APOLO OHNO ANCHORS SHORT TRACK RELAY TEAM TO BRONZE; KATHERINE REUTTER OF US WINS SILVER; CANADA TO MEET USA IN MEN’S HOCKEY GOLD MEDAL GAME

“Apolo Ohno living up to his billing as the best closer in the relay.” – NBC’s Ted Robinson

“It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be intense.” – Canada’s Sidney Crosby on the gold medal hockey game against the US on Sunday

VANCOUVER – Feb. 26, 2010 - Apolo Ohno, already the most decorated US Winter Olympian ever, added to his medal haul by anchoring the US team that took bronze in the men’s 5000 meter short track relay on the 15th day of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Canada and South Korea won gold and silver, respectively.

Ohno also made the final of the men’s 500 meters but was disqualified and did not medal. He won three total medals in Vancouver (silver and two bronze), giving him a career tally of eight, which is the most ever for a US Winter Olympian.

Primetime host Bob Costas hosted Jimmy Fallon in studio. Fallon, the host of NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, wrote thank you notes to the Olympics while Costas ‘played’ background music on a keyboard.

Costas: “The lame shall walk and the blind shall see in the presence of Jimmy Fallon.”

Fallon to Costas, as he “played” the keyboard: “Did you take lessons?”

Costas: “No, I was a child prodigy.”

Fallon: “Thank you, speed skaters, for simulating what it would look like if a handcuffed guy tried getting away on roller blades.”

“Thank you, Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth, for having an endless supply of dapper tweeds and pocket squares. If sharp dressing were an Olympic event, you’d wipe the floor with Dick Button.”

Also in short track, Katherine Reutter of the US won silver in the women’s 1000 meters behind gold medalist Meng Wang of China.

With tonight’s medals, the US has won 34 in Vancouver, tying the US record set at the 2002 Salt Lake Games for most medals won at a Winter Olympics. The US is assured of setting a new record by virtue of the men’s hockey team participating in the gold medal game on Sunday and the men’s speed skating team competing in the team pursuit gold medal final tomorrow. The record for most medals won by a nation in a single Olympic Winter Games is 36, set by Germany at Salt Lake in 2002.

On CNBC, Canada held off a late rally to beat Slovakia, 3-2, in men’s hockey and earn the right to face the US in the gold medal game on Sunday on home soil. In addition, Sweden defeated host nation Canada, 7-6, to win gold in women’s curling.

In studio, Costas interviewed Canadian ladies figure skater Joannie Rochette, who won bronze despite the passing of her mother just days before the competition:

Costas: “How did you decide that you would go ahead [and skate].”

Rochette: “When I first heard the news at 6 am, I told my federation right away that I would skate. I had to skate. The only thing I knew I could do at that moment to feel alive was to get on the ice. There were lots of ups and downs. There were some moments when I just wanted to go home and see my family and be with my friends. I didn’t feel like skating but I knew I wanted to do this so 10 years from now I’d have no regrets. And that’s what my mom would’ve wanted me to do.”

Costas: “Everyone speculated, it’s only natural, what must she be feeling? But I heard you say afterwards that you had to put those feelings aside and ‘I had to become cold,’ using your words, and ‘become Joannie, the athlete, and not the person.’”

Rochette: “That’s right. It was very tough for me in the short program to do that. I was very emotional right when I stepped on the ice. The crowd was so warm, they were so nice cheering me on. I got so many messages from around the world, not only in Canada. Those messages really touched me and really gave me the strength to carry on and compete anyways. But it was hard to stay in my bubble and listen to my music because my head was in a million places but not on the ice. I don’t know how I managed to skate a good short program like I did. But after the short program, I just told myself, if you’re going to keep competing, I want to do it fully. That’s what my mom always taught me. Whenever you do something in life, whatever it is, you do it until the end and give it your best shot.”

Costas: “Once you had performed so well and you won the bronze medal, you were standing there on the podium. And I read afterwards that you said, ‘I imagined myself as a five-year-old girl because I had imagined this moment, holding an Olympic medal, since I was five years old.’”

Rochette: “Yes, I imagined this moment for so long. I didn’t imagine those kind of tears of course. I was very sad that there was one person in the stands that wasn’t there to applaud me. But my family was there and my father was there. And for them, I wanted to be there and it was very tough. And I wanted to be strong for my father and just make him stronger at the same time.”

Costas: “Congratulations on your performance and, again, our condolences on your loss.”

SHORT TRACK:
Play-by-Play: Ted Robinson
Analyst: Andy Gabel
Reporter: Andrea Joyce, Cris Collinsworth

Ohno on the 500 meters: “When you have five guys behind you, essentially trying to eat you and spit you out, it can be real intimidating.”

