“Nothing but admiration and good wishes go her way.” –Costas on Joannie Rochette as Canada’s flag bearer
“They distinguished themselves. All of it with a quintessential touch of what it means to be Canadian. Friendly, welcoming, a sense of humor.”– NBC’s Bob Costas on the Vancouver Games
“Hearts are glowing all over this country tonight.” – NBC’s Al Michaels
VANCOUVER – Feb. 28, 2010 – NBC’s 2010 Winter Olympics coverage concluded tonight with the Closing Ceremony, where the torch was passed to Sochi Russia for the 2014 Winter Games. Bob Costas hosted the primetime coverage from BC Place in Vancouver alongside co-host Al Michaels. In addition to the Closing Ceremony, Costas and Michaels recapped the highlights of the Olympics including the USA-Canada gold medal hockey game, Vancouver gold medal moments and an interview with the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian in history Apolo Ohno.
COSTAS AND MICHAELS ON THE USA-CANADA HOCKEY GAME
MICHAELS ON THE ENERGY AFTER THE GAME: “You could light the entire province of British Columbia with the energy in that building.”
“You could not have written a better script for this country.”
COSTAS ON THE POST GAME CELEBRATION: “Times Square on New Year’s Eve couldn’t be more packed than the streets of Vancouver.”
“This place has already reached a crescendo. By this place, I don’t mean BC Place, I don’t mean just Vancouver, I meant the entire country after the hockey game.”
COSTAS ON THE GAME: “A script so classic that if it were a movie, they would send it back because it was unrealistic.”
“With all do respect, this can never be repeated. On home soil, for Canada, in the sport that matters most, against the Americans – this can never be repeated. This can never be approached, let alone equaled.”
“That’s one of the greatest sports events I have ever seen.”
MICHAELS ON SIDNEY CROSBY’S GAME WINNING GOAL: “The goal that will resonate throughout history in Canada.”
“Crosby is the 21st century equivalent of what Wayne Gretzky is to Canada.”
CLOSING CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS
MICHAELS ON THE CLOSING CEREMONY: “It’s a big party and it will go long into the Vancouver night after what happened about two and a half hours ago.”
COSTAS ON CROSS COUNTRY SKIING AS THEY HANDED OUT MEDALS FROM THE MEN’S 50KM EVENT THIS AFTERNOON: “This is a sport that demands a level of fitness that is almost impossible to conceive. Power, strength and aerobic fitness. Just extraordinary.”
COSTAS ON THE RAISING OF THE FINAL PILLAR OF THE OLYMPIC CAULDRON THAT MALFUNCTIONED AT THE OPENING CEREMONY: “Canadians have always shown a fine ability to laugh at themselves.”
COSTAS ON THE SYMBOLIC RAISING OF THE FINAL PILLAR: “Just a perfect response.”
MICHAELS ON THE SINGING OF THE CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM:
“Hearts are glowing all over this country tonight.”
COSTAS ON JOANNIE ROCHETTE AS THE CANADIAN FLAG BEARER: “Nothing but admiration and good wishes go her way.”
COSTAS AND MICHAELS CLOSING THOUGHTS
COSTAS: Canada may have started slowly and glitched at the end of the Opening Ceremony and they had some weather problems. Boy did they come on with a rush in the second half.”
MICHAELS: “It was funny too because that first expected gold medal didn’t materialize and everybody thought, ‘Oh no, not again.’ No gold medals in Montreal, no gold medals in Calgary. All of a sudden they won 13 and then that 14th. Of course, we talked about tonight during the ceremony, the place just went wild for three or four minutes.”
COSTAS ON CANADA AS A HOST CITY: “Steve Iserman had a great quote about Sidney Crosby. He said just like Gretzky, he’s got a little destiny in him. I guess most people in Canada thought it was their destiny, not only to win all the gold medals that they did- maybe they didn’t even expect that 14- but they wanted the last one most of all and they got it. The Canadians also distinguished themselves as hosts. There are always going to be criticisms, some of them valid, about the Olympic Games and the way they’re put on. They’re such a massive undertaking, and all things considered, I think they distinguished themselves. All of it with a quintessential touch of what it means to be Canadian. Friendly, welcoming, a sense of humor.”
MICHAELS ON TEAM USA: “In Norway and Sweden and Finland, they’re going ‘Oh wait a minute, we have competition now in Nordic skiing?’ The U.S. distinguished itself there. Bobsledding, you name it. Shaun White, of course a megastar right now in the sports world. In a sport that didn’t even exist in the Olympic Games two decades ago.”
COSTAS ON THE ATHLETES: “Joannie Rochette with a bronze. Some of these bronzes were as good as gold. Clara Hughes, age 37, Summer and Winter Olympian. Their flag-bearer at these Games. She takes a speed skating bronze. Joannie Rochette won hearts not just throughout Canada but also throughout the world. We also have to think about all the international athletes, Simon Amaann, double gold in ski jumping. The Norwegians come out of here with 23 medals. There are less than five million people in the country. Peter Northug with four. Marit Bjorgen with five. Just astonishing the way they have done in cross country skiing and these sports matter deeply to them.”
COSTAS ON SOUTH KOREA’S KIM YU-NA: “Lest we forget, just for pure excellence and mastery of the discipline, South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na. There was a performance, not just for a single Olympics, but of all time.”
MICHAELS ON KIM YU-NA: “I was there that night. You just kind of sat there with your mouth open. That was as close to perfection as anything you’ll ever see.”
COSTAS ON WORKING WITH MICHAELS: “One of the things I’ll remember about the Olympics, among everything else, working with you, finally after all these years.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOB COSTAS’ INTERVIEW WITH APOLO OHNO
APOLO OHNO ON BEING THE FACE OF SHORT TRACK: “After a third time of being in these Olympic Games and showing this sport to the world, I think people back home have realized that it’s probably the most unpredictable sport out there. It’s been a pleasure for me in this sport to compete and medal every time.”
OHNO ON BEING DISQUALIFIED FROM THE 500M: “The 500 meters is 40 seconds of mayhem. You have no time to make any fast decisions. I was in fourth the whole race. I had so much speed going into the last corner and I was going to try and cut the side on the inside of the pack to actually try to get a medal. The Canadian in front of me slipped a little bit. I had my hand up as protection, not to be aggressive, but just to make sure we didn’t bump. He ended up falling and the referee decided to disqualify me. That’s short track and that’s the Olympic Games and like life, it’s unpredictable. I left every single thing I had on the ice. My heart and my soul. I came into these Games with no real expectation other than that. I’ve come here prepared and I was going to represent my country the best I could do and I am all smiles. I have absolutely no regrets.”
“I’ve trained my whole life for this. Every single time, I’ve been treated so well by the Olympic Games. It’s given me so much insight and I’ve been blessed and lucky enough to be my best. This is an opportunity for me to shine. I’ve had such an incredible career, I’ve been so happy to be able to share it with so many friends and family. It’s just been an amazing experience. To be able to go out there and give it my all, that’s all I ask for.”
OHNO ON COMPETING IN SOCHI RUSSIA 2014: “Sochi is definitely in my mind, whether I have my skates with me or not, that’ll be the question. For me, I’ll make the decision when the time is right. For now, there are many, many other things I want to pursue. You’ll definitely see me in Sochi, it’s just whether I’ll have my ice blades with me or not.”
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