Let’s catch up on the Olympic quotage from last night.
First, Universal Sports’ studio notes and quotes. I post this even though many of you don’t have or may not know you have Universal Sports.
UNIVERSAL SPORTS AT THE VANCOUVER GAMES:NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES FORSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010Sunday, February 21, 2010 — On the tenth day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Universal Sports at the Vancouver Games continues its five-hour programming block, starting at 10 a.m. ET and continuing daily until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 28.Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz:News Alerts:· The United States has 23 medals, the most won by an American delegation at the Winter Games.· With seven career medals, short track speed skater Apolo Ohno is now the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history.· Russian Yevgeny Plushenko said he is determined to recapture his 2006 men’s figure skating title in Sochi, Russia, in four years time. Plushenko, a silver medalist in Vancouver, will be 31 in 2014, which would make him one of the oldest competitors in men’s figure skating history. American skater Brian Boitano competed in the 1994 Winter Games at age 30 and placed sixth, six years after earning Olympic gold.John Coyle, 1994 Olympic Short Track Speed Skating Silver Medalist (on Apolo Ohno) “He’s No. 1 in medals, but there are two more events. He could come out of here with nine (medals). He’s skating on fire. But the sport is totally unpredictable. It’s about getting yourself in a good position and doing the best you can.”Doug Lewis, 1984 & 1988 Alpine Skiing Olympian (on injecting the men’s super combined course with water): “It’s like oil on cement.”Tom Steitz, former U.S. Nordic Combined Team Coach (on lack of funding for U.S. ski jumpers): “We have young kids paying their own way and showing us they can be competitive. (This) embodies true Olympic spirit. I’d like to see this become an issue. We can do a better job about this.” (The Americans finished 32nd and 40th in the men’s individual large hill event.)Steitz (on Sweden’s success in long distance/endurance sports): “It’s why they come to the Winter Olympics, it’s their pride and joy.”Steitz (on the men’s Norwegian Nordic team and their lack of success in Vancouver): “The mood in Camp Norway is dismal…I absolutely GUARANTEE this: Norway will fire the entire men’s coaching staff!”Terry Gannon, host of “Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz:” “We’ve got ‘Broadway Joe’ (Tom Steitz) making predictions and guarantees, and he’s been right on everything so far.” (Steitz correctly predicted that Switzerland’s Simon Ammann would win the men’s individual large hill ski jumping event.)Features:Stacey Dales, Universal Sports’ Vancouver sideline reporter, goes to the streets to gauge the excitement of “Super Sunday” — the highly-anticipated USA vs. Canada men’s hockey game, pointing out that Canadian money goes so far as to put an image of hockey on their currency. Host Terry Gannon pointed out that tickets for tonight’s game are going for $1,300 to $5,000, and that the going rate for a skybox to the gold medal hockey game is more than $50,000.“Call of the Day,” a new feature of the show of the Morning Buzz, was from Swedish TV’s call of their cross-country first- and third-place finishes in the men’s 30 km pursuit event.Summer Sanders, Universal Sports’ Whistler sideline reporter, spoke with Patrick Maloney, President of Whistler Weasel Workers, who discussed their work on the ski courses. She also spent time with the experienced avalanche dog rescue team on Whistler, d
aring to get buried in the snow waiting for “Nora,” a German shepherd and border collie mix, to dig her out. “Behind the Games” showcased the technology behind today’s ski equipment.Host Terry Gannon challenged Brian Boitano to a basketball shoot-out on a mini-hoop. During his four-year career, (1981-1985), Gannon was a two-time Academic All-American and N.C. State basketball’s all-time leading free throw shooter. In 1983, he was the No. 1 three-point shooter in the nation.On Saturday, analysts and Olympic skating medalists Paul Wylie and Peter Carruthers gave studio host Lindsey Soto a breakdown of the differences between the jumps in figure skating (toe loop, lutz, flip, Axel, loop and