32 Olympic Hours in Canada - Part 1

In February 2010, I spent 32 hours in Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. I will remember it forever, but incase the details get fuzzy, I thought I better document it. Team Canada beat the USA in the gold medal hockey game on a overtime goal by Sidney Crosby and the country went crazy. I went to watch a hockey game, but ended up with an experience that meant much much more.

Pre-Trip

I wanted to take the family up to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, but I just didn’t get my act together. Jason was freshman baseball player at SI, Rachel was busy at school, Steven was just 6, so we just didn’t make it happen. But I still harbored the idea that I could make it up there. If the Canadians could make a run in hockey, I will try to talk Bev into going with me.

Team Canada started slowly, lost to the US in the preliminary round and did not even get a bye into the qualifying round. But the team rounded into shape, beat Germany easily in the qualification round and then hammered a very good Russian Team 7-3 to make it to the semifinals. At the same time Sweden was upset by Slovakia, so Canada would be huge favorites to make it to the gold medal game.

I made a plan. I checked the flights from SFO to YVR and started to scope tickets. I had a buddy staying in Vancouver, who had offered his living room floor as accommodations, so there was a chance I could pull this off.

I checked with Bev and while she was initially game for this epic adventure, there were hurdles. We would have to find some place for three kids; we would have to belly up for about $8K for tickets and she didn’t share my enthusiasm for sleeping on someone’s floor. In the end Bev felt those hurdles were too high, but she says “You can go by yourself”. Really?!!! Going with Bev would be way better, but a solo effort would also work. I thought about it for 2 minutes and then made the decision. A solo mission, it would be. If Team Canada would win on Friday night, I would jump a plane on Saturday and see them play for the gold on Sunday.

Friday night - February 26

We are huge favorites. I am making my plans, but I don’t want to jinx anything, so I do not book any travel or buy the ticket.

Canada takes 3-0 lead over Slovakia! There is no way we can lose a three goal lead to them, is there? So I book a plane ticket to Vancouver and I begin perusing the online marketplaces to get the gold medal game ticket. But then the unthinkable happens, Slovakia scores once; then twice; the game is close. Team Canada goes into a defensive shell and the Slovaks buzz the Canadian net. I can’t believe it, we are about to blow this lead. The trip is imperiled!!!  But somehow we hold on, Canada wins 3-2. We are going for gold and I am heading to Vancouver.

Saturday - February 27

I awake early to finalize the Olympic plan. I try to enlist a few others to join, but they are faint of heart or wallet...so this trip is back to a solo effort. 

My friends Scott Goodhew and Vic Burt give me G2 on the Vancouver situation and point the way to the ticket. VANOC Fan to fan exchange is the best source for tickets.  Twenty three rows up in the corner behind  Canadian Goal- $3000. Pricey, but its a once in a life time opportunity and I don’t hesitate to hit “Buy”.

I am on a 8pm flight, I will get there about midnight, connect with my buddy Scott and be ready for the game.

Jason had baseball, Rachel had basketball on Saturday. I do my fatherly duties, but my heart is not in it, I can only think Team Canada.

I pack the bags. I don't need much for a 32 hour trip.  I have a lot of the requisite red and white - shirts, hats, sweatshirts. They all get packed. I pause and look at my Team Canada ‘72 Paul Henderson replica jersey. Its autographed and a collectors item. It’s not something you wear, but then I figure that its been gathering dust for 10 years in the closet and the decision is easy. Ryan Miller is one tough nut and we need any "Henderson karma" that the jersey may bring.

I go to the United Airlines website at about 3pm and it won’t let me check in. I start to sweat. Wait, I have made a huge mistake! Somehow I booked the 8am flight and not the 8pm flight! Yikes, the trip is again in peril.  I check the websites I can still make the 8pm flight, but here are only first class seats left and they are $1600. This is not a good sign.

I call United. I am on hold forever and have a full sweat going!

United airlines comes through with a solution! Unbelievably, United airlines takes pity on my stupidity. Not sure how it happened, but we are back on. Financial damage is limited to a re-booking fee. I am happy, but a little shaken up. A surgical solo mission to a gold medal hockey game needs more focus. I can't afford any more mistakes, there is no margin for error. 

