Professional street painter creates mural for retired US Olympians (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff).

Vancouver scenes during the 2010 Winter Olympics. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- We caught up with NBC men's hockey analyst Pierre McGuire this afternoon to get his take on a certain vent so heavily anticipated here that it is expected to be the most watched program in the history of Canadian television.

The Canada-US gold medal game, of course.

(Seriously, what else would it be? The SalmonMasters finals?)

McGuire, who has New England ties -- one of his first coaching jobs was at Babson College in the mid-'80s and he later served as assistant general manager and coach of the Hartford Whalers -- offered several insights on what each team might do and needs to do . . . including these three things that must happen for the United States to emerge with the gold Sunday.

"Ryan Miller has to be Jim Craig," McGuire said, referencing the unforgettable performance of the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" goalie. "That's No. 1. No. 2, [the US] can't give up a lot of odd-man rushes. They can't be over-aggressive, because Canada will eat them alive. And then the third thing is, they have to capitalize on their power play. They do those three things, they can disappoint a lot of Canadians."

Miller made 42 saves on 45 shots on the teams' first meeting in Vancouver, a stunning 5-3 US victory last Sunday.

McGuire said Miller's performance in that game can't be understated, but it may need to be duplicated.

"I'm not sure that whole thing was reported correctly -- Miller deserved even more credit than he got," said McGuire. "The scoring chances were unbelievably tilted in Canada's favor. I mean, he was the story of that game, he was spectacular.

"One thing I think they'd like to do differently, the US, is be a little bit more physical than they were in the first game," he added. "It's really important for them to develop a physical presence early without picking up penalties."

A few of McGuire's other sentiments and opinions:

On whether the US forwards are too quick for Canada's defensemen: "I'm not buying that theory. I think that's fluff. Because [Canada defensemen] Duncan Keith, Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Scotty Niedermayer, they can all skate. [Chris] Pronger is the only slow guy back there, and he's got such a long stick that he's not going to be intimidated by speed. He goes against [superstar Alex] Ovechkin all the time in Philly. I think that's one of those things where people are reaching. The American speed quotient is high, that's true, they're extremely quick. But I don't think that's going to be a deciding issue in the game."

On whether it's up to the individual play of Canada's stars to determine the outcome: "No. Canada has to play the same way it played against Russia [a 7-3 victory in the quarterfinals]: total team commitment to defense, offense, and matchups, the forecheck, shotblocking, everything. Canada, when they played against Russia, that was their best game of the tournament, and the reason why they were successful is that they took away the Russians' skill and will. They were physical, they took away space, they didn't give the Russians a lot of room, and they dominated because of that."

On whether the loss to the US actually benefited Canada's players, since it meant they had to play an additional game and allowed them to jell as a team: "Every player I've talked to on the team says it did, because it allowed [Eric] Staal to go with [Sidney] Crosby and [Jarome Iginla] and stabilized their lines, it helped create roles for the players that they were comfortable with, and it gave them confidence going into the game against Russia. So the answer is, absolutely."

On any advantage Canada and Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo might have since he's playing in his home arena: "He knows the building here, he knows the nooks and crannies of the boards. I think it's more optics than anything else. [Martin] Brodeur [who struggled in the loss to the US and hasn't played since] could have won that game against Germany [an 8-2 win for Canada] just as easy as Luongo did and I think Brodeur could have won the game against Russia just as easy as Luongo did. There wasn't a lot of testing going. You know, [Friday night], I think the Slovaks through 40 minutes only had 13 shots on goal, so I think Brodeur would have been OK in that game too."

On the importance of scoring first: "The first goal is extremely crucial, especially in a single-elimination game. When you score first in a deciding game of a Stanley Cup playoff series or a gold medal game in the Olympics, the team that scores first usually wins. And especially here, the tension is so amazingly overpowering that it's critical that everybody is energized -- the players, the coaches, and the fan base, because it's going to be a Canadian crowd. . . . If the Americans get it, it's going to be a really tough game for Canada to win. But if Canada gets a goal early, it's got a pretty good chance to be a successful afternoon."

On one player who could be the determining factor: "This is Ryan Miller's moment. Ryan Miller has to stand and deliver. If he doesn't, I think it's a tough game for the Americans to win. And for Canada, if their star players don't score, then it becomes a really difficult game for them to win."

I am a coffee guy.

Two mugs at home while perusing the Globe and Times. A cup while going through the Herald, USA Today, NY Post and NY Daily News. At least two more cups if I'm in the office for any length of time.

So I like my coffee, and I thought Seattle was a coffee mecca, but I've never seen anything like Vancouver.

Coffee appears to be mother's milk in this town. You want coffee, you get coffee.

Among your choices ...

Agape Coffee, Bean Around The World Coffee (8 outlets), Biega Coffee, Blentz Coffee, Blenz Coffee (20 outlets) --- yes, they're different --- Cedar Cottage Coffee House, Citroen Coffee House, Cocoa Lattes Coffee, Coffee Cat, Coffee & Teahouse, Coffee Waves, Connoisseurs Coffee, Continental Coffee, DFH Coffee, Daily Grind Coffee Bar, Delany's Coffee House (5 outlets), Diva's Coffee, Esquires Coffee House, Fair Waves Coffee (2 outlets), 49th Parallel Coffee, Gene Coffee Bar, Global Coffee, Green Bean Coffee, Grind & Gallery Coffee Bar (2 outlets), Grounds For Appeal, Harlan's Coffee Lounge, Honey's Buns, Hot Coffee Creation Ltd, Intellegentsia Coffee Canada, JJ Bean's House of Coffee (5 outlets), JJ House of Coffee, Java Cat Coffee Co., Java Jungle Coffee, Kits Coffee Co., Leiria Coffee House, L'Express Coffee.

