Canada's Power Play
Robert Beck / Sports Illustrated
If Canada had won no other medals during the Vancouver Olympics, a large portion of the country still would have been satisfied, since the country swept the golds in hockey. On Feb. 25, the Canadian women, behind the brilliant goaltending of Shannon Szabados, and two goals from the youngest member of the team, Marie-Philip Poulin, 18, blanked the American women 2-0. The team’s spontaneous postgame celebration, in which several players returned to the ice to sip some champagne, chug a few Molsons and smoke cigars, caused a minor controversy. A few IOC suits disapproved. For the most part, however, the women were forgiven for having a little fun. (Read “Will the Olympics Drop Women’s Hockey?”)
And on the last day of the Games, the Canadian men’s hockey team gave its euphoric fans the ultimate Olympic gift, a 3-2 overtime victory over a plucky American team that had beaten Canada in a preliminary-round game. Trailing 2-1 with 24.4 seconds left, Zach Parise of the U.S. punched a last-ditch shot by Canadian goalie Roberto Luongo to send it to overtime. But in the extra session, Jarome Iginla shoveled a slick pass to Sidney Crosby, already the brightest light in the NHL, who flicked the puck through the legs of American Ryan Miller to send a country into ecstasy. Given the stakes and the setting on Canadian soil, it was certainly one of the best hockey games ever. Here’s what’s undeniable: it was the perfect ending to a Games that was far from perfect.
The Glitch Games
David E. Klutho / Sports Illustrated
It didn’t take long for the Vancouver Olympics to earn itself an unwanted nickname: the Glitch Games. One slipup, the lack of padding and protection on the dangerously fast Whistler sliding track, contributed to an unthinkable tragedy. The others were just embarrassing. A lack of precipitation at Cypress Mountain, host to the snowboarding and freestyle-skiing events, forced organizers to helicopter in snow at the last second. And during the opening ceremonies, four mechanical torches were supposed to rise from the floor and be lit by Canada’s most famous athletes, including hockey great Wayne Gretzky. But one of the massive columns malfunctioned, leaving the athletes stranded and looking peeved in front of millions of television viewers. (Read “Why Would Anyone Want to Be an Olympic Volunteer?”)
But for pure ludicrousness, nothing could beat Zamboni-gate. On Feb. 15, the 500-m track-speedskating event was delayed for an hour after two ice machines, used to smooth the frozen surface between races, broke down. Rather than wait out the delay and destroy his rhythm, American skater Shani Davis even pulled out of the event. These machines weren’t manufactured by Zamboni, the Xerox of ice cleaners, but rather Olympia, a rival company that had signed an Olympic sponsorship. To fix the problem, Olympic officials ordered a Zamboni to be shipped in from Calgary.
Read “The Olympics Should Be About the Athletes.”
