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Canada crushes Germany
By Steve Keating
February 23, 2010
VANCOUVER, BC — Canada stormed into the Olympic men’s ice hockey quarter-finals with a morale-boosting 8-2 rout of Germany on Tuesday before setting their sights on their greatest rivals.
“We want Russia. We want Russia,” roared the capacity crowd at Canada Hockey Place as the home team flexed its muscles with the kind of hard-hitting attacking display the hockey-mad nation had been waiting for.
Canadians will not have to wait long for the game they demanded, with their team set to return to the ice on Wednesday for a heart-pumping quarter-final clash against Russia which will see one of hockey’s two superpowers and gold medal favourites make an early exit.
The bold bravado of hooting flag-waving supporters was in stark contrast to the angst-ridden days leading up to the sudden-death qualification game against Germany which was forced on Canada by their upset loss to the United States.
But the rout convinced Canadians they need not fear the mighty Russians as the mood quickly swung from one of gut-wrenching anxiety to “Bring it on”.
While the world’s two top-ranked nations will not be battling for the last gold of the Games on Feb. 28, the stakes could not be higher with the game sure to add another chapter to hockey’s richest international rivalry.
GREATER PRESSURE
No athletes are under greater pressure to deliver gold in Vancouver than the 23 men wearing the Maple Leaf on their sweaters.
Russia also arrived at the Games with expectations of returning home with the country’s first hockey gold since the breakup of the former-Soviet Union when the Big Red Machine ruled the Olympic ice.
“It’s going to be a challenge and we all know the rivalry and how intense it is,” Sidney Crosby, Team Canada’s offensive lynchpin, told reporters. “It’s going to be a great test and we’re all looking forward to it.
“We knew at some point we were going to play them and the fact it is in the quarter-finals really doesn’t change anything.
“We’re going to have to beat some great teams to get to where we want to go.”
Canada also had to beat Germany, one of the weakest teams in the competition.
Facing elimination, Canada played with energy and urgency, storming into the German zone and blasting away at netminder Thomas Greiss right from the opening faceoff.
But the Germans grimly weathered the storm, holding Canada to a 1-0 first-period lead on a goal from Joe Thornton.
With the crowd growing anxious, Shea Weber calmed nerves by blasting a slapshot into the German net to start the second period before Jarome Iginla potted a pair to get the party started.
Sidney Crosby, Mike Richards, Scott Niedermayer and Rick Nash added third-period tallies to complete the rout before Germany claimed a late consolation from Manuel Klinge.
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Lee wins gold; Kramer DQed for not switching lanes
By Paul Newberry
February 23, 2010
RICHMOND, BC — Lee Seung-hoon of South Korea won a stunning gold medal in men’s 10,000-meter speedskating Tuesday when overwhelming favorite Sven Kramer made an amateurish mistake, failing to switch lanes just past the midway point of the race, and was disqualified.
Kramer finished about 4 seconds ahead of Lee, but it didn’t matter. The South Korean already was celebrating on the infield while the Dutch world-record holder was finishing his race, apparently unaware of what he had done.
When Kramer came across the line, he threw up his arms to celebrate what he thought was his second gold medal of the Vancouver Games. Then, as he was coasting along on the backstretch, the victory celebration suddenly ended.
Dutch coach Gerard Kemkers told the skater what he had done. Kramer reacted with disbelief, then slung away his glasses in disgust.
“It is pretty hard now,” Kramer said. “I was on my way to make the right decision and right before the corner I changed my decision because of the advice from the (coach). At the end of the day, it is my responsibility. I am the skater on the ice, I have to do it.”
Lee won with an Olympic-record time of 12 minutes, 58.55 seconds, breaking the mark of 12:58.92 set by Jochem Uytdehaage of the Netherlands at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The silver went Ivan Skobrev of Russia (13:02.07), while defending Olympic champion Bob de Jong ended up with an unexpected bronze (13:06.73).
But this will always be known as the race that one of the surest bests in these games let get away, because he failed to abide by the most basic of rules.
In long track speedskating, the competitors switch lanes each time they go down the backstretch to even up the distance they cover. On the 17th of 25 laps, Kramer messed up.
The Dutchman had already won the 5,000 in dominating fashion, setting an Olympic record, and seemed a lock to become the fourth athlete from his speedskating-mad nation to sweep the two longest events on the men’s program.
Instead, the gold went to Lee, who had won silver in the 5,000.
“I expected to be on the podium but not for the gold,” Lee said. “I could not have realized that this would have happened. I trained and prepared long for this. Sven Kramer is a great skater.”
While the three medalists celebrated, Kramer sat alone on a bench along the front straightaway, trying to figure out what went wrong.
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