Murchie's Tea & Coffee (5 outlets), Nebur King Coffee, Nebur-King Coffee --- yes, they're different --- Nectar's Coffee Shop, Ooh Ooh La La Cappuccino Bar, Paradise Coffee House, Petit Ami, Pho Scao Coffee, Raincity Coffee Ltd, Richmond Coffee Co. (7 outlets), River Road Coffee, Salt Spring Coffee (7), Seattle's Best Coffee, Second Cup of Coffee (3 outletrs), Souris Coffee Company, Spirit Bean Coffee, Starbucks (12 outlets), Strevenson Coiffee Co., Sweet Chili Coffee, Tarrazu Coffee Producers, Tim Horton's (25 outlets, although it seems more like 225), Torrefazione Italia Inc., Trees Organic Coffee, Turks Coffee (2 outlets), Two Cows Coffee, Village Coffee Lounge, Vivel Gelato Coffee, Waves Coffee (5 outlets), West of Them Java Coffee House, Yola's Coffee & Honey.

In addition, there are at least 20 "Coffee Specialty Bars" and 24 wholesale coffee outlets.

And you couldn't count the number of cafes and delis who claim their coffee is
the "Best in Town."

Tim Horton's is king up here. It's probably on everyone's short list of things most endearingly Canadian. It can be best equated to Dunkin' Donuts, but it is staunchly Canadian, and nowhere does this show up more clearly than in the pricing.

Check this out. At the Tim Horton's nearest the Main Press Centre, there are four coffee sizes, as follows: Small, $1.16. Medium, $1.28. Large, $1.52 and Extra Large, 1.67.

What?

Three gradations up from small only costs 51 cents more? What kind of marketing is that? Increases of 12 cents, 14 cents and 15 cents? Why would anyone get a small (which is, by the way, pretty small)?. Is that the historic Canadian "polite" thing at work? "Ooh, hope you don't mind if we ask you to pay 12 more cents for a medium?"

No way you see anything like that in America. We make you think. "Do I really want a large? Is it worth the increase to me?" But at Tim Horton's, you go for it. If you decide you can't drink the extra-large instead of the medium, take what you can and pour the rest out. It's only 39 cents more.

Ah, Canada. Vive la difference.

Visitors in good spirits despite security around display. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)
Read more...

Make-A-Wish fulfills Concord teen's wish to go to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Ela Castillo, 17, goes to Vancouver with her family. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

(AP Photo)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Two things I learned during my 1.6 kilometer walk from the hotel to the main media center this morning:

1. Tim Horton's does not take Visa. Dunkin's, you're my home.

2. Roberto Luongo jerseys are suddenly a very popular staple of the Canadian national wardrobe.

The reaction to Canada's 5-3 loss to the United States last night has actually been pretty reasonable. Oh, as my colleague Eric Wilbur documented earlier today, the newspapers spent quite a few column inches this morning documenting the many different ways the sky is falling -- Sidney Crosby (who was dominant in defeat) is too young to lead, Mike Babcock couldn't buy a clue if they were available at the concession stand, Martin Brodeur has turned into Denis Lemieux, and so on.

The fans -- which includes pretty much everyone here save for the foreign media -- seem relatively assured that the stacked Canada squad can still make a run to the podium. One fan I spoke to told me that the two players they feared most coming into the Olympics were Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Miller, so defeat wasn't something they considered an impossibility. There's concern, sure, because the road just got much tougher; they'll deal with Germany tomorrow. But there is still more revelry in the streets than there is panic.

There was also the recognition by hockey aficionados that Miller's performance last night was something truly special (though I must say those hyperbole specialists who raced to compare it to the "Miracle On Ice" lack perspective, context and common sense).

Miller wasn't so much the proverbial hot goalie; it was more than that. He rose to the occasion when the spotlight could have been blinding, and it was awesome to witness. Which, come to think of it, happens to have been recurring theme regarding a number of US athletes so far.

So as we turn the corner and head toward the homestretch of these tragedy-tainted but tremendously tremendous games, here is one writer's look -- with an admitted US tilt -- at the eight best moments so far.

1. Ryan Miller makes 42 saves as the US hockey team stuns Canada. OK, the parameters here are supposed to be specific moments, and we're already breaking them. So much for discipline. But you tell me this:

How is it possible to pinpoint just one of the Buffalo Sabres star goalie's saves last night?

We could name five or so ridiculous stops just from the game's final five minutes, when Team Canada -- which, let's admit it, looked like a vastly superior team everywhere but in net and on the scoreboard -- controlled the puck like the 1977-78 Montreal Canadiens playing against Pee-Wees.

I suppose if we had to pinpoint one specific save . . . well, forget it, we just can't. There was a shot from the slot by Jarome Iginla in the second period, three or four apiece from point-blank range by Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash at various points, and so many more.

The reality is that Miller was under siege all night, and he never wavered, always remaining steady and poised while mixing in the spectacular when the situation demanded it. It was the breadth rather than the specifics that made his performance the defining one of the games so far.

Now we'll wait and see if Miller's star turn -- predicted, by the way, by a certain former goalie who knows a thing or two about Olympic success -- can continue all the way to the podium. I can tell you it wouldn't shock anyone here.

(AP Photo)

2. Bode Miller charges to the the gold medal in the super combined. It's tempting to use words such as redemption and vindication to describe the Franconia, N.H. native's spectacular performance in these Olympics -- in fact, judging by the 63,000 results on Google for "Bode Miller" "redemption," it's been irresistible.

But you get the sense that Miller, whose personality profile seems to fall somewhere between free spirit and anti-hero, has never for a split-second believed he requires -- yes, redemption -- despite the scorn aimed his way after a dismal performance in Turin, when his best finish in five events was fifth place. It's always seemed to me that challenging the mountain on his own terms always meant more to him than winning on somebody else's.

Maybe it's maturity (he's 32), maybe it's fatherhood (he has a 22-month-old daughter), but here he seems to have found a happy medium between what he wants and what others want from him.

His momentum began with the bronze in the downhill, accelerated with his silver in the super-G, and zipped and weaved through the gates with his improbable gold in the super-G, during which a hellacious run in the slalom -- hardly his specialty the last several years -- helped him overcome a seventh-place finish in the downhill. And with two more events to ski here, he hasn't even crossed the finish line yet.

