My Insta-Reaction To the Olympic Closing Ceremonies

By Jaime Weinman - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 11:21 PM - 116 Comments

You know how, in The Producers, the audience for “Springtime For Hitler” is left slack-jawed and horrified at what they’ve just seen? And then, just as they’re about to walk out, they start to realize that the whole thing is so over-the-top that it’s funny? And finally they’re loving it and saying it deserves to run ten years?

That’s me with the closing ceremonies. The mountie costumes. The two guys in a pair of canoe-shaped pants. The slide-whistle sound effects to take away the guest star’s dignity. The beavers. It all felt so ridiculous and so sincere in its cheesy showbiz phoniness that I couldn’t help but be won over; it was like The Simpsons Family Smile-Time Variety Hour came to life and had a Canadian theme.

So, to the producers of this show, and the little old ladies who presumably invested in it: I don’t know what you were thinking, but I’ll take it.

Bold declaration of the night

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 11:14 PM - 58 Comments

Shortly after Sidney Crosby put that rubber disk into the net, the Heritage Minister officially relegated Paul Henderson, Donovan Bailey, Nancy Greene and various other victors.

Best sports moment in Canadian history –>end of debate

The good, the funny, and the ugly

By Patricia Treble - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 10:50 PM - 8 Comments

The Bridge

Premiere: Friday, March 5 at 9 pm (its regular time slot is Fridays at 10 p.m.)

While the idea of another cop show might not sound appealing, The Bridge delivers with a crisp concept designed to dazzle everyone jaded by the plethora of procedurals that dominate the airwaves. The show focuses on Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas of Battlestar Galactica) and is based on the life of Craig Bromell, the controversial and confrontational former leader of Toronto’s police union.  The Bridge flips the traditional police drama on its head by focusing not on a crime of the week, but rather on the behind-the-blue-line relationships and politics that shape life within a metropolitan police department. And everyone has a dirty little secret or two, including Frank Leo. Douglas’s nuanced performance in The Bridge is even better than his role in BsG as Chief Galen Tyrol. Douglas is the perfect NCO: authoritative yet not arrogantly commanding and with a presence that steals every scene. Originally the pilot was going to be just 60 minutes long, but then CTV re-cut it to a two-hour format. It was a smart move as the extra time gives the plot and characters enough time to gel. By the end—and it’s a shockingly unexpected last few minutes—viewers are left eager for more. And that’s a good thing, because the Canadian network is taking a gamble, airing their drama, which is shot in Toronto, before its American partner, CBS, finds room on its schedule for The Bridge. If the pilot is any indication, CTV has a sure bet on its hands.

Dan for Mayor

Premiere: Monday, March 1 at 8:30 p.m.

Take a look at Dan Phillips’s apartment, and you can instantly tell that he’s a 30-something slacker who’s drifted through life. The furniture is from the 70s—not in a cool retro way but in a scuffed, second-hand DOA way. The brown, green and gold rec-room sofa has seen too many drunken parties while the Ikea bookcases are on their last legs. But the bartender (Fred Ewanuick, playing a more grown up version of his Corner Gas character Hank) finally gets a wake-up when Claire, his ex-girlfriend, announces she’s engaged. Desperate to prove he’s not a loser, Dan surprises even himself by declaring that he’s going to run for mayor of the fictional mid-sized city of Wessex, Ont. Then he realizes he needs $1,000 for an electoral deposit. Unwilling to be humiliated in front of his hometown, he sells his beloved Pac-Man console for the deposit and recruits his oldest friend to be his campaign manager.

Dan for Mayor, created by three former Corner Gas writers, is a sweet surprise. Though it starts slowly, by the end of the pilot—and viewers are warned: the last minute of the show contains a totally unexpected twist—it’s settled into a quietly funny patter that bodes well for the next 12 episodes. And most importantly, the series has a dramatic narrative running through all the episodes: Dan running for city hall. Finally, we get a wannabe politician who understands everyday life, and, even better, he knows how to pour a beer.

Hiccups

Premiere: Monday, March 1 at 8:00 p.m.

Being the star in the new much anticipated comedy created by your husband, comedian Brett Butt (Corner Gas), is pretty cool. But arguably even better was having tickets to the Canada-U.S. gold medal women’s hockey game. And that’s where Nancy Robertson—wearing a maple leaf T-shirt—and Brett Butt were on Wednesday, after taking in the bronze medal match earlier in the day. It was a much-needed break for both comedians after shooting 13 episodes of Hiccups in their hometown of Vancouver.

Fans of Corner Gas have been waiting for the return of Brett Butt ever since the Saskatchewan comedic hit ended its run last spring. He’s back on air, but a lot has changed. And while he’s the show’s creator, head writer and an executive producer, he’s taking the back seat in the acting department. This time Robertson’s the star, playing Millie Upton, a popular children’s book author living in the big city, not a small Prairie town.

The secret of Millie Upton’s literary success is that she’s never grown up. She thinks and acts like a six year old. And, since Canada is a mini-Japan in the way our society values non-confrontational polite behaviour, Millie is a tall nail that refuses to be pounded down into conformity. So when a boy gives her lip and starts pushing her, Millie pushes back since Millie doesn’t see the age difference. To her “obnoxious is obnoxious,” explains actress Robertson. Alas, the lawsuits caused by her “hiccups” are piling up in her publisher’s office, so Millie seeks out a staggeringly unsuccessful life coach (Brett Butt).

