story for tonight, however, was the American hockey team’s upset over Canada. Both teams played exceptionally well, but at the end of the night Team USA came out on top by a final score of 5-3. An impressive victory that guaranteed them a medal in this tournament.

The total medal count as of now is as follows: 7 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze, for a total of 24 medals for Team USA.

More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Speed Skating

Tonight’s Olympic action brought us races in speed skating for both the men and women. The men’s 1500m saw Shani Davis win a silver medal for Team USA. Gold went to Mark Tuitert of the Netherlands and bronze went to Havard Bokko of Norway.

The men’s 1,000m short track race gave Apolo Ohno his record-breaking 7th Olympic medal, surpassing Bonnie Blair’s record of 6 medals total. Ohno received a bronze medal in this event. Gold and silver both went to members from the South Korean team.

In the women’s 1500m short track race, Yang Zhou of China won gold while silver and bronze both went to members of the South Korean team. Looks like South Korea has a lot to celebrate after tonight.

The final medal count for Team USA at the end of the day was as follows: 6 gold, 7 silver, and 10 bronze, for a total of 23 medals so far. More to come tomorrow.

Olympic Update – Alpine Skiing + Ice Dancing

Tonight’s Olympic action brought us the Men’s Super G and the compulsory portion of ice dancing. In the Men’s Super G, Team USA brought home two medals. Bode Miller won a silver medal and Andrew Weibrecht won the bronze. The gold went to Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway.

The top three at the end of the first part of ice dancing were Domnina and Shabalin of Russia, Virtue and Moir of Canada, and Davis and White of America. Another American pair, Belbin and Agosto, came close at fourth place. There is still the original dance and free skate to go before the medals are awarded.

The final medal count was as follows: 6 gold, 6 silver, and 8 bronze, for a total of 20 medals for Team USA. Great Britain got its first gold medal today for the women’s skeleton competition. It is their only medal in these Olympics thus far.

More to come tomorrow.