The "Toronto Girl Out West" holds up her ticket to the Finland-United States semifinal match for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games at Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. (TorontoGirloutWest photo)

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Okay, we’re catching up with the written match reports. Only the Gold Medal Game remains to be done. The ‘pictoral match reports’, an in-tournament adjustment made by the technical directorship here, are moving along as well. The semifinal displays for Finland-United States and Canada-Slovakia are officially finished and on offer for all to enjoy.

We started in on the visual aids for the Bronze Medal Match and we have collected a bazillion photos to go back and place in ALL the match reports for the entire Vancouver tournament. Some matches are already done but many are not. Perhaps we should post a chart for convienence.

In the meantime, as we continue to catch up here, we will try a little cultural exchange stuff for a fun change of pace :

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Anybody who knows even the slightest thing about the sport of ice hockey understands that, with all due respect the rest of the world, there are not a people on this Earth more collectively passionate about the game than the inhabitants of Canada.

So, if only for me, it is interesting to see what the Canadians themselves were up to over the course of the Olympic tournament.

This blogger, “Toronto Girl Out West” from the site

http://tobethewholepackage.blogspot.com/2010/03/its-gold-its-gold-its-gold.html 

actually linked here first.

A big part of what makes this particular blog interesting is that hers is not a hockey blog per se as is this place here. Then again, therein lies the beauty.

The author has some very interesting articles about her Olympic experiences in Vancouver. Included in the “Road To The Gold” piece is a bit of insight as to how regular, everyday citizens in Canada secured a ticket to the Olympic semifinals of the men’s ice hockey tournament. Also on offer are some photos from the Finland-United States match as well as a recap of some other activities enjoyed that day in Vancouver which included the watching of the Canada-Slovakia semifinal at a public venue. (more photos and youtube footage included)

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United States goaltender RYAN MILLER (39) skates off after the opening day victory over Switzerland at the 2010 Winter Olympics from Canada Hockey Place in Vancouver. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

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It should have come as no surprise that United States goaltender RYAN MILLER of the Buffalo Sabres finished the 2010 Winter Olympics as the netminder with the top save percentage (for those having made at least fifty saves) at the Vancouver Games :

• 94.56 % — 139 sv —   8 go — Ryan MILLER — United States
• 93.57 % — 131 sv —   9 go — Tomas VOKOUN — Czech Republic
• 92.73 % —   51 sv —   4 go — Henrik LUNDQVIST — Sweden
• 92.68 % — 114 sv —   9 go — Roberto LUONGO — Canada
• 91.82 % — 146 sv — 13 go — Jonas HILLER — Switzerland
• 91.36 % —   74 sv —   7 go — Andrei MEZIN — Belarus
• 91.05 % — 173 sv — 17 go — Jaroslav HALAK — Slovakia
• 90.59 % —   77 sv —   8 go — Vitali KOVAL — Belarus

Miller started all six games and played all but eleven minutes and thirty-one seconds of the entire Olympic schedule for the U.S. national team in Vancouver. The former Michigan State University All-America posted one shutout and a sparkling 1.35 goals-against-average at the Olympic tournament, as well. Indeed, the Directorate of the International Ice Hockey Federation selected the American for the Best Goaltender award.

More importantly — and most deservedly — the 29-year-old was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the ice hockey tournament at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Veteran international PAVOL DEMITRA (38) of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks enjoyed a splendid Winter Olympic Games for the national team of Slovakia, indeed. Demitra’s personal highlight was, perhaps, the game-winner in the round-robin shootout victory versus Russia.(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

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Slovakia’s PAVOL DEMITRA finished as the top point scorer at the ice hockey tournament of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and takes his place on the honor roll of all-time leaders : 

