We have quotage from the networks of NBC Universal for Day 7 or Thursday as it should be known. I tried to post this early this morning, but after staying up late for four days straight, I just couldn’t make it. So I’m posting this now and let’s do this now.
First, from Universal Sports and its studio coverage yesterday.
UNIVERSAL SPORTS AT THE VANCOUVER GAMES:NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES FOR FEBRUARY 18, 2010February 18, 2010 — On the seventh 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:· Team USA won six medals on the sixth day (Wed. Feb. 17) of the Olympics, including three gold medals (Shani Davis, Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White), setting an American single-day record at any Olympic Winter Games. At the 1988 Calgary Winter Games, the United States won six medals overall.· UniversalSports.com has seen a three-fold increase in web traffic since the start of the Vancouver Olympic Games.Picabo Street, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 Olympian and Alpine skiing analyst (on the women’s downhill race): “It was a pretty big day, lots of build-up for all of us. For (Vonn) to have skied as well as she did, risk as much as she did on a course like that and with all the uncertainty, put it on the line – that’s what the Olympics are all about.”Street (on Julie Mancuso’s silver medal-winning run): “She’s a big gamer and she believes in herself. She liked her odds. Conditions were iffy; no one had really tested the course. She’s a gold medalist coming into these Games, and she came in under the radar, but even she was surprised by her results.”Street (on the women’s downhill overall): “With the crashes and mistakes, one of the most difficult parts for me was watching some of the best racers out there tiptoe down the course.”Kenan Harkin, Snowboarding analyst (on Shaun White’s continued success in snowboarding): “He’s got X Games fans, and now mainstream America. Every win matters; it’s about staying on top…I love Shaun, the way he puts it on the line every time.”Jeremy Bloom, 2002 and 2006 Olympian, two-time Freestyle World Cup champion and Freestyle analyst: (on the origins of ski cross): “It’s ‘Hey, let’s go skiing and I’ll race you to the bottom.’ It’s incredibly dangerous and I’m excited to see it in the Olympics for the first time.”Bloom (on the differences between ski cross and short track speed skating): “Ice is always the same. Snow is always different, and with the additional three other people on the course, you have to be careful.”Callan Chythlook-Sifsof, the first Yupik Eskimo to become an Olympian: “You can only get to my hometown by a boat or airplane; it’s a different way of life. I’m so proud to represent my people and my culture.”Chythlook-Sifsof (on her participation in women’s snowboard cross and her competition on Feb. 16): “The first time I was on a chairlift was when I was 12. I’ve never been to an event with so many people. It was amazing to hear the roar of the crowd. Having (your) family there, it makes you do even better when you know they’re watching. I can’t wait to have redemption in Russia (at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi).”Andrea Webber, mother of women’s Alpine downhill Silver Medalist Julia Mancuso (on raising a champion): “You raise them and give them a lot of love and support. It’s a ton of work, but worth it at the end of the day.”MEET THE OLYMPIC PRESS:Alan Abrahamson, NBC Olympics and Universal Sports reporter (on the women’s downhill): “I predicted (Lindsey) Vonn to be No. 1 and Julia (Mancuso) to be No. 2 and everyone thought I was crazy.”Abrahamson (on Shaun White constantly pushing the sport forward): “What he won with in 2006 wouldn’t even make the finals here. When you watch Shaun White, you see a sport progressing.”Abrahamson (on the halfpipe): “It’s the best event at the Olympics, winter or summer.”Jimmy Roberts, NBC Sports reporter and host of “Meet the Olympic Press”(on Eric Heiden’s five speed skating gold medals at the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid) “I think what Heiden did is the single greatest athletic accomplishment of all time.”On athletes and pressure:Picabo Street: “Lindsey (Vonn) has more pressure on herself more than anyone has for her. She has ownership of the pressure and that makes it a whole