The Bode Miller we saw Sunday -- smiling and waving atop a podium -- is the one we wanted to see four years ago. Being here and savoring the experience seems to outwardly matter to him now, and for fans, that puts just a little more luster on the gold.

3. Apolo Anton Ohno sets a new medals standard for US winter athletes. If you've followed short-track speedskating even casually, you've heard this saying regarding the sport's anything-can-happen ethos countless times:

Well, that's short-track!

So it's remarkable -- and perhaps a little bit fortunate, too -- that the 27-year-old Ohno has won seven medals, a career record for US Winter Olympic competitors, in such a freewheeling, unpredictable sport.

While his feat is slightly exaggerated -- he owns three fewer golds than long-track legend Bonnie Blair, whose record he broke with his bronze in the 1,500 meters -- that is not to diminish his accomplishment or talent.

Ohno has the vision of a great running back, and watching him pick his hole, then shoot through it with a half-lap remaining in the 1,500-meter final to secure the bronze, was to watch an elite athlete at the very top of his game. Think vintage Barry Sanders on skates.

4. Lindsey Vonn justifies the hype with gold in the women's downhill: Vonn -- personable, attractive, and downright dominating on the Alpine slopes -- was an easy choice for the pre-Olympic face of the US team; she was practically a household name upon arrival in Vancouver even among those who had never seen her on a pair of skis. It might have been fair to say she was overexposed, especially following her appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

But in the early days of the games, Vonn was engulfed not so much by media as she was by uncertainty. A painful shin injury lingered and limited her practice time, and the unsuitable weather conditions at Whistler wreaked havoc with the schedule.

In the end, the latter turned out as a blessing, as her injury got a few more days to heal. When it finally came time to ski, she lived up to her advance billing and then some, zipping down the course more than a half-second faster than silver medalist and teammate Julia Mancuso.

We'd seen a lot of Lindsey Vonn before the games. It was cool to finally see what she could accomplish during them.

5. Shaun White reaches rarefied air in the men's halfpipe. I'll admit it. I arrived here lacking a full grasp on the appeal of White; he struck me as a red-headed Spicoli who happened to be charismatic and talented enough to somehow command $9 million a year from Generation X-Games.

I will leave here, however, with a full and awe-stricken appreciation of White's daring, athleticism, and ability to rise to the moment -- literally so when he roared out of the gate during the first run of the halfpipe final and immediately grabbed "big air," reaching heights every one of his competitors cannot come close to achieving.

Simply mesmerizing.

6. Hannah Kearney wins the first US gold medal in Vancouver. In retrospect, the Norwich, Vt. native set the tone/theme for these Olympics with her victory in the women's moguls.

It appeared Jennifer Heil, the 2006 gold medalist, had given Canada its long-anticipated first gold medal on home soil when she took over first place as the second-to-last competitor to navigate the course.

Only Kearney remained.

When her run was done, Heil's gold had become silver, and Canada's wait was extended another day.

The host country entered these games banking on its "Own the Podium" initiative, but the US, with an Olympics-leading 24 medals to Canada's nine, has made the podium their own. It all began with Kearney.

7. Seth Wescott defends his snowboardcross gold from Turin. I'm telling you, television doesn't do justice to the out-and-out insanity of this sport, in which the racers jostle for position around turns and straightaways, and soar through the air at rapid speeds on snowboards.

And that last stretch before the finish line? Up close, it looks like an elevator dropping from the fifth story to the bottom floor.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that Wescott, the easygoing 33-year-old and the pride of Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine, remained the only snowboarder to win Olympic gold in the event with a spectacular midair Mainer pass of Canadian Mike Robertson just before the finish line on the Cypress Mountain course.

These guys are nuts . . . but Wescott sure does make crazy look like a whole lot of fun.

8. Wayne Gretzky catches a ride in the back of a pickup truck. It was a somehow appropriate, in a casual, charmingly Canadian way, and little bizarre, too, to see the Great One slowly making his away across Vancouver in the back of a white pickup truck while lugging along the Olympic torch for the sort-of-grand finale of the Opening Ceremony.

But what truly made the moment was the unmistakable look of abject terror on Gretzky's face as the one-truck motorcade chugged through the streets to the second cauldron near the International Broadcast Center.

In fact, if you looked closely enough, you could practically read his thoughts:

"How did I get talked into this? . . . Man, this thing is hot . . . I hope I don't set my hair on fire . . . Are we there yet? . . . Hey, driver, slow down, it's not a race, eh! . . . Iconin' ain't easy . . . Are we there yet? . . . I wish Dave Semenko were here to help me right now. He'd know what to do . . . Don't touch me, people! . . . I wonder if 'Great One On Board' bumper stickers would sell . . . Are we there yet? . . . I knew I shoulda made Nash do this."

So there is our eight.

What and who are we missing? Evan Lysacek? Shani Davis? Julia Mancuso? Hannah Teter?

What good memories will stick with you?

Preliminary game is a main event for Canadian and US hockey fans. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

(AP File Photo)

For those of a certain generation, the 1980 US Olympic hockey team's "miracle" victory over the mighty Soviet Union stands as possibly the "Where were you when it happened?" sports event of all-time -- a notion that was bolstered when "Sports Illustrated" named it the greatest sports moment of the 20th century.

The lasting image from that impossibly dramatic upset -- save for perhaps this one -- is the picture you are looking at right now: scruffy and indefatigable goalie Jim Craig, the pride of North Easton, Oliver Ames, and Boston University, wrapped in the American flag as he searches for his father in the stands.

It's as timeless as timeless gets.

The 30th anniversary of the "Miracle on Ice" will be prominently featured this weekend as the Olympic hockey tournament heats up with Sunday's much-anticipated US-Canada showdown; NBC has a mesmerizing piece planned in which Craig, Mark Johnson, Mike Eruzione and broadcaster Al Michaels return to Lake Placid and reminisce about the magic that happened there.

