Previously, I’ve only been able to get tickets to a couple of victory ceremonies. The first ceremony was definitely the best as history was made when Alexandre Bilodeau was awarded the first Gold Medal won on home soil for Canada. The second was for snowboarding as Australia’s Torah Bright took home gold.

Camped out with my 80 – 200 f/2.8 Nikon lens, I managed to squeeze off a few shots…

Before the game began, we had some guy banging on his drum to get the crowd psyched for the game ahead.

The seats were decent so I had some really good opportunities for great shots behind the net and in front of the net.

I also got to catch some pretty good shots of the goalies from Finland and Sweden scrambling for those big saves.

And of course, occasionally, the goalies don’t get a couple and then there’s a celebration.

Just because they’re women, doesn’t mean they can’t play rough either!

I found out later that the Madame President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, was sitting in the box behind me the whole time. She was really getting into the game.

Finally, Finland won the day and their very first hockey medal of the Olympics. Both teams played exceptionally well though and I don’t think anyone in the audience walked away disappointed. The girls hit hard, scrapped a lot, and played with skill.

If you like looking at Scandinavian blondes, do check out the gallery after the jump. I’ve got 81 pictures that I’m sure you’ll enjoy

Taking place on Granville Island, the Atlantic Canada House was actually split into two distinct areas: One area featured a food tasting at the Backstage Lounge where some of the best cuisine of the region was being sampled, while another area inside the Revue Stage featured a show that told the stories of the region. Although I didn’t get in for the tasting, I did get in to see the show. Since they were shucking oysters just outside the show so it wasn’t a total loss for getting a taste of Atlantic Canada.

After pigging out on raw Atlantic Oysters everyone was welcomed in to have a seat and get ready for a show. To be honest, the only thing I knew about Atlantic Canada was a bunch of tasteless “Newfie” jokes so I was looking forward to a bit more insight. Coincidentally, one of the projects that I’m working on for school this semester has to do with representing Atlantic Canada to the World so this would definitely add to the “primary research” that I would have to come up with for the project.

One of the things that the show revealed were the many celebrities that hail from the region. From Anne Murray (shown above) to Michael Smith to the Trailer Park boys and of course, Sidney Crosby, Atlantic Canada is known for more than just one armed Newfie jokes.

The show was made up of a group of performers that represented different regions of Atlantic Canada. Through each of their stories they painted a picture of growing up there as well as the beauty of the region, the friendliness of the people, and the distinct culture of the region. They also teased us with lobster stories. Mmm… Lobster.

They shared with us the love of their region through their music and their songs. Every one of these talented musicians played and sang their hearts out for the audience.

They even got the audience involved with some audience participation. They introduced us to a concept called the “Kitchen Party” in which wooden spoons were smacked and feet are tapped. Of course, everyone had a good time. They even had a dance off for us.

After the show, the crowd gave a standing ovation and everyone felt just a little more educated and appreciative of our most Eastern neighbours. The 40 minute show is well worth it and if you don’t make it to the tasting, definitely check out the show and grab a few raw oysters if they still have any left.

I think I’ll have to visit Atlantic Canada one day. I just hope they have enough lobster and oysters to keep me busy. More pictures after the jump!

After Friday’s Victory Ceremony, Vancouver, BC’s own Theory of a Deadman took the stage to try and show us that they didn’t sound like Nickleback 2.0. I haven’t listened to them since their first album and like many people, noticed that they sounded like proteges of Chad Kroeger. However, sounding like Nickleback isn’t a bad thing if it gets you signed to a big contract and makes you a ton of money.

Although I was stuck in the very back row, I was able to fire off a few shots that turned out OK thanks to my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8. I was able to move down to the balcony for a few of the shots, but I was still nowhere near the band. The 22 buck cheap seats just don’t give you that sort of access.