Collinsworth on the 500: “It’s well established that short track is a crazy sport. And the craziest event within this crazy sport is the 500 meters. So, for Apolo Ohno to repeat his gold medal winning ways, he’s going to have to be good. He’s going to have to be lucky. And he just might have to be perfect.”

Gabel on Ohno: “Every time he steps on the ice, he knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Gabel on Ohno hurdling skaters: “I didn’t know Apolo Ohno was also a gymnast but he showed he might be right there.”

Gabel on Ohno being disqualified in the final: “A tough call for Apolo Anton Ohno.”

Robinson on Canada’s Charles Hamelin: “Hamelin, a magnificent effort to stay on his feet and win a much-desired gold medal for Canada.”

Ohno to Collinsworth on his 500m race: “That was three of the fastest guys off the line I’ve ever skated against. In the 500, you have to be up towards the front if you’re going to make any moves. The race was fast enough to where there was no space to move up. So I was just kind of waiting, waiting, waiting. There was just no space. Going on the last corner, I was coming up on the Canadian guy, and he slipped and then the Korean slipped. I don’t know why they called me for the disqualification. I was in fourth the whole race. Either way, I’m happy with the way I skated. I came here with no regrets in my mind and I’m leaving with no regrets. We still have the relay and I really want to go out there and make sure our guys get a medal.”

Ohno on if he felt the disqualification was unfair: “I do. My hand is up to basically protect myself from running up the back of him. So it’s more of a cushion, I’m not trying to push anyone down or anything. But that was the head Canadian ref out there and we’re on Canadian soil. But the boys skated very, very well and it was a good race.”

Ohno on if the Canadian ref favored the Canadians with his call: “I think so, absolutely. But in short track, everything is so subjective so I just have to be faster.”

Costas: “That is the nature of short track — part race, part demolition derby.”

Gabel on Ohno: “One of the best, if not the best, closers in history in the relay.”

Robinson on the final lap: “This is what the relay is about – a sprint to the finish.”

Gabel: “What an exciting race from start to finish.”

Gabel on Ohno anchoring the relay: “Apolo Anton Ohno was doing exactly what he normally does at the end of a race – skating incredibly.”

Robinson on Ohno: “Apolo Ohno living up to his billing as the best closer in the relay.”

Costas, to Ted Robinson, on short track: “That sport, that you call so well, is simply insane.”

Robinson on USA’s Katherine Reutter making a pass in the quarterfinal: “That got everybody’s attention.”

Robinson on Reutter winning silver: “Katherine Reutter will be the building block, a fulcrum of what will be an overhaul of the women’s program.”

BOBSLED:
Play-by-Play: Bob Papa
Analyst: John Morgan
Reporter: Lewis Johnson

Papa on Germany’s Andre Lange: “What a legacy this man has had.”

Morgan on Lange: “Greatest of all time in the history of this sport.”

Holcomb on their first run: “Everything here starts at the top at the start. The start was huge. We had a great push. We may not have the fastest time right now but we had the fastest push down the hill and we accelerated faster than anybody. That’s what the key is right there so it was huge for that push. The 50-50 [turn], I had a little bit of a mistake but I made up for it and I kept the sled flying like it does.”

Holcomb after his second run: “We’re here to play. If you want to play around, let’s bring it. It’s just the first day. We won today and we have to come out tomorrow and do just what we did today and race. We have two more heats and we’re right where we want to be.”

ALPINE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Tim Ryan
Analysts: Christin Cooper
Reporter: Steve Porino

Cooper on Germany’s Maria Riesch: “She’s like a slinky just keeping the skis absolutely glued to the snow on top.”

Cooper on Austria’s Marlies Schild: “She is back and big time.”

Cooper on Lindsey Vonn: “Lindsey Vonn has overcome so much adversity, two medals nonetheless in these Games, but here’s a woman who thrives on routine. She likes things orderly and predictable. But this season has been largely about managing chaos.”

Ryan on Vonn: “Who knows which of her many hurts has taken their toll on her today.”

Vonn on her skiing in the Olympics: “I’m definitely really happy with everything I’ve done here. I got the gold medal that I came here for. I got a bronze medal in the Super G. I know I could’ve done better in some of the disciplines. The super combined, I was poised to win another medal, but I wanted the gold and I maybe risked a little too much. In the GS, I was definitely an underdog but I went after it. And I was actually winning at the very last intermediate time. I’m happy with my performance despite that. That’s just my personality, I never want to give up.