lot easier. You can embrace the pressure, or you can let it crush you.”Amy Shipley, Washington Post reporter: “They come in with such arrogance from their past success and their personalities and a ‘no one can touch me’ attitude. Another element we see all the time is when ‘everyone’ counted (the athlete) out (and they perform well). Athletes tend to use the ‘world is against me’ (excuse) and create this defiance that helps them withstand pressure.”Roberts: “Arrogance is necessary, but it may not be socially acceptable.”On who will respond well to the pressure at these Games:Shipley: “Rachael Flatt (2010 U.S. National Figure Skating Champion) is so tough. In women’s figure skating, we haven’t seen a bullet-proof woman in a long time.”Vicki Michaelis, USA Today reporter: “(Apolo) Ohno is so confident with his physical fitness. Maybe the calmest Olympian I’ve ever seen, and under this enormous amount of pressure.”Roberts: “The hardest thing to do as an athlete is win when you’re expected to win. Lose, and there’s no place to hide.”VANCOUVER REVIEW/PREVIEW:Tom Steitz, former U.S. Nordic Combined Team Coach (on the best conditioned athletes in the sports world)? “What most people fail to realize is that Nordic athletes are the best aerobically conditioned athletes on the planet. The science is out there. Genetically pre-disposed to VO2 max, but it takes years and years of training, there’s no way to shorten the process. Very crafted and scientific training plan, and an incredible time (commitment).”Steitz (on who to watch in the men’s 20km biathlon event): “(American) Tim Burke. He’s the overall biathlon World Cup leader. He has a great opportunity in this event. We would love it if it happens (an American winning a medal in biathlon for the first time ever).”Steitz (on the low number of medals for Team Norway in Nordic and Biathlon): “It’s such a strong sport in that country. The Norwegian press is outraged on the team’s performance here. A lot of coaches are going have a job when they get on the plane to leave Vancouver, but they won’t have one when that plane lands in Oslo.”Figure Skating Review/Preview:On Plushenko’s upcoming performance in the Men’
s Free Skate:Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic Figure Skating Silver Medalist: “It seems like he’s in control – large and in charge. He has good control over his position. Stamina and keeping the judges’ attention are the keys to the long program.”Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist and Figure Skating Analyst: “I see so much more potential in his skating. He’s giving up on the other side (artistry) and putting all his eggs in one basket.”Wylie: “I think everyone in the arena will be so surprised if he doesn’t (do the quad jump). Yesterday in his training, he did TWO quad jumps. He skates last, so he can decide if he needs it.”Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic Pairs Silver Medalist and Figure Skating analyst: “It’s becoming the big issue: is he going to do it?”Wylie: “The quad-triple is like the Double McTwist 1260.”Terry Gannon, host of the Figure Skating Review/Preivew: “I think Plushenko owns the building until someone takes it away from him.”On Lysacek’s upcoming performance in the Men’s Free Skate:Carruthers: “Evan is the best-conditioned athlete. He’s running through his whole program six days a week.”Wylie: “He’s not going to choke, he wants a great Olympic memory.”Yamaguchi: “(The short program) was a hurdle to get through. It was a huge weight off his shoulders and now can give him confidence in the long. He let go so much emotionally after the short, he just needs to prepare again.”On Johnny Weir’s upcoming performance in the Men’s Free Skate:Yamaguchi: “’Take notice of me, on and off the ice.’ He fought to get on the U.S. Team and he’s going to go out there and do what he can to win.”On Jeremy Abbott’s upcoming performance in the Men’s Free Skate:Wylie: “He’s working to get the memory (of his disappointing performance in the short program) out of his head for the free skate. He feels like he let everyone down. He’s going to go for the quad tonight. He’s been rushing and not quite present. You can’t fake experience.”On the Japanese skaters’ upcoming performance in the Men’s Free Skate:Wylie (on Nobunari Oda, currently in fourth place): “He’s a bit of a junior skater compared to the top three. Not quite the polish of (Daisuke) Takahashi. Oda’s triple Axel is much improved though. He’s a dark horse.”Wylie (on Plushenko’s style versus Lysacek’s style): “We’re fighting for the future of figure skating. Athletics and artistry together.”Vera Wang, American fashion designer and former competitive figure skater (on how she got into designing outfits for figure skaters): “It started with Nancy Kerrigan. (Her coach) Mary Scotvold wanted me to dress (Kerrigan) for the Olympics. (Scotvold) kept pushing me, and I thought ‘I’ll give this a shot.’ I didn’t know what I was getting into.”Wang (on Michelle Kwan’s competition attire): “She was very specific about what she would wear. I try to factor in each skater’s needs.”Wang (on designing for Evan Lysacek): “I’m always worried about the function of the outfit. He has a choice of three (outfits) to wear tonight. I think he’ll go with what he feels is most comfortable, and I don’t know what that is.”Tamara Moskvina, coach for Russian pairs Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov (on her proudest moment): “When I see the skaters who had so many difficulties in life and preparation…When I see them get a standing ovation or when they skate perfect. When everything comes together, that is the best.”Moskvina (on her relationships with her former pupils): “I never expect that they will be grateful to me, but they always are.”Moskvina: “If you tell people your secrets, they don’t believe those are your secrets because you would never tell people those.”Predictions for tonight: Peter Carruthers and Terry Gannon agree that Yevgeny Plushenko will win the men’s free skate, but Yamaguchi says Evan Lysacek will be the champion.WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK – FRIDAY, FEB. 19, 2010:
Vancouver Review/Preview: Olympic Ice Hockey Gold Medalists Cammi Granato and AJ MleczkoFUN QUOTES AND FACTS OF THE DAY:Harkin (on Shaun White’s Double McTwist 1260): “So progressive. He gets it in the last possible second. Any later, he would have landed on his face.” (Double McTwist 1260 involves flipping over both axes: 3 1/2 twists while flipping head-over-heels twice).Terry Gannon (on the size of Austria’s Andreas Matt, men’s skier cross athlete, who is 6’4” and 220 lbs):“I don’t want to go down the mountain with a linebacker trying to push me out of the way.”Andrea Webber, on watching her daughter Julia Mancuso’s silver medal-winning run: “I thought I was going to throw up. I was really nervous.”
Here are highlights from Thursday’s daytime coverage.
DAY 7 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE“The planets have to line up. They have to bring in their religious advisor. This guy is truly special what he can do athletically.” – NBC’s Scott Hamilton on beating Russia’s Yevgeny Plushenko
VANCOUVER - February 18, 2010 - Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC and USA Network. On NBC, coverage included women’s snowboard halfpipe competition,live and the women’s biathlon 15km individual gold medal final. On USA Network, live coverage included the men’s hockey game between Team USA and Norway and the men’s curling match between Team USA and Denmark.
Team USA’s Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter and Gretchen Bleiler all advanced directly to the gold medal final round of the women’s halfpipe snowboarding competition, which will air tonight live in primetime.
NBC’s Scott Hamilton stopped by the studio to preview tonight’s much anticipated men’s figure skating gold medal final. NBC’s Jimmy Roberts looked back at the three amazing gold medals won by USA’s Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White and Shani Davis from yesterday.
Coverage highlights include:
NBC
SCOTT HAMILTON’S PREVIEW OF THURSDAY’S MEN’S FIGURE SKATING GOLD MEDAL FINAL:
HAMILTON ON RUSSIA’S YEVGENY PLUSHENKO: “This combination is quad toe, triple toe, triple loop. That is ridiculous. No one in the competition can do that.”
HAMILTON ON THE FIELD AGAINST PLUSHENKO: “The planets have to line up. They have to bring in their religious advisor. This guy is truly special what he can do athletically. He’s awesome.”
HAMILTON ON USA’S EVAN LYSACEK: “Evan is a machine. He does all these jumps so easily and he’s very well trained. He’ll get through the program easily.”