There are plenty of laughs in Hiccups, especially the first scene of the pilot when Millie explodes after a ditherer takes too long placing his coffee order. (Robertson admits she’s usually “the pain in the ass” person holding up the coffee line-up with her complicated order of a “double short, extra dry non-fat cappuccino.”) Alas, for viewers, the verbal and visual tics that made Robertson a stand-out as a know-it-all on Corner Gas, quickly become tiresome in Hiccups. And, in an interview with Maclean’s, Roberton made it clear Millie isn’t going to change: “She is how she is.” That’s probably fine for viewers who adored Corner Gas, but will quickly turn off everyone else.

Owning the photo op

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 9:56 PM - 36 Comments

The Prime Minister may have scored dozens of flattering photos during these Olympics, but he was clearly out-maneouvered this afternoon by Jack Layton, who managed, by parking himself in front of a television camera at Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant in Toronto, to receive just slightly less airtime than Pierre McGuire.

This video, courtesy of the good folks at Torontoist, purports to show the NDP leader removing another spectator’s celebratory arm from the nation’s view of his face, but having watched it several times now, I’m not entirely convinced he’s not just awkwardly attempting to hug said spectator. Or something.

Jack Layton is possibly the most astute politician in our nation’s history.

Hockey gold on Canadian soil

By Nancy Macdonald - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 9:29 PM - 9 Comments

It was a storybook ending to Vancouver’s games. Hockey gold on Canadian soil. Crosby netting the game-winner in OT against rival U.S. Canada ending the Games with 14 gold—the most ever awarded to a single country in a Winter Olympics.

And it was great hockey, too: riveting, fast-paced, with few whistles or penalties to slow the game.

Jonathan Toews—the pride of Winnipeg—opened scoring for Canada at 7:10 in the first, grabbing a rebound off Mike Richards’s shot and shovelling it up high, past Ryan Miller. Corey Perry made it 2-0 at 7:13 in the second—a tap-in from Ryan Getzlaf, which gave Canada some breathing room. Briefly.

The U.S. responded five minutes later, when centre Ryan Kesler skated into the Canadian zone, fed Patrick Kane, then tipped Kane’s shot past Roberto Luongo—his teammate on the Canucks. Refusing to give up, they dominated play in the third. They were rewarded with just 24.4 seconds remaining in regulation when Zach Parise grabbed the loose puck and fired low on Luongo.

At that point, “everybody’s heart dropped,” says Ottawa native, Brian Miklaucic, carrying a sign which read Hockey Is Canada’s Game. “I don’t think anyone was breathing,” added Jerome Julier, who’d flown to Vancouver from Fontainebleau, France, where he is studying for his MBA at Insead.

Next came overtime: four-on-four.

Around the seven-minute marker, Iginla had his back to Sidney Crosby. “I didn’t think he’d know I was there, so I let him know,” Crosby told reporters afterwards. “He just made a great little pass down low and I just threw it at the net. I wasn’t really aiming for anything. I didn’t see it go in the net. I just heard everyone scream.”

His mouthguard, gloves and stick went flying into the air, and the crowd at Canada Hockey Place leapt to its feet.
The sea of red in the stands included prime-minister Stephen Harper and his son, Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet—who wore a red sweater under her blazer—Vince Vaughn, Mark Messier and about 16,800 fans—a remarkable number of whom were wearing No. 87, red Team Canada jerseys. Moments after the Maple Leaf was raised to the roof, a sudden burst of gold fireworks shot five stories in the air.

“A great player made a great play and found a way to finish us off,” said U.S. coach Ron Wilson. “Sometimes the best in the tournament doesn’t win the gold medal. I thought these guys were as good as any team I’ve ever coached.”

“We proved that it’s not just Canada’s game. We took them to overtime,” Kesler said afterwards. “We beat them once already [in the preliminary round] and it’s anybody’s game once you’re in overtime. You’ve got to give them respect. They played a good game and I thought we played pretty well too.”

Back in the concourse, fans, many, with red faces and sweaty brows, and some looking emotionally draine, high-fived strangers and broke out in spontaneous chants of Ca-na-da, Ca-na-da. “I’m so happy,” one father said, wrapping his young son in his arms.

The party spilled out into the streets where throngs of people were throngs were chanting: Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole and young men were running down the streets of Vancouver carrying the Maple Leaf.

“We got the most gold ever at an Olympics—we own the podium,” said Caledon, Ontario’s Brennan Mulcahy, who said his heart was doing 190 in OT. “It’s a great day to be Canadian,” said Mulcahy, who’d paid $8,000 for a pair of tickets to the final.

“It doesn’t even feel real,” Crosby said. “It’s the opportunity of a lifetime to play in the Olympics here and try and get a gold medal,” he added. “It could have been anybody else. It could’ve been any other guy in that room.” Maybe.

Canada breaks Olympic gold record

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 9:11 PM - 7 Comments

After a stunning victory in the men’s hockey final, Canada walks into the closing ceremonies with a record-setting 14 gold medals—the most ever held by a single country at a Winter Olympics, not to mention the most ever held by Canada, or by a host country. The U.S. finishes the Games with the most medals at 37 and Germany comes in second with 30 overall.

CBC Olympics

Top 10 best moments of the Vancouver Olympic Games

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 9:05 PM - 4 Comments

This best-of list does not specifically include Canada’s medallists. They deserve celebration, but are a bit too obvious, and too numerous to address, here.