Salchow), using a pair of Yamaguchi’s figure skates to demonstrate. They also used supporting video so viewers could recognize the jumps in competition.MEET THE OLYMPIC PRESS:Phil Hersh, Chicago Tribune reporter (on Ohno getting his seventh medal): “His seven medals are not close to Eric Heiden’s five golds (1980) or Bonnie Blair’s six medals and success. He (Ohno) won two of those because other people fell down.”Alan Abrahamson, NBC and Universal Sports reporter (on Ohno): “Yes it is (remarkable). Seven medals is an incredible achievement, and he has a chance for two more…amazing.”Jimmy Roberts, host of “Meet the Olympic Press”: “(Eric Heiden’s 5 gold medals are) the greatest achievement in sports history…like someone winning the 100-meter dash and the marathon and everything in between at the Summer Olympic Games. I love it when we disagree, it’s the essence of this program.”On injecting ski courses with water…have ski courses become too dangerous?Guest Phil Mahre, 1984 Olympic Alpine Gold Medalist: “I don’t think so. The thing that makes skiing more dangerous is the equipment. Icing the hills affords a level of consistency; skis are essentially razor blades on ice. If you don’t ice a course down, there will be holes (for later skiers), they’re much safer being iced down. Too much water makes it a skating rink, but the right amount makes it safe for everybody.”Mahre (on changes to the sport over the past 20 years): “Equipment is a bigger part of the equation. I didn’t wear a helmet. It used to be a finesse sport, now you just roll the ski up on it’s edge and it does (the turn) for you. Now, you can’t be competitive without the right equipment underneath your feet.”Amy Shipley, Washington Post reporter: “Ski racing isn’t skeleton. You don’t want to be going head-first down the mountain.”Thumbs up/thumbs down segment:Mahre: “Thumbs down to judged events in the Olympic Games and the omission of women’s ski jumping”Shipley: “Thumbs up to organizers for keeping ski hills in shape despite awful weather.”Abrahamson: “Thumbs up to Vancouver cops for cutting off alcohol sales after 7 PM.”Hersh: “The rowdiness in the streets is way too much and out of control. It’s like a fraternity party out there.”Roberts: “Thumbs down to price gouging—the red mittens started out at $10, now they’re $30.”…and the gold medal for the day goes to Phil Mahre for his lucid explanation of why courses are injected with water.VANCOUVER REVIEW/PREVIEW:U.S. speed skating had 75 medals coming into the 2010 Olympic Games. Now, the total is up to 81.Bonnie Blair, six-time Speed Skating medalist with five Olympic Gold Medals, (on watching the men’s 1500m short track final last night where Ohno broke her record and earned his 7th career medal): “Everyone was on the edge of their seat. He’s not racing Eric and I at these Games, he’s racing his competitors. No hard feelings, I’m happy for him. I hope Apolo has taken it in one ear and let it go out the other and has just focused on the task at hand.”Blair (on U.S.’s overall success in Vancouver, 23 medals so far): “Even though we’re in Canada, a lot of these athletes feel at home and very comfortable.”Blair: “The sport of speed skating has really changed my life, on and off the ice. I hope more youngsters out there think about becoming speed skaters after these Olympic Games.”Blair (on training): “As we say, the (Olympics aren’t) every four years, they’re every day. It’s tough, but on the flip side it’s a great lifestyle. Eat whatever you want, be in great shape.”Blair (on training partners): “Anytime you can be with the best of the best, it pushes you and that’s how you get better. To have that day in, and day out, it fires you up.”Figure Skating Review/Preview (Saturday and Sunday):Evan Lysacek, 2010 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist: “I tried my best not to think about the medal and the results heading into the Games, just my performance. I dreamt about doing my personal best. The gold medal is tremendous and it hasn’t even sunk in.”Dick Button, 1948 & 1952 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist (on watching Lysacek’s final performance): “The gold medal is a reminder of that you skated well, that you did the best you could that day, and you will remember it for the rest of your life.”Tara Lipinski, 1998 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist (on not being the favorite in a competition): “The underdog position is great. You’re not thinking about marks and scores. You’ve been waiting your whole life for this moment, and you’ve put in tons and tons of practice. Just let your mind shut off and it’s reflex.”Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic Pairs Figure Skating Silver Medalist (on Plushenko’s technical performance in the men’s final): “It was average, almost junior-like. Each year the system adds more features, so you have to keep up with that rulebook. Plushenko didn’t do that.”Brian Boitano, 1988 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist (on South Korea’s Kim You-Na, favored to win the ladies figure skating gold medal): “She’s the heavy favorite, and that can add a lot of pressure like it did to Plushenko.”Guest Jeremy Abbott, 2010 Olympian and reigning U.S. Men’s National Figure Skating Champion: “My goals were a lot bigger than what I achieved here. I got so wrapped up in wanting a medal instead of focusing on what I needed to do. I’m definitely let down by how I performed here. The World Championships are all about redemption for me.”Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist: “Figure skating’s eyes are on the World Championships, but the world’s eyes are on the Olympics. It’s more pressure.”The ISU World Figure Skating Championships are scheduled in Turin, Italy, March 23 – 28, and will be broadcast on Universal Sports.SCHEDULE FOR ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK – SUNDAY, FEB. 21, 2010:Guests include Jeff Z. Klein of the New York Times and Eddie Olczyk, NBC Hockey Analyst.
11:30 AM – 12 PM Behind the Games
12 – 12:30 PM Meet The Olympic Press1: 30 – 2 PM Vancouver Review/Preview2 – 3 PM Figure Skating Review/PreviewFUN QUOTES AND FACTS OF THE DAY:“When we’re done, we pat each other on the back then sometimes we have a beer or two or three or more, then we get up and do it again.” Patrick Maloney, President of Whistler Weasel Workers, on their course maintenance work on the alpine ski courses.“Competing against less people, coming in under the radar and definitely having an early start number.” Andrew Weibrecht, on the secret to his Olympic Super G Bronze Medal.
Next, to the daytime quotes.
DAY 10 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE
“We take the top 32, seed them, and then release the hounds.”- NBC’s Todd Harris on Ski Cross
“It was a hockey team that would transcend sports. America’s young fresh-face kids against a machine-like dynasty.”- NBC’s Al Michaels on ‘The Miracle On Ice’
VANCOUVER - February 21, 2010 - Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC and MSNBC. On NBC, live coverage included men’s hockey with NHL star Alexander Ovechkin and Team Russia taking on former NHL star Jaromir Jagr and the Czech Republic. Also, men’s freestyle skiing ski cross made its Olympic debut in daytime, live. Rounding off the daytime coverage was the men’s biathlon 15km mass start gold medal final.
Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the United States’ improbable victory over the Soviet Union in men’s hockey at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games. Today during NBC’s daytime show hosted by Al Michaels, NBC aired a special that looked back on that historic moment, regarded by many as the most memorable in U.S. sports history. Michaels sat down with 1980 Team USA hockey players Mike Eruzione, Mark Johnson and Jim Craig.
NBC’s Dick Button and Tracy Wilson stopped by the studio to preview tonight’s original dance competition, live in primetime.
Coverage highlights include:
NBC
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ‘MIRACLE ON ICE’ SPECIAL
MICHAELS ON TEAM USA: “It was a hockey team that would transcend sports. America’s young fresh-face kids against a machine-like dynasty. A team playing for the gold medal, and as it would turn out, an entire nation that was going through a difficult time and that yearned for a reason to wave the flag again.”
TEAM USA’S MARK JOHNSON ON THE POSSIBILITY OF WINNING GOLD: “I don’t even think you dreamed it. If you had a fantasy prior to coming into Lake Placid, that wasn’t part of it.”
TEAM USA’S MIKE ERUZIONE ON COACH HERB BROOKS: “It was us against him. He would push you beyond your limits, but you always looked to your left or your right and one of your teammates was there to support you, and he wanted that to be the case.”