“I was contemplating stopping after my crash in the GS, after I broke my finger. That’s just not who I am. The Olympics are something special. They only come once every four years. And I just wanted to go out and try. I knew that I probably wasn’t going to win a medal but at least I gave it everything I have and see what happens.

“Unfortunately, it just didn’t go my way in the GS or the Slalom or the Combined. Like I said, I have that gold medal. Despite everyone else’s expectations, my goals were simply to win one medal and that’s what I did.”

Cooper on the course: “It is rock n’ roll like a bucking bronco from top to bottom.”

Cooper on the visibility: “It’s like skiing blind.”

Cooper on the technique of Schild, who won silver: “It’s like her legs are at a rock concert and her upper body is at the opera.”

Cooper on gold medal winner Riesch: “She was powering to that gold medal the whole way.”

Riesch on her win: “It was really tough conditions but I just had a really good line.”

CNBC, Women’s Curling Gold Medal Game:
Sweden 7 vs. Canada 6
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-By-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)

Catalon: “Sweden won in 2006. They thought about retiring. They wanted to come back for one more chance to win another Olympic gold medal. The patience, the decision, it paid off.”

“Back to back gold medals for Sweden!”

Catalon: “Cheryl Bernard had one shot for the win. It came, oh, so close!”

Roggin: “It is indeed a sport of inches.”

Catalon: “Cheryl Bernard has compared the atmosphere in here to a Stanley Cup final, and the fans have been treating this like a hockey game.”

Catalon: “This Swedish team does not look intimidated one bit by the pressure of a gold medal game.”

“The composure they are playing with right now is very impressive.”

Jones on Sweden: “They can read each other’s thoughts. They have been together so long. They bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience.”

Roggin on Sweden’s Anette Norberg: “She has felt the pressure and lived it. She makes very few mistakes.”

Jones on Norberg: “Anette’s focus is just so sharp. She is always bang on. Nothing much gets in her way.”

Catalon on a close game: “Disbelief inside of this Vancouver Olympic Centre.”

Roggin on Canada’s Bernard: “She carries the hopes of a nation against defending gold medalist Anette Norberg and Sweden.”

Roggin on the growing popularity of curling: “For whatever reason, curling has made an impression and no one has made a bigger impression than Cheryl Bernard of Canada.”

Jones on Team Sweden: “Nobody expected much of them because they had a very average season. A lot of people thought they were past their due date and expired, like a carton of milk. But yet, they’ve come here and proved that all wrong.”

Jones on Canada and Sweden: “Here they are today playing with the Canadian Prime Minister and the King of Sweden, but tomorrow they just all go back to being regular people.”

CNBC, Men’s Ice Hockey Semifinal:
Canada 3 vs. Slovakia 2
Bill Patrick (Host), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-By-Play), Eddie Olczyk (Analyst), Joe Micheletti (Reporter)

Sidney Crosby on the gold medal game:  “It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be intense.”

“We are in the finals now, and we know that our biggest test is yet to come here.”

Milbury on USA and Canada’s physicality: “That’s a real trademark of both of these teams going in to the finals.”

Roenick on the gold medal game: “Everybody at home, watch this game Sunday!”

Albert: “A collective exhale from 34 million residents of Canada.”

“Canada has been waiting for the opportunity to play for the gold on their home soil, and they will have that chance on Sunday against the U.S.”

“Fans continue to chant, we want USA!”

Albert on the final seconds of the game: “Furious pressure by Slovakia.”

Albert: “Slovakia falls just short and Canada will advance to play Team USA for the gold.”

Olczyk on the gold medal: “You just start thinking about a lot of things. You think about where you came from, all the people that helped you along the way, all the coaches, all the hard drives for mom and dad, all the sacrifices.”

Milbury: “I started off this tournament with some doubts about Scott Niedermayer. He hadn’t had a great season at Anaheim, but boy has he come a long way in this tournament.”

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DAY 15 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE

“This is the equivalent of a football team leading another team 42-0 midway through the second quarter.”- NBC’s Al Michaels on the first period Team USA lead over Finland

VANCOUVER – February 26, 2010 - Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC with live coverage of the men’s hockey semifinal game between Team USA and Finland. Team USA defeated Finland, 6-1, and will face the winner of Canada vs. Slovakia in the gold medal game. Also airing on USA Network, live coverage of the women’s curling bronze medal match between China and Switzerland and live on MSNBC speed skating pursuit men’s semifinals and women’s quarterfinals.

