Explore the Olympic and Paralympic Village 2010

As part of the celebration of the one-year countdown festivities for Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, BC Field Reporter Chris Wheeler joins Active Communities Vancouver Step Out Walk that explores the changing skyline around Southeast False Creek and the Olympic and Paralympic Village. During the beautiful 3km walk around False Creek, he speaks with Olympic Silver Medalist Karen Magnussen and Olympian Darcy Marquardt and Sabrina Kolker! This is a fantastic family walk and you can feel the Winter Games excitement in the air... so come on out and step it up!

2010 Olympic hockey

Team Canada will face enormous pressure at the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament, and anything short of a Gold Medal will be considered failure. Who's up to the challenge?

Here's our early pick of players to represent Canada in 2010 Olympic hockey. Players are listed by name, age as of February, 2010, and NHL team.

At the bottom of this page is the list of invitees to Team Canada's summer evaluation camp.

Goaltenders

Martin Brodeur, 37 (New Jersey Devils)

Roberto Luongo, 30 (Vancouver Canucks)

Marc-Andre Fleury, 25 (Pittsburgh Penguins)

With Brodeur's age, Luongo's recent unreliability, and Fleury's youth, the number-one job appears to be up for grabs.

Unless they're terrible next season, it's hard to see anyone supplanting Brodeur and Luongo. But Luongo's shortage of big-game experience and poor performance in the 2009 playoffs leaves him with much to prove.

Carolina's Cam Ward was our pick for third goalie until Fleury won the Stanley Cup, suggesting that the inconsistencies of youth might finally be behind him.

Ward or someone else could make the selection tough by getting off to a great start in the 2009-10 NHL season.

GM Steve Yzerman says the third goaltender has to be a guy who can play now, rather than an intern. So young stars like Steve Mason of the Blue Jackets probably won't be considered.

Defense

Scott Niedermayer, 36 (Anaheim Ducks)

Chris Pronger, 35 (Philadelphia Flyers)

Duncan Keith 26 (Chicago Blackhawks)

Shea Weber, 24 (Nashville Predators)

Jay Bouwmeester, 26 (Calgary Flames)

Dan Boyle, 33 (San Jose Sharks)

Robyn Regehr, 29 (Calgary Flames)

This group is very much in flux. Green was a playoff disappointment, so he's loses his place.

Niedermayer and Pronger are aging. But without them, the defense suddenly looks very inexperienced. So they'll make the team.

Alternate candidates:
- Brent Burns in Minnesota (highly regarded, but plagued by concussion troubles in 2008-09)
- Mike Green in Washington (on the bubble, needs high point production and low turnovers)
- Dion Phaneuf in Calgary (if he can recover from a mistake-prone 2008-09 season)
- Brian Campbell in Chicago (in place of Boyle, needs a great start in 2009-10)
- Brent Seabrook in Chicago (makes a good tandem with Keith)

Given that almost every candidate has great skills, decisions could come down to reliability in the defensive zone. Campbell, Phaneuf, and occasionally Bouwmeester have had trouble on that front in recent months.

Injuries could open positions for younger defensemen like Chicago's Brent Seabrook or Marc Staal of the Rangers.

Forwards

Rick Nash, 25 (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Sidney Crosby, 21 (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Jarome Iginla, 32 (Calgary Flames)

Simon Gagne, 29 (Philadelphia Flyers)

Brenden Morrow, 31 (Dallas Stars)

Joe Thornton, 30 (San Jose Sharks)

Shane Doan, 33 (Phoenix Coyotes)

Mike Richards, 25 (Philadelphia Flyers)

Ryan Getzlaf, 24 (Anaheim Ducks)

Jeff Carter, 25 (Philadelphia Flyers)

Dany Heatley, 29 (Ottawa Senators)

Vincent Lecavalier, 29 (Tampa Bay Lightning)

Eric Staal, 25 (Carolina Hurricanes)

Nash, Crosby, Iginla, and Doan are absolute locks to make the team, assuming good health. Richards will be there too, as long as he maintains form next season.

Heatley is an interesting case. Everyone seems to hate him this summer. But he provides a big weapon from the left side.

Scorers who can adjust to checking roles have the advantage, which is why Gagne and Morrow make the cut.

Thornton remains, despite his suspect playoff record. He played well as a third-line center on Team Canada 2004, and could be invaluable as a set-up man if given a world-class finisher. Who would you go with in place of Thornton? Jonathan Toews? Jordan Staal? Someone will have to convincingly steal that spot early next season.