Top 10 worst moments at the Vancouver Olympic Games

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 9:00 PM - 13 Comments

The death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili is notably absent from this list. We at Maclean’s felt that such a tragic event had no place in such a lighthearted recap. Please see our magazine article, Who’s to blame, for our report on Kumaritashvili.

I sure hope horn-honking doesn't cause global warming…

By Scott Feschuk - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 7:49 PM - 5 Comments

… or we’re the monsters of the world.

Also: a young woman in Gastown just screamed: “I wanna celebrate gold by making a sex tape!”

French or English, young or old, that’s a kind of nationalism we can all get behind.

Closing Ceremonies: The Live Blog

By Andrew Coyne - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 7:08 PM - 144 Comments

As we wait for the closing ceremonies to start, CTV, for one, is anxious to show you that they are very mindful of the bilingual character of Canada, via a two-handed rendition of I Believe….

And we’re off.

Cool: don’t hide the opening ceremonies malfunction: celebrate it. Takes moxy to make fun of yourself. And Catriona gets to light the flame already.

And Catriona descends into the gates of hell…

It’s the march of the dancing white people! With, a band that looks a lot like Coldplay.

And now they’re moving into formation as .. a lot of people with snowboards. No, it’s Olympic Rings. No, it’s … well now they’ve broken it up again. As we go to commercial.

The Official Party! I was waiting for that to begin. Oh, they mean dignitaries. I see the native chiefs’ bus didn’t break down this time.

The Prime Minister in an Olympic team jacket. Some debate here whether it suits him. I say it’s slimming.

The anthem. Is there any country on earth, by the way, that breaks into the national anthem as spontaneously as Canadians? My theory? It’s easy to sing. It has a particularly beery quality to it, if you’ve noticed: that last chorus of O Canada seems almost made for slurring.

Joannie Rochette! The right choice, on balance, for Canada’s flagbearer. Yes, Charles Hamelin won two gold, but Joannie was … incomparable.

And the athletes parade in, en masse, all the nations of the earth mixed together.  So why is it all Americans? Oh here dcome the Germans, in their licorice Goodies outfits.

I have to say, all cynicism aside, when you see the athletes all together, the pressure of competition passed, you do start to believe in the whole Olympic ideal thing. They look so happy and relaxed, and you can imagine the friendships that have been formed. Right,, now back to the cynicism.

… Okay, I’ve just missed the last 10 minutes thanks to WordPress. But it was fine, wasn’t it? Lots of Canadians.  Melissa Hollingsworth looks quite nice when she’s not crying. And Jon Montgomery, looking decently sober.

Canadian musicians I’v e never heard of! It’s like a 1970s Juno Awards!

Is it just me, or is this the tune to Since You’ve Been Gone?

A salute to the volunteers. Seriously well-deserved. Everyone I know who had anything to do with them has universally positive experiences to report.

The Greek national anthem, on the other hand, you couldn’t really belt out in a bar. Unless you’re Greek, I suppose.

Ben Heppner rocks the Olympic anthem. Another moment of Canadian pride: if he were an alpine skier, he’d have nailed the downhill, oh, .34 seconds off the Austrian.

Mayor of Vancouver hands off the Olympic flag to Mayor of Sochi. Okay, you can let go of the flag now, Greg. Let go of the flag. Let – Greg! Ah, at last. International incident averted.

Russian anthem next. Turns out it’s still the Soviet anthem. As in: Greatest. Anthem. Ever.

You don’t belt this anthem out in a bar. You rent a concert hall.

I’m guessing the Latvians and Estoninans aren’t singing along, however.

Russian supermodels! Followed by wraithlike figures in glowing giant gel-like snowballs. Yes, the opening ceremonies in Sochi promise some advanced Russian weirdness.

Where ARE we? First we’re in Red Square, with a Russian orchestra, then we’re back in Vancouver, with the Russian ballet, nw we’re  in Sochi, figure-skating by the sea (which is a mega-cool idea.) Now we’re back in Vancouver again with a floating opera diva dressed like a butterfly. Which is actually an Italian idea, but who’s counting?

Which leads naturally to … Alexandr Ovechkin. And several small children. Question: Would you let your children near Ovechkin? I don’t mean he’d do anything improper or untoward. Just eat them.

Oh GOD NO: John Furlong speaking French!!! That’s Diefenbaker French. Worse. National unity set back 30 years.

Question: what’s worse? No French, or Furlong French? Moliere dying several more deaths.

Patriotism broke out across the country. Give ‘er!!!

“You are the wind beneath our wings.” Did he really say that? A Bette Midler song?

Score: Blue Jackets 1, Cypress weather 0. Mad cheers in the Whistler village for the volunteers.

Tribute to the deceased Georgian luger. Furlong’s Georgian is better than his French.

A big shout out to the concept of the “right to play.” But not, strangely, to Right to Play, the Canadian-based organization dedicated to promoting sporting opportunities for disadvantaged youth. They were shut out of the games, on account of an unfortunate choice of sponsors: Mitsubishi, rather than Games sponsor GM.

IOC chief Rogge speaking now. The Best Games Ever? “These were excellent, and very friendly games.” I think we’ve been dissed.

Neil Young. Looking remarkably like Jimmy Fallon, doing Neil Young. You know what would be cool? If he started doing an imitation of Fallon…

And Neil Young disappears into the bowels of the earth, where Catriona Lemay Doan had gone before.

