Canada took control in the first period; Marie-Philip Poulin scored both goals.  Perhaps it was nerves on the part of the US that allowed those two goals since the second and third periods were scoreless.  Canada still dominated the game; even during power plays the US just couldn’t push through their defense. Canadian goalie Shannon Szabados was amazing, blocking 28 shots.  But it shows just how evenly matched the teams are that US goalie Jessie Vetter made 27 saves.

Let me tell you, this was a knock-down drag-out battle between the two teams. Their skills are good, they played hard and fast, and the aggression on both sides was high. They went as far as they could without legal checking.  I saw one US player literally sit on a Canadian player then push her to the ice before she got off and resumed playing.  All this, of course, done behind the single ref’s back.  There was pushing, tripping, high-sticking, bad mouthing and everything else that usually goes with a heated rivalry.  Of course, unlike the men’s teams these players have been back-and-forth for years.  They will not be going back to their respective NHL teams, patting each other on the back and becoming buddies again. Some of the women may have been teammates in college, but as soon as they committed their loyalty to their country’s team, all bets were off. 

The handshake at the end of the game had the jubilant Canadians with helmets off and huge smiles.  Many of the US players kept their helmets on, perhaps to hide the tears until they could compose themselves.  Usually, a silver at the Olympics is a huge triumph, but during the medal ceremony Finland seemed much happier with their bronze (won in overtime against Sweden) than the US with their second place medal.

All I can say is I’m looking forward to the next Winter Olympics. I hope there are more countries with the wherewithall to nurture  their talented young women and promote the sport to higher levels.  I’d like to see more games like this one.

Potter has been playing hockey for fun since she was very young, and has been on an organized team since 8^th grade.  She is one of the pioneers of women’s Olympic hockey, having played on all three previous Olympic teams.

Given that the USA and Canada have both powered through their opponents, I asked which other countries had the potential to catch up with them in the future.  She replied that she felt Finland and Sweden have both the ability and the skill to become as successful as the US, but their conditioning is the big issue for them.  Since the US team has had a big influx of money and the ability to train for the past 3 years, they have been “given a big boost.”  She feels both Finland and Sweden come on strong at first; it will just be a matter of more consistent training programs so they can last the full game in good form. She’s also encouraged by the World U18 Championships and thinks this will bring more attention to teams in other countries, and encourage more young women and girls to start playing at an earlier age.

Of course, I asked the question of the day.  We know that Canada has been able to get the best of the US on more than one occasion, so what does Potter think the US needs to do to achieve gold?  She feels that the US team needs to concentrate on playing their kind of game, that they are a “blue-collar, working, grinding team” with “great chemistry.”  She emphasized they should just “keep it simple” and play their best.

In one of my previous posts, I asked the readers how they felt about the no checking rule in women’s hockey, so I thought I’d see what Potter thinks.  It didn’t seem to be much of an issue for her.  She explained that there’s still a lot of body contact (as anyone who watches the game can confirm) they just don’t do a full slam against the boards. She “doesn’t take it personally” and does not think that it implies that women can’t take a body check.  It’s “just a different game” that allows them to focus on different skills.

When I asked if we’d see her in the next Olympics, she said she really wants to focus on the game she’s playing now and not look that far in the future.  She said you never know where life can take you, so she takes things as they come.  Potter is a mother of two and said the needs of her family will make some of the decisions. (My husband says the question was such a faux pas, and you never ask that of an athlete, but I had only five minutes to prepare!)

 Many thanks to Jenny Potter for taking the time out to talk with me.

Go USA

 I’m curious about what you think.  There’s no checking in women’s hockey. Do they think the girls can’t handle it? Is it an effort get moms to let their girls play and still be “ladylike?” Do you think women’s hockey suffers without the ability to body check?

In alpine skiing, you can watch Men’s Super Combined, which combines one downhill run with one slalom run. American Ted Ligety is the defending Olympic champion, but look for Americans Bode Miller and Andrew Weibrecht to give him a run for his money.

Biathlon will award medals for a men’s and women’s mass start event today.

Two man bobsled wraps up today. Team U.S. 1 was in a good position going into today’s runs.

