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Weekend, February 12-14, 2010
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Olympic guard dogs get Canadian-made protection Man’s best friend forms part of the security team for the Games, and he’s being outfitted in some serious Canadian-made armour to protect his hide from everything from bullets to Molotov cocktails. Guard dogs at the Vancouver Winter Olympics will all be sporting customized vests. THE CANADIAN PRESS
sports 27 Vancouver Games
Norway has a couple of things Team Canada won’t when the teams face one another in the Olympic men’s hockey tournament — a carpenter, teacher and a building superintendent. Few things better illustrate the wide difference between the squads than an analysis of what the players do to earn money. Team Canada’s 23-man roster is earning more than $120 million US in salary from their respective NHL clubs this season; Norway’s lineup features a handful of guys that play in the semi-pro domestic league and still hold down other jobs. “It’s a totally different thing,” said Pal Grotnes, Norway’s goalie and a carpenter by trade. “We practise in the evening and work during the day.” Another difference between the teams is the way
“It’s great, it can’t be better. We have no pressure at all ... No one expects anything from us against Canada.” Tore Vikingstad, Team Norway forward they’re preparing to play one another in the opening game of the Olympic tournament on Tuesday. The Norwegians are already practising together at Hockey Canada Place — save for Detroit Red Wings defenceman Ole Kristian Tollefsen, their lone NHLer — and beat the UBC Thunderbirds in an exhibition game earlier this week. The Canadians are still scattered around North America playing games for their NHL teams, and will have just one practice together as a group before the tournament opener. It’s a game that is being just as heavily anticipated by the Norwegians as it is
by the hosts. “It’s great, it can’t be better,” said Norwegian forward Tore Vikingstad. “We have no pressure at all. We’re just going to go out and try to play our best game, hopefully give them a little bit of fight. “No one expects anything from us against Canada.” Norwegian coach Roy Jo-
hansen believes his team has greatly benefited from participating in the top level of the IIHF World Hockey Championship for the past four years. His plan against Team Canada will be similar to the one every underdog typically employs — play a tight defensive game, hope to score at least once and hang on for a narrow victory. “We have to be ready, have good defence and hopefully the goalie will have a great day,” said Johansen. THE CANADIAN PRESS
Russian women’s Olympic ice hockey player Yulia Deulina takes photos of teammates at the conclusion of the Russian team’s photo session at UBC Thunderbird Arena Thursday.
Vonn’s cheesy cure for injury Cheese wraps, urine poultices, cell cures — when it comes to injuries, elite athletes can be game for some pretty outthere therapies. That propensity came to light this week when U.S. Alpine skiing star Lindsey Vonn, widely predicted to be the “It Girl” of the Vancouver Games, announced she had been wrapping her right leg in a European curd cheese to treat a deep bruise that could stand between her and Olympic glory. The therapy, from which the U.S. Olympic team’s chief doctor quickly distanced himself, was ad-
THERAPY
Winger Peltonen set for fourth Olympics
ministered in Austria. That’s where Vonn sustained her injury and where the curd cheese, topfen, is apparently hailed for anti-inflammatory properties. There doesn’t appear to be any scientific evidence to suggest the cheese has those or any other medicinal powers. PubMed.gov, an online database of published medical studies maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, draws a blank in a search for “topfen.”
JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Tractors move snow delivered by dump trucks at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver, Thursday prior to the start of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.
Ville Pelto- Championships and is nen has been car- among the country’s allrying the flag for time leaders with 243 Finnish hockey for games in a national team a long time, so it jersey. Despite that, he remains only made sense that he was cho- largely unknown to most sen to bring his North American hockey country’s banner fans, having carved out a into B.C. Place stadi- journeyman NHL career with stops in San Jose, um. The veteran winger Nashville and Florida. However, at home he’s will kick off his fourth Olympic Games by carry- seen by many as the face ing the Finnish flag at the of a Finnish team that features the opening cerelikes of monies on Teemu SeFriday, an Finnish flagbearer lanne, Saku honour he Koivu and places at the • Peltonen is one of six Miikka top of every- men’s hockey players who Kiprusoff. thing he’s will carry his country’s flag “He has a achieved as during Friday’s opening cerbig role for an athlete. emonies: Jaromir Jagr our hockey,” “It is very (Czech Republic), Ziggy said Finnish big for me,” Palffy (Slovakia), Oleg AntoGM Jari KurPeltonen nenko (Belarus), Alexei Mori. “It’s leadsaid after rozov (Russia) and Tommy ership, it’s practice Jakobsen (Norway) will also experience. Thursday. have that honour. He’s been “I have around. And been a sports fan since I was a little kid, he gets better and better watching the Olympics. I when the games get am sure when I am carry- tougher and tougher.” The 36-year-old Peltonen ing that flag I will remember all the memories I had loves the atmosphere of an from watching the Olympics. He’s previously Olympics and playing in competed at the Games in Lillehammer, Nagano and them.” It’s difficult to measure Turin — only missing Salt exactly how much Pelto- Lake City in 2002 after sufnen has meant to Finnish fering an injury just before hockey. He’s appeared in the tournament 13 IIHF World Hockey THE CANADIAN PRESS HOCKEY
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Cypress Let there be snow!
SCOTT GARDNER/THE CANADIAN PRESS
‘No pressure’ for Norway
Women’s hockey Say cheese!
Cancer survivor to watch end of torch relay in style Executives from companies sponsoring the Games get primo spots in the torch relay, especially in the final stretch. McDonald’s global president Don Thompson was one of those VIPs, but passed on his spot Thursday evening to 14-year-old cancer survivor Cianna Pawluck. Pawluck, of Telkwa, B.C., stayed at the Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver in 2007 while being treated for Wilms’ tumour, a form of kidney cancer. She still stays at the residence for patients and their families every six
RACE
months for checkups. “I decided that I had six knee surgeries so it probably wasn’t such a good idea ... I was hoping they would pass it along to someone who would really have fun and benefit from it,” said Thompson. If you’ve gotta be here, but aren’t, here’s the next best thing. A live webcam feed showing media conferences, athlete interviews and other events in the International Media Centre in Vancouver is now up and running at www.yougottabehere .com. THE CANADIAN PRESS