• 2010 —   3 go   7 as – 10 pts — Pavol DEMITRA — Slovakia
• 2006 —   6 go   5 as – 11 pts — Teemu SELANNE — Finland
• 2002 —   5 go   4 as -    9 pts — Mats SUNDIN — Sweden
• 1998 —   4 go   6 as – 10 pts — Teemu SELANNE — Finland
• 1994 —   3 go   7 as – 10 pts — Zigmund PALFFY — Slovakia
• 1992 —   6 go   9 as – 15 pts — Joe JUNEAU — Canada
• 1988 —   6 go   9 as – 15 pts — Vladimir KRUTOV — Soviet Union
• 1984 —   8 go   6 as – 14 pts — Erich KUEHNHACKL — West Germany
• 1980 —   7 go   8 as – 15 pts — Milan NOVY — Czechoslovakia
• 1976 —   6 go   4 as – 10 pts — Vladimir SHADRIN — Soviet Union
• 1972 —   9 go   6 as – 15 pts — Valery KHARLAMOV — Soviet Union
• 1968 — 12 go   4 as – 16 pts — Anatoli FIRSOV — Soviet Union
• 1964 —   8 go   3 as – 11 pts — Sven “Tumba” JOHANSSON — Sweden
• 1960 —   9 go 12 as – 21 pts — Fred ECHTER — Canada
• 1956 —   5 go   7 as – 12 pts — Paul KNOX, Jim LOGAN — Canada

Demitra, who plays in the National Hockey League for the Vancouver Canucks, is the first player in history to accomplish the unique feat of topping the Olympic tournment scoring chart in the same city where he plays his professional hockey.

Oddly enough, the health of the 35-year-old veteran was a huge concern leading into the 2010 Winter Olympics. A 300-plus goal-scorer for his career in the NHL, Demitra played just 11 games for the Vancouver Canucks after missing most of the 2009-10 season rehabilitating from a serious shoulder injury. In that time the Slovak international had managed just one goal and four points for the Canucks, as well.

Demitra, however, found both fitness and form just in the nick of time for the Slovakia national team and, in the end, registered his name in the Olympic history books at the Vancouver Games for all eternity.

German defenseman CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF, then a San Jose Shark, is congratulated by CHRISTOPH SCHUBERT (13) and DANIEL KREUTZER (26) as captain STEFAN USTDORF (16) skates over at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy. Ehrhoff has just scored to cut the Canadian lead to 3-1 in the second period. Canada will eventually defeat Germany 5-1 in the Group B round-robin match. (Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

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GERMANY stretched CANADA to a penalty-shot shootout at the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France. ERIC LINDROS scored what was the winning goal for Canada after Germany’s PETER DRAISAITL had his puck shot through the pads of Canadian goalie SEAN BURKE die on the goalline. And that has been as close as Germany has ever gotten to defeating Canada at the Winter Olympic Games.

Germany, under the direction of former National Hockey League defenseman and Stanley Cup champion UWE KRUPP, are drawn to play host nation Canada for the right to advance to the quarterfinal stage of the 2010 Winter Olympic ice hockey tournament in Vancouver.

History is not on the side of the Germans against the Canadians at the Olympic Games :

CANADA — versus — GERMANY — (West Germany included)

• 1932 —    4-1 — Canada — Lake Placid
• 1932 —    5-0 — Canada — Lake Placid
• 1936 —    6-2 — Canada — Garmisch-Partenkirchen 
• 1952 —  15-1 — Canada — Oslo  
• 1956 —    4-0 — Canada — Cortina d’Ampezzo
• 1956 —  10-0 — Canada — Cortina d’Ampezzo 
• 1960 —  12-0 — Canada — Squaw Valley
• 1964 —    4-2 — Canada — Innsbruck
• 1968 —    6-1 — Canada — Grenoble 
• 1988 —    8-1 — Canada — Calgary
• 1992 —    4-3 — Canada — Albertville
• 2002 —    3-2 — Canada — Salt Lake City
• 2006 —    5-1 — Canada — Turin

Critical to the Germans’ chances in the qualification contest versus Canada will be their choice of goaltender. THOMAS GREISS of the San Jose Sharks played well against Sweden in Germany’s opening game in Vancouver but faltered badly in their last match with Belarus. Former San Jose Shark farmhand DMITRI PATZOLD was shaky in his only start at the Olympics opposite Finland.

(West) Germany’s greatest success against Canada to date came at the 1987 IIHF World Championships in Vienna — West Germany managed to defeat the NHL-stocked Canadian squad 5-3 in the Austrian capital that year.

So, where have you gone KARL FRIESEN?

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CANADA have apparently announced Vancouver Canucks goaltender ROBERTO LUONGO will start in the playoff match versus Germany at the 2010 Winter Games in the western Canadian city of Vancouver.