Men’s ski cross runs qualifying and final rounds today. If you like snowboard cross, you’re going to love this new event. Former Alpine skiers Casey Puckett and Daron Rahlves lead the Americans. You may recognize both these names as Rahlves represented the United States at the Olympics three times in alpine racing, and Puckett was a four time Olympian in the alpine disciplines.

The women’s speedskating 1500m will be raced today, as well.

In addition to medal rounds, you can check out curling and hockey (yes, I know some of you have had enough of curling and hockey). Or if you want something a bit lighter, ice dancers will be performing their free dance today.

I caught most of the China v. Russia game.  The two teams were much more evenly matched, it was definitely nice to see a game that didn’t make you embarrassed for the losing team.  Russia won 2-1, but the Chinese put up a pretty good fight. I don’t think either team is up to the challenge of the USA or Canada, but you never know.

Women’s Super Combined— potentially more medals for Julia Mancuso and Lindsey Vonn.

Biathlon— Could there be a medal for American Tim Burke? Will Norway be happier with their results today?

Men’s Figure Skating—Who’s getting the gold? Evan Lysacek, Evgeni Plushenko, or someone else entirely?

Snowboarding— More halfpipe today. It’s the women’s turn. Will the American women exceed the American men’s medal count from last night?

Hockey— The men and the women compete today. The men take on Norway. The women take on Finland.

Speed skating— The women take on the 1000m. Don’t expect the same medal count for the American women as the American men.

Skeleton— Competition starts today for the men and women. Americans stand a much better chance at medaling here than in the luge.

Curling— both the men and women take on Denmark today. You can catch this live if you have CNBC. No, really, live coverage of an event.

That’s it. Check back throughout the afternoon and evening for coverage of events.

Today was supposed to be Super Combined in men’s downhill, but due to poor weather conditions (blowing now and low visibility), that event has been pushed to Friday. At this rate, Alpine skiing will finish up sometime in March or April.

Presumably, the snow won’t stop biathlon (it’s still on the schedule, as of this writing). For today’s women’s 10 km pursuit and men’s 12.5 km pursuit, the athletes qualify by placing in the top 60 in a sprint competition. No American women are expected to qualify. For the men, Tim Burke and Lowell Bailey stand a decent chance of qualifying, even though this is not the best event for either of them.

CURLING Curling, a favorite in the Manty household, starts today. The American men are scheduled for two matches vs. Germany and Norway, and the American women are scheduled for one match vs. Japan. The American men won bronze in Torino. Will they be able to match or better that in Vancouver?

Men’s figure skating starts tonight with the short program. All three of the American men are strong contenders for a medal. Evan Lysacek is the reigning world champion and finished fourth in Torino after battling the flu. Jeremy Abbott is a relative newcomer but has won two U.S. titles. And then there’s Johnny Weir. Hopefully, the only drama surrounding his performances will be the performances, themselves. American men haven’t won gold since Brian Boitano in 1988. They’re hoping to change that this year.

Both the men’s and women’s hockey teams will be competing today. The men will be taking on Switzerland. The women will be playing Russia.

Women’s luge will be awarding a medal today. Americans Erin Hamlin and Julia Clukey are currently in 15th and 16th place after two runs—long shots for a medal but not out of contention. American Megan Sweeney is currently in 27th.

More snowboard cross today, as Lindsey Jacobellis tries to win the gold that eluded her in Turin, when she fell practically at the finish line. She is joined on the team by Olympic newcomers Callan Chythlook-Sifsof and Faye Gulini.

Finally, women’s speed skating races the 500m— hopefully with fewer problems with the ice than the men experienced yesterday. Elli Ochowicz, Jennifer Rodriguez, Heather Richardson and Lauren Cholewinski represent the United States. None are favorites to medal.

Women’s hockey is still pretty young as an Olympic, or international, sport. I hope more girls across the globe get involved so the sport can develop into something more competitive.  Tonight’s match up is Finland v. Russia; perhaps we’ll see a closer game.

What do you think?  Is women’s hockey worth following this year, or do we need to see more maturity in the sport as a whole?  Without viewers popularity can’t rise, but can you take the pain?

Here are my favorites for the day— figure skating pairs short program and men’s moguls.