Now its’s Canada Geese flying through a blizzard.  And from their midst comes… William Shatner! Okay, so this is the self-deprecating part of the ceremony. Waiting for him to do Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.

“Canadians, with four beers inside them, can successfuly proounce Straits of Juan de Fuca, without being censored.” Seriously: is there ANY other country that could pull that off?

Catherine O’Hara. “Hurry hard.” Fuckin’ A! Oh lord, I’m about to be overtaken by an attack of Canadian pride. “Guests, like fish, start to stink after three days. When you pee your name in the snow, we know who you are. Canadians say sorry 10, 20 times a day and we’re sorry it’s not more. We’re sorry you thought Canada was one big frozen tundra.” I don’t know if the rest of the world is getting this, but my God she’s killing here.

Michael J. Fox with another oddly Canadian moment. “I know I’ve been living in L.A. for 30 years, but…”

Michael Bublé as a Mountie, singing the Maple Leaf Forever. It’s a great, great song — but isn’t it banned? “Wolfe the dauntless hero came?” Bloc MPs, to your microphones!

Leading into masses of dancing Mounties. This is getting seriously campy. Followed by hordes of hockey players who can’t skate. But no: it’s a giant game of table hockey! This whole ceremony is a giant in-joke. Outstanding.

Dancing maple leaves, followed by giant inflatable beavers, Disnelyand lumberjacks, bears, etc. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud.

I’m serious: no other country could pull this off. No other country would even think to do it. You think the French have this kind of sense of humour about themselves? The British? The Germans?

OH GOD: Just when things are going so well, they bring out Nickelback. Cancel last half hour’s posts.

A colleague has a theory: Nickelback is still part of the whole self-deprecating thing. “The joke’s on them.” Uh, no: way too meta.

Avril: Is she meta, or meta-meta? Is she making fun of the whole concept of making fun of yourself?

Alanis!?!? Of course, the thing you have to realize is, half these athletes are 19-year-olds from Eastern Europe. They’re probably only getting Alanis records now.

All these cool Canadian bands – Arcade Fire, High Dials, Hot Hot Heat — that we’re never going to hear.

Simple Plan, doing Nickelback? Am I right? There’s self-depreating, and then there’s just lame… squared. Oh God, make it end. Next we’ll have Paul Anka doing Simple Plan doing Shania doing Avril doing Trooper doing…

Now, from Toronto: K-OS! Nothing says street cred like fame American rap! Not to mention Canadiana…

That’s it? That’s the end? Bad rap, acid-wash jeans, and giant purple spheres? This is a joke, right?

Should Parliament impose limits on the prime minister's powers?

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6:53 PM - 50 Comments

Canada owns the hockey world

By Andrew Coyne - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 6:25 PM - 51 Comments

So continues Canada’s astonishing string of hockey dominance. How dominant have we been? This Olympics was the 11th major world hockey tournament since the 1972 Summit Series launched the modern era of international competition (major, as in all the best hockey nations are represented, and they all bring their best players). That’s five Canada Cups (1976, 1981, 1984, 1987, and 1991), two World Cups (1996 and 2004), and four Olympics (1998, 2002, 2006, 2010).

Of those 11 competitions, Canada has now won 7 and come second in 2. Our cumulative record, including round-robin, quarter-, semi- and final games is 56-15-7, a 76% winning percentage. Not only have we dominated overall: we’ve dominated every one of our major competitors. We’re 8-4-2 against the Soviets/Russians, 12-4-1 against the USA, 9-2 against Sweden, 5-2-1 against Finland, 5-1-2 against Czechoslovakia, 2-1-1 against the Czech Republic and 4-0 against Slovakia.

May I politely say: We rule.

Death toll climbs in Chile

By macleans.ca - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 3:00 PM - 0 Comments

The death toll from the massive earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday jumped to at least 708 as of Sunday. The revised figure was released by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet after rescuers reached remote and badly damaged towns. Meanwhile, authorities have lifted previously-issued tsunami warnings after they failed to materialize in an area stretching from Southern California to Hawaii and Japan. Still, officials have recorded more than 90 aftershocks, ranging from 4.9 to 6.9 in magnitude. Bachelet called the quake an “unthinkable disaster,” and warned a “state of catastrophe” in the hardest-hit regions would persist.

CNN

LIVE BLOG: Canada and the U.S. face off for men's hockey gold

By Philippe Gohier - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 2:41 PM - 24 Comments

2:36 p.m.
The game doesn’t start for a half-hour or so, which leaves you plenty of time to read Charlie’s spot-on take on the state of international hockey and Canada’s place in it.

Meantime, here are my picks for the gamebreakers. Or, if you’re like me and Olympic hockey coverage has so polluted your mind you’re more familiar with McGuire-ese at this point, these are my predictions for the “monsters”:

U.S.: Ryan Miller, Brian Rafalski, and Zach Parise. (All of whom, it’s probably not worth noting but I’ll do it anyway, are coached by members of the Canadian coaching squad.)

Canada: Sidney Crosby (who’s been quiet of late), Ryan Getzlaf, and Scott Niedermayer.

Chime in with yours in the comments. However, there are no prizes for being right. What do you think this is, Feschuk’s blog?

3:01 p.m.
Charlie’s at the game and offers this bit of breaking news:  A not-unattractive woman has brought a sign reading “Sid, Check Out My Soft Hands”. Don’t let it distract you, Sid! She’ll be even happier to see you with a gold medal around your neck!

