Official Sochi Olympics - Backes brings home 2 stray dogs

[TheLionKing]

Americans had no emotion in their bronze medal game against the Finns.

[sj-roc]

A sampling of snide British commentary, mostly at their own expense, or, let's say the Scottish.

I was stunned at how one-sided this curling final was. David Murdoch is a two-time world champion, albeit with a completely different supporting cast than he had in Sochi. While he did make a nice triple in the first end that even Mike Harris figured was unlikely (which limited Jacobs to just 2 when it could easily have been more), I never would have foreseen him missing so many other shots, and not even particularly difficult ones in some cases.

[Robbie]

Americans had no emotion in their bronze medal game against the Finns.

Perhaps the same thing with the Canadians in the bronze medal game against Finland in the 1998 Winter Olympics and preventing the Great One from winning an Olympic medal.

But there's no doubt at all the Team Finland was still very emotional and it looks like they are still happy and ecstatic even though winning the bronze seems to be so routine for them now with them winning 4 bronze medals over the last 20 years. Why not set their standards higher?

I guess it only reinforces the adage I stated several times. These guys are a lot happier than whichever team wears the silver medal tomorrow.

[sj-roc]

Well, no wonder we only managed two goals against Latvia. They cheated.

Two more athletes test positive for doping at Sochi Olympics

A Latvian hockey player and a Ukrainian cross-country skier failed drug tests at the Sochi Olympics, bringing to four the number of doping cases at the games.

[sj-roc]

CC flagbearers just announced: bobsledders Humphries & Moyse.

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will carry the flag at the closing ceremonies @CBC Olympics

[TheLionKing]

Well, no wonder we only managed two goals against Latvia. They cheated.

Two more athletes test positive for doping at Sochi Olympics

A Latvian hockey player and a Ukrainian cross-country skier failed drug tests at the Sochi Olympics, bringing to four the number of doping cases at the games.

Anybody know how many athletes were caught at the 2010 Olympics ?

[TheLionKing]

CC flagbearers just announced: bobsledders Humphries & Moyse.

Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse will carry the flag at the closing ceremonies @CBC Olympics

Excellent choice

[sj-roc]

Toews draws first blood for Canada on a tip-in through the five-hole from Carter. 1-0 Canada.

[TheLionKing]

Toews also scored Canada's first goal in the 2010 Gold Medal game. Hope it's a good omen

[sj-roc]

Sometimes it's the athlete with the best "person" story who gets the nod, regardless of how well they perform. We saw this last time out here in 2010 with figure skater Joannie Rochette, who skated to a bronze in the immediate aftermath of her mother's death. Can't recall (Haven't heard of) anyone who might fit this category this time out (yet), though.

A lot of people were talking about the speed skater who gave up his spot so Denny Morrison could skate and win his silver medal. Give me a break, that's not a "personal sacrifice" story, it's what should have been a coaching decision.

Looks like they went on performance with the selection of Moyse & Humphries.

Canada's closing ceremony flag-bearer: 3 unique perspectives

Canada's closing ceremony flag-bearer: 3 unique perspectives: Denny Morrison, Gilmore Junio, Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse among choices
Malcolm Kelly - Saturday Feb. 22, 2014 19:41 ET

Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics will be announced around 1 a.m. ET on Sunday, and the choice seems to come down to three categories – wins and losses, the Olympic ideal, or correcting a perceived wrong.

The decision is ultimately made at the Canadian Olympic Committee level, represented by president Marcel Aubut and Chef de Mission Steve Podborski.

Those closing ceremonies run at 11 a.m. ET on CBC TV and online at CBC.ca/olympics.

Let’s take a look at some possibilities, matched with previous flag-bearers.

1. The Performance: Alexandre Bilodeau, or Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse

Bilodeau is one of the purely athletic choices, having made history by becoming the first freestyle skier to repeat as an Olympic champion, taking the men’s moguls event at Sochi after opening the Vancouver Games with a gold. That first one, of course, made him (at the time) the only Canadian to win the big medal on Canadian soil. Many more would follow.

Bobsledders Humphries (pilot) and Moyse (brakeman) put in a dominant fourth run to win their second-consecutive gold medal in the two-man event.

This kind of choice, based on victories, has a long history.

Cindy Klassen, the country’s greatest Winter Olympian, carried the flag in 2006 after a stunning performance in long track speed skating that included a gold in the 1,500 metres, silvers in the 1,000 metres and team pursuit, and bronzes in 3,000 and 5,000 metres.

Catriona Le May Doan, also a speed skater, won a gold and a bronze at Nagano in 1998 to earn the honour, and would follow that up with another gold in four years later.

Myriam Bedard dominated the Canadian headlines in 1994 with victories in both the 7.5 km and 15 km biathlon events.

2. The Ideal: Denny Morrison and Gilmore Junio

Just four years ago the honour went to Joannie Rochette, who was dealt a stunning blow a few days before her women’s figure skating event began in Vancouver when her mother, Therese, died of a heart attack. Rochette dedicated her skate to her mom and won a bronze medal.

Her choice represented the Olympic ideal.

Fast forward to Sochi where Junio, a member of the long track speed skating team, was approached by coaches the day before the 1,000 metres and asked if he would consider giving up his spot in favour of Morrison, who had fallen in the Canadian trials and wasn’t in that event. Realizing Morrison had a chance at a medal and he didn’t, Junio readily agreed.

Morrison did his job by winning a silver medal, and followed that up later with a bronze in the 1,500 metres. He then started an online campaign to make Junio the flag-bearer. The story of these teammates captivated the country.

3. The Message: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir

With a gold from Vancouver and a silver at Sochi in the ice dance portion of the figure skating program, this couple would be a solid choice anyway.

But with some people, inside and outside the sport, feeling the Canadians were unfairly judged in their showdown with Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White, picking the pair would be a way for the COC to show where they thought Virtue and Moir should have finished.

This is not without precedent.

Marc Gagnon won two short track speed skating golds at Salt Lake City in 2002, but the honour went to Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, the pairs figure skaters who had a gold medal taken from them in a scandal that would eventually change the way the whole sport was judged.

They were awarded a share of gold a few days later and then handed the flag as the Games closed. This type of choice for flag-bearer could be seen as making a point to the International Skating Union in both cases.

Other options

There are other good candidates from the Sochi Games as well, including:

• Charles Hamelin, who had a tough time, falling in the 1,000 metres and 500 metres, but did win a gold in the 1,500, giving him three over the last two Olympics.
• Marie-Philip Poulin, who scored the tying and winning goals to beat the Americans for the gold in women’s hockey. She had notched both markers in the 2010 gold medal victory too.
• Jennifer Jones, who became the first woman to skip a curling rink to an undefeated record and the gold medal.

Now it’s up to Aubut and Podborski.

[TheLionKing]

Finally Crosby scores. Canada leads 2-0

[sj-roc]

Crosby on an unassisted breakaway makes it 2-0 Canada at 15:43 of the 2nd.

[TheLionKing]

Interesting that 2 players who scored in the Gold Medal game in 2010 also scored tonight. Will Cory Perry be the 3rd ?

[sj-roc]

Interesting that 2 players who scored in the Gold Medal game in 2010 also scored tonight. Will Cory Perry be the 3rd ?

Not just sitting back in this 3rd either. Like how they're still taking the play to Sweden. Almost like we're the ones trailing 2-0.

[sj-roc]

Kunitz makes it 3-0 Canada at 9:04 of the 3rd. Sweden takes a timeout to regroup.