Luongo started his nation’s first match at this year’s Olympics on home soil, Canada’s 8-0 shutout of Norway.

Canada’s DANY HEATLEY (15) of the San Jose Sharks, trailed by teammate JONATHAN TOEWS (16) of the Chicago Black Hawks, celebrates his goal versus Switzerland’s netminder, JONAS HILLER (1) of the Anaheim Ducks, at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Both Heatley and Toews are among the top point-scorers thus far at the Vancouver Games; Heatley is tied for tournament tops. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) 

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2010 Winter Olympic Games — Vancouver, Canada

QUARTERFINAL QUALIFICATION MATCHES — (all times local)

• 12:00 pm — BELARUS - vs – SWITZERLAND
•   4:30 pm — CANADA – vs – GERMANY
•   7:00 pm — CZECH REPUBLIC – vs – LATVIA
•   9:00 pm — NORWAY – vs – SLOVAKIA

The UNITED STATES, SWEDEN, RUSSIA and FINLAND are automatically qualified for the quarterfinal round, which starts February 24, and will faceoff against the following :

• United States — winner — Belarus vs Switzerland
• Sweden ———- winner — Norway vs Slovakia
• Russia ———— winner — Canada vs Germany
• Finland ———– winner — Czech Republic vs Latvia

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2010 Winter Olympic Games — Scoring Leaders at Vancouver

(after 3-game round-robin)

POINTS

• 4 go 1 as 5 pts — Dany HEATLEY — Canada
• 4 go 1 as 5 pts — Brian RAFALSKI — United States
• 3 go 2 as 5 pts — Evgeny MALKIN — Russia
• 2 go 3 as 5 pts — Sergei KOSTITSYN — Belarus
• 2 go 3 as 5 pts — Sidney CROSBY — Canada
• 1 go 4 as 5 pts — Nicklas BACKSTROM — Sweden
• 0 go 5 as 5 pts — Marek ZIDLICKY — Czech Republic
• 2 go 2 as 4 pts — Patrik ELIAS — Czech Republic
• 2 go 2 as 4 pts — Niklas HAGMAN — Finland
• 2 go 2 as 4 pts — Alexander OVECHKIN — Russia
• 2 go 2 as 4 pts — Roman WICK — Switzerland
• 0 go 4 as 4 pts — Jonathan TOEWS — Canada
• 0 go 4 as 4 pts — Ryan SUTER — United States

GOALS

• 4 go — Dany HEATLEY — Canada
• 4 go — Brian RAFALSKI — United States
• 3 go — Jarome IGINLA — Canada
• 3 go — Tomas PLEKANEC — Czech Republic
• 3 go — Tore VIKINGSTAD — Norway
• 3 go — Loui ERIKSSON — Sweden
• 3 go — Evgeny MALKIN — Russia

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It is interesting to note that four of the five North American players among the current point leaders at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver are the products of U.S. college hockey — Heatley (Wisconsin), Rafalski (Wisconsin), Toews (North Dakota) and Suter (Wisconsin).

XXIV Winter Olympic Games — Vancouver, Canada

Ice Hockey Standings

• 6 pts — FINLAND ————— 2 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 0 l — 10-1  f/a
• 6 pts — UNITED STATES —- 2 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 0 l —   9-2  f/a
• 6 pts — CZECH REP ———- 2 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 0 l —   8-3  f/a
• 6 pts — SWEDEN ————— 2 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 0 l —  6-2  f/a
• 5 pts — CANADA ————— 1 w, 1 ow, 0 ol, 0 l — 11-2  f/a 
• 4 pts — RUSSIA —————– 1 w, 0 ow, 1 ol, 0 l —   9-4  f/a
• 2 pts — SLOVAKIA ————- 0 w, 1 ow, 0 ol, 1 l —   3-4  f/a
• 1 pts — SWITZERLAND ——- 0 w, 0 ow, 1 ol, 1 l —  3-6  f/a
• 0 pts — BELARUS ————— 0 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 2 l —  3-9  f/a
• 0 pts — GERMANY ————– 0 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 2 l —  0-7  f/a
• 0 pts — LATVIA —————— 0 w, 0 ow, 0 ol, 2 l —  4-13  f/a
• 0 pts — NORWAY ————— 0 w, 0 0w, 0 ol, 2 l —  1-14  f/a 

The top four teams earn a bye into the knock-out quarterfinal round; the remaining eight teams will play-off for the other four quarterfinal round places with the twelfth-ranked team opposing the fifth-ranked team and so on.