3:16 p.m.
My sleeper pick to have a huge game: Jonathan Toews. I’ve been consistently surprised by how good that kid is. I’m a Habs fan, so I don’t get to see a whole lot of him, but that guy can play.

3:19 p.m.
Oh boy, Babcock’s got his “lucky McGill tie” on. Watch out, world!

3:22 p.m.
I don’t know if that match-up’s going to hold, but Orpik and Johnson up against Crosby’s line is going to make for a punishing game behind the U.S. blue line.

3:25 p.m.
The American D is doing a good job holding the Canadian blue line. U.S. also has a great forecheck going. Looks like they’re going to try to keep the Canadian D from skating it out.

3:28 p.m.
Anybody else loving no-touch icing as much as I am? Granted, it takes away the stretch-pass, but it also means way tighter break-outs.

3:30 p.m.
First mention of Joe Sakic. Drink!

3:32 p.m.
Americans are doing a great job of taking the Canadians’ space away. I wouldn’t expect to see those tic-tac-toe plays we saw against Russia.

3:36 p.m.
I wonder if Scott Niedermayer will have time to grow his grandpa beard before the end of the game. I really hope so.

3:39 p.m.
Goal by Toews! (Told you so.)

3:42 p.m.
How can Ron Wilson not like that penalty on Bobby Ryan? I don’t know if there’s a more obvious call.

3:45 p.m.
Canada’s really not getting too many quality chances on this PP. Great PK by the U.S.

3:47 p.m.
With Ruff and Lemaire on the Canadian bench, it’s no surprise to find the Canadian team protecting the neutral zone with only one deep forechecker. The Americans seem to be trying to get around it with long passes up the middle, but it hasn’t worked so far. I wonder if the American D is going to try skating it out more in the last two periods.

3:51 p.m.
Another shoutout to the McGill tie. Did they give those out at graduation? Maybe I should’ve gone to mine.

3:55 p.m.
1st intermission: About as good a period as either team could hope for. U.S. is doing a brilliant job of taking away Canada’s room to skate, but Canada managed to pounce on the only real scoring chance it got. (Miller doesn’t look like he’s going to give up too many rebounds today.)

This is perhaps self-evident but, so far, this is about as North American a game as there’s been since the start of the Olympics: periphery shots with players trying to get rebounds, no odd-man rushes, a lot of blocked point shots, and broken stretch-pass breakouts.

In the second period, I’m expecting to see the Canadian D play a bigger role in the offensive zone because the American forwards are collapsing down low and leaving the points open. On the American side, I think their forwards are going to crash the net a bit more; Luongo’s been playing the puck and they’ll want to catch him doing it. I can’t see either team breaking the game wide open, though. The checking’s way too tight right now.

4:10 p.m.
You have to admire the courage of anyone who’s willing to step in front of Weber’s shot. Dude’s got a cannon.

4:15 p.m.
Niedermayer is almost single-handedly killing this penalty to Staal.

4:16 p.m.
Great PK by Canada. U.S. never really got any closer to Luongo than the half-boards.

4:17 p.m.
Goal by Perry! Bad defensive zone coverage by the U.S., who left Perry coming in as the trailer.

4:20 p.m.
That’s two odd-man rushes for Canada in the last two shifts. Didn’t see a single one in the 1st period.

4:21 p.m.
My man-crush on Toews prevents me from thinking that was a bad penalty he just took.

4:22 p.m.
Who knew Nash could kill penalties that well? Great job taking the point shot away on that PK.

4:24 p.m.
I’ve already outed myself as a complete hockey dork, so I don’t mind admitting Niedermayer’s unbelievable job covering the front of the net during that PK got me a little hot ‘n bothered.

4:27 p.m.
Note to Pierre McGuire: nobody says “jammin’ to the music” anymore.

4:28 p.m.
Goal by Kesler. Canada can’t give up the red line as easily as they did on that play.

4:30 p.m.
It seems obvious now, but I should’ve had Kesler up there as a game-breaker. He’s another one of those Western guys I don’t see enough of.

4:32 p.m.
Even though he’s been on the PP, we haven’t seen Thornton do much. The tight checking really doesn’t suit him. Wonder if this doesn’t presage anything for the Sharks.

4:35 p.m.
How did Ryan Suter get to the front of the net totally uncovered?

4:38 p.m.
The Canadian forwards are having a real hard time beating the American D one-on-one. Look for them to either dump it in earlier, or try to sneak behind the American D like they just did on that breakaway.

4:55 p.m.
Okay, so I wasn’t entirely right about the second period. Being a hockey blowhard is harder than it looks. That doesn’t mean I’m going to quit, though.

Turns out, the game did open up a little bit in the second. Both sides are pressing and the U.S. has poked a few holes in the Canadian trap.

Going into the third, I think both teams are going to have a similar gameplan: get some speed through the neutral zone to press the defence back and try to tire them out. Look for guys like Dustin Brown and Ryan Kesler to do this for the U.S., while Richards and Toews are going to play a similar role for Canada. This should benefit Canada, if only because they have a deeper bench to work with, but a stand-out period by Miller could go a long way for the U.S.

4:57 p.m.
Two posts for Canada! The good news is they’re finally getting the puck to the point and the shots are sneaking through.

