RUSSIA’s PLUSHENKO & USA’s LYSACEK LEAD COMPETITIVE MEN’S FIELD AFTER SHORT PROGRAM
“They were inspired.” – NBC’s Bezic on the top three men’s figure skaters
“In victory or defeat, it’s pretty much impossible not to like Lindsey Jacobellis.” – NBC’s Costas
VANCOUVER – Feb. 16, 2010 – Reigning world champion Evan Lysacek of the US trails reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia by less than one point (.55) after the men’s short program concluded on the fifth night of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi is only (.05) behind Lysacek setting up a competitive free skate for the gold medal on Thursday night.
SANDRA BEZIC: “The top three men truly performed inspired performances. They weren’t just good or great. They didn’t just get the job done. They were inspired.”
TOM HAMMOND: “It should be quite a battle on Thursday night.”
Team USA women’s snowboard cross competitor Lindsey Jacobellis, who was a gold medal favorite, ultimately finished fifth. Coverage also included the women’s luge, which was won by Germany’s Tatjana Huefner.
On cable, MSNBC’s coverage featured the women’s ice hockey game, USA vs. Russia, which was won by Team USA, 13-0. CNBC featured women’s curling with Japan defeating the USA, 9-7, and men’s hockey with host nation Canada defeating Norway, 8-0.
Olympic correspondent Cris Collinsworth again joined primetime host Bob Costas in studio, this time to introduce a segment on snowboarder Shaun White, who will defend his gold medal in the halfpipe tomorrow night in primetime.
COSTAS: “In another life, you’ve had linebackers and safeties coming to take your head off. But I don’t think you’d want to try what this kid does.”
COLLINSWORTH: “Uh, no. The one thing you learn about him that you may not have known going in, is that he’s one of those Michael Jordan kind of competitors. He really doesn’t want to just win. He wants to dominate. He wants to embarrass the competition. And tomorrow night, you’re going to see that he will push the envelope in a way that even he didn’t think he could four years ago.”
FIGURE SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Tom Hammond
Analysts: Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Tracy Wilson
Reporter: Andrea Joyce
ON PLUSHENKO
Plushenko on his reputation: “Many people don’t like me. Many. But I’m going to skate anyways.”
“My enemies, they worry about me because I’m back. And they’re afraid a little bit.”
“Of course it’s my dream to skate in the Olympic Games and skate better than in 2006. I would like to be two-time Olympic champion, like Dick Button.”
Hammond: “It’s appropriate he’s wearing black because he certainly does have enemies and critics among his competitors.”
Bezic: “His jumps were spectacular. The performance was there. He delivered.”
Hamilton: “This guy is special. He is really special.”
Button: “I think he likes looking like an evil character. I think he likes the fact that his beard is undone, the hair is undone and stringy. If I wanted to do a movie where there’s an evil agent, I’d pick him. I love that persona. He commands you to look at him.”
ON LYSACEK
Hammond: “Evan Lysacek brings them to their feet in Vancouver.”
Bezic: “To do it in this circumstance, under this kind of pressure, with that kind of intensity is spectacular.”
Hamilton: “Eliminate every would’ve, could’ve or should’ve. When you step on the ice at the Olympics, know that you’ve done everything that you can to be prepared for this moment. He’s done just that and he’s delivered the goods.”
ON TAKAHASHI
Bezic on Takihashi: “That was hot.”
Hamilton: “He milked every moment out of that performance.”
Hamilton: “All three members of the Japanese team just threw it down.”
ON WEIR
Hamilton: “With all the distraction and the sound bites off the ice, he delivered the goods on the ice.”
“And with that pink tassel, every man in America envies him because he’s rooming with Tanith Belbin.”
SNOWBOARD CROSS:
Play-by-Play: Pat Parnell
Analyst: Todd Richards
Reporter: Tina Dixon
Richards on snowboard cross: “It embodies a lot of the principles that you’d see day-to-day on the mountain, however, maybe on steroids.”
Parnell after Jacobellis was disqualified: “Jacobellis is off course! Unbelievable.”
Richards: “Uncharacteristic of Jacobellis.”
Costas “In an instant, her Olympics comes to a close.”
Jacobellis after her race: “I really loved the experience this time – It was mellow. It wasn’t as stressful. The first time I felt there was a lot of expectation on me.”
Costas: “In victory or defeat, it’s pretty much impossible not to like Lindsey Jacobellis.”
LUGE:
Play-by-play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Duncan Kennedy
Reporter: Lewis Johnson
Kennedy on Germany’s Tatjana Huefner, who won gold: “She’s been virtually flawless.”
Papa: “Her bronze in Torino has turned to gold in Vancouver. Tatjana Huefner wins the women’s luge.”
Below are highlights from MSNBC’s Primetime coverage:
MSNBC, Women’s Ice Hockey:
USA 13 vs. Russia 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-by-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst)
Granato: “When Jenny Potter gets hot, you cannot stop her.”
Mleczko on Team USA’s Hilary Knight: “She’s been a very dynamic and exciting player to watch; youngest player on the team, but the most effective offensively.”
Granato on Team USA: “They’re coming at Russia with speed, and you can tell it’s paying off.”
Team USA’s Gigi Marvin: “I am so thankful and blessed to be on this team. Enjoying every moment.”
CNBC, Women’s Curling:
Japan 9 vs. USA 7
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Catalon on Team USA’s Debbie McCormick: “Debbie is arguably the most decorated curler in all of U.S. Women’s curling.”
Jones on comparing curling to chess: “Curling is like chess on ice. You are always trying to think two or three shots ahead.”
CNBC, Men’s Ice Hockey:
Canada 8 vs. Norway 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play), Joe Micheletti (Analyst)
Roenick on Team Canada: “This team is just oozing with talent. It is amazing to watch.”
Roenick on Canada: “The country of Canada has been waiting for this day for seven years, and I think they finally got what they wanted. They wanted a blow out, they needed a blow out. Well guys, they got their blow out.”
Team Canada’s Jarome Iginla on the game: “We’ve been anticipating this for awhile and to get to feel that and to finally get it underway, it was awesome. ”
Emrick: “We’ve talked a lot about how this is such a new experience for Team USA to be in an Olympics, it’s the same for the majority of team Canada.”
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