olympic notes: day 6

i've been a bad non-poster these last few days but i have a couple of decent excuses.

1. a really old friend of mine from australia is touring with a band called the hilltop hoods, who played calgary on saturday and banff on monday.... i don't know if i need to elaborate much but those guys definitely know how to throw a party.... ;) sleep has been at a premium these days, to be sure.

2. duncan went to the HEAT v. marlies game on monday and it REALLY sounded like he was gonna post something, so i felt like i was off the hook for a day or two... i guess it could still happen but the mini-notes he sent me by text were that backlund is "a man among boys," that oliver latendresse (a loan-out from victoria) was killing it, jason jaffray was (as always) way solid, and david shantz looked fairly impressive.... if you think about it, that's pretty much the whole of the baby flames team competing, and it sounds like keith aulie is out with a shoulder injury to boot.

and on to the olympics.

i watched the canada v. norwegia game last night and can sum it up as follows: norway has been practicing in vancouver as a complete team (minus bengt ake-tollefson who has yet to suit up) for almost a week, now, while canada had a 45 minute practice earlier in the week. i use this bit of knowledge to explain the game's first period, which was hardly dominated by the superior canadian squad.... by the second period, they'd settled in a bit, got the first goal behind a very strong pal grotnes, and the rest was history.

jarome iginla was in vintage form, which is a GREAT thing for canada (but a curious thing for flames fans).... mikeH queried, "when was the last time you saw iggy in the high slot on a PP ??" and i will go one further with, "when was the last time you saw iggy in front of the net, waiting for a tip-in ????" ... it seems today that everyone wants to talk about how the flames should get #12 some all-world calibre linemates but, having attended the red v. white game in august, i would say it's something altogether different (cause iggy struggled in that match on a line with crosby and nash). all i can chalk it up to is that either jarome is FINALLY healthy, or mike babcock is the best coach in the universe....

whilst surfing the vancouver2010 site, i came across the official player photos and found some to be rather *ahem* interesting.....


there is nobody in this world i love more than forsberg, and it made me really effin' excited to see him carry the torch in the opening ceremony.... (freddan, mickis & wallin should all shed a single tear). all i gotta say is that this pic looks like a mugshot, and foppa needs an updated haircut....




speaking of haircuts.... um.... zäta ----what were you THINKING, here ??!?






norweigan captain tommy jakobsen gets the haircut right.
norway 1, sweden 0






.....really ?? REALLY ???? i mean, could finland NOT find a current photo of miikka ? or was he really a teenager the last time he played in the suomi jersey ?


i'm told i have a doppleganger in vancouver, and that she made the jumbotron in the first intermission. i'm heading out west on friday with mikeH to check out the scene ---should be fun. i've got dibs on tickets to a couple of games (a qualification playoff and a quarterfinal --none of which will be canada) so that's cool, and i'm looking forward to catching up with a few friends in and around town.... i'll be sure to post some pix as things go forward, and (if you're handy) you can get my thoughts on things on australian radio station, tripleJ, as i've sortof become the unofficial olympic correspondent for the DRIVE show. apparently it's not gonna get me actual accreditation but they say i can have a laminate pass to their xmas party.... ;) i'd link you to it but i'm definitely not a radio personality, and i use my real name.

i guess that's it for now.
:)