Al Michaels hosted the daytime show live from Canada Hockey Place. Joining Michaels for analysis were Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick. Mike “Doc” Emrick provided play-by-play, Eddie Olczyk provided game analysis and Pierre McGuire reported from “Inside the Glass.” Below are highlights from the game.

Michaels also sat down with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman during the second intermission to talk about the NHL and its participation in the Olympics.

NBC

HIGHLIGHTS OF MICHAELS AND BETTMAN INTERVIEW

BETTMAN ON NHL PLAYERS IN THE OLYMPICS: “We worry about the disruption in our season by being here for two weeks and shutting down, but what you’re seeing is really NHL hockey.  This is a playoff atmosphere, this is an NHL arena, NHL ice, NHL rules, NHL officials, and NHL players so I’m very pleased with what we’re seeing out there.”

BETTMAN ON NHL PLAYERS IN SOCHI 2016: “It’s an open question. I know the media is making a big deal over the fact that we haven’t made a decision yet. It’s great to be here and these Olympic Games have been fabulous. The hockey has been great. That doesn’t take into account that there are count-availing issues that we’re going to have to deal with in deciding what makes sense going forward. You talk about Nagano in 1998, Czech played Russia for the gold medal game, and we didn’t get much of an impact being halfway around the world. What’s interesting to me is, we haven’t said no.”

“We have to sit with our Player’s Association. It’s a joint decision. We’ll meet with the IIHF and the IOC, to make sure that on things that we’ve learned about participating in these Games over the last four Olympics, three and this one, whether or not we can do things better. Then  it’ll be a balancing act, and it’s something ultimately that the clubs will decide, not me.”

FIRST PERIOD

EMRICK: “It’s now the semifinal. Excitement across the country gets higher. The competition from the opponent gets stiffer.”

OLCZYK ON USA’S PATRICK KANE: “He has the ability to be a difference maker. I think the pace of this game hits Patrick Kane right between the eyes.”

OLCZYK ON USA’S ERIK JOHNSON: “Erik Johnson has really been a pillar of strength for Ron Wilson and Team USA.”

MCGUIRE ON SWEDEN’S GOALTENDER MIKKA KIPRUSOFF: “This is a monumental meltdown by Mikka Kiprusoff.”

OLCZYK AFTER USA’S SIXTH GOAL: “Six goals and we’re not even fifteen minutes into the first period.”

MICHAELS ON TEAM USA’S PERFORMANCE: “This is the equivalent of a football team leading another team 42-0 midway through the second quarter.”

SECOND PERIOD

MCGUIRE: “Fearless shot blocking by all American players in this tournament.”

OLCZYK ON TEAM USA’S GOALTENDER RYAN MILLER: “He’s probably the most consistent American player in this Olympics.”

MCGUIRE ON TEAM USA AFTER SIX GOALS: “The team’s still paying attention to little details.”

EMRICK ON TEAM USA: “It is still two perfect periods for Ryan Miller and Team USA defensively.”

THIRD PERIOD

EMRICK ON SLOVAKIA TAKING ON CANADA: “Never underestimate a Cinderella team that doesn’t know any better than to just keep going like Slovakia has been.”

EMRICK ON FINLAND’S ONLY GOAL: “Antti Miettinen has scored a scorcher.”

EMRICK ON TEAM USA’S WIN: “There was no anesthetic, this was surgical this afternoon.”

ROENICK ON THE U.S.-CANADA RIVALRY: “There’s no bigger rival for the United States in international hockey than Canada.”

ROENICK ON THE GOLD MEDAL GAME: “Everybody should show up to watch this game on Sunday.”

USA NETWORK

WOMEN’S CURLING BRONZE MEDAL GAME: CHINA VS. SWITZERLAND
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Don Duguid (Analyst), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
China: 12 Switzerland: 6

JONES ON CURLING: “Curling is a fickle game.  A lot like how you see different winners on a PGA golf tour. Curling is the same thing.  Some weeks are absolute magic and some days drive you crazy.”

“In curling, the bronze medal game is the hardest one to get psyched up for.”

JONES ON TEAM CHINA: “The rise of this team has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

“It’s an incredible success story how far they’ve come.”

“When they’re on, they’re on.”

JONES ON SWITZERLAND’S MIRJAM OTT: “I’m sure she didn’t sleep much last night and she’s tortured today over the coulda’s, shoulda’s, woulda’s of yesterday’s game. This is a tough game for her to play.”

MSNBC

SPEED SKATING
Dan Hicks (Play-By-Play), Dan Jansen (Analyst), Andrea Kremer (Reporter)

MEN’S TEAM PURSUIT SEMIFINALS

CANADA VS. NORWAY
Advances to Gold Medal Round: Canada

HICKS: “Canada with another Olympic record!”

