Deja Vu: GOLD CANADA GOLD!!!

There ya have it! Sidney Crosby kicked major butt at the last possible moment. With an overtime goal, Sidney Crosby - with an amazing assist from Jarome Iginla - gave Canada the gold medal that matters the most.

The Men's Hockey Team wins gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Roberto Luongo, and the rest of the Canadian Men's Hockey Team. I'd also like to thank Team USA for making everyone hold their breaths. Y'all played great. Canadians just played better.

Why a deja vu? Because the women and men's hockey teams also won gold eight years ago at the Salt Lake City Winter Games. I saw the men's hockey team win gold on my first official morning here in Canada - I had arrived the day before. We then went to White Rock and celebrated with the rest of Canada.

I barely have a voice at the moment. But it's all worth it!

 

GOLD CANADA GOLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gold Canada Gold!!!

In these Olympic Winter Games, the only gold medals that really matter are the hockey golds.

Congratulations to Team Canada - women's hockey - for winning the gold!!!!

Can the men win the gold? I sure hope so! They were all watching the women's hockey gold medal game.

GOLD CANADA GOLD!!!

Let the Vancouver Winter Games Begin!

CTV and NBC led the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics coverage last night as the Opening Ceremony unfolded at BC Place.

I watched the CTV coverage, with Brian Williams and Lloyd Robertson as commentators. I also tweeted and followed the tweets from my Canadian and American friends alike. Follow @LadySolitaire83 to see my tweets last night.

I'm sure you've seen most of last night's opening ceremony, or you're watching it right now on your DVRs or whatever, so I'm not going to recap the whole thing. I'm just going to write about the highs and the lows of last night's ceremony.

The highs:

• k.d. lang's performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" - She sang the song with so much emotion and barefoot to boot! It was the first - and only? - moving musical performance of the night.
• Yellowknife's Shane Koyczan's poem "We Are More" - The officials saved the best for last. My now-favourite slam poet listed the things that make Canada the amazing country that it is, such as hockey, our politeness, and our cultural diversity. In his words: "We are the true North / Strong and free / And what's more / Is that we didn't just say it / We made it be". You can view the full transcript here.
• The visual and special effects - The orcas! The salmon! The Spirit Bear! The prairies' golden fields! The pretty colours as the seasons progress! Oh, my gosh! The visual effects were so freaking awesome! It was so breathtaking. Wow.
• The BC Place crowd's standing ovation for Team Georgia - As most of you know by now, the 21-year-old luger from the Republic of Georgia, Nodar Kumaritashvili died yesterday after a tragic accident in Whistler, BC. So when the republic's athletes entered the main stage during the Parade of Nations with black armbands, the spectators in BC Place gave them a standing ovation. Very classy.
• The Four Host First Nations' welcome - It is refreshing to see the First Nations in the spotlight. First, the First Nations chiefs were given the head-of-state status. If y'all remember, the seats behind Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Governor-General Michaelle Jean, IOC President Jacques Rogge, and the other important people were empty and kinda confused. The commentators said that the confusion was due to the First Nations chiefs not having arrived yet. Second, the Four Host First Nations - the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh - welcomed the world in their respective native languages and in English & French. Third, the other Aboriginal Peoples of Canada, including the Metis, Inuit, and First Nations, danced their ways into the floor and during the Parade of Nations.
• Newfoundland's punk tap dancers and fiddlers - OMG, they were entertaining. I enjoyed the fiddling and the tap dancing. I was wondering whether we'd see Ashley MacIsaac, as he was the only Canadian fiddler I've actually heard of. Then, lo and behold, he was there! That was a fun performance.

The lows:

• The apparent lip-syncing of the musical performers - Everyone was a-Twitter about Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams, and even Sarah McLachlan and Measha Brueggergosman, appearing to lip-sync. I guess it's because they didn't "sound" live, as opposed to k.d. lang and the francophone singer Garou's performances. It's kinda hard to tell with Measha because she's a soprano and with Sarah because it would also follow that the piano and the strings also wouldn't be live. But Nelly and Bryan did seem like they were lip-syncing. It doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of last night's ceremony, but the lip-synced performances definitely pale in comparison to k.d. lang and Garou's performances. Not to mention, kinda embarrassing for these world-renowned artists.
• The massive mechanical epic failure at the end - During the final leg of the Olympic torch relay, five of the greatest Canadian names in sports - Rick Hansen, Catriona LeMay-Doan, Steve Nash, Nancy Greene, and Wayne Gretzky, in this order - lit each other's torches, until they were standing around the stage. There was an extended pause as each of them - especially Nash and Gretzky - looked worried and confused. Then a commentator (can't remember which one) said that five pieces of the indoor cauldron were supposed to emerge from the floor, but there was some sort of mechanical difficulty getting them up. Eventually, the middle piece and three legs emerged, leaving one leg on the ground. When the five lit the indoor cauldron, it was still beautiful, but the mechanical epic failure was seen all over the world. It was so embarrassing. Thank God Gretzky's ride from BC Place to the external cauldron at Waterfront - with the spectators gleefully following the vehicle and taking pictures - saved us all from this massive embarrassment. The poor hydraulic engineer must be hiding under a bunker right now.

