Final Day

Today should be fun. It will be long.... but fun. We're all off to get in line so that we can get into the lounge to watch the men's final. I think it goes without saying that the game will be great and the atmosphere in the building will be electric - again.

After the game, we head over to BC Place to take in the closing ceremonies. We've all been hearing lots on TV about who will perform, who will be there, etc. Yesterday I even read that Obama may be there to take it in... We shall see.

I'll take lots of pictures today and spend some time when I get home to add them for you all to see.

Cheers!

A-MA-ZING!!!!!

I'm not even going to attempt to be all cool and collected in this post...

Today's game was unreal. It was such an honor for me to be on the ice with such amazing and dedicated athletes pouring out their hears and souls for themselves, their family and friends, and for their respective countries. Those girls all played hard for all 60 minutes, leaving nothing behind. In hockey, we like to call it 'emptying the tank' - and both teams certainly did.















Skating out onto the ice tonight was the loudest experience of my life. I admit, my heart was in my throat, my legs were a bit shaky, and I could not stop smiling. Such pride. :) Once the puck dropped though, I was just fine and had the time of my life.

When the game was over, we left the ice to let the teams have their moment and eventually receive their medals. We were able to get a seat front and centre at the glass next to the Zamboni entrance. It was a thrill to watch the team receive their medals from such a close vantage point and to be able to watch the flags raised while 'Oh Canada' played.

When we returned to the hotel, we had an officials reception with all the male and female officials.... AND, GET THIS..... THE STANLEY CUP. Not the replica, the real thing. We were allowed to touch it, lift it, photograph it... I lifted it over my head! I had to... :) I do not have pictures of this on my camera, but will post them once my teammates have a chance to share.

At the reception, the officials who worked the bronze game were presented with a bronze medal from the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), and we were presented with an IIHF gold medal.

All in all, a phenomenal day. Certainly one to remember.

To my friends at TD, I had the shield in my back pocket...

To my OWHA family, I had our OWHA pin in my back pocket as well...!

On a side note... a special 'shout out' to all the students at Westmount Public School in Peterborough!!! :)

T Minus 19 Hours

What a cool day today was. Considering the news I received yesterday, I slept amazingly well. I did my best to keep it low key...

After breakfast, we had a group meeting to go over some final logistics (i.e. how to get into the men's finals, a get together with the male officials, etc - important stuff!!!). The crew working the gold game tomorrow afternoon also sat down together with our supervisor to discuss tomorrow's big game. One of my favorite quotes from this discussion was "a moving puck is your best friend".

After our meeting, I did a light workout, relaxed and went to a restaurant on Granville Avenue with family to watch the Canada vs Russia game.

I had a few really cool phone calls today as well. One from the President of TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice (where I work), from my family, and a couple of media calls from my home town in Peterborough. Check out the article for the Peterborough Examiner at the link below:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2464932

So, I feel really ready for tomorrow. Although the game is huge, my approach will be to treat it as any other game. I know I'll still find opportunities to take it all in and enjoy though...

I've thought a great deal today about how fortunate I am to get to skate tomorrow. I have not got here on my own. We have an amazing program at home that has provided tremendous guidance, mentorship and support. Tomorrow, I will skate for my family, my friends and my fellow OWHA officials. Thanks to you all!

Golden

We just got our assignments... I will be lining the gold game on Thursday with Kelli Roulston (O'Brien) from the US. Aina Hove from Norway will be reffing. I can't speak, can barely type, and am absolutely ecstatic with this news.

:)

A North American Tilt and A Semi Final

It's been a few days since I last wrote a post. Been an exciting couple of days. The other officials and I wandered to Canada Hockey Place on Sunday to take in the Canada vs USA men's game. What a great experience! The atmosphere was electric... unfortunately the game didn't turn out the way most in the building were hoping, but it was still amazing. The walk back to our hotel along Granville was equally exciting. The streets were closed to traffic and full of people clad in red and white. You wouldn't have known that Canada actually lost the game.

Yesterday, I had one of my best on-ice experiences ever! I lined the USA vs SWE semi-final game at Canada Hockey Place. Although it was yet another rather lop-sided affair, it was still a great skate and felt like a competitive game. I forced myself to remember the magnitude of the game - that these women were playing for an opportunity to compete for an Olympic Gold medal. I did not want to loose sight of this fact, I wanted to take it all in and enjoy it, as it may have been my last international game.

We're off today and tomorrow with the medal games scheduled for Thursday. We're heading to the Hockey House and we'll find out our assignments later today.

A Trip to Whistler

There were no games on the women's side today, so us refs all headed up to Whistler to tour around a bit. When we first arrived, we saw the figure skating pairs champions, Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao, in the parking lot. They were gracious enough to let me have my picture taken with them... I couldn't convince him to lift me up though! :)

- Pictures from Whistler

We were lucky that it was a clear and sunny day. The view was spectacular at the top, and as we rode across the new Peak To Peak gondola. I've took several pictures, but I don't think I was able to truly capture how high we really were in the gondola.

There are two games tomorrow, first SUI vs CHN at 2:35, then RUS vs SVK at 7:05. Kerri is working the late game.

My next assignment is on Monday - the USA vs SWE semi-final. Mary Anne is also working this one. Kerri will be working again on Monday as well lining a game between the two winning teams from tomorrow's games.

So, off the ice for two more days. I'll hit the gym for a couple of light workouts, try to get to Canada Hockey Place to take in a men's game or two (aiming for the CAN vs US game on Sunday), and continue to take in this amazing experience.

I'll continue to keep you posted...

Pictures

I've created a couple of albums on my Facebook account. Apparently, you can access them via a public link. Check them out if you wish:

- Opening Ceremonies

- Olympic Game Shots

Enjoy...

USA vs Finland

Today's game went great. The US won 6-0, but it felt closer as the Fins seemed to play better and better as the game progressed. My partners today were Aina Hove from Norway, who reffed, and Zuzanna Arazimova from the Czech Republic on the lines. I thought we worked great together, and we had a lot of fun - plus, we had the first ever penalty shot at the Olympics. All our games here are supervised, and we'll receive our feedback tomorrow.

The IIHF website has already posted an article and photos at:
http://www.iihf.com/de/channels10/olympics-2010/news/news/article/american-women-overpower-finns.html?tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=3508&cHash=0be250b962

I'm sticking around the rink for a couple of more hours to watch a portion of Mary Anne's game. She has China vs Russia. I think it will be a good close game. She's working with Megan Hishmeh from the US and Anna Majapuro from Finland.

Tomorrow is a day off, so we're all scrambling to get tickets to other events. Our accreditation does get us into games on the men's side as well, but we're all hoping to see some non-hockey related Olympic activity... :)

USA vs Russia Game

Yesterday's game was good. The US team won 13-0. Although it was extremely lopsided it was still a good skate for us. The US scored the majority of their goals during the second period and as a result it took 40 minutes to play the period. I've pasted a couple of pictures from the game in below.

We also received our game assignments for the next two days. Kerri is on the ice later today at 7:05 to line Slovakia vs Swiss. I will be on the ice tomorrow at 2:35 for USA vs Finland. And, MA will be calling China vs Russia on Thursday at 7:05.

P.S. For those using the comment boxes to discuss my pants.... they seem okay in these pictures! BTW, they're the same pants you've seen me in for the past 4 years... :)

Pictures from Finland vs Russia

The IIHF website has posted pictures from our game on Sunday. Check them out at:

http://www.iihf.com/de/channels10/olympics-2010/pictures/page/0/game/FIN%20-%20RUS.html