USA VS. NETHERLANDS
Advances to Gold Medal Round: USA

JANSEN: “Really smart skate by the Americans.”

HICKS ON TEAM USA: “For the second straight time, they have knocked off the clear favorites!”

JANSEN ON TEAM USA ADVANCING: “Is it going to be gold? Is it going to be silver?”

HICKS: “What a day for the Americans for the team pursuit. Both the men and women take out the gold medal favorites.”

HICKS: “Unbelievable skate by the Americans.”

HICKS ON TEAM PURSUIT: “For the second straight Olympics, these team pursuit events have proved to be very entertaining. You turn some skaters who haven’t had great success during the regular course of the individuals events of the Games, but put them in the team atmosphere and it’s been fun to watch.”

USA’S CHAD HEDRICK: “Man, it really came through and we had chance to defeat the monster with Sven Kramer today and we did it. And we are just ecstatic!”

WOMEN’S SPEED SKATING QUARTERFINALS

JAPAN VS. KOREA
Advances to semifinal: Japan

RUSSIA VS. POLAND
Advances to semifinal: Poland

HICKS: “You have to stay together in the team pursuit and that was just proven by Russia, who fails to advance.”

GERMANY VS. NETHERLANDS
Advances to semifinal: Germany

JANSEN ON GERMANY AND THE NETHERLANDS:  “Possibly the top two teams in the world here paired against one another in the quarterfinals.”

USA VS. CANADA
Advances to semifinal: USA

HICKS: “The United States by four one hundredths of a second, upsets Canada.”

JANSEN ON TEAM USA: “They skated a perfect race.”

HICKS: “The gold medal favorites from Canada shocked by the American women.”

KIM YU-NA CORONATED WITH GOLD; US WINS GOLD & SILVER IN NORDIC COMBINE; SPEEDY RIDES A HURRICANE TO SILVER

“The coronation is complete. Long live the Queen.” – NBC’s Tom Hammond on Kim Yu-Na winning gold

“We’re green light for flight but there’s a hurricane in the forecast.” – NBC’s Todd Harris on Speedy Peterson

VANCOUVER – Feb. 25, 2010 – Kim Yu-Na of South Korea, the reigning world champion, won the ladies’ figure skating gold on the 14TH day of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games, handily defeating Mao Asada of Japan and Joannie Rochette of Canada. Mirai Nagasu and Rachael Flatt of the US finished fourth and seventh, respectively. The program ended with the medal ceremony and the national anthem of South Korea.

The US increased its historic medal haul in Nordic combined to four. In the individual large hill/10km cross country event, Billy Demong won the first gold in the sport in US history and Johnny Spillane earned his third silver of the Games. Until Vancouver, the US had never medaled in Nordic combined. The medal ceremony and US national anthem were aired during the program.

In men’s freestyle aerials, Jeret ‘Speedy’ Peterson won silver by landing the hurricane – a risky five-twist, three-somersault maneuver. Alexei Grishin of Belarus won gold and Zhongging Liu of China earned bronze. Peterson attempted the hurricane in Torino in 2006 but did not land it cleanly, costing him a medal. Ryan St. Onge from the US finished fourth.

On MSNBC, the host nation Canada defeated the US – the reigning world champions –  in the highly anticipated women’s hockey gold medal game by a score of 2-0. It was Canada’s third consecutive Olympic gold. The medal ceremony and Canadian national anthem aired in primetime on NBC. On CNBC, Canada defeated Sweden, 6-3, in the semifinals of men’s curling. The host nation will face Norway in the gold medal final on Saturday.

FIGURE SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Tom Hammond
Analysts: Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic
Reporter: Andrea Joyce

Bezic on Flatt during her skate: “She is really doing it.”

Bezic: “She’s had a long season with many great performances but she has saved her best one for the Olympic Games.”

Hamilton: “She is a rock. She is so consistent.”

Hammond: “It’s called rising to the moment and Rachel Flatt has just done it.”

Bezic on Ando: “This is the strongest we’ve seen Miki perform in a long time as well.”

Hamilton as Kim Yu-Na took the ice: “My heart just started beating a little faster.”

Bezic during Yu-Na’s performance: “Oh my goodness, this is glorious. This is one of the greatest Olympic performances I have ever seen.”

Hammond: “And the crowd mesmerized during her skate, leaping to their feet. The coronation is complete. Long live the Queen.”

Hamilton on the pressure: “No one can walk a mile in those shoes.”

Hammond on Kim Yu-Na’s record-setting score of 228.56: “That blasts the old record. That destroyed the old record.”

