Winter Olympics Diary Day 16: Will Canada seal it with a gold in the hockey?

Vancouver Diary / Vince Shuley / 28 February 2010 / Leave a comment

Canada's Roberto Luongo could be a key man

Vince Shuley brings you the final instalment of his Vancouver diary with a look at the last events of the games

"While the US can boast about the most overall medals and the Canadians own the gold, Sunday’s final in the hockey will be the ultimate decider."

It's official. The Vancouver Olympics will close with Canada having the more gold medals than any other nation and celebrating its most successful Olympic campaign in history. Only two nations have achieved 13 gold medals before at Winter Games - Norway in 2002 and the Soviet Union in 1976. The haul on Saturday consisted of three gold medals (all men's) in the Speed Skating Pursuit, Parallel Giant Slalom and Curling. The four men bobsleigh team scored a bronze behind the Germans, who were in turn beaten by the American team led by driver Steven Holcomb.

There is still one big match left. While the US can boast about the most overall medals and the Canadians own the gold, Sunday's final in the hockey will be the ultimate decider. It will be a faceoff between Roberto Luongo and Ryan Miller, two of the NHL's most decorated goal tenders. Tomorrow at 12:15pm PST the great hockey nation will stop for its final chance at the ultimate Olympic glory.

But it doesn't all end on Sunday afternoon. Skiing around Whistler Mountain you see the paralympians training in full force. It's amazing seeing what these athletes can do. One legged skiers, sit skiers and blind skiers all going faster than most people who have zero disabilities. The 2010 Winter Paralympics begin on March 12 and will run for ten days.

Best Bet: Men's Hockey Gold Medal - CANADA
They look like they've come a long way from their early group matches. Team Canada has been performing consistently with plenty of shots on goal in every game. It's all about handling the pressure and keeping your cool. Miller will be sweating to keep up with the pace of the Canadian forwards, particularly against Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla.

Tags: Winter Olympics, Winter Paralympics