(ATR) Canada’s march to a gold medal in men’s hockey is underway with an 8-0 thrashing of Norway Tuesday, opening day of the men’s tournament, maybe the last for NHL players.
A capacity crowd of 20,000 filled Canada Hockey Place for the match, one of three played Tuesday.
In other matches, the U.S. defeated Switzerland 3-1 and Russia beat Latvia 8-2.
Canada is hoping to win its first gold medal since 2002 in Salt Lake City. Sweden are the defending Olympic champions. The gold medal match is scheduled for Feb. 28, the last day of the Games.
A minor issue popped up Tuesday when the IOC told the U.S. team it had to block out slogans on its helmets. Team USA had stickers saying “support our troops” affixed to their helmets, a violation of IOC rules.
A total of 12 teams are competing in the ice hockey tournament, with China making their men’s tournament debut.
Games will be played in Canada Hockey Place, the Games-time name for GM Place, and UBC Thunderbird Arena. GM Place was required to change its name to comply with Olympic regulations banning advertising in the field of play.
U.S. Snowboarder Misses Out Again
For snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, history didn’t repeat itself. This time, her Olympic experience was worse.
Jacobellis, who fell on a hot-dogging move in Turin four years ago on the final jump, costing her the gold medal, didn’t even advance from the snowboard cross semifinals Tuesday. She tried to save a bad landing and skied out of bounds, disqualifying her.
Maelle Ricker of Canada, who almost tangled with Jacobellis in the semi, won the gold, but Jacobellis was still the most talked-about person in the event.
“It's unfortunate that the rest of the world only sees this race, and then four years ago, so I guess I don't have a great track record for the general public,” Jacobelllis said.
The event started two hours late because of dense fog at Cypress Mountain.
Jacobellis said the course was bumpy on the turns. “It’s like mashed potatoes,” she said. "Sometimes you could see a jump, and sometimes you couldn't, despite all the dye that the course workers put down.
“But they did a great job. It felt pretty smooth when you were riding it by yourself, and you didn't have a lot going on around you, but then when you throw three other people in the mix, things can get a little crazy."
The crowd was enthusiastic, but was confined to the grandstands after VANOC cancelled the general admission tickets.
During the delay, the media tent ran out of coffee and hot chocolate. A repairman was called, but he was held up at security because he didn’t have the proper credential.
Meanwhile, VANOC announced late Tuesday that the men’s super combined and giant slalom competitions have been rescheduled to take place at Whistler Creekside on Feb. 21 and Feb. 23. The postponement followed a heavy snowfall at the top of the course and the finish area that made courseconditions too soft for competition.
Plushenko Tries to Hold Off Rivals
Defending champion Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia holds a slim lead after the short program in the fiercely-contested men’s figure skating competition, but he said coming back after a three-year layoff hasn’t been easy.
Plushenko, who also won a silver medal in Salt Lake City, will try to become the most decorated male singles figure skater in history in Thursday night’s free skate.
“With each Olympic Games, each competition, it’s getting harder and harder,” he said. “Yes, I have more medals, I’m older, I’m more experienced. But they all want to win. I want to hold on. It’s always harder to hold on.”
World champion Evan Lysacek of the U.S. trails 90.85 to 90.30, with Daisuke Takahashi of Japan close behind at 90.25. Nobunari Oda of Japan, Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, Johnny Weir of the U.S. and Patrick Chan of Canada are also within reach of the medals. Brian Joubert of France and Jeremy Abbott of the U.S. both made major mistakes and are out of contention.
Plushenko asked to do the press conference in Russian because he was tired and wanted to preserve his energy. He eventually reverted to English to plead for his release. “If I’m not going to go to doping, doping is going to be here, please,” he said. “I’m waiting already an hour, but I can’t (stay). I love you, but I can’t.”
Women’s Downhill Gets Underway
With sunny skies forecast, U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn heads the pack of contenders vying to win the women’s downhill gold at Whistler this morning.
Vonn is the World Cup Leader but could be vulnerable due to a bruised shin, which she revealed last week on NBC's Today Show. The extent of her injury is a source of speculation but she was able to complete a practice run on Sunday.
Vonn is one of the few household names of winter Olympic athletes in the U.S. and she appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Olympic preview edition. Her main challengers for the title are Sweden’s Anja Paerson, Germany’s Maria Riesch and Austrian Elisabeth Gorgl.
VANOC had twice postponed the event due to bad weather, but officialssaid Tuesday the women's downhill would take place on Wednesday.
"I'm really excited about the race tomorrow, it's been a lot of hurry up and wait with all these cancelations," said Vonn on Tuesday. "But I'm definitely antsy to get racing. I'm a fighter and I just want to get out there and start competing."
Medal Events Feb. 17
A total of seven gold medals are up for grabs today: Ladies' Alpine Skiing Downhill; Ladies' Cross Country Skiing Sprint Classic; Men's Cross Country Skiing Sprint Classic; Men's Speedskating 1,000m; Ladies' Speedskating 500m; Men's Snowboard Halfpipe.
Medal Table
Germany leapfrog the U.S. to top the medal table going into day four of competition. Germany's athletes have won nine medals so far, including three golds. The U.S have eight medals, France seven and Canada five.
Weather
Vancouver – Sunny, high 9c, low 3c
Whistler— Mostly Sunny, high 5c, low -3c
Cypress Mountain – Sunny, high 5c, low 0c
With reporting from Karen Rosen, EdHula III and Sam Steinberg
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