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Readers will note that WH is updating all of the Match Reports from the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver with galleries so as to better preserve the outstanding moments and memories for posterity.

Norway's PER AGE SKRODER jousts with Finnish defenseman TOPI JAAKOLA in front of goaltender PEKKA RINNE at the 2009 IIHF World Championships in Zurich. Skroder was injured in Norway's Olympic opener versus Canada and is out of the 2010 Winter Games at Vancouver.

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Oft-injured Detroit Red Wings defenseman OLE KRISTIAN TOLLEFSEN was formally registered by Norway with the International Ice Hockey Federation for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games on February 17. The 25-year-old rearguard missed Norway’s opening match against host nation Canada on February 16.

A veteran of 163 NHL games (4 go 8 as, 12 pts, 296 pim), most as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tollefsen played 26:10 for Norway versus the United States on February 18 and finished with a – 1 plus/minus rating.

Norway can always use all the manpower it can get under any circumstances.

Meanwhile, for Norwegian forward PER AGE SKRODER, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games have formally concluded.

The 31-year-old right wing and veteran international, who is third in scoring (47 ga, 17 go 16 as, 33 pts) for Swedish Elitserien club Mo Do Ornskoldsvik, injured his ankle in the second period of Norway’s 8-0 shutout loss to host nation Canada.

The Norwegians can ill-afford the loss of an experienced and skilled a player as Skroder, who has appeared at five major international events (31 ga, 8 go 3 as, 11 pts) for Norway. Skroder, in his 12th Elitserien season, led Mo Do Ornskoldsvik (55 ga, 30 go 29 as, 59 pts) in scoring last season, as well.

The rules at the 2010 Vancouver Games are clear — no roster substitutions for any reason whatsoever.

Norway must continue one skater short for the remainder of the tournament.

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Match history at major international events :

GERMANY — versus — SWEDEN

(including West Germany’s record, 1952-1990)

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First meeting — 78 years ago — 1932 in Berlin, Germany

Overall record — Sweden 40 — (West) Germany 2 — tied 3

Winter Olympics record — Sweden 9 — (West) Germany 0 — tied 2

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• 1932 — EC – Berlin ————————— 0-1 – Sweden
• 1952 — OG – Oslo —————————- 7-3 – Sweden
• 1953 — WC – Zurich ————————– 8-6 – Sweden
• 1953 — WC – Zurich ———————— 12-2 – Sweden
• 1954 — WC – Stockholm ——————— 4-0 – Sweden
• 1955 — WC – Krefeld ————————- 5-4 – Sweden
• 1956 — OG – Cortina d’Ampezzo ———- 1-1 – tie
• 1959 — WC – Ostrava ———————— 6-1 – Sweden
• 1960 — OG – Squaw Valley —————– 8-2 – Sweden
• 1961 — WC – Lausanne ——————- 12-1 – Sweden
• 1962 — WC – Denver ————————- 4-0 – Sweden
• 1963 — WC – Stockholm ——————- 10-2 – Sweden
• 1964 — OG – Innsbruck ——————– 10-2 – Sweden
• 1967 — WC – Ljubljana ———————- 3-1 – Sweden
• 1968 — OG – Grenoble ———————- 5-4 – Sweden
• 1971 — WC – Bern —————————- 7-2 – Sweden
• 1971 — WC – Bern —————————- 2-1 – West Germany
• 1972 — WC – Prague ———————– 10-0 – Sweden
• 1972 — WC – Prague ————————- 7-1 – Sweden
• 1973 — WC – Moscow ———————— 8-2 – Sweden
• 1973 — WC – Moscow ———————- 12-1 – Sweden
• 1976 — WC – Katowice ———————- 4-1 – Sweden
• 1977 — WC – Vienna ————————- 7-1 – Sweden
• 1978 — WC – Prague ————————- 6-2 – Sweden
• 1979 — WC – Moscow ———————— 7-3 – Sweden
• 1980 — OG – Lake Placid ——————- 5-2 – Sweden
• 1981 — WC – Stockholm ——————– 4-2 – Sweden
• 1982 — WC – Helsinki ———————— 3-1 – Sweden
• 1983 — WC – Munich ———————— 5-1 – Sweden
• 1984 — OG – Sarajevo ———————- 1-1 – tie
• 1985 — WC – Prague ———————— 3-2 – Sweden
• 1985 — WC – Prague ———————— 5-2 – Sweden
• 1986 — WC – Moscow ———————– 4-2 – Sweden
• 1987 — WC – Vienna ———————— 3-0 – Sweden
• 1988 — OG – Calgary ———————– 3-2 – Sweden
• 1989 — WC – Stockholm ——————- 3-3 – tie
• 1990 — WC – Bern ————————— 6-0 – Sweden
• 1991 — WC – Helsinki ———————– 8-1 – Sweden
• 1992 — OG – Albertville ——————– 3-1 – Sweden
• 1992 — OG – Albertville ——————– 4-3 – Sweden
• 1992 — WC – Prague ———————– 5-2 – Germany
• 1994 — OG – Lillehammer —————– 3-0 – Sweden
• 1996 — WCH – Stockholm —————– 6-1 – Sweden
• 2002 — WC – Stockholm ——————- 6-2 – Sweden
• 2004 — WCH – Stockholm —————– 5-2 – Sweden