In pairs figure skating, Americans face an uphill battle. The last figure skating pairs medal was a bronze in 1988, and the U.S. has never won a gold. The Russians have won every gold in this event since 1964. 1964, folks! So, maybe we should just cheer for anyone but the Russians. But if you want to cheer for the Americans, you have two pairs to choose from: Caydee Denney and Jeremy Barrett; or Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig. Caydee and Jeremy are the national champs, and Amanda and Mark were the runners up.

If the men’s moguls is anywhere as exciting as the women’s, it should be on the must see list. I don’t always watch the preliminary rounds, but I’ll definitely be tuned in to the finals. The U.S. has four men in the moguls competition: Patrick Deneen, Michael Morse, Nate Roberts, and Bryon Wilson. All of them are Olympic rookies, but Patrick is the current world champion. The Americans come in with heavy expectations on their backs. The U.S. has only failed to medal in moguls once— in 1994. You’ll definitely want to take a look, not only to see medals won this year but to see the future of the U.S. mogul team in this young group.

As I mentioned yesterday, biathlon is not always my favorite sport. Sure, there’s skiing and guns combined, but that’s a lot more exciting on paper than when actually watching. It doesn’t help that the U.S. has never medaled in this event. In fact, the highest any American biathlete has ever placed in the Olympics is 19th, and that was all the way back in 1980. But today’s event is worth a look. The U.S. has an actual contender in Tim Burke, who was the leader of the World Cup this year. Check out the 10 km sprint today to see if history is made.

Nordic Combined might be worth watching. Nordic Combined combines ski jumping with cross country skiing. (Now, if it was like biathlon, but combined ski jumping with shooting— simultaneously— THAT would be a sport definitely worth watching.) No American has ever won a medal in Nordic Combined (which has a new name and a new format in this year’s Olympics), but this year the American team boasts three World Champions: Todd Lodwick (defending World Champion), Johnny Spillane and Bill Demong. So, perhaps we’ll see history made there, as well.

Other events being contested today are Women’s Hockey, Luge and Women’s Speed Skating. Women’s Hockey is an early round with the U.S. taking on China. Luge will award its first medals, but Americans are not expected to see a medal. If the U.S. does medal, it will probably be Tony Benshoof who missed a bronze by less than a second four years ago. Women’s speed skaters will determine the medal for the 3000m race. No America has ever won gold in this race, but that’s not expected to change this year. Three Americans are competing: Catherine Raney Norman (the best hope for a medal), Nancy Swider-Peltz Jr. and Jilleanne Rookard.

So, that’s the rundown for today. What will you be watching?

Women’s Biathlon 7.5km Sprint was today. The winners were Anastazia Kuzmina, of Slovakia; Magdalena Neuner, of Germany; and Marie Dorin, of France. Frankly, this is a sport that I find interesting in theory, but when I actually watch it, it’s not all that exciting. I’m sure this is because I just don’t know enough about it.

Another sport that I have a hard time getting into is the Individual Normal Hill Ski Jumping. I have to admit after ski jumping on Wii Fit, I do have somewhat of a greater appreciation. Today’s event saw the following winners: Simon Ammann, of Switzerland; Adam Malysz, of Poland; and Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer.

It wasn’t a medal game, but I just have to mention that the Canadian women beat Slovakia in hockey EIGHTEEN to nothing! Don’t they have some sort of mercy/pull the plug rule? Maybe they should!

Other differences are the ability for the goalie to play behind goal line (though NHL goalies can play directly behind the net, “no touch” icing, overtime instead of shootouts and penalties shot by anyone on the team (not just the victim.) For many US fans, the noticeable difference is the treatment of fighting.  NHL gives only a 5 minute penalty for fighting, where the Olympic rules call for a match penalty and possible ejection from the game. You’ll still see a lot of body checks, high sticking, hooking and holding, but don’t expect the gloves to come off as quickly as they do in the US.

Personally, I love Olympic and International rules hockey.  It tends to be a little slower (if that’s really possible when they’re speeding around on skates) but there’s more emphasis on skill and less on thuggery.  Hockey gets quite beautiful when they concentrate more on the skills and less on the theatrics of fighting.