5:00 p.m.
I don’t mean to pick on the Thornton line, but they’re going to have to get some pucks on net.

5:01 p.m.
Crosby hasn’t done much either. Maybe that woman with the sign is getting to him. After all, he is, like, 22 or something.

5:04 p.m.
Maybe I hadn’t noticed this before, but the “k” in “Reebok” on Crosby’s helmet is scratched off. Nothing gets by those VANOC sponsorship monitors.

5:06 p.m.
Scratch that last bit about Crosby’s helmet. He’s the only one without it.

5:07 p.m.
So far, the third period is a lot more like the first than the second. Guys can’t skate it in, so they’re dumping the puck to try to hem in the defense. Someone’s going to bust this game open soon.

5:09 p.m.
There we go: one bad giveaway by Kane and Heatley gets a golden opportunity. Too bad he didn’t score.

5:11 p.m.
Getzlaf is having an outstanding game. When he’s not getting (and keeping) the puck deep in the U.S. zone, he’s helping the Canadian D clear the front of the net.

5:14 p.m.
No penalties yet in the third. The next power play could very well decide the game.

5:16 p.m.
I don’t know if the Canadians are getting tired, but they haven’t had a decent scoring chance since Heatley got a shot on net off Kane’s giveaway. The Americans, meanwhile, have Canada running around in their own zone. All praise be to Luongo.

5:19 p.m.
Less than five minutes to go, but Canada’s lead has not looked less secure than it does now.

5:20 p.m.
Ken Hitchcock looks like he hasn’t let go of that bannister in front of his box since the Norway game.

5:21 p.m.
Crosby breakaway! The Maclean’s office goes nuts! And he loses the puck…. ugh.

5:22 p.m.
These defensive zone faceoffs are going to kill the Canadians.

5:24 p.m.
Miller goes to the bench. Oh boy. I’m working up a Ken Hitchcock-ian sweat over here.

5:27 p.m.
The three forwards that are out there for Canada in the last minute have had tremendous games: Getzlaf, Nash and Toews.

5:29 p.m.
Parise scores. And a wave of curses washes over the the office. 2-2 going into 20-minute overtime.

5:30 p.m.
Unbelievable. Seriously.

5:34 p.m.
Was that Jack Layton at Gretzky’s bar in Toronto? Sure looked like him.

5:41 p.m.
The Americans really found their legs in the last 15 minutes of the third period. They’ll want to keep up that sustained pressure in the overtime period. They had Canada pressed in their own end for most of the third and kept skill guys like Crosby and Thornton away from the middle of the ice.

That said, Canada managed to turn even the slightest U.S. mistakes into scoring opportunities, which is all you need in overtime. Still, they’ll need to start skating much more than they did in the third.

5:46 p.m.
Canadians look good so far. They’re back to shooting the puck. Four-on-four should give them more room to work with.

5:52 p.m.
Great shot by Nash, but they’re aren’t any Canadians around to pick up rebounds in front of Miller.

5:53 p.m.
CROSBY SCORES!

5:58 p.m.
Crosby sure has a sense of timing. Doesn’t score in three games, but manages to become a national hero anyway.

6:01 p.m.
Well, it’s all over but the drinkin’ for the Canadian squad. Lock up your daughters, Vancouver.

Good night, folks.

Paging Dr. Freud

By Philippe Gohier - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 2:22 PM - 3 Comments

Are provincial cabinet ministers in Quebec trying to tell us something?

Transportation Minister Julie Boulet, February 2010: “There are rules that govern the funding of political parties. It’s legal in Quebec to engage in political financing, for companies to donate.”

Education Minister Michelle Courchesne, December 2009: “The majority of private enterprises donate to all the political parties.”

Minister for Transport Norman MacMillan, December 2009: “There’s a law that governs all this. We can’t prevent company X from donating $3,000 to the Liberal party.” MacMillan then added government ministers are expected to raise $100,000 a year for the party.

Aside from the fact they were all made by Quebec Liberals, the statements have something else in common: they’re all patently wrong. Quebec hasn’t allowed corporate donations since 1977 and the repeated slip-ups have now caught the attention of province’s chief electoral officer, not to mention that of Pauline Marois.

Layton makes the first move

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 1:30 PM - 46 Comments

The NDP has formally asked for an emergency debate on limiting the Prime Minister’s ability to request prorogation. The letter from Jack Layton to Speaker Peter Milliken is here.

Our system is one where the government exists because the Governor General decides it has the support of the House of Commons. It is therefore a fundamental character of our democracy that when a government is appointed, it is to be held directly accountable to the House of Commons. I submit to you that the recent advice of the Prime Minister to the Governor General to prorogue the second session proves we have a Prime Minister who believes the House of Commons should exist at the convenience of his government, and not the other way around. This is a fundamental breach of the Prime Minister’s duty to be accountable to the elected representatives of the Canadian people, and as such constitutes an urgent situation.

The rules and parameters for granting emergency debates are explained as so in the current guide to House of Commons procedure and practice.

Idea alert: An army of minds for Africa?

