By now, you know that Kris and I LOVE hockey.   We are pretty hardcore fans, and we came into the Olympic Games with tickets to 9 hockey games.  So far, we have been to SIX of them.  Everyone of them has been so much fun!  Almost as fun as the game are the die-hard fans that travel to these games from their home countries.  They make the game that much more enjoyable.  Face-paints, cowbells, flag-waving.  It’s just amazing.

Finnish fans before the Finland/Belarus game

Russian fan before the Russia/Latvia game

German fans at Germany/Sweden game

Some friendly Americans (from NYC) that we met at the USA/Norway game

…and of course, the GAMES and the ATHLETES!

I found a great spot for photos down near the ice, and have been lucky to get some nice photographs of the players as they come out onto the ice.

Miikka Kiprasoff and Kimmo Timmonen – Team Finland

Sergei Kostitsyn – Team Belarus

Team Norway

Jaromir Jagr – Team Czech Republic

Team Russia salutes the fans after a big win over the Czechs

Team USA warming up before the game against Norway

I made some signs – the Team USA sign above and then a slightly more creative one for my favorite hockey player, Evgeni Malkin on Team Russia.  His nickname is “Geno” so that was the inspiration behind this one:

…and what’s cooler than meeting up with other hockey-loving knitters at the Olympics?  Brynna, Amy and I are all active on the Ravelry hockey forum Puck This! and we arranged meetups.  Brynna and I met up to watch the first Canada game against Norway at a park with outdoor screens.  Afterward, we headed to the Russia/Latvia game.  It was great to meet her!

Amy and I both had tickets to the Sweden/Germany game and texted throughout the game and then met up afterward!

With a friendly blue-jacketed Olympic volunteer at the Canada Hockey Place arena

… More photos and stories to come…

As many of you know, tomorrow evening is the beginning of the Vancouver Winter Olympics !

Many knitters are participating in the new incarnation of the “Knitting Olympics” that have been deemed the “Ravelympics” now on Ravelry.  Last I looked, there were over 8000 knitters and crocheters signed up for those events – with event names that run the gauntlet from the “Hat Halfpipe” to “Mitten Moguls”, there is something for everyone.  These Ravelympians far outnumber the actual Olympians in Vancouver.  It should be great fun to watch!

I have not participated in a Knitting Olympics, and I am not planning to this year as I feel that I have pressured myself enough with deadline knitting… but that doesn’t mean that I am not cheering you on wholeheartedly!  I would love to hear what you are planning for the Ravelympics – leave me a comment and tell me about your team, your event, and your project!

I hope many of you are planning to watch the events – you will be in for some real treats!  Since the Summer Games have such a ginormous following, they are

Here are a few tips and things to watch for during the Games:

•  Winter Olympic Sports are FAST.  Several of them involve icy surfaces, so this means that the action just *zooms* right by.  So, you may need to work on a project that doesn’t require large amounts of attention!  You look down to count your stitches or check your charting – and boom, you just missed the win!  Luckily, there are DVRs and instant replays – but you don’t want to miss the action!  …and in case you do miss it and have an accident, there are always commercial breaks for a little bit of frogging

• I don’t have to tell you that my anticipation for the Games is all about the ice hockey.  Because the Games are in Canada – the Home of Hockey – there is a HUGE HUGE amount of pressure on both the Men’s and Women’s teams to bring home the gold medals.  And honestly, both of them are so good that they could do it.  The most contentious matches will be between old rivalries (aren’t they always?).

For the Mens’ tournament, the match that has the most hype is Canada versus Russia.  Both of these teams are very deep and star-studded.  Both teams are fully made of athletes who do this for a living – both in the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).  Two of the undisputed “best players in the world” will be facing off – one leading Canada and the other leading Russia.  Watch for Sidney Crosby (Canada) and Alexander Ovechkin (Russia) – and if you watch the Games, you will hear their names A LOT.  However, because the Olympics are a one-stop shop, unlike many of the other “best of seven” style tournaments, there is a very distinct possibility that one of the other national teams could make a real showing.  The biggest “contenders” in addition to the two already named are the US, Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, and Slovakia.  There could be a “dark horse” – and that’s what makes it so exciting!

As for the women’s hockey, the biggest rivalry is between Canada and the United States.  Canada won the Gold in Torino in 2006, with Sweden taking the silver and the US taking the bronze.  Women’s hockey is serious business with serious fans!  I watched one of the matches between US and Canada a few weeks ago and really got into the excitement in the game.  It was a nailbiter right to the end.  The Canadians took the game, but it was so close!  Women’s hockey doesn’t get much (if any) “air time” on TV and in the news media, so I simply don’t know that much about these athletes as I do about the men – but I will love finding out more about these amazing women through the course of the Games.

• Figure skating is always the soap opera of the Olympics, and I doubt this year will be any different – from the costumes, the judging, the relationships between partners… oh!  so juicy and exciting!  the figure skating consistently ranks among the most popular events on TV and in person (that is why the tickets were so hard to get – the price point was so high!  so, we will be enjoying the figure skating on the screen, not in person).

• In a weird turn of winter events, the Vancouver area has had a very mild winter – so much so that they are trucking in snow from the mountains to bring to the ski/snowboard courses north of the city.  Conditions are not really improving, and while there are some contingencies in place, everyone is hoping that things go off as planned.  Several of our events are indoors, but we do have a ski event in Cypress Mountain and we are all keeping our fingers crossed that it happens!  …I wish there was a way I could take the 4 feet of snow here in Maryland to BC with me!

I would love to hear about what events you are planning to follow!

Months of planning and the day is nigh!