“I don’t believe we could have won without Herb and I don’t think he could have won without us. It was a perfect marriage of players and coaches.”
JOHNSON ON ERUZIONE’S THIRD PERIOD GOAL: “When Mike scored to make it 4-3, it’s a good thing the roof was bolted down, because it was going up.”
MICHAELS ON WHEN HE KNEW THE USA MIGHT WIN THE GAME: “I thought with about six seconds to play, because, fortunately, the puck comes out to center ice which gives me a second to think about something. Miraculous was the word that came into my mind, because it was miraculous.”
MICHAELS ON BEING A PART OF HISTORY: “Sometimes in life, you get lucky. You’re in the right place at the right time. To get the hockey assignment, and to have you guys do what you did. We all know what went on around it. It was a sliver of the Cold War played out on a sheet of ice in Lake Placid, New York.”
MICHAELS ON TEAM USA GOING TO THE GOLD MEDAL GAME: “The twist in all this was how that ending wasn’t the ending. How the climactic victory against the ultimate team wasn’t the final chapter. After reaching the highest of emotional peaks, there was still one more game.”
ERUZIONE ON THE GOLD MEDAL GAME: “We had a practice the next day, and Herb just skated our butts off. He needed to bring us down, he needed to get all our energy out, get us down to ground zero and build it up the next day to get ready to play Finland. Now we had the opportunity to win the ultimate prize, and we were not going be denied that.”
JOHNSON ON WINNING THE GOLD MEDAL: “It’s like getting up on Christmas day, walking down, and you just opened up all your presents and you got everything you wanted. Its that type of feeling where it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
MICHAELS ON TEAM USA WINNING THE GOLD: “In a time and place with internet, or cell phones, or cable television, as we now know it, 20 young men left the cocoon of those Olympics in an otherwise sleepy little village, and discovered just how much they meant to millions of their countrymen.”
TEAM USA’S JIM CRAIG ON MAKING HISTORY: “To have a legacy with a group of guys that you respect and love and that you’re proud of, that’s a really special thing. We were able to do things that we never thought possible.”
DICK BUTTON AND TRACY WILSON PREVIEWED TONIGHT’S ORIGINAL DANCE COMPETITION
MICHAELS ON ICE DANCING: “Hemlines are the controversy, only in ice dancing.”
BUTTON ON ICE DANCING: “It is the toughest of all events. And that’s because you can’t hide behind a quadruple jump or a highflying sit spin. If you don’t have solid skating skills, you aren’t going to make it in ice dancing.”
WILSON ON TONIGHT’S COMPETITION: “All of these teams are in striking distance of the gold medal.”
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: RUSSIA vs. CZECH REPUBLIC
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play), Eddie Olczyk (Analyst), Pierre McGuire (Reporter)
Russia: 4 Czech Republic: 2
EMRICK ON THE STARS OF TODAY’S GAME: “Gonchar, Datsyuk, Malkin, Ovechkin, my goodness.”
OLCZYK ON RUSSIA’S ALEXANDER OVECHKIN: “You have to start with Alexander Ovechkin, of course, really the leader for this Russian team. Physical play, getting to those traffic areas, creating offensive opportunities. He’s always putting himself in a ready position.”
MCGUIRE ON OVECHKIN: “He’s a wrecking machine. He’s a skilled athlete and he’s an absolute offensive marble. With Alexander Ovechkin, every single time he touches a puck, you come to the edge of your seat. He’s just that special and that good.”
OLCZYK ON CZECH REPUBLIC’S JAROMIR JAGR: “He looks cool. He looks calm. He looks relaxed.”
MCGUIRE ON RUSSIA’S EVGENI MALKIN AND OVECHKIN AS TEAMMATES: “This is going to be a science experiment for the Russian team. Malkin and Ovechkin, they’re not in love with each other. That NHL Pittsburgh, Washington rivalry is tremendous.”
EMRICK ON THE INTENSITY OF THE GAME: “Not a game for the faint of heart.”