I head to airport early because I am freaked out about the booking mistake. I have checked the confirmation and flight time about 100 times, then I jump in cab and I am off. 

Traffic jam and accident on the 101 and we are stopped!! I can't believe this, I have time, but my fears are not rational. I start issuing instructions to the cab driver to drive on the shoulder. I offer him the money to pay for ticket if we get caught. He looks at me like I am a madman, but just as we get into it, we see the accident and realize it not too bad. We proceed as planned. I make the flight and settle into the seat. Plane ride is smooth and I land in Vancouver at 11:00pm. Airport has had a huge facelift and looks great.

I go to customs and get the usual dour and serious agent. Here is the exchange:

Customs Agent: "Canadian Citizen?"

Me: "Yes"

Customs Agent: "US Resident?"

Me: "Yes"

Customs Agent: How long will you be in Canada?

Me: "Just one day. Just for the game."

Customs Agent: ( Does not look up.) "Who you cheering for?"

Me: "Canada, sir. No question about that!"

Agent: "I will let you in then...Go Canada Go!" (He even cracks a smile)

Me: "Go Canada Go"

I remember why I love Canada. The smile is a great omen. These agents never smile or make small talk, but this is Canada and THIS IS HOCKEY.  Everyone knows how big this is. There are no rules. Go Canada Go. It's the first time I hear it on the trip and I will hear it another million times. On this day, if you meet a stranger on the street, you don't say "hello". You don't say “how are you.” You say “Go Canada Go.”

12:00 Midnight February 27

Cabbie gets me downtown to Yaletown where I will meet Scott. Something is happening out there. I expected the city to be a party, but not this big. Every bar is lined up and a lot of people are just drinking in the streets. Everyone is in red and white and Canadian flags are everywhere. I roll down the back window of the cab and hear: “Go Canada Go.” Its a chant. The game is still 13 hours away, but the city is clearly ready.

I meet Scott at his rented apartment and he has a Molson Canadian ready for me. Nice touch. Scott’s wife Beth who I haven’t really seen to in 20 years and always considered me a bad influence, surprises me and suggests we hit the bars.

12:30 We get a beer at a local bar/restaurant. The real bars are too jammed to get in. We watch curling highlights (not kidding) and Kevin Martin from Canada gets the gold. Most everyone else in the place seems to have been there all night or maybe all day and all night. Amazing how drunk people look when you are on your second beer.

3:00am: Back at the apartment, I need to get some rest, but the anticipation of the game and its implications keep me awake. I replay the big moments in Canadian International hockey and reflect on its importance to the country. The 1972 Summit Series is 38 years ago, but it is still vivid in the country’s memory. I recall the Gretzky -Lemiuex goal at Copps Coliseum in 1987.  I  make a list of the great hockey legends of all time: The Rocket, Howe, Hull, Beliveau, Orr, Esposito, Lafleur, Bossy, Gretzky. Lemiuex. I settle for those as my top ten. I know there are Russians that belong on this list too…Kharlamov, Fetisov, Tretiak, Federov, maybe or maybe not? Should Jagr make the list…Stasny? Fosberg? I conclude that they should not…I mean I don’t have Messier of Coffey on my great Canadian list. I think about Americans that should be on the list and settle that Mike Modano would be the only one who could come close. And lets face it, he couldn’t carry Gretzky’s jockstrap.

 GAME DAY

7:00 am Awake and ready to go. I grab the maps and plot the morning: Canadian Breakfast, a locak newspaper and a Canadian beer. I need someplace with the right feel, then get down towards Hockey Canada Place and maybe a few more beer before game time. Scott says security is tight and lines long, so get there early.

8:00 am The city is awake and jammed already. Every bar is lined up 500 people long, Every guy is wearing a team Canada jersey. Every woman is in red and there are enough people with face and body paint to approximate a Monday Night Football game in Green Bay. On Granville street, a group of guys have an awesome game of street hockey going. Real nets, goalies with pads and masks…every one in red or white. Nothing looks more fun than that.

