During each day of the Games, Olympics Today will keep you up to date on the biggest news and happenings, on and off the field of play.
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While you were sleeping…
Just 16 months after a scary neck injury, Wojtek Wolski scored a goal in the Olympics. Canada dominated Switzerland in its first men’s hockey game of the Pyeongchang Games. Wolski and Rene Bourque each scored twice in the 5-1 win. A gifted offensive player, Wolski was drafted third overall by the Brampton Battalion in 2002 OHL Priority Selection, following a 49-point season as a 15-year-old with the St. Michael’s Buzzers.
He scored 130 goals and 328 points over four seasons with the Battalion. After an NHL career that didn’t end as he’d like and then breaking his neck in two places, Wolski has a chance to be one of the Cinderella stories for Canada at the Olympics.
Wojtek Wolski scores ‘s 2nd goal in under a minute, it’s now 4-0 over https://t.co/nzCZEYiTJ1 pic.twitter.com/0EAdUjKde7
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 15, 2018
Male skaters fall down but not out
Thirty competitors went at it in Gangneung Ice Arena in the men’s short program, with the top 24 advancing to Saturday’s free skate.
It was a good start for Canada’s Keegan Messing. Skating to “Singing in the Rain” he landed his first two jumps for a score of 85.11. That catapulted him into first place at the time and more importantly meant he will skate in the free. A positive debut for Messing at his first Olympics.
The veteran on this stage is Patrick Chan. Although not as old as his song choice, the 1970s-yacht rock classic “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas. The triple Axel continues to elude Patrick but the rest of the program was beautiful. He scored 90.01, not a season’s best, but respectable nonetheless. Chan struggled in the team event, scoring 81.66 and the fall on his triple Axel during his short program put him sixth in the men’s competition heading into the free skate on Friday night.
Homan down but not out
It was also a tough day for Canadian skip Rachel Homan, who couldn’t convert on a takeout with the hammer in an extra end. Canada lost 9-8 to Denmark in 11 ends which drops the rink to 0-3. Homan is facing some criticism after an etiquette violation in the fifth end, where she removed a burned Danish rock instead of leaving it, which is the traditional practice.
Homan’s Canadian team will have another chance at securing its first win against the United States on Saturday at 6:05 a.m. ET.
Down but not out.
Team Homan is now 0-3 and the only women’s curling team at #PyeongChang2018 without a win. Can they bounce back for a medal? https://t.co/hQacJzaB22 pic.twitter.com/5ypzBpqG1L
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 16, 2018
Prominent Canadians in action on Day 8:
Here is what’s on tap events-wise for Canadian athletes (all times Eastern):
• Figure Skating: Feb 16, 8 p.m.
Men’s free skate (8 p.m.)
Chan begins one final shot for a gold medal in men’s figure skating. The three-time world champion will retire after the Olympics.
Defending men’s gold medallist Yuzuru Hanyu will make it tough as he set a new Olympic short program record of 111.68 points, just 1.04 shy of his world record. The favourite from Japan is over four points ahead of Spain’s Javier Fernandez who scored 107.58. The 23-year-old could become the first man since 1952 to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating titles.
• Hockey: Feb. 16, 10:10 p.m.
Men’s Hockey Group A – Canada vs. Czech Republic (10:10 p.m.)
Team Canada is looking to improve to 2-0. The Czechs beat South Korea 2-1 in a surprisingly close game to start the tournament.
• Curling: Feb. 17, 12:05 a.m.
Men’s curling round robin – Canada vs. Sweden (12:05 a.m.)
The three-time defending gold medallist men’s team held off a late rally by South Korea in the last two ends to win 7-6 on Friday morning. Kevin Koe’s Canada side looks to remain unbeaten and improve to 5-0 against the Swedes.
Sportsnet dispatches from Korea:
• Kristina Rutherford writes that Patrick Chan has found peace with his final Olympic skate coming up.
• After reading that, check out this Q&A with Chan I did back in October.
• The Interview with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will get you in the mood to watch Olympic figure skating. Rutherford will be covering the skate program throughout the Games and she’s quite hilarious so give her a follow on Twitter for updates from Korea.
• Shi Davidi explained how the Canadian men answered the bell in their hockey opener but still have room to improve.
• This is the first Canadian Olympic team without NHL players since the 1994 group won silver in Lillehammer. For more on how the men’s hockey team came together, check out this Big Read from Daniel Nugent-Bowman: Redefining Team Canada.
• And of course, follow Davidi (@shidavidi), who will be covering the men’s tournament. Davidi wrote this oral history on the 1994 men’s Olympic hockey tournament, the last time the event did not feature NHLers:
Proud to be Canadian
Shout-out to Drake for the shout-out. The Canadian rapper never misses a chance to boast about his native land and he took to Instagram stories to rep the Olympic women’s hockey team, most specifically Sarah Nurse. Nurse, is part of Canada’s first sporting family as she is the cousin of NHLer Darnell Nurse and Canadian national women’s basketball player Kia Nurse. The global ambassador of the Toronto Raptors is already showing his “We The North” pride with his Olympic spirit.
Did you catch Sarah Nurse’s (@nursey16) goal. The Team Canada forward goes top shelf @RBChttps://t.co/RYczD05SmU pic.twitter.com/3c7zDWVyf3
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) February 15, 2018
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Elsewhere on the web:
• Unlike in Europe, in South Korea empty stands greet world’s top skiers.
• The National Post has a piece on Canadian hockey rookie Nurse following in the long line of family sporting accomplishments.
• Leave it to the Mirror to report on Olympic gossip. The headline “Three-time gold medallist Shaun White reveals ‘orgies, parties and horny athletes’ inside the Winter Olympic athletes village“, says it all.
• Kate Knibbs of the Ringer breaks down why the skeleton is a must-watch event.