Winter Olympics in Vancouver are coming to a close this weekend. Canada has done a superb job hosting the games and in general the games have been a success with scores of memorable events.
Vancouver Olympic stadium, the indoor arena where the Opening Ceremony took place, and all the Olympic venues, from immaculately prepared speed skating track, short track, ski jumping, freestyle skiing and snowboard events to cross-country, Nordic combined and alpine skiing events have been all magnificently prepared and run even though the weather has not been always too cooperative.
The only dark shadow hanging over the games has been the luge death of an Olympic athlete on the Whistler Mountain track. While the heat of the competition is still going on and all the luge, skeleton and bobsleigh events have completed without further mishap, track design and safety guidelines for the future remain to be set forth.
Yet to be decided, the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, Canada’s supreme Olympic sport, has shown that the gap between the best professional hockey players in the NHL and those that play in European or Russian leagues is not as wide in terms of skill although it is in wages.
The older players, on brink of retirement from the NHL and at twilight of their careers, showed plenty of skill and stamina and proving they can still compete against the young hockey stars. Unfortunately players like Peter Forsberg and Teemu Selene will not return. And neither will Jaromir Jagr, who at 38 too played his last game at the Olympics.
It was great to see the lower ranked teams like Norway, that showed remarkable results, had players on the roster that are in fact holding onto regular jobs. They played with a true heart.
The NHL players, however, for the most part, including hockey stars the likes of Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby, have so far delivered rather lukewarm performance and their bench looked rather subdued, a far cry from enthusiasm of NHL playoff games, as if they have been saving themselves for the reminder of the NHL season.
Today the Olympic Games continue with ladies slalom, short track relay finals, the US takes on Finland and Canada faces off against Slovakia in the Olympic hockey semifinals.
The Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremony is scheduled for February 28. And suddenly, London, the host of the Summer Olympic Games 2012, looms convincingly ahead.
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