Sunday, Feb. 28

So I was listening to the opera on Saturday afternoon (s’truth) on CBC Radio 2 (La Boheme) and Bill Richardson had Michael Farber on as his guest. As in, Michael Farber the hall of fame hockey writer for Sports Illustrated. Turns out he’s as big a fan of opera as he is of hockey. He had been hoping for a Canada-Russia final, with Canada as his pick. Check out his take on the quarter-final game here.

Saturday, Feb. 27

Not even Satan could stand between Team Canada and its date with Team America on Sunday afternoon. Miroslav Satan, that is. Right wing for Slovakia when not lacing his skates for the Boston Bruins. Scored the winning goal against Norway and almost had the tying goal against Canada. That’s why games are 60 minutes precisely and not one second longer.

Friday, Feb. 26

Thursday, Feb. 25

Downtown Vancouver erupted for joy at the conclusion of the Russia-Canada hockey game.  A wall of sound washed across English Bay and over a solitary photographer (me) setting up on Kits Point for some shots of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Vectorial Elevation light show. People yelling from apartment windows, banging pots, blowing horns and whistles, sounding car horns.

Wednesday, Feb. 24

The rain returned on Tuesday, along with the wind, making for a cold and miserable day for those who came outside in Vancouver. You’d think it was the middle of winter. Even at that, there were lots of people out and about on foot downtown. Not the stifling crowds of the sunny weekend, but still a lot of very enthusiastic people braving the elements. You can measure the buzz level by the length of the lineups at several key places. The Royal Canadian Mint has a pavilion the features the process behind the making of Olympic medals and allows viewers to handle the medals. Today’s lineup was down to about 90 minutes from Saturday and Sunday’s four hours.

Tuesday, Feb. 23

Yet another sunny day in Vancouver and Whistler Monday, though the rains are due to return today. So Team Canada lost and the sun rose the next morning.  Maybe the fate of the nation is not on the line after all. It was interesting to watch the shock sink in when the U.S. scored in the opening minute. There was absolute silence on a street where seconds before it had been Mardi Gras without the nudity. 

Monday, Feb. 22

“Where will you spend eternity, heaven or hell? It’s your decision”. The man was preaching at the sea of humanity surging around him on Robson Street, five minutes before the puck dropped in the Canada/U.S. hockey game Sunday night. I say he was preaching “at” people as opposed to preaching “to” them because he was about as all alone as one person could be in that tide of red and white. Team Canada didn’t appear to have an answer for the question, at any rate.

Sunday, Feb. 21

Now for a word from our sponsors, or how about a few words about our sponsors. As much as VANOC, the IOC and assorted and sundry world media can pontificate about the purity of sport and how the Olympics builds healthy minds and bodies 57 different ways, the reality is that there’s a lot of money changing hands here and if weren’t for those folks with deep pockets there wouldn’t be an Olympics, no matter how much virtue is at stake.