We caught up with the gracious and friendly Craig, now 52 and a successful Boston-based motivational speaker and businessman, via telephone this week as he prepared to make his second trip to Vancouver during these Olympics. Here are a few of his recollections and opinions from our conversation:

They always stick together: When asked for a certain player to watch on any of the hockey teams in the Olympics, Craig -- naturally -- picked the Team USA goalie:

"It looks like Ryan Miller will be in there every night, so there's going to be a lot of a pressure squarely on his shoulders," Craig said. "He's an outstanding goalie, he really is, but there is going to be a lot of expectations of him because this is a young team and you're not quite sure how some of the inexperienced guys here are going to respond to certain situations.

"But they've got a good guy there behind them. Miller's outstanding, and I think he's going to be up to whatever they ask of him. I like watching him a lot."

Craig said he thought the United States did the right thing in giving an opportunity to young players rather than going with the Modanos and Tkachuks, the longtime veterans who formed the nucleus of a team that won just one Olympic medal, a silver in 2002. In fact, he's like to see the US program go one step further.

"I actually wish it would take a turn back to amateurs," Craig said. "But these young guys on the US team should have no fear. They haven't been afraid to play so far, and the talent is there. They just need to be poised and stay out of the penalty box and they can accomplish some things.

"I actually think it was really smart, what [Brian Burke and Team USA officials] did. You had some older veterans who were kind of used to losing here. Experience is a great conditioner to winning. If you look back on our team '80, Herb Brooks didn't take all the best players when he put us together. He took winners, whether it was his [University of Minnesota] guys or those of us from BU who were NCAA champs [in 1978]. If you have a bunch of players who have that one thing in common -- they want to win above all else -- they will bond as a team. It's a process, but it's worth it when you get there."

Herb Brooks was a good man: The legendary mastermind of Team USA was notoriously gruff and demanding of his players -- the pivotal skate-with-the-lights-out-'til-you-drop scene in the movie "Miracle" was only slightly Disneyfied, Craig said.

Adjusting to the coach's style was not easy for many of the players, but Craig said he realized even then that while Brooks could be distant, there was a reason he took that approach.

"There was always a method to Herb's madness," Craig said. "He treated all of us as individuals depending upon what he thought we needed and what he thought would get the best out of us, not only as players but as a whole.

"For me, he was a father figure. My mom had died [Margaret Craig died of cancer in 1977], my dad had just lost his job, and there was some pressure on some of us to skip the Olympics and turn pro so we would get some money. It was like, 'Why would you play in the Olympics? You could be getting paid to play.' But my mom had dreamed of me playing for the US, I was going to do that, fulfill that, for her, and Herb knew what my frame of mind was.

"Sure, he was tough. But he understood why it mattered to us, why it mattered to me and where I was coming from in my life, and I will always appreciate that about him."

Craig chuckles. "And I think history shows that he knew what he was doing, right?"

Happy to reminisce: It's been 30 years -- 10,950 days, give or take a sunrise or two -- since "The Miracle on Ice," and Craig acknowledges that a day does not pass when he isn't reminded of the accomplishment or asked to share a memory or recollection.

It would be understandable if he bristled at the notion that he is defined by the moment, or grew weary of reliving it time and again all these years. But that he says that is not the case whatsoever, and his jovial tone adds a layer of conviction.

"I get asked if it gets old all the time, and the answer is no, it doesn't," Craig said. "I understand where people are coming from with the question, if it's like "Groundhog Day" or something like that. But it's not, not really. It's such a special thing to be part of something that meant so much to people, to be part of something that happened 30 years ago and something that people will probably still be talking about 30 years from now."

Craig's legacy and role in the victory has benefited him to some degree both financially and professionally, of course, but he says his appreciation for the "Miracle" as much to do with what it means to other people as it has to do with what he and his teammates accomplished during those golden days in Lake Placid.

"What we did became an incredibly emotional, personal thing for people and it's such a positive memory for me and all of us who were a part of it," Craig said. "If anything, I'm lucky to have been involved in something that mattered to so many people."

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Please don't tell Team Canada about this, because it's sure to be the biggest scandal here since -- as I'm sure you recall -- that curler got busted using an electric broom a few years ago. The devious fellow's name escapes us, but rumor is he's now living a life of shame and solitude as a chimney sweep in Moose Jaw.

Oh, all right, so we just made up the part about the disgraced curler; you know we just like to test you on Olympic minutiae from time to time. But we assure you that the following is as true as Sidney Crosby's slapshot: Wayne Gretzky --- owner or co-owner of 61 NHL records, ultimate Canadian icon, and terrified pick-up-truck-riding torchbearer -- autographed the athletes' mural at the USA House, the exclusive downtown sanctuary for US Olympians, executives, benefactors, and their families.

Yep, on a wall celebrating the feats of the red, white, and blue, his flawless signature -- the Great One has great penmanship -- is right there in a metallic script. The famous number 99 is etched over the final letter "y", which looks curiously like a hockey stick, with the message: Thanks Vancouver 2010. If it's not an official act of treason to stop by the house of the nation owning the podium so far -- let alone leave a lasting acknowledgment of your presence -- then nothing is. Eh tu, Gretzky?

Good thing for him that they'll all blame it on Mrs. Gretzky here. Better thing for him? That his signature is immediately beneath -- and smaller than -- that of suddenly notorious halfpipe bronze medalist Scotty Lago, who stopped by the house Thursday night. "He was very down to earth," USA House public relations staffer Ally Clark said of the Seabrook, N.H., native. We suspect the USOC used a different choice of words behind closed doors after Lago got TMZ'd Friday.