OLCZYK ON THE CZECH REPUBLIC: “The difference in the game is, when you look at the score sheet, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, stepped to the forefront and the top offensive guys for the Czech Republic did not get anything done, consistently.
MEN’S BIATHLON 15KM MASS START GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Evgeny Ustyugov, Russia
Silver: Martin Fourcade, France
Bronze: Pavol Hurajt, Slovakia
TRAUTWIG ON THE 15KM MASS START: “It all comes down to the shooting. The late misses have been absolute destroyers of good days.”
TRAUTWIG ON THE FINAL STRETCH OF THE COMPETITION: “They’re barking in Russian. They’re barking in French. They’re barking in all the languages you can imagine right now, up on the hills above the stadium. Right now, Evgeny Ustyugov of Russia has the lead, and there’s no one else in the picture.”
SALMELA ON NORWAY’S OLE EINAR BJOERNDALEN’S 27th PLACE FINISH: “Here is the king of biathlon, not the king today. Norway silenced.”
TRAUTWIG ON PAVOL HURAJT OF SLOVAKIA WINNING A MEDAL: “And it’s Pavol Hurajt, who does what no other Slovakia man has ever done.”
MEN’S FREESTYLE SKIING SKI CROSS COMPETITION
Todd Harris (Play-By-Play), Jonny Moseley (Analyst), Tina Dixon (Reporter)
HARRIS ON SKI CROSS: “It’s part NASCAR, part super-cross, a little part roller derby, four guys at a time coming down the mountain, 18 features, first to the bottom is your winner.”
“We take the top 32, seed them, and then release the hounds.”
MOSELEY ON SKI CROSS: “Imagine four guys side-by-side trying to get into some of these turns where there is arguably only one fast line.”
TEAM USA’S DARON RAHLVES ON SKI CROSS: “It’s like motor-cross on skis. There’s elements of NASCAR, bicycle racing, motor-cross and bull riding, all in one.”
HARRIS ON THE LAST JUMP OF THE COURSE: “That last jump we’ve affectionately named ‘The Beast.’ You hit that at full speed with a medal on the line, you’re going to float about 90 to 100 feet down the hill.”
HARRIS ON SWITZERLAND’S MICHAEL SCHMID: “No surprise, Michael Schmid of Switzerland is your fastest.”
MSNBC
WOMEN’S CURLING: USA VS. CANADA
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Canada: 9 USA: 2 (USA concedes at End 7)
JONES ON USA’S DEBBIE MCCORMICK STRUGGLING DURING MATCH: “It just gets a little depressing when your skip isn’t making shots. You get a little down.”
“I’ve walked a mile in Debbie’s shoes, and I know when you are not able to draw as a skip. It is agony, not just for yourself, but for your whole team.”
CATALON ON CONTROVERSY OF DEBBIE MCCORMICK’S FATHER BEING THE HEAD COACH: “We’re at the Olympics. I don’t think this is fifth grade bitty basketball when the kid’s son plays because the dad’s son is the coach. This is the Winter Olympics.”
CATALON ON CONCEDING IN CURLING: “It is considered curling etiquette to concede if you feel the game is out of reach.”
BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT’S CNBC COVERAGE
CNBC
10 p.m. - 1 a.m.
MEN’S CURLING: CANADA VS. GREAT BRITAIN
Fred Roggin (Host) Andrew Catalon (Play-By-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Canada: 7 Great Britain: 6
JONES ON CANADA, GREAT BRITAIN RIVALRY: “This rivalry for curling fans is like the Red Sox and Yankees, it really is. Curling fans look forward to it so much.”
DUGUID: “These guys are magicians with the curling rock.”
JONES ON CANADIAN FANS: “If you’re not inspired when everyone in the arena stops and sings your national anthem to rally you to victory, that’s got to light a fire.”
CATALON ON THE GAME: “We expected a heavyweight battle, and we have had one.”
ROGGIN ON THE MATCH: “ It certainly lived up to its billing as the match to see.”
Lastly to the primetime quotes which includes the thrilling USA-Canada men’s hockey game which was relegated to MSNBC.