Given their youth, Getzlaf or Carter could play their way off the team if they go into slumps next season. But size and good hands make them terrific assets, especially because the tournament is being played on NHL-sized ice.

Lecavalier has been consistent through the ups and downs in Tampa Bay, but a solid, injury-free start to next season would go a long towards solidifying his spot on the roster.

Leading alternate candidates -
- Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis
- Chicago's Jonathan Toews
- San Jose's Patrick Marleau

Official rosters don't have to be submitted until the Games begin on February 13, 2010. But most teams are expected to be named in mid-December.

See Also: USA Olympic Hockey Team: Projected Men's Roster for 2010

Team Canada Summer Training Camp Invitees:

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils), Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks), Marc-André Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins), Steve Mason (Columbus Blue Jackets), Cam Ward (Carolina Hurricanes).

Defense: Jay Bouwmeester (Calgary Flames), Dan Boyle (San Jose Sharks), Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks), Chris Pronger (Philadelphia Flyers), Robyn Regehr (Calgary Flames), Dion Phaneuf (Calgary Flames), Marc Staal (New York Rangers), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), François Beauchemin (Toronto Maple Leafs), Brent Burns (Minnesota Wild), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Stéphane Robidas (Dallas Stars), Mike Green (Washington Capitals), Dan Hamhuis (Nashville Predators), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Brent Seabrook (Chicago Blackhawks).

Forwards: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Shane Doan (Phoenix Coyotes), Simon Gagné (Philadelphia Flyers), Dany Heatley (Ottawa Senators), Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames), Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets), Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche), Martin St-Louis (Tampa Bay Lightning), Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes), Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks), Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay Lightning), Ryan Smyth (Colorado Avalanche), Jeff Carter (Philadelphia Flyers), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), Milan Lucic (Boston Bruins), Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks), Andy McDonald (St. Louis Blues), Brenden Morrow (Dallas Stars), Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks), Mike Richards (Philadelphia Flyers), Derek Roy (Buffalo Sabres), Patrick Sharp (Chicago Blackhawks), Jordan Staal (Pittsburgh Penguins) Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks), Dan Cleary (Detroit Red Wings).

Vancouver Housing and Hotels During the Olympics

Image via Wikipedia

The organizing committee has reserved 80% of the hotel space in downtown Vancouver. Most hotels have already sold the remaining 20% of their rooms. While some downtown hotels or rooms may become available in the coming months. VANOC says visitors need to manage their expectations. Visitors may need to look to the suburbs or to local bed and breakfast accommodations. The city of Vancouver is also looking at relaxing temporary accommodation bylaws during the olympic period. Residents would be able to rent one bedroom to no more than two people without a permit. Those wanting to rent more than one bedroom would need a Vancouver Business Licence which costs about $150 dollars. To prevent evictions nobody will be allowed to rent to Olympic guests if they have tenants after September 1st. The city would like to see some housing supply added by relaxing the bylaw accommodations but they don't want to compromise the citizens of Vancouver . They are trying to work through it and find some creative ways to add to the housing supply without having any negative consequences.

2010 Winter Olympics Mascot Family Collectible Pin

2010 Winter Olympics Mascot Family Collectible Pin


2010 Winter Olympics Mascot Family Collectible Pin

Commemorate the 2010 Winter Olympics with this collectible pin, featuring Olympics mascots Sumi, Quatchi and Miga, along with both 2010 Olympics logos enameled in vibrant color. It is perfect for hats and lapels!

Nike Usa Olympic Team Shirt

Nike USA Olympic Team Ladies 2008 Summer Olympics Red Sport Essentials T-shirt

Ladies, show your support for the USA Olympic Team in the 2008 Olympics with this classic tee from Nike!

Get your Nike Olympic Nike Shirt now for the 2010 Olympics


Nike USA Olympic Team Ladies 2008 Summer Olympics Red Sport Essentials T-shirt

2010 Winter Olympics Silver Leaf Collectible Pin

2010 Winter Olympics Silver Leaf Collectible Pin



2010 Winter Olympics Silver Leaf Collectible Pin

Get ready for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver with this Silver Leaf pin. It has the 2010 Winter Olympics logo in enamel set upon a silver maple leaf and is perfect for hats and lapels!