Lago picked a cool spot to have some of his fun, though you might not know it from outward appearances. The USA House is located in a centralized spot on the corner of Seymour and Nelson Streets, less than a mile from from both downtown and BC Place, where the medal ceremonies take place. Yet in a sense it is tucked away. There is no advertising or acknowledgment on the building that this is the place where US medalists come to celebrate and be celebrated with their family and friends (athletes are given tickets for 25 guests, but can buy more); there isn't a Team USA logo to be found. The tall, wide windows are adorned with with snowflakes rather than US flags or colors, and the only way passersby might notice that the brand-new building is the site of something special is the in-progress chalk mural of Winter Olympic Hall of Famers that is barely visible through a street-level window.

"We just don't publicly display that this is the USA House," said Nicole Sather, an event coordinator for the USOC who led us on our tour. "We do keep it discreetly. But obviously people find out."

Among the houses for the individual nations here, only the US and Russia facilities are closed to the public. The appearance of the USA House is a stark contrast from the Slovakia House a few blocks down Seymour Street, which is painted in the colors of the nation's flag and has a Chara-sized hockey puck near its entrance. The USA House is not even party central on its own block. The Irish House, just across Nelson Street, is rocking and rollicking into the early hours of the morning.

"The Irish House is so loud you can feel the vibrations over here," said a USA House staffer. "The only time I've heard it louder in here is when Evan Lysacek came in Friday night for his celebration with his arms raised."

Which would have been a mesmerizing scene all by itself. But there was this added element: Lysacek, fresh from winning the gold medal in the men's free skate, and his entourage arrived while a group of snowboarders, including Lago and halfpipe gold medalist/rock star Shaun White, were enjoying the premises. The snowboarding crowd meets the skating crowd. Imagine partying during that collision of diverse worlds.

"Last night it was shoulder to shoulder, a lot of people and a lot of excitement," said Clark.

There are three floors to the USA House. The third floor is private, reserved as a place for the Whites and Lysaceks and their companions to unwind, exhale, revel in their medals, and savor some peace. The USA House had 1,200 visitors on special passes Wednesday; very few get to see the third floor.

The first floor is where the chalk mural (not to be confused with the photo mural Gretzky and Lago signed on the second floor) by artist Tracy Lee Stum is in progress. Artwork produced by US Olympians lines one wall -- discuss legend/painter Al Oerter was apparently a true Renaissance man -- along a hallway that leads to a gift shop, where you can purchase the Ralph Lauren and Nike gear you see the athletes wearing during various ceremonies. If you've been hunting for a Team USA Polo pullover sweater, they do take Visa. Just $395.

The real magic happens on the second floor in the Bud Lounge. As you might have suspected, that's where the bar is located, and catered food is provided when the staff gets word that a medal winner will be stopping by that night.

But there might be a bigger draw than the bar -- a 103-inch high-definition television, which is hooked up to a Nintendo Wii video game system. When you recognize this, an ultimate meta moment seems entirely possible, and you can't help but ask:

Could freshly-minted gold medalist Shaun White have spent part of the previous night trying to win a gold medal on his own "Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage For Wii" game?

"No," says Sather. "Just Mario."

To be clear, she means Super Mario, not Mario Lemieux. But if Gretzky could stop by this place, well, nothing is out of the question.

RICHMOND, British Columbia -- Richmond growers provide 13 million cranberries to an Olympic art display. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

Stephen Stefanou, a designer known for his prominent and large artistic displays, worked with more than 60 family-owned Richmond farms to create a rendition of the Canadian Olympic Committee's logo made from 13 million cranberries. The majority of the participating farms belong to the Ocean Spray Cooperative, which has its headquarters in Lakeville-Middleboro, Massachusetts. Stefanou's installation is a part of the Richmond Revealed program, a series of events and public art displays.

Olympic pin trading is one family's favorite spectator sport. (Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

VANCOUVER -- So now we know. The sun does shine here after all.

We arrived in the city Thursday; the blue skies finally arrived today. And judging by the thousands upon thousands of people who roamed downtown this afternoon, visitors were eager to get a look at the spectacular waterfront basked in sunlight rather than the familiar slate-gray sky.

Navigation was not easy, and any attempts to go against the flow quickly proved futile. The congested foot-traffic was reminiscent of a Manhattan sidewalk -- with pedestrians' snarls swapped for smiles, of course. But the scene was magnificent to behold. Here are three vignettes from a few hours spent caught up in the crowd, and perhaps the moment as well . . .

* * *

"Hello and welcome to the Vancouver and the main media center. If you are here to see the Olympic flame, please follow the sidewalks to the end of Thurlow Plaza. Thank you, and have a nice Valentine's Day."

It is Robbie Young's job to make that announcement through a bullhorn every single minute, give or take a few seconds, through his entire three-hour shift at perhaps the busiest spot in the city.

While the message is occasionally altered -- Young occasionally gives "Happy Chinese New Year!" a shift -- the 23-year-old Vancouver native's delivery is unfailingly enthusiastic.

One might think it is an Olympian feat in itself, to say same thing 180 times in 180 minutes without the tedium setting in at, oh, the three-minute mark.

One would think wrong.

"Are you kidding? It's been the best two days of my life," said Young, pausing between announcements for a quick Q&A. "I got to see [Wayne] Gretzky light the torch Friday, then I got to go to Yaletown [a trendy section of the city] and watch the best fireworks display I've ever seen in my life the next night. I asked for this job so I could be in the middle of the action, and it's been incredible so far."

Young makes his announcement from an oversized lifeguard's chair on the corner of the blocked-off intersection at Cordova Street and Canada Place Way. But to him, his perch might as well be a throne.

"I'm the most popular guy in town," he says before readying the bullhorn once again. "I've been telling everyone that."

* * *

The swapping and bartering of souvenir collectors' pins is such a traditional part of the Olympic experience that it might as well be considered a medal event itself.

But for Harvey, one of a half-dozen pin hobbyists who displayed their wares on small wooden tables in front of Canada Place on the waterfront this afternoon, it's not about the cash so much as it is the camaraderie of being part of something grand.

"I'm retired. This is my way of seeing the world," says Harvey. "I try to recoup what I spend to get here. Just want to break even."

