The Olympic puck drops: a live-blogging attempt

(for the men's team, I mean. Our women's team has been kicking ass, and I'm kind of starting to get used to it. Hopefully the men can keep up.)

First off, a huge congratulations to Maelle Ricker, gold medallist in snowboard cross, which is my favourite thing so far this year.

Roberto Luongo gets the start tonight, continuing my trend of watching him on Mardi Gras, except this time I'm cheering for his team. Oh, and as for the other half of Mardi Gras?

Yes, I'm most definitely stuffing my face. I bought the Canada donuts specifically for Luongo-cheering purposes. No, I won't be eating all six donuts, because that would be disgusting.

I'll try to alternate between French and English feeds, since I live in a house that's become accustomed to watching RDS feeds, but there's only so much salivating over Patrice Bergeron I can do.

The game hasn't started yet, and there's been a Vincent Lecavalier shoutout. Ca commence bien. Luckily, most of the gentlemen seem to have finally moved on and mention that Bouwmeester, Green, and (ew)Phaneuf would have been more useful to this team than Vinny.
Jeff Carter, who's up in a loge somewhere (not home, which is where he was told to go) should walk everywhere sideways. His face looks alright in profile. Not straight-on, though.

OK, let's get to game time and final predictions. Who thinks Canada will win gold?

First period

• Pierre Houde just made a Thor Nelson joke. This is why I love Pierre Houde. (That, and he said hi to me one time.)
• I think the entire San Jose Sharks team was just on the ice. Like, all of them.
• Corey Perry just had an almost-goal, and I keep on reminding myself that I'm now cheering for this whole team, even the guys I don't know or like.
• Jarome Iginla!!!! More on him some other time, but he's on the fourth line, if you can call it that.
• I think I'm going to like this San Jose Sharks trio a lot in the next two weeks. It's always incredible when players who are skilled to begin with, know exactly how to work with each other.
• Sidney Crosby just missed an open net, then later in the same shift gets the puck knocked away from him. Seriously?
• The first penalty of the game comes up about halfway through the first, right after my dad commented on how smoothly everything has been going without "cattiveria" (how do I translate that? Bad behaviour?) Shea Weber is sent to the box, to the strains of "Cotton Eye Joe." Canada, as expected, kills the penalty.
• Pierre Houde just made a Brodeur/Luongo slipup... not quite as funny as Brian Williams thinking he was still on CBC, but I'll take it.
• Great save by the Norwegian goalie, on a pretty good play by Jonathan Toews.
• The crowd totally just lost its mind over Wayne Gretzky. Raise your hand if you're surprised. Nobody? Thought so.
• Canada's about to go into a power play, thanks to Norwegian captain Jacobsen.
• OK, the last thing I want to see on a power play is Rick Nash falling. I might laugh a little if, like, Crosby falls, but Nash? No. Norway's goalie has been solid so far. Wow.
• Perry very carefully calculated his shot on goal, but seriously, Norway's goalie isn't having any of it. Glove save.
• Sweet fakeout play where Shea Weber waited for Getzlaf to meet him behind the neck, but kept the puck.
• Okay, this Norwegian goalie just made Rick Nash and Sidney Crosby look like amateurs in the same thirty seconds. I don't think this is going to be a 18-0 win.
• Our power play is solid, and will get better as the tournament continues, so long as Ryan freaking Getzlaf doesn't let pucks bounce off his stick like that.

There's always the chance that the "Let's make sure everyone knows whose game they're playing" commercial might get old, but it still gets me all riled up.
OK, in keeping with liking this whole team, do I watch an interview with Patrice Bergeron or Sidney Crosby?

Second period

• I will attempt to start typing "Pal Grotnes" instead of "goalie from Norway," but I'm kind of hoping Canada has more goals and less almost-goals.
• Power play. Grotnes (nope, still talking about him) stops Canada's first shot on goal, and like a million after that.
• It took some effort, but Canada scores one hell of a goal. Crosby passes to Iginla, who shoots while Nash screens Grotnes. The puck hits the back of the net so hard that Josh Gorges probably winced while he watched it.
• I think Chris Pronger (and maybe Dany Heatley) is the only person who saw that goal coming. He shot from almost halfway down the ice and it was in the net before anyone knew what was going on.
• Did I just hear the olé olé chant?
• 5-on-3 for Norway. I'm a little worried.
• Pierre Houde remarks that Luongo's mommy is in town, not just to see her son, but because she works for Air Canada. If she works directly with the public and someone finds out she's Luongo's mom, it's going to be the best flight ever.
• Mike Richards shoves the puck into the net on a sort of reverse wraparound - he went behind the net to get the puck, then backed up, and scored. 3-0, Team Canada.
• Nice hit by Doughty, especially rewatching it in slow-mo. Does that mean it's time for another donut?
• Again, on a PP, Dan Boyle has a pretty nice shot on goal, but Grotnes is up to his old tricks.
• I know I'm blogging about hockey here, but the organ player just delved into a bit of John Williams, and I had a nerd moment.
• Dany Heatley gets a penalty, but so far has not asked for a trade, so I guess it's not all bad news.
• On their PP, Norway's Bastiansen (sp?) tries the proposal goal beloved by our Habs and drops to one knee to shoot, but Luongo stops it.
• The second period ends, and everyone in the stands is in great spirits.

JAROME!!! CTV interviews Iginla, and it's awfully refreshing to see both an interviewer and an interviewee who are both actually providing their viewers with information. Iginla, as usual, is all smiles.

Third period

• Are you kidding me? Sidney Crosby, apparently the greatest thing since sliced bread, in the penalty box? This is why Nutella, and not Crosby, is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
• Norway has a pretty good PP, but doesn't score.
• After his first attempt at goal was disallowed, Ryan Getzlaf turns his back on Grotnes. And gets the puck into the net without looking,
• Did they just pull Grotnes? Maybe they're hoping Andre Lysenstoen is a bit fresher.
• Eric Staal (that's the one, right? They all look the same) didn't get the puck in the net, but tried to score a goal with himself. Sorry, Staal, that doesn't count. Even I know that.
• Dany Heatley scores a beauty. I'm so glad he hasn't asked for a trade yet.
• Iginla, Nash, and Crosby - they all play a very mental game, and all that thinking paid off in a great play and, of course, a goal.
• Mike Babcock gave silver medalist Jennifer Heil a pair of tickets to tonight's game. He's the best. What can I say? He's a great coach and he gives hockey tickets to our Canadian athletes. Love.
• Staal and Perry get around a great effort by Norwegian goalie and D and score again. 7-0.
• Marleau hits the outside of the net. Pretty close, I guess.
• Captain Jacobsen played in his first Olympic tournament in 1992, back when the closest thing I did to blogging was drawing with crayons.
• Rick Nash shoots the puck into Jarome Iginla's stick and it inches into the net. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that's three goals credited to Iginla. Per CTV: "Those hats aren't cheap." And I think my four favourite words are now "Jarome Iginla hat trick."

Final score of 8-0. Norway was a great opponent. Does anyone miss NHL hockey? Follow-up question: if you do, are you crazy?