8:30 Breakfast spots are limited since every place is jammed, but I find a place and order the eggs and bacon. 
I devour the newspaper which has about 20 pages of game analysis. Every table is full with people wearing Team Canada jerseys. Most are replicas from this year, but there are lots of older versions too. My 1972 Henderson jersey is clearly the throwback style and with the autograph...it is certainly drawing many envious glances.  I am not sure  if the younger ones get it, but if they are over 45 they meet my eye, tap their chest or nod….they all know that the 1972 series can never be beat. As important as today is, it can never carry the import of Game 8 of the Summit Series.

9:30 Head to Arena. No sense looking for a bar, every one is lined up for blocks Just head down there and drink in the pre-game atmosphere. Security is tight and you need to circumnavigate the globe to get to the entrance, but when I get there I see that I am not alone. If you have a ticket, you are there early. Its too important to miss even a second of pre-game experience.

10:15 A bigger street hockey game is going just outside the entrance. This one is different. The police are playing with the pick up guys. Its cops versus guys in Team Canada jerseys. Not sure if they are on duty, but what the hell…its hilarious.

10:20 The ticket scalpers are out, but they are trying to buy them and not sell. I don’t think there will be many available today. Beside the scalpers, I see a man holding a sign above his head. It reads…” Our Game, Our Gold”.

It’s preprinted and it seems that his message is consistent with the mood in Canada today. Its not reserved or polite, it’s confident, and cocky. Perhaps its more than that, its entitled. It is our right to this game. And while it may be an entitled message, I don’t take this is a negative thing. It a right we have earned. A right earned by cradling and loving the game for so long. A right earned by fathers making ice rinks in the backyard. A right earned by mothers making hot chocolate for the boys so that they can stay outside and skate a little longer. A right earned by hundreds of 5 am practices. It’s a right earned because hockey is our predominate sport. Our best athletes don’t decide between football, baseball, basketball and hockey. They play hockey first and foremost. Sure we produce the occasional Jason Bay, Justin Morneau or  Steve Nash, but they are the needles in our haystacks of hockey players.  I think about the sign: ”Our Game, Our gold”  and think that it is "Our Game"...He is right about that and if there is any justice in the world today then it will also “Our Gold”.

10:30 – Head to gates. Looks like the Super Bowl. Perimeter security is about ½ mile from arena. Lines, frisks and scanners. I guess it has come to this. There were no scanners in 1972. The girl taking the tickets looks very young. I ask her how old she is and she tells me 19. She doesn't look  that old, but I do the mental math. That means she was born in 1991. Not only was she not alive for the epic Russian battles of the 70's, she wasn't even alive when Gretzky and Lemiuex combined on that masterpiece in 1987.

10:45 In arena now. They are selling 50/50 tickets just like they were raising money at a peewee hockey tournament. Only in Canada. Not sure who gets the money, but they are promising that the prize will likely be $50K to the winner. No one cares, they buy the tickets because its fun and reminds of their days in cold rinks as boys. No one wants $50K today. We want a win.

11:00 I check out the seat location. Its going to be good. In the corner just to right of the south end goal. I look up at the level 300 and am glad I spring for the extra cash to be lower. Quality is important today.

11:10 I grab a beer and look around. Not much to see. Fans are streaming in. If the city was 90% dressed in red and white then the arena has taken it up to 95%. I see an occasional USA blue but not many. I get a t-shirt and a new Canada hat to kill some time. They are auctioning hockey memorabilia here..some good stuff…but one pieces stands out.  A picture of Howe, Gretzky and Lemiuex walking down a snow covered lane. Hockey Legends. Hockey Royalty. I think about what other troika is so revered and can only come up with Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt.

11:35  Back to the seats for warmups. Team USA is out first, a couple of boos, but not really. There is no animosity towards Team USA. They are not the villains. But in hockey, they are Robin to our Batman.

Team Canada hits the ice and the crowd goes wild. They come to the ice with strength, size and speed. You can’t help but be impressed, indeed awed. These are the best of the best that Canada has to offer. They are professionals, each of them are millionaires now and win or lose they will head back to mansions and a life of luxury. But none of that matters now, they are wearing the Maple Leaf today and defending one thing that every Canadian is taught from birth…"We are the best at hockey."