By Paul Wells - Sunday, February 28, 2010 at 1:03 AM - 50 Comments

Last autumn I interviewed Neil Turok, the South African physicist who runs the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo. Our talk began in expected places and ended somewhere unusual, with Turok making a pitch for “smart aid” to Africa: an approach based on keeping some of the continent’s best minds at home, and sending them reinforcements from around the world to make Africa, at last, a centre of creation and discovery instead of subsistence and strife. Sounds mad, doesn’t it. But Turok has credentials: his African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is well begun and, he hopes, will soon have branches across the continent. The whole interview is worth re-reading, but here’s the part that launches our discussion of some tremendously exciting ideas, coming from a Canadian with African roots, that I want to share with you today. Turok told me:

Indeed [in 2010] the G-8 will be meeting alongside the G-20. And Canada was instrumental in pushing for the G-20’s creation. So Canada can be influential, because of its own history and the way it is trusted around the world. Use that. Use the fact that Canada has an excellent public education system, excellent university system — use that as leverage for your aid to Africa, to try to help Africa put in place a similarly strong health-care, university, science, innovation system. Doing that, you’re building on your strengths. The rewards will be enormous.

Which brings us to David Strangway. It was Turok himself, during a stop in Ottawa a few weeks ago, who mentioned Strangway’s “Academic Chairs for Africa” program. It’s gathering support around the world, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper has been urged to put it on the agenda for discussion at the Muskoka G8 and Toronto G20 this June. But I don’t believe a large Canadian news organization has told you anything about it before now. Continue…

Eight years later, Kevin Martin is golden

By Michael Friscolanti - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 11:23 PM - 6 Comments

The crowd didn’t bother waiting for the podium ceremony. Halfway through the tenth end, with Kevin Martin’s rink up by three in the gold-medal game, the rabid, red-and-white fans stuffed inside the arena burst into their own rendition of “O Canada.” It started off small, section by section, but by “God keep our land glorious and free,” the whole building was singing. They knew it was over.

Eight long years after a heartbreaking silver medal at the Salt Lake City Winter Games, Martin finally got his gold, beating Norway 6-3 in the men’s curling final on Saturday night. The win was the climax of Canada’s best day yet at the Vancouver Games—three golds and one bronze—and a raucous return to glory for the country’s other national sport. “Finally,” said Martin, his gold medal dangling from his neck. “It’s been a lot of work and a lot of years. I said to the guys when we were coming to the podium: ‘It’s like we’re walking through a dream.’ It’s amazing.”

The dream result was never really in doubt. Canadian third John Morris had the match of his life, landing four crucial double takeouts, and the skip sealed the deal in the seventh with a perfect freeze in the four-foot circle. When Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud tried to remove both rocks, he left the Canadian stone behind, allowing Martin to hit for two and a 5-2 lead. After both teams exchanged singles in the eighth and ninth, it was anthem time.

“You get tingles and jitters up the spine,” said Marc Kennedy, Martin’s second. “You’re up three coming home, you have home crowd in the Olympic Games, and they’re singing the anthem. It just doesn’t get any better. I don’t know how I’m going to top this.” Even the Norwegian skip couldn’t help but smile. As fans belted out the lyrics, Ulsrud leaned over to Martin and said: “You’ve got to love this crowd, don’t you?”

It’s hard not to. Of all the venues at the Games, none—not even the hockey stadium—has attracted more passionate, frenzied fans than the Vancouver Olympic Centre. With only 5,600 seats, it feels more like a movie theatre than a sports arena, except people in movie theatres don’t stop their feet in unison, honk air horns at the most inappropriate times, or ask Cheryl Bernard to marry them. It got so loud that some players had to resort to hand signals because their “Hurry hards!” were being drowned out by “Jeepers, creepers, where’d you get those sweepers!” It was a heckler’s paradise, with the dress code to match: sparkly wigs, maple-leaf capes, and a beer in each fist.

“I’ve never been prouder to be Canadian,” said Morris, who was about to shoot when the anthem began, and waited, with a wide grin, for the song to finish. “The crowds have been in there all week. They’ve been so appreciative and so supportive of us. We have one of the greatest countries in the world to live in, and to be able to win an Olympic gold for Canada is an outstanding feeling.”

Earlier in the day, Canadian athletes won gold in speed skating team pursuit and giant slalom snowboarding, and a bronze in ski-cross racing. Add the victory in men’s curling, and Canada now has 13 gold medals—more than any other country at the Vancouver Olympics—and 25 medals in all, the most Canada has captured at any Games, summer or winter.

It was actually that winning snowboarder, Jasey-Jay Anderson, who helped inspire the curlers to victory. Martin, Morris, Kennedy and lead Ben Hebert spent the hours before their match watching Anderson’s heats on television. They were in the locker room, eyes peeled to the screen, when he won his gold-medal race. “We watched his prelims and his quarters and his semis, and we thought: ‘This could be a great day for Canada if we win. Three gold medals,’ ” Kennedy said. “That was the unexpected thing these last two weeks, just how proud we were to watch our other athletes.”

Coming into these Games, Martin was certainly one of the athletes to watch. A hard-luck loser in 2002, he had the final shot against Norway in Salt Lake, but left his rock barely an inch to heavy and had to settle for silver. Martin has insisted, over and over, that he doesn’t dwell on the past nearly as much as the media thinks he does. But seeing him on the top step of that podium, beaming from ear to ear, it was clear that a very large weight had been lifted. “We’re really proud of him,” Kennedy said. “He put together a plan for us, we stuck with it for four years, and it’s come to fruition. I don’t think there’s any doubt he’s the best player to ever play, and he’s topped himself today.”