Harvey chooses not to reveal his last name -- "I'm just Harvey," he says -- but says he is from Calgary and has swapped pins at every Olympics since the 1988 Winter Games in his home city, a statement his varied and eclectic collection appears to confirm. If you desire a Breast Cancer Awareness pin of Marge Simpson dancing with her dear Homer, Harvey's your guy.

He looks like what the singer Jimmy Buffett might if he'd chosen memorabilia over music and margaritas. He wears an "I Love Snow" pin on the lapel of a jacket that's a souvenir from the 1994 Lillehammer Games, and his red Gilligan-style bucket hat is dotted with 30 or so others, including an eye-catching and appropriately golden pin from the 1980 Lake Placid games.

His location is prime, and business, like everything else downtown today, is bustling. In the few moments we chat, he's approached by potential customers and trade partners from Italy, Japan, Canada, and the Netherlands, the latter searching for a Dutch speedskating pin.

It's one Harvey does not have, but no matter.

"I buy, sell, trade, and talk," he says. "Hopefully not too much talk."

* * *

Much to the chagrin of the locals, not to mention NBC, the Opening Ceremonies here will probably be remembered for the Three-Legged Cauldron Malfuction. But it should be recalled the lighting of a second flame downtown -- one that is supposed to stand as the symbol of the Vancouver Games -- went off without a hitch, despite the look of sheer terror on torchbearer Wayne Gretzky's face as rode across town in the back of a pickup truck in the rain.

The waterfront flame is a spectacular and humbling sight even in the daytime, and the pedestrian traffic perpetually looped to and then from a view of the torch. But it's also off-limits, with a chain-link fence and other barriers preventing visitors from coming within hundreds of feet of the cauldron.

Dustin Guyda, who was among approximately 25 police officers and security personnel overseeing the scene, said most seemed content to take pictures and admire the flame from afar, though he said he did hear occasional gripes.

"A few people have let us know they don't like it, and sometimes not very politely," he said. "But most understand the reasons. They don't want the torch to get damaged -- not that it would be vandalized, but more by wear and tear. And it is somewhat dangerous because of the fire."

Guyda said he had heard that there may be some alterations to barrier so that visitors could get closer and take better pictures, maybe in the next few days. But today at least, the list of those allowed close is short and exclusive.

"I'm pretty sure they'd let Gretzky back in," he said. "But he's about it."

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Protesters damage property in downtown Vancouver, including the Hudson's Bay store. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Even as the clock approached midnight Friday, the Hudson's Bay Company on Granville Street -- better known to visitors here as the must-visit Olympic souvenir "superstore" -- was bustling with shoppers.

Just a few hours later, it was trashed, its windows shattered and storefront cordoned off by yellow tape, a symbolic victim of a well-organized group known as the Olympic Resistance Network, which is using the worldwide profile of the Games to protest various issues.

The precise time the vandalism occurred was uncertain. But at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time, the protesters, the majority dressed all in black, marched down Granville Street and then Robson Street near the damaged store, led by one protester shouting through a megaphone.

The core of the protest appeared to concern the amount of money Vancouver has spent on the Games. But there were also handmade signs addressing such issues as animal rights, globalization, and the plight of the homeless who have been displaced by the Games, confirming the Associated Press's description of the ORN as an "umbrella group for many causes."

"They’re using it as a front," said Samantha Jung, a student at the University of British Columbia who followed the protest through the city this morning. "I’ve seen [protests] for seal hunts. Seal hunts have nothing to do with the Olympics.’’

Andrew Bates, a student journalist for the Canadian University Press who was at the scene, said the first protest "petered out into anarchists," which is when the windows were smashed. The protesters then split into two groups.

“The first group started walking and the cops started following them," Bates said. "There was everyone from cops to regular riot squad, and then riot squads with big guns."

FULL ENTRY

Canadians share their thoughts on hosting the world's winter athletic competition. (Video by Yoon S. Byun, Globe Staff)

I cannot think of a more diverse group of people to carry the Olympic flag than the group that walked in with it tonight. Donald Sutherland, Bobby Orr and Anne Murray were among those given the honor. Orr received a loud cheer from the crowd.

When it came time to take the torch around the arena, another Canadian athlete — the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash — received a big round of applause. But the biggest cheers came for Wayne Gretzky. Many thought he would be the one to light the Olympic flame. There was a long, suspenseful pause as the final four torchbearers — Nash, Gretzky, speedskater Catriona LeMay Doan and skier Nancy Greene — stood at four points around the arena. It made me wonder if it was a commercial break on television. It certainly seemed that way inside the arena. My expectation was that there would be one final torchbearer. I couldn’t imagine who it would be, but that’s where the build up seemed headed. Strangely, the triumphant background music skipped and stopped, creating a hiccup in the build-up.

It soon became clear that one of the four cauldron legs was malfunctioning, a glitch at the most inopportune time. After the three legs were raised, an odd-looking futuristic cauldron emerged. It matched the strange and ultimately unsatisfying torch lighting ceremony. All four athletes lit the giant internal cauldron with four separate flames. After the internal lighting, Gretzky carried the flame outdoors to the external cauldron, which met with great approval and lots of camera flashes from the crowd. The announcer invited audience members to stay in their seats to watch the external cauldron lighting on the screens in the stadium. The whole moment fell flat.

Welcome to our semi-live-blog of the much-anticipated opening ceremonies here in Vancouver. My colleagues Shira Springer and John Powers are at BC Place, and Shira will offer her take on the festivities at from time to time tonight on separate posts here on the Olympics blog.

Meanwhile, I'm at the media center monitoring NBC's coverage of a made-for-TV event if there ever was one. And because a certain redheaded former NBC employee recently told us that cynicism has no value, we're going to resist commentary on the eclectic new version of "We Are The World." Let's just say it's a bad song for a good cause and leave it at that.

(Wait . . . seriously? Teen flavor-of-the-month Justin Bieber in the leadoff spot? Vince Vaughn, the Dan Aykroyd of his time? Jason Mraz, LL Cool J, and Jeff Bridges side by side by side?)