11:45. The warm up continues. I watch the goaltenders. It is the position I played since the age of 8. I know the position best and while I haven’t played in 15 years, it is in my soul and I know it well. I watch USA’s Ryan Miller and I know what he is feeling. He is the hot goalie. Confidence courses through his veins right now. He may be the best in the game right now and clearly he has been the best in this tournament. His hands and feet are very fast. His butterfly position perfect. He gets there quick and covers the entire bottom of the net. His hands, especially his glove hand are low and covers even more. His fundamentals are awesome. More importantly, he knows he is hot and the Canadians know it too. He may be in their heads already, they may try to make the shot too perfect and miss in the process. Teams playing a hot goalie often make the extra pass and are afraid to shoot until they have a clear cut advantage and in that quest they give up good scoring opportunities. Miller knows all this and he is ready as they come. 

On the other end, I watch Luongo. He is huge, tall with with incredibly long arms. He reminds me of Ken Dryden who was the first big and tall goalie. Luongo looks good in warm ups too. But something seems not right about him. When he exits the net to let Brodeur take some shots, he bends over and almost doubles over. He does this repeatedly, like he is going to throw up. I ask the guy next to me, who is a Canuck’s fan if this is normal and he doesn’t know. It's got to be the way he deals with the pressure and I am not sure if this is his normal routine or whether today’s monumental game is getting to him. I know a little of the pressure that he is under. Every goalie does. We know two things for sure. If a goalie plays poorly, his team will almost certainly lose. On the other hand Luongo and all goaltenders know that if he plays brilliantly, this team will almost certainly win; And therein lies the crushing pressure of this position. Take the normal pressure, add the fact that Miller has been playing great; add the expectations of a nation and I can certainly imagine why he is doubled over. I hope he is ok.  If he does not play well, it may still be our game, but is will be their gold.

12:00 . The warm ups are over and they resurface the ice. I talk to my neighbors in the seats next to me. To my right are three people who drove down from Kelowna. A husband, his pregnant wife and her father. She is eight months pregnant and they tell me that they are thinking of calling the child Lou, after Roberto Loungo. Geesh...I hope they are just kidding. They are Canucks' fans and learned hockey people. To my right are two guys in Russian hockey jerseys . They speak Russian to each other and do not return my attempts to engage them, They wear scowls on their faces when the Canadian fans cheer and I realize they will be pulling for the Americans. At first, I am taken back by this. Russians cheering for Americans? What about the cold war? People cheering against Canada.. the home of the polite? But then I start to feel good about it. It supports our case...Our Game, Our Gold. Americans aren't offended by the brashness of that statement because the USA will never claim hockey as their game, but I am sure that Russia does. We in the Americas know precious little about how Russians feel about their hockey, but I am pretty sure they have spent as many nights skating on outdoor rinks as Canadians and rising early to get some precious icetime. The Russians won't cheer for the Canadians because we are the alpa dog in hockey, not the USA. We drubbed them in the quarterfinals and I only have to think back to 2006 to remember how we felt when the tables were turned. So the surly Russians make me feel good. Its good to be the brash favorite, rather than the polite underdog. They could have sold their tickets for $10K, but they forgo that just to see Canada lose. Its our job to make them regret that decision.

12:10 The ice is resurfaced and the crowd quiets for what is surely the last time. When the players return to ice, it is Canada who comes first and the crowd goes crazy. The arena is blaring the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". It builds slowly, but by the time the lyrics hit, the crowd is in a frenzy and the Canadian players are whipping around their half of the ice. The Americans come out and whatever noise the Americans make is drowned out by a feverish Canada crowd. The American crowd is led by Vince Vaughn who in a box with about 20 guys wearing blue sweatshirts. They are a blue island in an ocean of red. I have got to  give Vince props - an American invested in hockey. Win or lose, 99% of all American sports fans will be engrossed in college basketball an hour after this game. I get the idea Vince won’t be. He will be pissed if USA loses. He must have some Canadian in him.

Up next : The Game