BODE MILLER WINS GOLD; DAVIS & WHITE IN SECOND AFTER TWO ROUNDS OF ICE DANCING; TEAM USA DEFEATS CANADA IN HOCKEY
“A total rewrite of his Torino Olympic nightmare” – NBC’s Tim Ryan on Bode Miller
“This is going to send tremors through all of Canada.” – NBC’s Bob Costas on Canada’s loss to Team USA in hockey
VANCOUVER - Feb. 21, 2010 - Bode Miller won his third medal of these Games, his fifth Olympic medal overall, and his first-ever gold when he won the men’s super combined today, the 10th day of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Miller’s five career medals are the second-most all time among men for alpine skiing.
Canada’s Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir lead the ice dancing competition after completing the original dance portion with Team USA’s Meryl Davis & Charlie White right behind in second place. Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto of the US are fourth with Russia’s Oksana Doinina & Maxim Shabalin in third. Ice dancing concludes with the free dance tomorrow night.
Ski cross made its primetime Olympic debut with Switzerland’s Michael Schmid winning the first-ever gold in the sport. Germany’s Andre Lang won his fourth career gold medal in bobsled when he and his brakeman, Kevin Kuske, won the two man. In women’s 1500m speed skating, Ireen Wust of the Netherlands won gold. On CNBC, Great Britain defeated the US, 4-2, in men’s curling.
On MSNBC, the US men’s ice hockey team defeated host nation Canada, 5-3, on the strength of two goals by Brian Rafalski and 42 saves by goaltender of Ryan Miller. The win was Team USA’s third, earning them the top spot in Group A, and bye in the quarterfinals.
NBC primetime joined the game for its conclusion. Host Bob Costas, daytime host Al Michaels and Olympic correspondent Cris Collinsworth offered postgame commentary. Michaels and Collinsworth were at the arena.
Costas: “This is going to send tremors through all of Canada.”
Michaels on the atmosphere in the arena: “When we walked into the building, it was just electric and it stayed that way until the very end.”
Collinsworth on the importance of this game to Canada: “You could take all the emotion from all the other sports all week and put them in one pile. This is the moment that mattered to them.”
Collinsworth on US goalie Ryan Miller’s 42 saves: “Jim Craig was so awesome back in 1980 but if he were better than Ryan Miller, I’d be surprised.”
Costas interviewed Apolo Ohno, now the most decorated US Winter Olympian ever, in studio.
Ohno on his remaining races: “I’m here because I want to win. I’m here because I love competing. And we have two of the most crazy races left in short track. One is the 500m, which is a pure sprint. The other is the 5000m four-man relay. And there’s going to be five teams in that relay final. I’m excited. It’s going to be fun.”
Ohno on if he’ll return for Sochi in 2014. “I don’t know. I’m taking it one week at a time.”
ALPINE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Tim Ryan
Analysts: Todd Brooker
Reporter: Steve Porino
Brooker on Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindel: “He’s got everything going for him at these Olympics.”
Ryan on Bode Miller: “Capable at any time of medaling.”
Brooker on Miller: “Bode Miller seems to be in the perfect place this year -- mentally, physically, emotionally. He’s talked about being inspired by winning and inspired by those great runs. He’s inspired, more than anything, by the Olympics. That’s something we didn’t hear from him in Torino.”
Ryan on Miller: “If Svindal is a comeback story of a horrible injury -- Bode Miller is a comeback story in terms of results.”
“He’s loving life.”
Brooker on Miller: “He’s one of the most versatile skiers in history.”
Brooker on Ted Ligety: “I don’t think there’s anybody on tour that can build a more wicked edge with his body.”
Brooker on Croatia’s Ivica Kostelic, who would go on to win silver: “Nothing but composure, rhythm and balance. He is right in the sweet spot of his ski.”
Brooker on Miller’s slalom run: “That was absolutely an outrageous run. His best run of the season.”
Ryan on Miller’s success in Vancouver: “A total rewrite of his Torino Olympic nightmare.”