OK, I'll stop. No cynicism. On to grander productions. Let the ceremonies begin . . .

An understated tribute to fallen luger Nodar Kumaritashvili before the ceremonies are underway. Appropriate. Word is his Georgian countrymen will be wearing black armbands.

Sensational visual, with a snowboarder zipping down Whistler as a maple leaf in the snow lit up behind him. There was something sort of Imax-ish about the production, which ended with him landing in the arena and taking off his mask. I half expected Celine Dion.

The Canadian flag arrives in the arena, courtesy of the Mounties, who of course are always a hit.

Nikki Yanofsky, a 16-year-old with a grown-up voice from Montreal, offers a jazzy version of "O, Canada." "We Are The World:The Sequel" could have used her.

The parade of athletes, led as always by Greece, is underway. Former NHL star Jaromir Jagr, sans legendary mullet, leads the Czech Republic delegation.

A somber Georgian delegation of 11 arrives, dressed in red and wearing black armbands and black scarves. They receive a warm standing ovation.

The Mexico delegation consists of a single athlete, 51-year-old skier Prince Hubertus of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. But there's a catch: The seemingly unlikely Olympian grew up in Austria and lives in Lichtenstein.

But perhaps the most unlikely Olympian is Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, an Alpine skier. Nicknamed the "Snow Leopard," he saw snow for the first time just six years ago.

Poland's crew of 50 athletes might be the most enthusiastic yet when it comes to acknowledging the crowd. Then again, a couple of Russia's athletes entered dancing.

Heard Bob Costas mention Zdeno Chara, but didn't see him. And he's pretty hard to miss.

Hockey star Peter Forsberg carries the flag for Sweden, wearing a mesmerized look as he scans the crowd. It's his fourth Olympics, but the smile on his face suggests it hasn't gotten old yet. Here, his winning shootout goal in the '94 Lillehammer games that denied Canada a gold medal will never be forgotten.

Guess the border is friendly. The United States's 215 athletes enter to a very welcoming reception.

Connecticut's Megan Sweeney -- one of our Olympic bloggers, we might note -- is beaming at the front of the delegation and gets plenty of face time on NBC.

Snowboarder Shaun White pauses to pose for pics with a couple of teammates. He may be a one-man conglomerate at this point, but his enjoyment of life seems to be as genuine as can be.

The home team enters to a rousing and joyful group cheer. And here were more than a few here in the press center. Oh, Canada has officially become Go, Canada.

A Bryan Adams-Nelly Furtado duet. The upset is that the song wasn't "I'm Like a Bird" or "Summer of '69."

Donald Sutherland with the voice over as the Aboriginal theme continues with the great bear constellation rising up from the ice. That's a sentence I never expected to write, but that's the opening ceremonies for you. Say this: It is absolutely spectacular. Costas said the entire production cost $30 million to $40 million. After watching this, I wholly believe him.

Bode Miller in attendance. In case you were wondering.

Sarah McLachlan adds another touch of elegance to the proceedings; she's backed by an orchestra as she sings her song "Ordinary Miracle" while dancers parade exuberantly around what appear to be giant trees.

The segment of the program titled "Rhythyms of the Fall" is underway, with a fiddler appearing to duel his shadow. Charlie Daniels would approve.

Not sure what it symbolizes -- as usual -- but the guy in denim soaring above the crowd to Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides, Now" is breathtaking. How do you get that assignment? (Apparently, you have to be a Cirque de Soleil performer, according to Costas.)

Now for a tribute to the Canadian Rockies, titled "Feats of Endeavor," with snowboarders appearing to rappel down a spectacular visual of the mountains. I'm not doing it justice, but it's absolutely transfixing, to borrow a word from Costas.

Today's tragedy is acknowledged by Jacques Rogge and John Furlong before the "Welcome to Vancouver" salutation.

Furlong takes a page from Jimmy V.: "We must do our best, and never, ever give up."

. . . followed by graceful bit of wisdom to the Georgian team: "May you carry his Olympic dream on your shoulders and compete with his Olympic spirit in your hearts."

For the record, after being blown away by the visual creativity of the ceremonies so far, I am completely buying the Terry Fox/hologram theory right now.

Though k.d. lang isn't quite up to the Jeff Buckley standard, you can never go wrong with "Hallelujah."

You apparently can't go wrong with a stadium full of swaying white lights, either. Costas has been reminding us all night how Beijing set the bar so high for opening ceremonies, but I don't know. This has been impressive and elegant.

The ceremonies just got even classier. Bobby Orr is among eight legendary Canadians to carry the Olympic flag, looking as sharp in the white as he did in a black and gold No. 4 jersey. Terry Fox's mom, Betty, was another flag-carrier, but I'm still sticking with the hologram theory.

A moment of silence for Nodar Kumaritashvili, followed by flags being lowered to half-mast. They've handled this right.

Torch time -- the mystery is about to be solved. Rick Hansen to Catriona LeMay Doan to Steve Nash to Nancy Greene to Wayne Gretzky to . . . . technical difficulties?

Well, this is awkward. Torch malfunction. Think of something, Gretzky!

It didn't go off without a hitch . . . but it went off nonetheless, with three of the four posts rising up to the cauldron where the torch was lit. Steve Nash, ever the unselfish one, didn't get to light a torch. Hey, it could have been worse than a Tripod Flame. As Gretzky departs to light the outdoor cauldron, NBC goes to commercial. Think there are more exhales or expletives in the control booth?

While Lester Holt interviews the Bidens, the CTV feed is showing Gretzky standing in the back of a pickup while carrying the lit torch on his way across town. Revelers are running alongside the truck. Gretzky looks more than a little nervous.

Gretzky arrives safely, and without the assistance of Marty McSorley. No bugs with the second cauldron, which is in downtown Vancouver. The worlds loudest fireworks display ensues. Couldn't have enjoyed the spectacle more.

