I LOVE Steve Yzerman... but I really have to question some of the choices for the hockey team.

Im shocked that there is no Mike Green, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Mike Fisher up front. And shocked theres no Phaneuf, Regehr, Bouwmeester, but we have Dan Boyle? While Boyle is no slouch, I'm just a bit surprised that not at least one of the 3 D-men mentioned above isnt on the roster. Sure, Phaneuf isn't having the greatest year, but... Boyle and Doughty over one of those 3? Im not so sure that's a good idea.

I know Yzerman was a legendary play and all, and im sure working with Ken Holland as much as he has in the last few years, I trust his judgement, sure... but it just looks weird on paper.

Of course, if they're able to win gold, it wont be a big deal, but if they dont... I feel sorry for Stevie Y. He's gonna take a beating.

Oh, and on a side note, the Olympic Torch went through my town here back on the 23rd :up:

 

I strongly regret not spending this winter at UBC... should be exciting competition all around

 

Most of my sports focus is on the Olympics now that the Dolphins are finished until September. Too bad it's only 2 weeks long! Hopefully my class schedule doesn't get in the way of the good stuff, I love the olympics, I become obsessed with everything, even sports I've never watched. Even curling!

 

Glad Ryan Callahan made the USA team. Kid works harder on the ice than anyone I've seen.

 

I applied to work at the Olympics, didn't get picked to go. :(

 

A graphics position, I work at TSN.
I'll probably be doing mostly Sportscentre's during those 2 weeks now.

 

It's tough to be excited about it living in the host city.

It's an ENORMOUS pain in the ***. The downtown core is going to be a complete horror show for a month. The transportation plan is a joke IMO. VANOC basically said it is every residents "duty" to stay out of their car for a month. If you work downtown you can not drive. Expect 2 hour peak time waits to get in and out of downtown. I'm in construction and the next job my company has lined up is delayed for 3 weeks because of the Games. No deliveries and no access to the site so no work. I get to go on work share for 3 weeks. I know a half dozen people who are getting laid off for 3 weeks because getting to work will be impossible.

It's also tough to get excited about something that you feel really disconnected to even though it's happening in your city. The only events anyone I know could get tickets to were prelim and qualifying events. The government and the IOC and VANOC snapped up every ticket for the major events for "friends".

The corporate freeloading and handouts is getting sickening. The pigs are lining up at the trough and the taxpayers of BC are going to get bent right over the hamper so the elites can come here and party for 2 weeks. Some of the things leaking out daily are making the residents of BC VERY angry.

We still don't know what the cost of this is going to be. They have not told us the security budget (even though the initial budget was a laughable $125 million) and everyday some good reporters in this city are digging up little tidbits that make all the "normal" residents of Vancouver shake their heads. Thursday we found out that VANOC paid the owners of the Canucks $24 million dollars to rent GM Place for 17 days. There has been zero transparency in this thing even though the residents of BC are paying for it.

Of course the weather here has not assisted the "games spirit". I said to a friend the other day that we are going to host the first ever "Spring Olympics". All the alpine events in Whistler are fine, they have a ton of snow but whatever possessed VANOC to have anything snow related on the North Shore mountains I don't know. The snow and weather up there is always unpredictable.

I'm sure that once the games actually start the city will embrace it more, I know I will. That said, every single resident I have talked to over the last month or two is avoiding downtown like the plague though. I know a pile of people who are leaving town.

I know I sound pessimistic but it's tough not to be at times. It all looks like rainbows and lollipops from the outside. I REALLY want them to succeed though because the residents of this province have to write a cheque in about 2 months ans I'd like it to be as small as possible.

 

It would send me over the Moon with joy.

That joy would be stomped into the ground when my taxes go through the roof to pay for the whole event.

 

Opening Ceremony tonight... Looking forward to the games starting!

 

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died following a crash at the Whistler Sliding Centre today. It's all over the news here. He left the track at 140 km/h and struck a girder on the side of the track.

There is video of it out there. I have not chosen to view the video and I will not post it here, that would be very disrespectful.

Certainly puts a damper on the coming celebration.

 

I just happened to turn on TSN as they were running the story and showed the video. Its... horrific. I recommend not seeing it, I wish i hadnt. It makes you wonder if there should have been some additional protection to prevent his body from leaving the track like that...

What a sad, tragic start to the games.

Alot of talk now about the track in Whistler being so fast and technical that it many are considering it unsafe, especially with how little experience everyone has with the track.

 

Yah....I'm not seeing it. I remember watching Nick Berg get beheaded on YouTube and it is something I wish I had never seen. I'll never make that mistake again. Watching someone die is not for me.

There have been numerous accidents already during training. An expert I just listened to on the radio said that the geometry of the track is set up for speeds of 135 km/h but there have been recorded speeds of 152 km/h thusfar. The thing might be a death trap.

There is early talk of some of the sliding events getting delayed until they can find a fix. I know if I was a slider I'd tell them to fix it or I am not getting on that thing.

There is also a rumour that the Georgian team is likely heading home now. I don't blame them. It is a small team (6 members?) and to lose one from a tight knit group like that would certainly take your mind off the games.

 

Why the **** did they change our anthem? A chance for 60,000 people to sing Oh Canada and they change it....I'm sickened and ashamed.

I think the final torch carrier will be a member of the Fox family, likely his Mother with some sort of holographic image of Terry....just a hunch.

 

Such a sad story :(
Prayers to his family and country

 

I wasnt a fan of that rendition of our anthem either. What i love about our anthem is how great it sounds being sung by an arena or stadium full of crazy canadians. That was an awful version. I understand the need for it to be... dramatic on the world stage... but I think the natural, normal Oh Canada would have been just perfect.

As for the torch carrier. I have ZERO problems with it being a member of the Fox family. I can see it be Gretzky too though. Since I saw that both Terry Fox's father carried the torch today in Vancouver, as well as Gretzky's father... who konws. Could be either or? Maybe both?

 

that would be ****ing crazy :)

 

Again, I'd have no problems with that being the case. They are probably two of the more known figures in "sports" to come from Canada.

Canada has been known to do different things in the past when it comes to lighting the flame. Using a french and a canadian teenager in the past so symbolize unity, at the one games in... Montreal I think that was, and then in the other they did something different too. So who knows.

As for the ceremonies so far... The singing of Leonard Cohens is brilliant. One of the best songs IMO. I dont know who this guy singing is... but the song itself is awesome i think. Jeff Buckley's version of it is quite incredible as well.

edit:

Terry fox's mom just carried out the olympic flag, along with Bobby Orr.. I'm guessing thats going to bring it down to Gretzky lighting the flame. Maybe Gordie Howe? Only two I can think of if its going to be a canadian sports celebrity...

 

gotta be the great one...

 

Yup, i believe so!

 

Looks like theyre all going to light it together... OMG... now theres a problem with they hydraulic system for the cauldron..

:lol:

oops, there it is now. Partially anyways... Strange. Little embarassing.

 

canada fail

 

Gretzky gets to light the Flame outside of the stadium on his own... Fitting indeed I suppose.

 

i'm going to be sick :no:

 

Dude....really?

 

Americans think anything not American sucks.

 

orrrrrrrrrr they failed big time on the biggest stage......nothing to do with not being american.

it just happens to be in canada. so canada fail.

if it was in greenland it'd be "greenland fail"

get it?