Hope on the Horizon

Canada beat Germany 8-2. Luongo shone once again and will be behind the pipes against the dynamo Russian powerhouse tonight. I've been dreaming of this showdown for 4 long years. The top 2 elite teams in the world duking it out for Olympic supremacy. Alexander the Great vs. Sid the Kid...wow, just wow. Afro Samurai will have to wait. The women face off against the U.S. tomorrow night for Gold. Things are also looking promising for women's bobsledding, as Canada is expected to win 2 medals. Ashley McIvor nabbed the Gold in ski-cross as well. We just need another Gold medal to tie the Germans and the U.S. for the most Gold medals in the Olympics. 7th heaven is just a goal away...

Something to Smile About

I was looking for something...anything, to cheer about over the dismal last couple of days. Well, that moment of glory has finally come as Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have made Olympic history in ice dancing. They are the 1st North American duo to win Gold at the Olympics. They are also the youngest ice dancing champions in Olympic history! Considering all the adversity they have had to overcome to make it this far, their Olympic Gold tastes ever sweeter.

In other news, Team Canada destroyed the Fins 5-0 to clinch a berth in the finals against their arch rivals; Team U.S.A. At this point, I'm looking at Canada's medal standing in terms of the number of Gold medals won. I mean, consider every other sports league. There are no runner-up medals or accolades. The Stanley Cup, Lombardi Trophy, Larry O' Brien Trophy, Commissioner's Trophy, PGA Championship Trophy, Venus Rosewater Dish...the list runs the gamut. Thus, its all about the Gold. Besides, second place is essentially the first loser, right?

From that perspective, Canada is only 2 Golds behind the U.S. (5 vs. 7). We can nab two Golds in hockey and two more in curling. If everything works out as planned we'll end up hosting more Olympic Champions than any other nation at the 2010 games. And wouldn't that be something to smile about?

One Word

It's gotten to the point where I can't help but laugh. Last night was the most disappointing night in Canadian Olympic history. 4 medal hopefuls, totally tanked and choked. Canada ends up empty handed in what could've been a clean sweep. The U.S continues to massacre the rest. 24 medals already?! Their previous best was in 2002 at Salt Lake with 34 medals. They had 25 in Torino and will probably end up with 40 medals in Vancouver...of all places! Canada beat the U.S. in Nagano, with 15 medals to the U.S.' 13. We performed poorly in Salt Lake but nabbed a nation-high 24 medals in Torino, only one shy of the States. As a result, hopes were high that this would be our Olympics. We pretty much end up in the top 5 in the world every Winter Olympics, but we wanted to be numero uno this time. On home turf. Not to mention the 100 million invested in our athletes this time around.

We currently sit in 5th with a dismal 9 medals. No one expected this. No one. Did our superstars in Torino crack under the pressure in Vancouver? Some of them surely tried too hard and lost on their gambles. And don't get me started on last night's loss against Team U.S.A. Perhaps another miracle on ice is underway? It's gotten to the point where I actually feel depressed. March 1st can't come soon enough...

America The Unstoppable

18 medals. We're only at the checkpoint. The U.S. had 25 medals in Torino. Canada had 24. We only have 7 at Vancouver. It seems playing at home is a serious disadvantage. Especially when you consider the 100 million they invested in Canadian athletes. Heck, Team Canada almost lost against Switzerland. Mind you, the only reason it went to a shootout was because of Miller's amazing acrobatics. Still, we lost a valuable point.

In figure skating Evan Lysacek of the U.S. gave the U.S. their first Olympic men's figure skating title in 22 years. He beat the heavy favorite Plushenko, who settled for silver. Medal favorite Chan of B.C. ended up in 5th. At this pace, Canada will probably end up with 12 medals, half of the total they racked up in Torino.

In other news, Slovakia stunned the world with a 2-1 win over the gold medal favorite Russians. Halak, the uber underrated goaltender of the Montreal Canadians, made 36 saves to lead the Slovak's to victory. It just goes to show how tight games can be in the Men's league. In the Women's league you basically only have two teams that have any skill: Team Canada and Team U.S.A. Women's hockey in the Olympics will probably be cancelled at the next Olympics; kinda like what they did with women's softball.

Corporate Saturation

Let's cut the BS. I'm sick of all the sponsorship bombardment. Tim Hortons, Rona, Buick, Visa...none of you corporate suits give a damn about the Olympics. Its all about money. I keep seeing your asinine commercials and I want them to surcease. It seems like the Olympics are mainly about money. Not about sport.

Canada also has not met expectations thus far. Having won 24 medals in Torino they have only won 6 thus far; placing them in 4th overall. What happened to the "own the podium" initiative? Right now, the U.S. is just dominating with 14 medals. Even our friend Colbert paid a visit to rub it in Canada's face! Shaun White kicked ass and took names on the board and Davis tore it up on the Oval. Let's just hope Team Canada (hockey) brings home the Gold. I think their outcome at these games will make or break the "Canadian experience" this year. Canada faces off against their U.S. rivals this Sunday!

The Power of 7

What a start to the Canadian Men's hockey team's debut! Team Canada routed Norway 8-0 on their Olympic opener. It took Team Canada 7 periods to finally get a shutout buster. In the 2006 Olympics in Torino Canada stunned the world with a 7th place finish. Sid-the-kid was born on August 7th, 1987 (08/7/87) and his jersey number is also 87. Patrick Chan disappointed Canada with a dismal 7th place finish in figure skating. Team Canada also beat Norway 7-6 in Curling. Notice a trend? Anyway, the Canadians got off to a rough start, with the game sitting at 0-0 after the first. Igilna fired things up with the shutout buster in the 2nd and Canada essentially blazed to victory....grilling the Norwegians to a delicate wafer crisp. The onslaught was furious and unending. I now have hope that we can restore our former reputation as a hockey dynamo and bring home the Gold. The only thing that stands in the way is Kove and Alexander the Great. Just remember that all natural-born leaders and empires will eventually come to an end. Your days are numbered Ove...

Thing's heat up

Its day 4, and the U.S. still leads with 8 medals. Germany has 5, followed by France with 4. Team Canada continues to deliver below expectations. Jeremy Witherspoon, who won Gold in the past, ended up in 9th in speed skating. Cindy Klassen, who won 5 medals in 2006 in Torino ended up in 10th. Mike Robertson. who was leading by a large margin heading into the final turn was demoted by a surge of adrenaline by U.S. snowboarder Seth Wescott. Robertson ended up with silver. Team Canada set a goal to end up 1st this Olympics but currently sit at a dismal 4th. Maybe they set the bar too high? Like, way too high. France captured two golds on day 4. Men's hockey officially starts today. Can't wait!