1. The opening ceremonies

No matter who you are, or where the Olympics are located, deep in your heart you know there’s nothing more stirring than the opening ceremonies.  China’s summer extravaganza set the bar pretty high for Canada, but you can bet your back bacon they’re going to put their all into it.

2. Women’s hockey

1998 saw the debut of women’s hockey at the Olympics.  Since then, there hasn’t been much excitement about it in the US.  But this year, Team USA is a frontrunner for gold.  Canada has been dominating this season, but coach Mark Johnson has high hopes for his team.  Can Olympic gold do for women’s hockey what it did for women’s soccer?  It’s doubtful there will be a “Brandy Chastain moment” with all that gear, but perhaps the men out there will take notice anyway.

 3. Biathlon

Hugely popular in Europe but largely ignored in the US, biathletes have struggled to get funding and training until this year.  When the sport was finally noticed by a prosperous contributor money was finally available to get things going.  The big standout for the US will be Tim Burke, who won both silver and bronze medals at the World Cup in Ostersund.  This could be a great beginning for an under appreciated sport.

4. Stephen Colbert

When Deutsche Bank went belly-up and their $300,000 pledge for the US speed skating team went with it, Colbert stepped up to the plate.  It took less than a month for the “Colbert Nation” to replace the funds.  There’s sure to be a lot of Colbert’s scathing satire surrounding the games.  Like him or not, the comedian has the audience and the pull to make things happen.
 
5. Team USA-1 four-man bobsled

Steve Holcomb has been piloting the “Night Train” with his teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz with incredible results.  Three gold medals in World Cup events this season puts them at the top of their game.  It’s even more amazing when you consider Holcomb nearly quit bobsledding because of eye problems.  Surgery in 2008 restored his vision and renewed his love of the sport.

6. Skier/snowboarder antics

Though Bode Miller recently sprained his ankle, he’ll probably still make the games.  And you can be sure he and the other downhill skiers will be as crazy as ever. Add in the new addition of extreme sports inspired skicross to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a speed-induced adrenaline rush madness that only the boys and girls who haunt the slopes can produce.  If only we could all be there for the after-party.

7. Shani Davis and Apolo Ohno

On December 11^th, Davis broke his own world record for the 1500m by coming in at 1:41.04, besting his previous record of 1:41.80.  In long track, Davis is hands-down the man to beat.  Ohno, who at 27 is the elder statesman of the short track, is competing in his third Olympics in 2010.  He’ll be pushing to beat Eric Heiden’s record of seven medals won in winter Olympics.  But he’d better watch out, JR Celski is a young man moving up in the ranks, and one of the few who could give Ohno a run for his money.

8. Kim Yu-Na

The South Korean figure skater is the undeniable favorite for gold in 2010.  Her signature triple-triple exhibits an intense athleticism coupled with a grace that brings audiences to their feet.  At Skate America in Lake Placid, NY she broke the scoring record for short program, earning a 76.28.  While the Olympics brings out the patriot in most of us, sometimes you just need to sit back and appreciate poetry in motion.

9. Ice Dancing

The possibilities are wide open for ice dancing this year.  While US couple Meryl Davis and Charlie White won gold at the Grand Prix Final, it by no means places them above the rest of the competitors.  Two favored teams missed this season making it difficult to judge who will come out on top in 2010.  Everyone is sure to be giving it their all in Vancouver.  It will be exciting to watch the heavy competition among the couples.

10. Skeleton

After a 54-year absence, skeleton returned to the winter Olympics in 2002 and included both men and women.  Named because the new metal sled used in 1892 looked like a skeleton; it’s tough to deny the thrills caused by people sliding head first down a track at 80 mph.  Look for the return of Noelle Pikus-Pace, the first US woman to win the World Cup in 2005.  She’s back from taking the 2007-2008 seasons off to have a child, but is shaping up to be a big threat in Vancouver.

Canada is putting its best foot forward to make this a great winter Olympics.  Take the time to watch a variety of sports.  You never know, you could become the newest curling fanatic, or find out you really enjoy moguls over downhill.  Bundle up, grab a hot toddy, and enjoy the best athletes the world has to offer in winter sports.