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.”
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