Overall, the Opening Ceremony was amazing and breathtaking. Despite the aforementioned low points, it was a beautiful introduction - or re-introduction - of Vancouver, and Canada, to the world.

Go Canada go!!!

Thanks, Vancouver Canucks

Sorry, Canuck fans. The Vancouver Canucks lost last night to the Chicago Blackhawks by two goals. The Canucks' season is finally over. So sad.



Actually, I didn't even watch the final game. I had a feeling it'd be all over last night. According to my sister, they lost their focus once they beat St. Louis Blues in four games.

However, they reached Round 2 of the playoffs, so that is commendable in itself. Congratulations, Northwest Division Champs! Better luck next year. Better yet, play better! See you guys in the fall.

Todd Bertuzzi's Back In Canada!

A Canadian team signed my favourite NHL player, Todd Bertuzzi. The Vancouver Canucks? No. (I wish.) Toronto Maple Leafs? No. Ottawa Senators? No. Montreal Canadiens? Non. Edmonton Oilers? No.

Calgary Flames.

According to the Flames GM Daryl Sutter:

“Todd is a proven scorer with the ability to play both wings. He expressed to us that he wanted to play in Canada and that desire along with signing him to a one year deal was important to our philosophy. He wanted to play on a good team and it fit our money."

And here's my favourite part:

"Additionally, our captain, Jarome Iginla, was a strong supporter of Todd and wanted him on our team.”

I am not a Calgary Flames fan, but I rooted for them when the Canucks did not make the playoffs last season! And I respect Jarome Iginla: During the NHL Awards after Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup, Iginla was the only one who thanked God in his acceptance speech. Plus he is a good player and a nice guy. Not to mention, he's kinda hot.

I hope Bertuzzi stays healthy next season so he can improve his stats.

Welcome back to Canada, Bert!

Markus Naslund Signs With the NY Rangers

New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the Blueshirts have agreed to terms with Markus Naslund, the former captain of the Vancouver Canucks.

A native of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, he was Pittsburgh Penguins' first round choice, 16th overall, in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft. He spent 12 years as a Canuck, as one of the greatest players to wear a Canucks jersey. His many accomplishments on- and off-ice are enumerated here and here.

The Vancouver Canucks' General Manager Mike Gillis issued the following statement:

“As an organization we would like to thank Markus Naslund for his 12 exemplary seasons in a Canucks sweater. Markus is one of the greatest athletes to ever represent the Canucks both on and off of the ice. His on-ice success sees him leave the organization among the club leaders in almost every offensive category.

We are very grateful for Markus’ commitment to our community, our fans and our team over the years. Markus and his wife Lotta have given generously of their time over the years to many worthy causes including; Canuck Place, BC Children’s Hospital and the Canucks for Kids Fund. We wish Markus, Lotta, and their three children the best of luck in the future.”

Who would be next Canuck captain? Could it be any of the following:

1. Henrik Sedin;
2. Daniel Sedin;
3. Sami Salo;
4. Ryan Kesler;
5. Willie Mitchell;
6. Taylor Pyatt;
7. Alexandre Burrows;
8. Brendan Morrison;
9. Mattias Ohlund; or
10. Roberto Luongo?

Whaddya think?

Trevor Linden Hangs Up His Skates

My all-time favourite Vancouver Canucks forward Trevor Linden is retiring, he announced today. Incidentally, today is the 20th anniversary of the 1988 National Hockey League Entry Draft, where he was drafted by the Canucks.

“Today is an emotional and exciting day for me as an athlete and a person. It closes one chapter of my life, my playing career, while opening up another which I am very much looking forward to. The game of hockey has been good to me and I would like to thank my family, former teammates, coaches, managers, support staff and the incredible fans that have been so generous in their support of my career.”