In my hand is the first set of event tickets: Russia v. Latvia. It should be quite a game – Latvia isn’t a major contender, but word on the street is that they have SERIOUS fans… Megan told me stories about the Latvians that showed up in Halifax for the World Juniors in 2008 – so that will be fun! Maybe they will have handknit mittens?

We’ve been discussing everything Olympics in the  Vancouver 2010 Ravelry group (pssst – come join us!) and people are getting excited!  For those of us actually traveling to Vancouver (or living there, already), we are planning a series of meetups during the Games.  It’s gonna be grand.  And you can bet that I will document it well with my trusty camera.

Besides all of the amazing Olympic events, Kris and I are also planning to do some sightseeing – hikes, museums, performances.  There are a number of shows and events also happening with the Games, including some fun music shows (Damien Marley, Matisyahu, Bedouin Soundclash, and many many others).  One of the big ski resorts north of Vancouver – Grouse Mountain - will be open 24/7, with special midnight and sunrise snowshoe tours, performances, and lots of events.  I have never been skiing or snowboarding, but this feels like a good time and place to start… Coincidentally, Grouse Mountain is also where NBC will be airing the Today Show each morning – and if I can time it right, I am hoping we can be on “the plaza” one morning with a sign!   I told my “morning crew” at the gym to look at for us when they are watching on the treadmills!

The majority of our tickets (surprise) are hockey tickets – but we also have a set for Curling, and Freestyle Aerials, so we will get a nice mix of events.

Some of the ladies in the Rav group are also working the venues at the Olympics… people are asking if we will be able to take our knitting into the events.  Much like airports and security, it appears that it will be up to the discretion of the specific guard.  So, plastic needles may be the best bet… if I can make my deadline with my sweater (close!  I will update on that soon), I think I am gonna make a flurry of quickie projects on big needles – cowls, scarves, and hats, perhaps?

The forecast is calling for a “Storm of the Century” here in Maryland starting tomorrow morning – blizzard, lots and lots of snow – so, it looks like it’ll be another shut-in weekend with copious amounts of Spanish lessons and knitting – not that I mind!  Funny how the the East is getting slammed with snow this year, but Vancouver is relatively dry and warm and that is where the Olympics are!  best soak up the winter while I am on this coast!

Hasta luego, mis amigos~~

As you may recall, Kris and I are huge hockey fans. Kris has been in to it since he was a kid, and when we started dating in high school, I really got in to it too… and since we got married in 2002, we have had this informal lifelong goal of getting to every National Hockey League arena in North America…

This trip to California was precipitated by the birth of our niece (first and foremost!) but… it also coincided with the western roadtrip of our team, the Pittsburgh Penguins.  So, yeah.  Kris and I were totally roadies.

…We followed them to Anaheim…

…where we happened to meet up with a very lovely lady!  Stacey and I have known each other for years (through the blogs, Rav, and Flickr), and we finally had the chance to meet.  She managed to get last-minute tickets to the Anaheim Ducks game, and although we didn’t sit together, we texted throughout the game, and then met up afterward at the pub across the street.  She was with her hockey-loving (albeit Ducks-supporting) friend, Nicole.  The Penguins managed a win in this game, so it was a fun night!  I also met some very nice fans (season-ticket holders) that were sitting next to us, and they were so much fun.  They bought us a Ducks puck, and a hat to remember the occasion.  (The Ducks have a pretty “gritty” reputation in the NHL, but their fans were the nicest of all!)

(We had so much fun that we planned *another* date night with Stacey and her partner Randy for the next night.  Lots of hockey talk!)

…next up to see the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center…

The tide really shifted in this game, unfortunately.  The Penguins, who had a great start to the year, got hit really hard with injuries – broken bones and strained muscles everywhere!  The LA game was a loss, but it was still really great to watch.  As a general hockey fan, it is really neat to see a team that hasn’t done that well in years put together a fabulous line-up.  Since the Kings are in a different conference, we rarely see them play.  This is all my justification to make myself feel better about the 5-2 loss

Final stop: San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion aka “The Shark Tank”

…Let’s just say that we are smiling *before* the game…

It was an abysmal loss (5-0) for our guys.  They were so beat up by this game.  I felt a little beat up after the game too, considering the heckling that we got in the stands.  Yikes!  Whatever happened to that mellow California vibe?  It wasn’t present at the Sharks game.

The good news is that our team is slowly getting better – they beat Atlanta last night!

So, the new list for North America arenas is updated to:

Washington Capitals (DC)
Tampa Bay Lightning (FL)
Boston Bruins (MA)
New York Rangers (NY)
Carolina Hurricanes (NC)
Pittsburgh Penguins (PA)
Anaheim Ducks (CA)
Los Angeles Kings (CA)
San Jose Sharks (CA)

We have several more to go… but it’s a fun goal to work towards, and be able to see a little more of our continent in the process

Next up – saving the BEST for last!  You get to meet Baby V!

Eighty-two games a season – and then four rounds of playoffs. We have followed them every single step of the way for so many years – this was my tenth year of watching the Penguins – and THIS year was THE year!

Pittsburgh Penguins WIN the Stanley Cup!

…so many people counted them out, said that there was no way from all the statistics…

They DID it!

…and it was a HUGE game for my two favorite players:  Evgeni Malkin (named the Playoffs Most Valuable Player!) and Max Talbot (game winning goal scorer!)

…Now to figure out how to knit a Penguins jersey…

Gotta send lots of love up to my friends over in the Ravelry groups – Puck This! and Let’s Go Pens! they are awesome people over there (yep, even the fans of my rival teams!), and we have had so much fun talking hockey this whole season!

…and I am supposed to go to sleep now?