Vancouver Games Memorable Moments

Vancouver Games Memorable Moments

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In perhaps the last Olympics to feature NHL players, Sidney Crosby proved that everything he touches turns to gold by scoring the game-winner in Canada's 3-2 overtime win over the U.S. in the gold medal game.

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Hours before the start of the Olympics, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was killed during a practice run at Whistler Sliding Center. The Georgian delegation wore black armbands to honor him during opening ceremonies and several memorials were put up in his memory.

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Heartbroken by the death of her mother, who suffered a heart attack two days before the start of the short program, Joannie Rochette skated in her memory and walked away with a bronze medal.

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In one of the most stunning upsets in these Games, the U.S. defeated Canada 5-3 in group play, just one day shy of the anniversary of the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid. The victory marked the first time the U.S. had beaten the Canadians in 50 years.

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Still recovering from a severely bruised shin that threatened to derail her Olympic hopes, Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win the downhill in a Winter Games. "This is the best day of my life, by far,'' she said afterward. She went on to snag the bronze in the super-giant slalom as well.

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Making amends for his disappointing performance in the 2006 Games in Torino, Bode Miller won the super-combined, giving him a medal of each color in Vancouver. He earned silver in the super-G and a bronze in downhill. His five Alpine medals (two silver in 2002) tie him for the second-most by any man in Olympic history, behind only the eight won by Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway.

David E. Klutho/SI

Speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno battled his way from fifth place to third to capture the bronze in the 1,000-meter short-track, making him the most decorated Winter Olympian in U.S. history. He later added his eighth career medal by anchoring a bronze-medal finish in the 5,000-meter relay. The 27-year-old skater from Seattle has two gold, two silver and four bronze medals in three Olympics, two more than long-track speedskater Bonnie Blair.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Already the first African-American to win an individual medal in the Winter Olympics, Shani Davis made headlines again when he became the first person to win back-to-back 1,000-meter speedskating titles. Davis was favored to win the 1500-meter too, but received a silver medal after being edged out by Dutch skater Mark Tuitert.

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Snowboarding's golden boy Shaun White didn't cease to amaze in Vancouver, winning his second consecutive gold medal in the half-pipe. White had already secured first place heading into his second and final run. He chose not to play it safe, going out in style by landing his extremely difficult Double McTwist 1260.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

In one of the Olympics' most surprising upsets, Evan Lysacek of the U.S. (right) beat out Russian skater and defending champion Evgeni Plushenko for the gold medal in figure skating. Lysacek became the first American man since Brian Boitano (1988) to take the top spot.

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Paired with push teammates Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curt Tomasevicz, Steve Holcomb drove his "Night Train" to the gold medal in four-man bobsledding, the first American pilot to do so since Francis Tyler at St. Moritz in 1948.

Al Tielemans/SI

Nearly 34 years since the Summer Games in Montreal, and 22 since the last Canadian games in Calgary, the host country finally got a gold-medal performance from one of its own on home soil in the form of moguls star Alexandre Bilodeau. Canada went on to win 14 total gold medals, the most ever by a country at any Winter Games.

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Julia Mancuso soared to a pair of silver medals, one in downhill and the other in combined, but created bigger headlines when she voiced corcerns that she and others on the U.S. team were being overshadowed by all the attention paid to Lindsey Vonn.

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The clear favorite in women's figure skating, Kim Yu-na lived up to expectations and delivered South Korea its first Olympic medal in a sport other than speedskating. Shattering her previous record by more than 18 points, Yu-na skated a program that set her more than 20 points apart from her nearest competitor.

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An event described in Russia as "Nightmare in Vancouver", a 7-3 loss to Canada in the quarterfinals illustrated how far the country's Olympic program has dropped off since the breakup of the Soviet Union. From 1956 to 1991, when the Soviet Union dissolved, the country topped the medals table at all but two Winter Olympics. This time it didn't medal in hockey or in figure skating.

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The big climax of the Olympic Opening Ceremony didn't go off as officials planned. Four Canadian athletes -- Wayne Gretzky, Nancy Greene, Steve Nash and LeMay Doan -- were charged with lighting each of the pillars that made up the Olympic cauldron, but one of the pillars didn't lift out of the ground.

Al Tielemans/SI

Vermont-native Lindsey Jacobellis was gunning for the snowboardcross gold medal after letting one slip from her grasp at the Turin Olympics in 2006. But the high hopes were dashed when a rough landing caused her to barrel into a gate and run off course, an automatic disqualification.

Heinz Kluetmeier/SI

Continuing Canada's mission of "Owning the Podium" and capitalizing on Russia's fading dominance in ice sports, Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue took the gold in ice dancing. It marked the third time since 1976, the year the sport had its Olympic debut, that a couple not from Russia or a Soviet team won top honors.

Damian Strohmeyer/SI

Marie-Phllip Poulin scored two goals in the first period and Canada held the U.S. scoreless to win its third consecutive gold medal in women's hockey. The team caught some flak after the victory by returning to the ice to drink beer and champagne, and smoke victory cigars.

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Battling against bad weather and a history of Americans missing the podium in the Nordic events, Bill Demong (6) and Johnny Spillane captured gold and silver, respectively, in the combined Nordic hill race.

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North Carolina native Scott Wescott snagged the gold in snowboard cross for the second consecutive Winter Olympics. Though X Games champ Nate Holland seemed to be Wescott's biggest rival for the gold, a crash midway through the run thwarted his shot at a medal.

Al Tielemans/SI

One of the feel-good stories of the games, Jeret "Speedy" Peterson overcame personal obstacles to win silver aerials. "I know that a lot of people go through a lot of things in their life, and I just want them to realize they can overcome anything," Peterson said, tears streaming down his face. "There's light at the end of the tunnel and mine was silver and I love it."

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The event that pits four skiers against one another on a winding, often dangerous course was a real crowd pleaser. American skiers Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett fell victim to the course's treacherous twists and turns, getting eliminated in the first round. Switzerland's Michael Schmid claimed the gold.

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While the results of her Olympic debut may have been nothing to write home about, Marjan Kalhor became Iran's first female skier to participate in the Winter Games.

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After a disappointing run in Torino and several recent injuries, including a broken jaw and three concussions, Torah Bright's medal prospects were questionable. But the 23-year-old Australian rallied in her second run, landing a switch backside 720, and took the gold. American riders Hannah Teter and Kelly Clark filled out the rest of the podium with silver and bronze, respectively. <br><br>What moment would you add to the gallery. Send comments to siwriters@simail.com.