I've only been a hockey fan for six years, but I completely fell in love with Linden (as well as Todd Bertuzzi) the first time I watched a Canuck game on TV. He was a good leader for the younger Canucks. I love that he stepped up when Markus Naslund, a good captain as he is, wasn't being captain-y. I think it was in Round 1 of the 2006-2007 playoffs, when the Canucks were battling Dallas Stars. His pregame speech before the March 15th game against Dallas Stars led to the team beating the Stars in a big way. He's pretty hot, too.

His retirement is expected, but I'm still kinda sad.

I don't have the time and the energy to list all his accomplishments, on and off the ice, but y'all can see all of them in the official press release in the Vancouver Canucks official website.

There is also a feature article on the website on the 16 most memorable moments in Linden's career. (Of course, I love the number - it's the Numbers, man. *Wink wink*) This is my favourite moment, although I didn't see it for myself:

3. INFAMOUS
It is one of the all time great hockey photos and it captured everything about Trevor Linden and the effort required to play for the Stanley Cup. It’s the famous picture of an exhausted Linden, eyes closed and grimacing, with blood on his jersey and his arm around Kirk McLean at the end of Game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. Linden appears to be leaning on his netminder as if he can barely stand up after the pounding he’s taken throughout the playoffs. It’s impossible to see that photo and not hear the words of the legendary Jim Robson: “He will play. You know he’ll play. He’ll play on crutches. He will play and he will play at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.” Boy, did he ever.

I've seen this picture so many times, I feel like I was there!

Anyway, Linden will review his career in a one-hour special on June 23, 2008, at 9 PM on Sportsnet Pacific. I am totally watching this with at least one box of Kleenex.

Thanks, Trevor, for everything! Love yah!

Vancouver Canuck Dies in Motorcycle Crash

This just in from the Canadian Press: Luc Bourdon, a defenceman for the Vancouver Canucks, died in a crash between his motorcycle and a tractor-trailer in northern New Brunswick. He was 21.

RCMP in Shippagan wouldn't confirm the identity of the victim but said the driver of a motorcycle was killed at about 12:30 p.m. AT in crash on a road between Shippagan and Lemeque, N.B.

His sister, Eve Bourdon, and his stepmother, Maryse Godin, confirmed that the victim was Luc Bourdon. They declined further comment, however.

General Manager Mike Gillis, said this in a statement:

“We are deeply saddened by today’s news and on behalf of the entire Vancouver Canucks organization, I would like to extend my sincere sympathies to Luc’s family. Luc was an extremely talented player with a bright future. He brought great passion to the game and was a valued team member on and off the ice. He will be greatly missed.”

I didn't know him very well - as a Canuck fan anyway - but I cheered when he scored his first goal. He had potential, but this freak accident took him away. I'm sure God has a reason for this.

May he rest in peace.

Just an observation: my best friend's father died on May 15th (part 1 of the LOST season four finale was aired) and a promising defenceman from my favourite hockey team died today, May 29th (parts 2 & 3 of the LOST season four finale will be aired). Are those signs? Hmmm....

Todd Bertuzzi Kicks the Maple Leafs' Butt

While I was having a horrible day, Todd Bertuzzi was having a fantastic night.

He picked up three points - one goal and two assists - in Anaheim Ducks' win over the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.

According to the game's box score page on Yahoo Sports, Bertuzzi scored his seventh goal of the season within three minutes of the first period. Then he and Ryan Getzlaf fed Anaheim's leading goal scorer, Corey Perry, the puck in the last ten minutes of the first period. Perry shot and scored! In the first four-and-a-half minutes of the third period, Bertuzzi and Getzlaf - again! - assisted in Brandon Bochenski's first goal.

Two power-play goals by Doug Weight and Chris Kunitz finished Anaheim's five-goal rout of the Leafs.

Woohoo!

Todd Bertuzzi ended up with nearly 17 minutes of ice-time and three points - his first since coming to Anaheim.

And, oh, he ended up as the first star of the game!

As I understand, when an NHL team wins in a shutout, the goaltender usually becomes the first star. (Correct me if I'm wrong; I've only been a hockey fan for almost six years.) In this case, my favourite ex-Vancouver Canuck right winger was recognized as the first star.

Yay!

Obviously, I'm a Todd Bertuzzi fan (d'oh) and I've always believed he'll go back to his butt-kicking self on ice. Hopefully there'll be more games like this.

Mwah, Bert!

(And, of course, go Canucks go!)