Hamilton on Asada: “The first woman to do three triple axels in a competition ever.”

Bezic on Asada: “What she has done in the wake of Yu-Na’s ovation is extraordinary.”

Bezic on Joannie Rochette’s performance: “A kiss for her father. A performance for her mom.”

Hamilton on Rochette’s performance: “I’ve never seen such a superhuman amount of courage and determination. What an inspiration.”

Hammond on Rochette’s performance: “It is the stuff of Olympic legend.”

Hammond on Nagasu: “Not intimidated at all by the stage of the Olympics.”

Bezic on Nagasu: “She just made herself her own Olympic moment.”

Hamilton on the final results: “Everybody’s happy.”

NORDIC COMBINED:
CROSS COUNTRY
Play-by-Play: Al Trautwig
Analyst: Chad Salmela

Trautwig on Demong: “And now Billy Demong is having his own little miracle.”

Trautwig on Demong and Spillane: “For the first time in Nordic combined, the United States wins a gold and they’re going to add a silver as well.”

Trautwig on Spillane’s three silver medals: “Let future generations chase that.”

Salmela: “The United States has been waiting for that moment for so long.”

Spillane on strategy: “Bill and I just kept trading off and kept taking turns pushing the pace and relaxing. We knew that eventually he’d break and Bill had a very strong finish on that last hill. I also felt really good and we were able to get clear. To finish 1-2 is awesome.”

Demong on the future: “I know we’re both planning on skiing next year in the world championships. And I don’t think anyone’s thought that far ahead. Right now our commitment is to enjoy these weeks here and do our best. And we’re also going to start laying the groundwork for the next generation.”

FREESTYLE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Todd Harris
Analyst: Jonny Moseley
Reporter: Tina Dixon

Moseley on Canada’s Warren Shouldice: “He looks like a two-by-four getting flung through the air and the judges love that.”

Harris on Japan’s skiers: “They’re so young, but with so much poise.”

Harris on the hurricane: “We’re green light for flight but there’s a hurricane in the forecast.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a category five hurricane, but that was pretty nice.”

Moseley: “You don’t get extra points for originality but he does it anyway.”

“One of the best I’ve seen him do.”

Harris on Peterson: “And the hurricane is good for silver.”

ALPINE SKIING:
Play-by-Play: Tim Ryan
Analysts: Christin Cooper
Reporter: Steve Porino

Cooper on gold medalist Victoria Rebensburg of Germany: “That was a hard fight from top to bottom. She never gave up.”

Ryan: “And now she’s showing the world she’s a gold medalist in the giant slalom.”

Cooper on the technique of silver medalist Tina Maze of Slovakia: “It’s just a thing of beauty.”

Cooper on the Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso relationship: “These are two characters with polar opposite personalities. They approach their personal lives and their ski careers differently. They have different goals. That’s just the realities of life on the national team. Rivals are not always your best friends. The point is to put that aside and make it work.”

Cooper on Mancuso: “What a fighter she’s been.”

Mancuso on her race: “I’m psyched I was able to lay down a pretty good second run today. It wasn’t enough but I really went out and did my best so I’m really proud of that.”

On her alleged feud with Lindsey Vonn: “It’s been taken out of proportion. It’s really about both of us going out and skiing. I respect her. I said earlier in some interviews that of course she deserved the attention. She really is the greatest female American skier that we’ve had — two overall titles, numerous Globe. That’s really a huge accomplishment. We’re both very different. We both have gotten here to these Games and gotten our medals in completely opposite ways. I’m sure that fuels the fire even more. But of course it’s always good to see your fellow American on the podium.”

On the death of her friend: “I found out yesterday after my race that my friend C.R. Johnson passed away skiing in Squaw [Valley]. It just really reminds me that skiing is so much fun and I love it. It’s all about the skiing and nothing else.”

MSNBC, Women’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal Game:
Canada 2 vs. United States 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-By-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst), Pierre McGuire (Analyst), Joe Micheletti (Reporter)

Patrick: “What we saw today was really unique. Before today, no women’s hockey team had ever won Olympic gold on home ice.”

“The party has just begun here at Canada hockey place.”

Patrick on Canada: “Their 15th straight Olympic victory. Their third straight gold medal.”

Granato on Canada: “They have the crowd here supporting them. It can’t be more special.”

“They had a flawless game.”

Mleczko: “It was a battle as expected.”

Emrick on Canada: “What a wonderful feeling it is for them, to not only win, but to win at home.”

McGuire on Canada’s Szabados: “She is the most consistent goaltender Canada has right now.”