Bode Miller: “I’ll tell you, I was kind of on fumes. I can’t describe to you how much that takes out of me, the first couple races. I felt awesome about it but it’s still mentally and emotionally exhausting to do that after years and years of not really doing it like that.
“I realized this morning that I got up and I thought, ‘I have one leg that’s injured and one leg’s on my boat already.’ I knew I had to dig deep an d get fired up for this race because this is probably my best chance to win. But it takes a huge amount of mental stamina to race to that. You have a full downhill that you know you have to push on. And then you have to rest, get back, recover -- which is extra hard to me because of my physical conditioning, and then come out and run.
“You saw the way the slalom is with Kostelic and all those guys are phenomenal slalom skiers too. I had to get fired up to take maximum risk. I went out of the gate crazy again but was completely cashed at the bottom. That last pitch, my legs started to feel real wobbly, I didn’t feel like I was even looking at the gates anymore.
“When I crossed the line, I did my normal thing where I stood for a second and thought, ‘That was unbelievable.’ I can’t ask for anything more. For my first Olympic gold, it’s absolutely perfect.”
Costas on Miller’s performance in Vancouver: “Could he have written his comeback story any better?”
FIGURE SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Tom Hammond
Analysts: Tracy Wilson
Reporter: Andrea Joyce
Hammond on Russia’s Oksana Domnina and Maksim Shabalin, who wore controversial Aboriginal costumes: “Aside from looking ridiculous, does it affect the judges?”
Wilson: “It does come into play.”
Wilson on Davis & White: “That was the performance they were looking for. They pushed it to the edge. They kept the flow throughout the dance. Sophisticated, intricate choreography. A well-delivered routine for Meryl and Charlie.”
White: “Momentum is on our side, definitely, going into the free dance. That definitely gives us the confidence and now we’re very attune to the crowd out there. We’re ready to go out there and skate a great free.”
Wilson on Canada’s Virtue & Moir: “I said they had to bring it and they brought their best.”
Wilson on Belbin/Agosto: “They certainly did look good and they delivered a strong performance.”
Wilson on the rivalry between Virtue/Moir, Davis/White and Belbin/Agosto: “They just keep jostling for new heights.”
Scott Moir after his skate: “We really do like our chances. We think Meryl & Charlie and us two, we think that’s the new ice dancing system, that’s the way it has to be. We’re very excited, but we’re really just skating for the moment.”
SPEED SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Dan Hicks
Analyst: Dan Jansen
Reporter: Andrea Kremer
Hicks on the Netherlands passion for speed skating: “That’s how the Dutch treat their speed skaters, like royalty.”
Jansen on Dutch skater Ireen Wust: “That has a good shot for a podium, if not gold.”
Jansen on Ireen Wust winning gold: “The shocks just keep coming here. Just surprise after surprise.”
“It’s going to be another big night at the Holland House.”
FREESTYLE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Todd Harris
Analyst: Jonny Moseley
Reporter: Tina Dixon
Harris on the course: “The course is bust-out, rock-solid.”
Collinsworth on Canada’s Chris Del Bosco overcoming his destructive past: “He enters these games as a true medal contender, but perhaps more importantly, as a survivor with a message.”
Collinsworth on Del Bosco: “Chris hopes today is the second day of his life. The best day: September 6, 2006, the day he had his last drink.”
Harris on Del Bosco: “Clean, sober, and oh, so fast on skis.”
“Del Bosco goes too big -- Chris Del Bosco is down on the course.”
Harris on Swiss skier Michael Schmid: “And complete domination by that man, Michael Schmid, from start to finish.”
“He skied with the precision of a Swiss watch.”
“Michael Schmid goes into the Olympic history books as the first ever Olympic champion in ski cross.”
BOBSLED:
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: John Morgan
Reporter: Lewis Johnson
Morgan: “The Russians are powering themselves to a medal.”
Morgan on Germany’s Andre Lange, who won gold: “This is a legend in the making.”