Perhaps it has to do with the two-hour separation between Whistler and Vancouver, but an uncomfortable juxtaposition in moods exists in the hours before the opening ceremonies.

The death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on frighteningly fast track in Whistler has placed an obvious pall over the games. Vancouver Organizing Committee chief executive officer John Furlong, speaking at a press conference this afternoon along with IOC president Jacque Rogge, struggled to contain his emotions as he said, "We are heartbroken beyond words."

Said Rogge: "The whole Olympic family is struck by the tragedy, which clearly casts a shadow over these Games."

Yet viscerally at least, the communal vibe of excitement and anticipation remained strong as the Olympic torch made its way through the streets of Vancouver this afternoon on the final leg of its 106-day cross-Canada journey that will end with the lighting of the cauldron tonight.

This morning and afternoon, torch bearers such as California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Walter Gretzky (Wayne's dad), and chair of the London 2012 Organizing Committee Sebastian Coe were greeted with rousing and raucous cheers as they took their turns with the torch.

Near GE Plaza, Olympic personnel handed out collectors pins, miniature plastic Canadian flags were available to anyone who wanted one -- and even those who didn't -- and chants of "Go, Canada, Go!" broke out organically and often. Mr. Gretzky, charming and spry at 72 years old, even sang a few notes of "Oh, Canada," after his leg was complete.

Curiously, the scene in Vancouver remained unchanged even after Kumaritashvili's horrifying crash -- and after the announcement of his death, which was first reported by the Associated Press, was confirmed by the IOC at 1:16 PST.

CTV, which showed a replay of the 21-year-old losing control of his sled and being heaved from the track into a steel stanchion that made the grave nature of his accident rather evident, soon returned to broadcasting more of the torch relay.

The good times chugged along in the Vancouver streets, the celebration apparently a comfortable distance from the tragedy in Whistler.

I was working away, minding my own business, when I heard an immense groan in the massive working press area known as "the bullpen."

Those people had just seen the crash on TV. I have not seen it and don't plan on seeing it. Watching a young man die is not high on my list of favored pastimes.

Nodar Kumaritashvili, 21, died in an horrific crash during a luge training run yesterday morning. He was traveling an estimated 90 miles per hour when he flew right off the sled and into a pole. Sleds have been known to overturn, but veteran observers, such as my colleague John Powers, said they had never heard of someone being ejected from the sled in that manner.

Danger is part of the deal in some of these sports. The most obvious examples are luge and bobsled, where people attain great speeds with very little protection. A person can sustain great injury, even death, while skiing.

And in these so-called "X-Game" sports the "X" stands for "Extreme." Kevin Pearce was supposed to be here, remember? He's lucky he's alive after a halfpipe maneuver went bad for him. Even the "Flying Tomato" is fortunate he lived to tell the tale after his own header not too long ago.

This is not the way anyone wished to start these Olympics. IOC president Jacques Rogge could hardly get through his afternoon press conference, all of which was devoted to discussion of the Kumaritashvili accident. For me, I like to kid about some of these people being half crazy, but there is no humor to be found in what happened to the young Georgian.

It wouldn't bother me if they said to hell with the luge.

Unless Walter Gretzky is being sly for the sake of suspense or is doing his national duty to keep a secret, it appears his most famous son will not be the final torchbearer at the Opening Ceremony tonight at BC Place Stadium here in Vancouver.

Walter Gretzky, the father of hockey icon Wayne Gretzky, carried the torch this morning on Granville and Georgia Streets in downtown Vancouver to rousing cheers. Afterward, upon concluding his jaunt at the and GE Place and the Orpheum, the 72-year-old confirmed to CBC that his son was not the final choice.

Which leads to the question of the day: Who could be an even greater choice to represent and symbolize Canada than the Great One? Gretzky's qualifications could not be more obvious. He is the NHL's all-time leading scorer and held or shared 61 league records. While those who grew up watching Bobby Orr may dispute it, Gretzky is widely regarded as the greatest player in league history, in a sport that is as much a part of Canada's national fabric as baseball is in the United States. In a 2004 CBC poll, he was named one of the 10 greatest Canadians -- living or deceased.

Maybe coincidentally -- but maybe not -- Walter Gretzky took the torch this morning at 8:20 from Rolly Fox, the father of the late Terry Fox. Terry Fox became a national hero in 1980 with his Marathon of Hope, in which he ran across Canada on a prothetic leg to raise money for cancer research. He died of cancer at age 22 on June 28, 1981, but his legacy lives on in the Terry Fox Run, a national event every September, with all proceeds going to cancer research.

There has been much speculation that his mother, Betty Fox, could be the one chosen to the light the cauldron. It would seem appropriate that Wayne Gretzky would hand the torch to her, symbolically garnering one more assist.

.

My arrival in Vancouver couldn't have gone smoother or quicker. In 23 minutes, I went from my plane to a shuttle bus headed for downtown. I cleared customs in 45 seconds. I thought the Beijing Games would remain the gold standard for decades when it came to moving the Olympic masses, but I may have to reconsider after my experience today.

The Vancouver airport was well staffed with well-informed Olympic volunteers in bright turquoise jackets They seemed to anticipate your every need and question whether it concerned the Olympics or not. Every passport check was filled with agents from across Canada. The woman who cleared me for entry said she usually works in Montreal, but had been transferred to Vancouver to work there during the Games.

Once people cleared customs and claimed luggage, there was plenty to get visitors into the Olympic spirit, from Olympic-themed advertising to what appeared to be groups of arriving athletes to international colors all around. But the big attraction was a pair of Canadian Mounties just outside the airport entrance. A small crowd was gathered waiting to pose for pictures with the Mounties.

The only thing putting a damper on the good mood is the light rain now falling. Not good news for the crews trying to pile snow onto nearby Cypress Mountain, where the moguls competition gets underway shortly after the Opening Ceremonies. As I ride to downtown, it is striking how green and snow-less Vancouver is.

But after my quick and easy airport experience, I figure the Canadians will have their snow problem under control in plenty of time.