Patrick: “The Canadian team has this building behind it and that’s a big factor.”

Canada’s Gillian Apps on playing well under pressure: “It is something that we have worked on all year just making sure that we have a strong, solid penalty kill. Our defense and our goalie are playing great, so it’s a huge help.”

Mleczko on USA and Canada: “These two teams are ‘it’ in terms of rivalries.”

Granato: “This is four years of work coming down to one game.”

McGuire on USA and Canada: “A lot of tension on both benches.”

Granato on USA: “They’re the most together I have seen a team since the 1998 team.”

Granato On USA Head Coach Mark Johnson: “They absolutely love playing for him. This guy is so well decorated. He was the leading scorer of the 1980 Olympic team that won the gold medal. His father was a legendary coach. He just has loads of experience. He has won three NCAA championships with Wisconsin. He knows how to win. He knows how to coach and they follow him.”

Granato: “For the U.S., you can sense the disappointment. You can see the disappointment. Lots of tears. I have been there. I know what that feels like. In time, they will come to appreciate the silver medal. It is hard for them right now, but they will.”

USA’s Natalie Darwitz on the game: “We played hard, but we just didn’t execute.”

“We have a young team and at times I feel we played that way.”

CNBC, Men’s Curling Semifinal:
Canada 6 vs. Sweden 3
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-By-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Don Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)

Jones: “What a moment for this Canadian team to now be able to play for the gold medal in front of this crowd.”

“This place is going to be absolutely electric.”

Canada’s John Morris: “I think it’s a good energy in the building. We have had that pressure on us for the last couple of years. The Olympics is a whole new ball game.”

“Curling and hockey to Canada is kind of like baseball and basketball to the States. Where the pressure is on to win the gold. We knew that pressure coming in, and we definitely expected it for ourselves. So we are definitely going for that gold.”

On playing Norway in the gold medal final: “We know we will have our hands full, so we expect a good battle on Saturday that’s for sure.”

Duguid: “There’s nobody that knows the angles more than Kevin Martin.”

Jones on Sweden: “Coming in, they thought if they finished middle of the pack that would be good.  They have been awesome.”

###

DAY 14 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE

“She alone is carrying the pressure of her entire nation on her shoulders.” – NBC’s Sandra Bezic on South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na

“Both of them are going to come out swinging.” – NBC’s Scott Hamilton on USA’s Rachael Flatt & Mirai Nagasu

VANCOUVER – February 25, 2010 – Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC with coverage of the women’s 4x5km relay gold medal final and a figure skating preview of tonight’s ladies’ gold medal final with NBC’s Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Dick Button.

MSNBC included live coverage of the women’s ice hockey bronze medal game between Finland and Sweden. USA Network featured live coverage of the women’s curling semifinal round between Canada and Switzerland.

NBC

HAMILTON, BEZIC AND BUTTON PREVIEW TONIGHT’S LADIES’ FIGURE SKATING GOLD MEDAL FINAL

DAYTIME HOST AL MICHAELS: “The walking encyclopedia of figure skating, Dick Button.”

BEZIC ON SOUTH KOREA’S KIM YU-NA WINNING GOLD: “She has the lead and if she skates cleanly, it will most likely be hers. For me what is most fascinating is the kind of pressure she’s under, because she alone is carrying the pressure of her entire nation on her shoulders. She lives with that everyday and trains with that everyday. I can’t imagine waking up and being her this morning, knowing what she has to do. Anything less than gold will be a failure.”

BUTTON ON KIM YU-NA: “Most of all is the fact that not only is she wonderfully athletic, but is also elegant and easy to watch. If she skates brilliantly, she’ll have the easiest route to a gold medal.”

HAMILTON ON JAPAN’S MAO ASADA SKATING AFTER KIM YU-NA: “There’s a little pay back here because Kim Yu-Na had to skate after Mao Asada in the short program and Mao just threw it down. Kim gets to put the pressure on her and Mao’s going to have to hit both of her triple axels to have any chance to get enough points to compete with her technically. Artistically is where Kim Yu-Na separates herself from the field. Mao is going to have to be absolutely flawless tonight technically to have any chance to overtake her.”

BUTTON: “Mao Asada is marvelous all-around skater. Her jumps are simply breathtakingly beautiful, but easy. She doesn’t quite have all of the sustaining parts through the rest of the program. Whether she does both triple axels or not is a question. If she does, the point system will be quite generous to her.”

BEZIC ON CANADA’S JOANNIE ROCHETTE AND HER MOTHER’S DEATH A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE SHORT PROGRAM: “It’s so compelling and so heart wrenching, because we all refer it to ourselves in some way and make it personal. We wonder where we would find that kind of strength within ourselves, or whether we even have that. For her to show that to us was an extraordinary gift.”