Ulsrud, who has matched up with Martin’s rink many times over the past few years, had equally high praise for his rival—and the fans who cheered him to victory. “It was an amazing crowd to play in front of, I really enjoyed it,” the Norwegian said. “To be honest with you, the team that deserved it most won. Against all the other teams here, the way we played today would have been a tight match. But against these guys, the way we played today you’re going to be crushed. They just smacked us. What can I say? That’s how good these guys are.”

Canada breaks one gold record, ties another

By macleans.ca - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 10:07 PM - 1 Comment

With 13 golds, Canada has broken the record of gold medals won by a host country at the Winter Olympics. It has also tied with the Soviet Union’s 1976 and Norway’s 2002 totals for golds earned by a single country. Canada is poised to break this record with the men’s gold hockey match against the U.S. on Sunday.

Associated Press

German bobsled slips by Canuck Rush

By Nicholas Köhler - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 9:03 PM - 2 Comments

With so many golds won by Canadians over the past days, a bronze medal may appear a little off colour.

But Canada-1 pilot Lyndon Rush’s performance today in the four-man bobsled is the first time Canada has made the podium in the event since Innsbruck in
1964.

And the gold secured by our neighbours south of the border—American pilot Steven Holcomb finished first today at the Whistler Sliding Centre—is the first time a U.S. bobsled has beat the world in four-man since the 1948 games in St. Moritz.

The anomaly, which relegated the normally stronger German team under Andre Lange to silver (stealing the second spot from Rush, who’s held it for Canada through the first three runs), has prompted some to wonder whether there isn’t a sea change west underway in the sport.

Consider the women’s two-man, where Canadian drivers Kaillie Humphries and Helen Upperton took the top two spots on the podium respectively, with Erin Pac of the U.S. picking up the rear. Not a German in sight, and one of the three German sleds, piloted by Cathleen Martini, crashed.

But though he acknowledged the stronger women’s teams coming out of Canada and the U.S. these days, the always thoughtful Rush rejected the premise of a North American shift.

“They’re still really strong and this is our backyard, you got to remember,” Rush said of the Germans in a press conference. “If these Olympic games were in Germany, you wouldn’t see me here. You wouldn’t see Holcomb here either. This is in our backyard, it was really in our favour, and the Germans still got a silver. Those guys are so good.”

Rush admitted he was initially disappointed by the result, which saw his crew slip in just .01 seconds behind Germany’s Lange with an overall time of 3:24.85, because he had held his crew’s position in second over the first three runs.

“We had them for three heats and to give it away in the last heat, I was mad,” he said. “We won an Olympic bronze, but I like racing, right? And when you come up short in the last heat, you’re mad. You always want to see a ’1′ coming down the last heat.”

When Rush, a medal favourite, instead crashed in the second heat of the two-man bob a week ago today, scuttling the race, he apologized to his brakeman, Lascelles Brown. Now, he said, his three brakemen, including Brown, were “trying to cheer me up because they think I’m crazy for being upset.”

This is Brown’s second medal, after winning silver backing Canadian Pierre Lueders in Turin.

Lueders placed fifth today after a disappointing second run yesterday. Lueders followed the effort by storming past reporters in the mix zone swearing. This afternoon he explained he’d been upset because for the first time in his very ling career, two sleds had crashed consecutively before his run, spoiling both his momentum and the sliding track’s ice.

Men's curling gold goes to Canada

By macleans.ca - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 8:35 PM - 1 Comment

Canada’s skip Kevin Martin delivered a 6-3 victory over Norway in the men’s curling gold match, placing the finish touch on his 11-0 winning streak at the Vancouver Games.

Toronto Star

Canada takes bronze in four-man bobsleigh

By macleans.ca - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 7:35 PM - 0 Comments

Steering his sled across the finish just 1/100th of a second behind Germany’s time, Canada’s Lyndon Rush won Canada its third medal of the day—the bronze in the four-man bobsleigh. Gold went to the USA, while Germany took silver.

Vancouver Sun

LIVE BLOG Men's Curling: Canada 6, Norway 3 (F)

By Scott Feschuk - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 5:55 PM - 14 Comments

Doing this on the spur of the moment. I don’t know a ton about curling. I do know, however, that from a distance Donald Sutherland looks like a homeless man. (Lest you think this a pejorative statement, I also believe that many homeless men look like Donald Sutherland.)

2:56 p.m. PT Another Olympic venue, another blast of Trooper over the soundsystem. I can’t believe the 1988 Olympics are almost over.

3:01 Bagpipes. People standing and clapping. Some folks seem drunk. This seems kind of familiar but I can’t– hang on, is someone going to try to feed me a haggis now?

•

First end

Everything is in place. The ice is ready. The medals podium sits just off to the side. John Morris has just enough facial scruff. And we’re underway, throwing stones for the gold. Canada opens with the hammer.

For those of you wondering about my own knowledge of and personal expertise with this sport… Number of Briers attended: One. Number of bonspiels watched on TV after failing to convince my Dad to Continue…

First sign the party’s over

By Anne Kingston - Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 5:45 PM - 1 Comment

The first sign this great party is winding down arrived under my hotel room door this morning—an envelope from the Vancouver International Airport with procedural advice for the 40,000 people expected to exit the city on March 1, the busiest day ever in the airport’s history. Here’s the rundown: Up to 5 hours before departure: check your flight online. Four hours before departure: arrive at the airport. Three hours before departure: check in bags and be at security. Two hours: pick up souvenirs at Olympic store! And one hour before departure? Be at your gate and relax!