HAMILTON ON JAPAN’S DAISUKE TAKAHASHI: “If they all skated back-to-back-to-back, clean, clean, clean, Daisuke is probably the most talented skater of the three, but he hasn’t really ever put a competition together- short program, clean, long program, clean.”
JIMMY ROBERTS ESSAY ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S COMPETITION:
“In sports, maybe the hardest thing of all to do is win when you’re supposed to. On a treacherous course, which tossed around some like rag dolls, barely allowed others out of the gate, even chewed up and spit out the world’s best. Lindsey Vonn endured the leg pain that she said was killing her, and the expectation that very well could have crushed her. With the medal everyone just assumed she’d win.
History is littered with locks, who couldn’t quite find the key. It’s not like there’s anywhere to hide. Just ask the 1980 Russian Olympic hockey team. Going into last night, Shani Davis hadn’t lost a World Cup race in the 1000 meters in more than a year. Since November of 2005, he’s held the world record for all but 16 months. Yet he had to throw himself with abandon down the backstretch last night to become the first man ever to win back-to-back Olympic gold at the distance.
But the biggest favorite, the surest and hottest shot of them all, was the star who launched himself into orbit last night over Cypress. Shaun White didn’t even need a second run. Instead he turned it into a victory lap and provided a reminder. While pressure can destroy a man, it also turns a lump of coal into a diamond. For some, an opportunity into gold.”
WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD HALFPIPE COMPETITION
PARNELL ON USA’S GRETCHEN BLEILER: “A favorite to medal here today, one of the most accomplished female riders in the world. Bleiler has personality, looks, and swagger to match.”
PARNELL ON USA’S HANNAH TETER: “A snowboarding philanthropist with a heart.”
BLEILER ON HER RUNS: “I feel calm. I want to get my run and I want it to be the best I’ve ever done it, so I’m excited to get that tonight.”
WOMEN’S BIATHLON INDIVIDUAL 15KM GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Tora Berger, Norway
Silver: Elena Khrustaleva, Kazakhstan
Bronze: Darya Domracheva, Belarus
MICHAELS ON NORWAY’S GOLD MEDAL IN CROSS-COUNTRY: “Norway’s Nordic Red Army is no longer in retreat.”
TRAUTWIG ON GOLD MEDAL WINNER TORA BERGER OF NORWAY: “Tora Berger is kicking it today.”
“They’ve never won it in the sport and she’s trying to crank it as she comes into the stadium.”
SALMELA ON BERGER: “She’s the fastest skier on the course right now, and the best shooter through three stages.”
TRAUTWIG ON THE NORWAY WIN: “The Germans and Russians did not see that one coming.”
USA NETWORK
MEN’S ICE HOCKEY: USA vs. NORWAY
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick and Mike Milbury (Studio Analysts), Mike Emrick (Play-by-play), Ed Olczyk (Analyst), Pierre McGuire (Reporter)
USA: 6 Norway: 1
OLCZYK ON TEAM USA'S DAVID BACKES: “David Backes has that ability to be able to go around you or even doesn’t mind going right through you and running you into the third or fourth row.”
OLCZYK ON TEAM USA'S DUSTIN BROWN:“You know what’s amazing? If you were to ask Dean Lombardi when people call the L.A. Kings, who’s the one player he always gets asked about in terms of trading? Everybody wants Dustin Brown. He never takes a short cut. When he arrives, he arrives, in ill humor, and he’s a very intelligent kid and a fantastic teammate and leader.”
TEAM USA'S JACK JOHNSON ON WALKING IN TO THE OPENING CEREMONY: “Just before we came out of the tunnel you could hear the roar of the crowd and see the lights and how spectacular the whole thing was; that’s when it really set in, that this is really as big as it gets. It was worth every minute it took to get there and probably the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life. It was a real honor and a privilege to walk alongside the other athletes from my country. I got to share it with my family too which is really important and got the full Olympic experience.”