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SWEDEN also met EAST GERMANY on sixteen occasions at major international tournaments between 1957 and 1985; the Swedes won fifteen of those matches against but a single victory for the Deutsche Demokratische Republik.

MIKHAIL GRABOVSKI of Belarus pushes the puck past Finland's PEKKA RINNE (35) in a shootout at the 2009 IIHF World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. Belarus upended Finland 2-1 in sudden-death. Grabovski of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who fractured his wrist shortly after the New Year, was withdrawn from the Belarus Olympic team for the 2010 Vancouver Games.

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Match history at major international tournaments :

BELARUS — versus — FINLAND

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First meeting — 12 years ago — 1998 in Basel, Switzerland

Overall record — Finland 4 — Belarus 1

Winter Olympics record — Finland 1 — Belarus 0

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• 1998 — WC – Basel —————— 5-2 – Finland
• 1999 — WC – Oslo ——————- 4-1 – Finland
• 2002 — OG – Salt Lake City ——- 8-1 – Finland
• 2006 — WC – Riga ——————– 3-0 – Finland
• 2009 — WC – Zurich —————— 2-1 – Belarus

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Norway's PATRICK THORESEN (41) is confronted by two Canadians at the 2009 IIHF World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland. Thoresen, a one-time Edmonton Oiler and Philadelphia Flyer, is currently 7th in scoring for Russian club Salavat Yulayev Ufa (53 ga, 21 go 31 as, 52 pts) in the Kontinental Hockey League.

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Match history at major international tournaments :

CANADA — versus — NORWAY 

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First meeting — 60 years ago — 1950 in London, England

Overall record — Canada 17 — Norway 1

Winter Olympics record — Canada 3 — Norway 0

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• 1950 — WC – London ————- 11-1 – Canada
• 1951 — WC – Paris —————— 8-0 – Canada
• 1952 — OG – Oslo —————– 11-2 – Canada
• 1954 — WC – Stockholm ———– 8-0 – Canada
• 1958 — WC – Oslo —————– 12-0 – Canada
• 1962 — WC – Denver ————- 14-1 – Canada
• 1965 — WC – Tampere ————- 6-0 – Canada
• 1984 — OG – Sarajevo ————– 8-1 – Canada
• 1990 — WC – Bern ——————- 8-0 – Canada
• 1992 — OG – Albertville ———– 10-0 – Canada
• 1992 — WC – Bratislava ———— 4-3 – Canada
• 1997 — WC – Turku —————— 7-0 – Canada
• 1999 — WC – Hamar —————– 4-2 – Canada
• 2000 — WC – St. Petersburg —— 3-4 – Norway
• 2001 — WC – Hannover ————- 5-0 – Canada
• 2006 — WC – Riga ——————– 7-1 – Canada
• 2008 — WC – Halifax —————— 2-1 – Canada
• 2009 — WC – Zurich —————— 5-1 – Canada

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