It had potential, but was ruined by that ridiculous Over-The-Top announcer. I had to Mute that silly shit after the first lap.
Evan Bates has been selected as the US flag bearer. I still think Ben Ogden should get it.
Just waterbed soccer themed skate from Spanish skaters — fun. The exhibition skates are often the best as the pressure is so much lower and they can do things not allowed or at least suboptimal during competition.
Brian
Klæbo Goes 6 for 6 Gold medals and breaks Eric Heiden’s 5 Gold Winter Olympic record.
Though Heiden’s were all individual, and two of Klæbo’s are team events.
On the gripping hand, there are more individual speed skating events than XC, and Klæbo has medaled in other Olympics (has 13 total medals – 11 Gold,1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
Brian
Is that the cross country skier? I saw him in one of his races, and he was amazing! He was so far ahead of anyone else, and it looked like he wasn’t even working that hard. He skied uphill as fast as i ski downhill.
That guy is like a machine. Whenever they said his name we kept saying “I must break you” in a heavy fake Russian accent (because we don’t know what Nowegian sounds like).
It sounds like Danish when a Dane takes their blanket out of their mouth, nothing like Russian. 
Him collapsing after the finish revealed just how hard he pushed himself.
This is a surprisingly good description. 
I was listening to a Swedish Minecraft developer live streaming, and for some reason, he and another player started imitating Danish, and it… Sounded a little like he was taking around a blanket.
The other guy said that’s actually a Jutland accent.
Norwegian and Swedish sound very similar to me.
I didn’t want to wait until Sunday, so I recorded the women’s free skate on my other DVR box (so glad I replaced that old one) and watched. Didn’t bother with Primetime in Milan this time because USA had all of the final two groups. (It did cut off most of Amber Glenn for some bizarre reason, but you can watch it here ) As always, most of them were pretty-goods, keep-learning-kiddos, and do-it-for-your-countrys, so I’m just going to stick with the ones that grabbed my attention.
Nothing’s ever come easy for Amber Glenn, and it’s to her credit that she was able to put together as fine a free skate as she did. I’ve seen athletes make a big blunder in an early round, make the adjustment, and shine in crunch time. (A past NBC program, American Ninja Warrior Junior, had more than a few, but I don’t like to talk about that anymore. 
) She’s making a stand for diversity, and I want her to kick butt every single time. She’ll probably never have the absolute mental focus needed to win the biggest events, but as long as she’s up there, I’ll be more than satisfied.
Isabeau Levito…okay, I don’t want to be too hard on her, but that night she showed why she wasn’t in the team competition. In addition to that fall, it didn’t look like she attempted anything really challenging. I wish her well, but with each competition it’s looking more and more like that national championship was the peak.
Adeliya Petrosian, the Russian competing for herself. Was planing two quads, crashed on the quad toe, and that seemed to take her out of it. Dangit, you need a powerful Russian to keep everyone honest. 
Mone Chiba (4th) was really good, just not quite in the echelon of the best of the best.
Ami Nakai (bronze)…dang. The moment it was over, the commentators raised questions about her artistry, which turned out to be an ill omen. I’m no expert, so I can’t tell you what was lacking, but I was surprised she finished that far back. I have never seen a woman in the lead after the short program nail a triple axel and not win. Upon a second viewing, it looked like she spent too much effort giving big grins and not enough performing…you’ll recall that’s what cost Aleksandra Trusova the gold in the last Olympiad. She’s only 17, so she’s going to get stronger and savvier, but with the Japanese skating machine as cutthroat as it is, a return trip is far from guaranteed.
Kaori Sakamoto (silver)…DANG. Feel for her. Every time I see her, she displays so much power, so much technique, such complete mastery of the ice. This was her chance to go out on top, and except for one missed combination, she would’ve had it easily. Here’s hoping she becomes a prominent coach, trainer, or recruiter. She’s an icon of the sport, and I want her around for a long time.
Which leads us, inevitably, to our golden champion Alyssa Liu. What can I say…she bursts onto the scene as an indomitable phenom, gets burnt out, takes a hiatus, returns, and picks up right where she left off. Since discovering disco fever, she has been UNBEATABLE. Every time I’ve seen her, she has been a machine. Every jump lands cleanly, every spin is flawless, every step is fast and elegant. She never pops, steps out, turns out, or two-foots. She never has a moment of doubt, indecision, or second-guessing. For crying out loud, she ended the career of Kaori Sakamoto, who herself was once all but invincible! It’s going to take some time for me to fully come to terms with how supremely dominant she is, but trust me, it will knock me to the floor.
Yeah, definitely looking forward to Worlds! 
Watched ski mountaineering just now, both sprint and mixed team relay. I imagined a grueling slog up a mountain, but it’s actually fast-paced, with footspeed and the ability to do smooth transitions are equally important. It’s comparable to motorsports that have pitstops, which are frequent the difference-makers in races. I’ve always been intrigued by multiple-task sports, and I gotta say…this looks fun. There’s always something going on, and fortunes can change in a moment. I didn’t miss ski ballet too much, but I definitely hope this quirky event catches on. More fun than curling, that’s for sure!
puzzlegal - They messed up the final lift, which dropped them into 6th, and for the next two days the commentators absolutely would not shut up about it. Tiresome, but it’s NBC, I’m used to it by now.
And she skated to “someone left my cake out in the rain” i never would have expected that.
I am not used to important hockey being played at 8am.
I don’t know how blatant ‘too many men’ calls can be missed the way they have been missed.
I like to think their national anthem goes: “A Norse is a Norse, of course of course….”
Getting fatigue of Eddie Olczyk telling me what team USA “needs to do”.
That was a hell of a game.
USA finally wins gold again in hockey(men’s specifically).
Are there any other unfinished events for today?
I’m so thankful USA pulled it off, both women and men. I think these two teams would go to a 7th game in almost any best of 7 playoff system. We are equals.
Now, back to our more diverse NHL teams and fight against your temporary team mates.
No, the men’s hockey final traditionally is the last decision in the Winter Olympics. But of course there’ll be a closing ceremony later, held in Verona.
One of the things that most impressed me about Alyssa Liu was her attitude. She was doing it for the joy of it. I had the distinct impression that she didn’t really care whether or not she got the gold; she was just happy to be out there showing what she could do. Yesterday I was talking to a friend on the phone and somehow started talking about why I liked watching figure skating, and when I was describing Liu’s performance I found myself actually getting misty-eyed.
I can’t wait to watch her performance in the Gala this afternoon (I’ve got the Galas on my DVR).
The whole program was fun, but I think the men’s gold medalist had the most fun show.
The women’s 50km XC ski was also held on Feb 22, wonder if NBC will show ANY of it (not sure even I would want to see all of it) NBC showed the last run of 4 man bobsled, and is showing Half Pipe. Since events are shown out of order, there are some things to see B4 the closing ceremony.
Looks like we will get that live and again on prime time.
Brian