MEN’S CURLING: USA vs. DENMARK
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Denmark: 7 USA: 6
CATALON ON TEAM USA’S JOHN BENTON: “Even while they’re working, Benton says he throws 40 rocks a day on his lunch break. Now that’s dedication.”
TEAM USA’S JOHN SHUSTER: “I’ve always been somebody who has thrived on pressure, and I’ve loved pressure and having that feeling of a little bit of control. So you have to want that last shot and its something that, since 2007, I’ve developed a want for. It’s almost like an addiction I guess.”
DUGUID ON TEAM USA’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIR TEAMMATE JOHN SHUSTER:
“They’re pulling for him more than the population of the United States. The teammates are really pulling for him to come out big because he deserves it.”
BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST NIGHT’S CNBC COVERAGE
CNBC
5:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m.
MEN’S HOCKEY: CZECH REPUBLIC vs. SLOVAKIA
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick (Analyst), Mike Milbury (Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-by-play), Joe Micheletti (Analyst)
Czech Republic: 3 Slovakia: 1
ROENICK ON THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA: “We knew that these teams do not like each other. There’s no love lost, and they are going after each other. This is by far the most intense game that we’ve seen so far this Olympics.”
MICHELETTI ON CZECH REPUBLIC’S TOMAS VOKOUN: “The goaltending of that man right there, Tomas Vokoun, has been stellar this game.”
WOMEN’S CURLING: GREAT BRITAIN vs. SWEDEN
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Sweden: 6 Great Britain: 4
JONES ON TEAM SWEDEN: “I’ve always been impressed with this team, their chemistry and communication on the ice. They know each other so very well.”
DUGUID ON SWEDEN’S ANETTE NORBERG: “She knows exactly what she’s doing all the time.”
JONES ON GREAT BRITAIN’S EVE MUIRHEAD: “She is a hot-shot curler. She makes all her shots, and she’s afraid of nothing.”
“She is the future of the sport for them.”
To last night’s primetime coverage quotage.
LYSACEK OUTDUELS PLUSHENKO FOR GOLD“The best trained athlete in the competition won the Olympic gold medal.” – NBC’s Scott Hamilton
“She’s just skiing like a possessed person.” – NBC’s Christin Cooper on Julia Mancuso
VANCOUVER - Feb. 18, 2010 -Evan Lysacek of the US won the gold medal in men’s figure skating by outdueling defending Olympic champion Yevgeny Plushenko of Russia on the seventh night of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Lysacek, who began the night in second place behind Plushenko, is the first member of Team USA to win gold in the event since Brian Boitano in 1988.
In women’s snowboard halfpipe, Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark of Team USA took silver and bronze, respectively. Also medaling for the US was alpine skier Julia Mancuso, who earned silver in the women’s super combined. It was her second medal in consecutive days after earning silver in the women’s downhill on Wednesday.
The US leads the medal count with 18 (six gold, five silver and seven bronze). Germany is second with 11.
On cable, Team Canada needed a shootout, including a goal by Sidney Crosby and a save by Martin Brodeur, to defeat Switzerland, 3-2, on CNBC. The network also hosted women’s curling with Denmark defeating the US, 7-6. On MSNBC, Team USA defeated Finland, 6-0, in women’s hockey.
Primetime host Bob Costas interviewed men’s snowboard halfpipe gold medalist Shaun White in studio.
Costas: “There’s a school of thought that says one of the hardest things to do in sports is to win when you’re supposed to.”
White: “You hit it on the head there. It’s definitely hard to rise and deliver what’s expected and that’s been my greatest accomplishment.”
White on his strategy: “I was definitely sitting there looking at the rest of the competition and I was deciding what I wanted to do because, looking around, there’s maybe five guys in the whole world who can do the back-to-back double cork trick there, and I’m obviously one of them. So there were four other guys that I had to worry about and they weren’t really delivering what I was doing. So I just found that why not get this good run in, post a big score and put the pressure on everybody else.”
