Day 17 of the Vancouver Olympics: Closing Ceremony and a Phenomenal Finish!

28 Feb 2010, Sun.
*Updated 1 Mar 2010, 5:00 am.

Let's just get right down to it! How about that hockey game!?! Absolutely Amazing! It was the most exciting and fantastic hockey game I've ever seen! What a thrilling and unbelievable way to close out the games!

It was an action packed match! The US and Canada fought hard! And it was Canada who scored first, 0-1! Then they made it 0-2! But the US fought back and scored 1-2! The Canadian crowd were cheering because the gold was within their grasp! And in the last few seconds of the last period of the game, the US managed to score one more goal to take the game into overtime! 2-2! The crowd is stunned! And when the overtime started, it was anyone's game with both teams fighting hard to control that hockey puck! But Canada managed to score one more goal, winning the game and the gold medal!

It's a fantastic and phenomenal win for the host nation, the home of hockey! This was the gold medal that meant to the most! And they fought long and hard to take it!



The Vancouver Olympics may not have started well for Canada, but Canada built up momentum and they finished gloriously! Congratulations to Canada! And congratulations to the US for a spectacular performance! That was the best game I've ever seen!

And over in the men's 50km cross country ski race, Norway's Petter Northug wins gold right in a photo finish! He sprinted right ahead at the finish line to take the lead! Germany's Axel Teichmann takes silver. And Sweden's Johan Olsson wins the bronze.

I'll be back later to update after the Closing Ceremonies!

*Okay I'm back.

A wonderful Closing Ceremony!

That was a great skit making fun of the post that didn't rise during the Opening Ceremony. I liked how they went ahead and raised it and lit it up in front of a cheering crowd!



And I luved watching the athletes mingle together when they came back into the stadium for the Closing Ceremony.





They broke out the big stars for this one: Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Michael Buble, and Nickelback rocked! They brought out Catherine O'Hara and Michael J Fox.















Oh my gawd! It's Capt Kirk!
Princeline Negotiator!
William Shatner was funny! I only wish he sang a spoken word song!


I'm a Rocketman!

I usually don't mind one opera singer, but three is one too many! What was up with the Russian presentation for the Sochi Olympics?

Good gawd! Is Godzilla attacking the city!?! Because the Russians brought out Mothra!



And what's up with the ballet dancers? Dude! Where are your pants!


It's the winter Olympics! Way too cold to be running around in your undies! You might get frostbite on the tender extremities!











I luv the balloons, the dancers, and the all icons that make up the Canadian identity! The Mounties, the hockey players, the moose,



and their love of the beaver!



Fantastic performance Canada! The Maple Leaf Forever, indeed!
















The Vancouver Olympics did not get off to a very good start. The weather was uncooperative, with not enough snow for some of the events. Then hours before the Opening Ceremony, there was the tragic death of the young Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. It's a terrible loss of a young life, and it would forever put a sad shadow over the Vancouver Olympics. I feel for his family and his friends. Then there was the technical malfunction of the fourth post failing to rise with the Olympic cauldron for lighting. But it seemed appropriate somehow--that fallen post was a reminder of the young fallen athlete from Georgia.

But even with all these challenges and hardships, the games went on, because they needed to go on. The Olympics are more than just games and sports. They represent humanity's best hopes and our wishes, our courage to go on when life becomes harsh and painful. And there was drama and joy and heartache every single day! We watched incredible athletes perform amazing feats! We rejoiced in their achievements. We shared their pain when they lost a game or worse, lost a loved one. And we cheered for those amazing athletes who went on to perform their best under the most tragic and challenging times. We admire their courage and we applaud their strength. They remind us that it's not whether we win or lose but that we finish the race. It's a lot like life. It doesn't matter that we fall; what's important is that we get back up and keep on going.

Thank you Canada for being a wonderful host! The Vancouver Olympics were outstanding!



It has been my great joy to be able to watch and share my views on the Vancouver Olympics. And I'd like to thank all of you readers for your comments and support. I've had a lot of fun watching the games; and I hope I've shared some of that fun with you.

It's kind of sad that the Vancouver Olympics actually over. Of course, now I can get enough sleep and resume having a social life. But I look forward to Sochi, Russia 2014!!! And the London Summer Olympics 2012!!! Here we come!!!