Unlike last Monday’s Victory Ceremony headlined by a guy named Gregory Charles, Theory of a Deadman managed to keep the audience from leaving en masse. They really started to gather a crowd when they started playing their more and more Nickleback-like songs. They even attempted to cover Gun’s and Roses “Paradise City” but they were just kidding. Of course the crowd knew all the words.

The band showed their Olympic Spirit by donning the Hockey Jerseys of their favourite Team Canada members.

Overall, Nickle…I mean…Theory of a Deadman put on an excellent show for the masses. Of course, more pictures after the jump.

Canada didn’t get to jump on the podium this past Friday evening like it did last Monday thanks to the efforts of Alexandre Bilodeau. However, Friday’s Victory Ceremony was just as exciting for the Aussies and Yankees. But before hardware was given out, we had to raise a flag, and celebrate the Northwest Territories.

Sitting way up in the nose bleeds in the cheap 22 buck seats, here’s what my Telephoto lens and I captured…

Before any hardware was given out, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, better known as the RCMP, brought in the colours of the Olympics and hoisted them up high for all to see.

Next, the Northwest Territories did their thing with some dancing…

Then they did a little singing for us in. Oddly enough, it wasn’t in Inuit so everyone could understand…

And they also showed us what a real Winter Olympics looks like. Apparently, it has to do with sitting on your ass and kicking a seal pelt among other things.

They also showed off some Inuit Rap and Hip Hop. If Ice Cube is from the US, then this guy must be IceBerg.

After the cultural exchange, it was time to give out the medals. Australia’s Torah Bright took home the Gold in Women’s Half Pipe while the US’s Hannah Teter grabbed the Silver, followed by Kelly Clark also of the US for the Bronze.

Of course, a ton more pictures can be found after the jump. Stay tuned for more pictures from the evening starring Theory of a Deadman in a post coming up.

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After Monday’s Victory Ceremony this ad said it all. Canada broke a streak of no home soil gold medals thanks to the brilliant performance of Alexandre Bilodeau. NIKE was all over this projection billboard along Robson Street that greeted people as they left BC Place. In addition to this ad, NIKE also had one for Moguls and Hockey. They’re featured in the gallery at the end of this post.

After the victory ceremony, Kelly and I decided to take a walk around Vancouver to see some of the Olympics inspired sights and sounds that were being offered to the public during the games. With Robson and Granville Street closed off, the streets were full of people from around the world.

One of Robson Street’s biggest attractions is the indoor skating rink. The venue was packed with tourists and throughout the night due to the live performances and events taking place there.

Directly behind it was the zip line attraction that allows brave souls to hook themselves to a steel wire and zip across Robson Street, high above the crowd. This was one of the most popular attractions as people start lining up at around 7AM in the morning just to be the first one on.

Taking a turn onto Granville Street there were a number of artistic displays including this row of trees made up of lanterns from the recent Lunar Festival.

Also on Granville Street was the Royal Canadian Mint Display which is normally the Segal School of Business. Here you can take your loonies and toonies and other Canadian coinage and change it up for Olympic editions. No doubt our Canadian one dollar coin (pictured above oversized) was embedded in many of the courses that have led to medals for our athletes.

Finally, the Olympic Cauldron was the last stop on our walk through Vancouver. This picture was taken before VANOC improved the viewing situation by moving the barriers forward and cutting a hole in the chain link fence so that people could actually get an unobstructed shot. And yes, Jor El wants his Fortress of Solitude back.

As the rain started to come down hard, Kelly and I decided to take a detour through Gas Town which is near Waterfront Station and just past  the German Fan Fest Beer Gardens where they were not only serving beer, but also delicacies from the uberland like grilled sausages. It’s weird how it takes a world class event to make you rediscover your own town. I definitely had a good time checking out the sights and sounds.

With the excellent weather this week (for walking around, not  so much for Winter Sports) and tickets to Friday’s victory ceremony, I’ll definitely be checking out some more of the sights and sounds (and hopefully some food too) from this one in a lifetime opportunity known as the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. More pictures after the jump!

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