MSNBC, Men’s Ice Hockey:
USA 5 vs. Canada 3
Bill Patrick (Host), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-By-Play), Ed Olczyk (Analyst), Joe Micheletti (Reporter)
Olczyk: “What a day this has been. We are lucky because this rink, this day in my mind sees more hockey talent than any tournament than I can ever remember.”
“It’s great to be a part, to be able to bring the greatest game in the world to all of our great fans. I think the city of Vancouver has done a wonderful job hosting these games.”
Olczyk on USA’s Ryan Miller: “Two things have really stuck out in this game with Ryan Miller. His aggressive goaltending when the time presents itself, coming out, cutting down the angles, trusting his defenseman and his forward to help clear out a lot of the rebounds. And second is his handling of the puck. There’s been about four or five times when he’s handled the puck, and he’s moved it right out of harms way and allowed his defenseman to make the right play. Lots of composure.”
Olczyk on Miller: “Sensational goaltending.”
Milbury on Team USA: “Everyone that’s grown up in USA hockey knows that the Olympics is the be all, end all. And in this venue in Vancouver, on this go round, it is going to be their time to shine.”
Roenick on Canada wanting gold: “Here on home soil in Canada that is all they think about from coast to coast. This is everything to them.”
Roenick on Canada’s energy: “They’re intense. The butterflies are going like crazy.”
Olczyk: “Boy, this has been tremendously, tremendous. This has been an outstanding hockey game between Canada and the U.S.”
Emrick: “What a day for hockey this has been in Vancouver.”
Olczyk: “An unbelievable effort by Team USA.”
Olczyk on Canada’s pressure to win gold: “That elephant got a little heavier on the shoulders of Canada.”
USA’s Ryan Miller on beating Canada: “It is Canada and U.S. We are happy to get the win, and we’re happy to get the extra day to rest up because that was a hard game. We are really happy about our progress so far. The biggest thing is to keep building and to learn from this game and look forward to our next test.”
Roenick on “Miracle on Ice” 30th anniversary: “I was 10 years old when ’80 happened and no question that win alone made me want to be an Olympic hockey player. When Al Michaels said at the end of that game, ‘Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in miracles?’ It made me believe and it pushed me to get into the NHL and to be an Olympian.”
Patrick on Canada’s Sidney Crosby: “Crosby, of course, the face of Canadian hockey these days. The 22-year-old star from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, Penguins captain, he led that team to the Stanley Cup last season and now the pressure is on to deliver a gold medal for his country.”
Milbury on Crosby: “I think he is now almost immune to the kind of pressure that we are feeling here. This is a big stage, he wants to be here, and he’s dreamed about being here for this particular event. I don’t think Sidney Crosby is feeling butterflies at all. I think he is just scheming on how he is going to beat the Americans.”
Roenick on Crosby: “There is no Canadian player that’s had more hype or more marketability since Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux than Sidney Crosby. This kid can do it all.”
Roenick on USA’s Brian Kesler: “He’s a big, bad body with a lot of speed. This kid can fly. You add his grit and tenacity that makes one tough guy to play against, and he’s going to be a force tonight against Sidney Crosby.”
Roenick on USA’s Zach Parise: “This kid’s got serious, serious skill. Serious speed.”
Canada’s Rick Nash on the game: “Tonight, against a skilled American team, we knew we had to play more physical.”
CNBC, Men’s Curling:
Great Britain 4 vs. USA 2
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-By-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
USA’s Jason Smith on changing their lineup: “I think if anything it’s made us all closer.”
Great Britain’s David Murdoch on moving ahead: “We are fighting back now and that’s the important thing. We’ve still got a good chance.”
Catalon on Great Britain’s David Murdoch: “Considered by many to be the most famous non-Canadian Curler in the World.”
Catalon on Team USA: “Well, whatever l
ineup they put out there, the U.S. is in desperate need of a win. Time is running short.”
Catalon: “Hard fought game, and the Americans come up short. They are now 2-5.”
And that’s it for this post.