White on winning: “It’s like everything you’ve been holding inside from the top and everything that’s going on and it finally just bursts out.”
Costas on White’s final trick: “You were quoted as saying it was both the ‘savvy and the saucy’ thing to do.”
White: “You always get my good quotes.”
FIGURE SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Tom Hammond
Analysts: Scott Hamilton and Sandra Bezic
Reporter: Andrea Joyce
Evan Lysacek before the free skate: “Olympic gold is only awarded to one athlete every four years. I’m going to be on that podium and I’m going to do whatever it takes.”
Hamilton on Plushenko: “He’s afraid of nothing.”
Hamilton on Lysacek: “Technically he did everything he came to do.”
Hammond on Lysacek: “Lysacek with the skate of his life.”
Hammond on Japan’s Oda Nobunari after he had to stop mid-skate to fix his skate: “Well, at the Olympics you have to be ready for anything.”
Hamilton on Jonny Weir: “And that is the best he’s ever been.”
Hammond on Weir: “He skated his life out here in Vancouver.”
Hamilton on Plushenko: “This guy’s a cat - I don’t know how he landed that one.”
Bezic on Plushenko: “The program was nowhere near the level of Evan’s.”
Hamilton on Plushenko: “Whatever the result, this guy is special.”
Hammond: “Lysacek wins gold.”
Hamilton: “The best trained athlete in the competition won the Olympic gold medal. - He deserved it. He earned it.”
Hammond: “When you can perform like that in the Olympic moment, that says something.”
Hamilton: “To win an Olympic gold medal, that’s extraordinary. To win an Olympic gold medal against someone like Yevgeny Plushenko, who is awesome, that’s like another gold medal.”
SNOWBOARDING:
Play-by-Play: Pat Parnell
Analyst: Todd Richards
Richards: “If you don’t go big tonight, you are going to go home, it’s as simple as that.”
Parnell on Clark: “Here’s a rider that never plays it safe. Always puts everything out there.”
Parnell on Australia’s Torah Bright: “Revered as the most progressive female snowboarder in the business.”
Richards on Bright: “She knows she has to throw down the best run of her life right now.”
Parnell on Bleiler falling: “And with that, any hopes for a medal are dashed.”
Richards on if Bright should play it safe on her second run: “This is the Olympics, you’re not shootin’ for silver. You’re shootin’ for gold here.”
Costas on Bright: “The woman from down under goes up and over the competition.”
ALPINE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Tim Ryan
Analysts: Christin Cooper
Cooper on Mancuso: “She’s just skiing like a possessed person now.”
Ryan on Vonn: “She dotted the ‘I’ in alpine with a gold medal performance yesterday.”
Cooper on Vonn: “Lindsey Vonn’s strength and power and ability to overcome her pain is just exemplary.”
Cooper on Riesch during her downhill portion: “She just really wants to show the world that she’s one of the best here and that Lindsey Vonn isn’t unbeatable.”
Ryan on Sweden’s Anja Paerson, who crashed in the downhill Wednesday: “Is she going to take the day off today? No. She’s back. What a champion.”
Ryan: “Julia Mancuso, the surprise of the skiing events here so far.”
Cooper on Riesch: “She’s just snaky and smooth with her lower body.”
Ryan on Vonn falling: “She hooked the tip and she is out of the race, sliding down the hill on one ski.”
Mancuso on her silver medal: “It’s so far so good. It’s awesome. Just crossing the finish line, especially after that mistake, I looked up and saw that I was in first, I couldn’t believe it. It was just amazing.”
Vonn: “I’m disappointed, but I went down fighting. I knew that Maria and Julia had good runs so I had to give it everything I had. In slalom, anything goes and I just hooked the tip. - I would’ve liked to be standing on the podium today but there’s still a Super G left so I’ll rest up and be ready for that.”