HAMILTON ON ROCHETTE: “Seeing Joannie and seeing her relationship with her mother and how tight that was. There’s a huge void right there for her and I think she’s filling it with her skating. I was blown away the other night by that short program.”

BEZIC ON USA’S RACHAEL FLATT AND MIRAI NAGASU: “What I love about these two American ladies is that they have simply no doubt. They obviously watched Tara Lipinski and Sara Hughes when they were growing up and they just figure, ‘why not me too?’ Why not be in the final flight and why not be in contention for a medal? That’s how they’ve been skating here and it’s just wonderful.”

HAMILTON ON FLATT AND NAGASU: “They’re so different. Rachael, she’s the rock. She’s so dependable. She punches her time clock every day and she always delivers the performance. With Mirai, you just never know what’s going to come out of her mouth. Just so charming and so endearing and she has her own perspective on everything. Underneath both of them is a fighter. Both of them are going to come out swinging. It’s going to be really fun to watch them skate.”

BUTTON ON FLATT AND NAGASU: “They’re wonderful. I really love them both. Rachel Flatt is just as solid as they come in every way. She’s a competitor through and through. It oozes out of her bones the way she can come through under pressure. Mirai Nagasu is just lovely. Mirai Nagasu is certainly someone who will challenge right to the top.”

WOMEN’S CROSS-COUNTRY 4x5KM RELAY GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Norway
Silver: Germany
Bronze: Finland

TRAUTWIG ON THE EVENT: “It’s a complete test of team depth.”

SALMELA ON THE EVENT: “They have to go from the gun. These athletes are going to charge this course right from the beginning.”

“The athletes are going to try to leave everything they can on the course.”

SALMELA ON NORWAY’S MARIT BJOERGEN ON WINNING ANOTHER GOLD THIS OLYMPICS: “This would put her down in the record books as one of the greatest skiers of all time from Norway.”

“This is becoming the Games of Marit Bjoergen in cross-country skiing.”

MICHAELS ON NORWAY WINNING GOLD: “I’m not sure they can have a ticker-tape parade in Trondheim, Norway this time of year, but I’ll bet you we’re going to find out next week.”

MSNBC

WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY BRONZE MEDAL GAME: SWEDEN VS. FINLAND
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-By-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst), Joe Micheletti (Reporter)
Finland: 3 Sweden: 2

GRANATO ON FINLAND WINNING GOLD: “First Olympic medal for Team Finland in 12 years!”

“These two teams are used to playing against each other.  A lot of times it’s been Sweden on top. This time its Finland’s turn.”

GRANATO ON THE GAME: “For those of us that are fans of women’s hockey, this is what we wanted to see.  We wanted to see a hard fought battle.  We wanted to see an emotional battle.  We saw some physical play. That’s what you want, a 3-2 overtime final for an Olympic medal.  That’s amazing hockey.”

ALBERT ON THE GAME: “It’s no surprise that these teams are playing for the bronze.  If you asked any follower of women’s hockey prior to the Olympics, you would have expected U.S. and Canada in the gold medal game, despite the upset by Sweden in 2006, and Sweden and Finland playing for the bronze.”

MLECZKO ON SWEDEN, FINLAND RIVALRY: “People talk about the rivalry between the USA and Canada, but this one is forgotten. Finland and Sweden play each other a lot through the years. With their geography, they are very close to each other. They are often battling for a bronze medal and you can see the physical nature and the intensity.”

GRANATO ON FINLAND’S MICHELLE KARVINEN: “Karvinen is showing why she’s one of the most exciting prospects for Finland these days.  She’s young, she’s 19 years old. But she’s showing tonight why she’s been so good for them.”

USA NETWORK

WOMEN’S CURLING SEMIFINAL: CANADA VS. SWITZERLAND
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Don
Duguid (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Canada: 6 Switzerland: 5

JONES ON CURLING IN CANADA: “In Canada, curling is next to hockey like a religion. Now team Canada will play for the gold on home ice tomorrow.”

ROGGIN ON THE GOLD MEDAL MATCH: “The Canadians will take on defending gold medal champion Anette Norberg and Sweden for the gold medal.”

CATALON ON TEAM CANADA: “Team Canada has embraced the energy in this building.  They have not run from this pressure.”

JONES ON CANADA’S CHERYL BERNARD: “She is a tough cookie.”

DUGUID ON BERNARD: “Give her the last rock and she’s dynamite with the draw.”