CNBC, Men’s Hockey:
Canada 3 vs. Switzerland 2, OT
Bill Patrick (Host), Jeremy Roenick and Mike Milbury (Studio Analysts), Mike Emrick (Play-By-Play), Ed Olczyk (Analyst), Joe Micheletti (Reporter)
Milbury on the game: “This was a classic game. You’ve been there, I’ve been there when you are trying to slay the dragon. Everything has to go just right. In the end, reality showed up in the form of Sidney Crosby.”
Roenick on Switzerland: “You cannot underestimate Switzerland. They are going to keep coming at you and coming at you. They are relentless, and they showed that tonight.”
Emrick: “Haven’t seen many like this. Sidney Crosby wins it in a shoot out.”
Patrick on Canada’s goaltending: “There is no doubt that Team Canada has a good goaltending situation.”
CNBC, Women’s Curling:
Denmark 7 vs. USA 6
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Duguid on Team USA’s competition: “No victories are coming easy, I’ll tell you that. They are having to scratch and claw to just win a game. It is very difficult for them and it is credited to the quality of this field. Great shot makers here.”
Duguid on curling: “Mechanics are such an important part of making curling shots. If you have good mechanics it’s just a question of getting a feel for the ice, how much the ice curls and then just trust your mechanics.
Catalon on popularity of curling growing in the U.S.: “The amount of curlers in the U.S. has increased by 27 percent since the 2002 Olympics.”
MSNBC, Women’s Ice Hockey:
USA 6 vs. Finland 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-By-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst)
Mleczko on women’s hockey: “Over the years, women’s hockey has grown. The players have gotten stronger and they’ve gotten faster. Here you see how much more skilled they are.”
Mleczko on USA’s Jessie Vetter: “She is one of those goaltenders that her teammates love to play in front of and part of it is because of how she stops the puck. A lot of it is how her demeanor is; she’s very calm and very relaxed, she smiles.”
And one bonus press release from NBC which looks at the traffic to NBCOlympics.com.
NBCOLYMPICS.COM ON MSN LEADS ALL COMPETITORS THROUGH FIRST WEEKEND OF VANCOUVER GAMESMore Than 177 Million Page Views is 5 Times That of Yahoo, The Nearest Competitor
VANCOUVER - February 18, 2010 - Through the first weekend, “NBCOlympics.com on MSN” has generated more than 177.4 million page views, five times and 414 percent more than Yahoo’s Olympic site (34.5 million page views). And, visitors to NBCOlympics.com spend more time on the site and view more pages than visitors to Yahoo’s Olympics site.
On average, visitors to NBCOlympics.com spend 8.2 minutes per visit, 64 percent more than the five minutes on average for Yahoo users, and visitors to NBC’s Olympics website average 27.5 pages per visit, more than seven times Yahoo’s 3.8 average pages per visitor.
Additional digital highlights include:
- The 177.4 million page views for NBCOlympics.com for the week ending Feb. 14, 2010 is 126 million more page views (up 244 percent) for the comparable time for the 2006 Winter Games (Feb. 6 – Feb. 12, 2006).
- There have been 6.5 million unique visitors to NBCOlympics.com from Feb. 6 – Feb. 12, 2010 (only including three days of the actual Olympics), according to data released today by ComScore. That places NBC’s Olympics website second behind Yahoo’s Olympic section (9.2 million unique visitors) and well ahead of the third place Olympic site of AOL (1.2 million).
- Since the beginning of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games on Friday, Feb 12, NBCOlympics.com has seen 13.7 million video streams serving nearly 800,000 hours of video, nearly 11 million more (up 372 percent) from the first six days of the 2006 Winter Games.
*NOTE: Data released by ComScore today includes only three days of the Vancouver Olympics as well as four days of non-Olympics activity. NBCOlympics.com is an Olympics specific website.
That’s it.
