Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony begins at 3:30 pm. PST on Sunday, February 28, 2010 at BC Place, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Gates will open at 13:30 for the Closing Ceremony. You are asked to be in your seats by the start of the audience participation rehearsal at 16:30 for the Closing Ceremony.

Update Feb 27, 2010 – Please note the change in time. Closing ceremony spectators are asked to be in their seats no later than 3:30pm on February 28. The final hockey game will be broadcast inside BC Place beginning at 1:30 pm.

NBC has the broadcasting rights to the Olympic event, so check some exclusive videos and replay on their website. Also, you can check the official Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics website and their Youtube channel for up-to-date exclusive videos and highlights.

We now bid farewell to Vancouver 2010 and we wish the best of luck and welcome to Sochi 2014 (Russia)!

UPDATE: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Closing ceremony is now over. For Vancouver 2010 Closing Ceremonies Photos, click here.

Other Key moments in the closing:

— The awarding of medals for the men’s 50-kilometer cross country ski race, won by Petter Northug of Norway.

— The swearing-in of two new members of the International Olympic Committee chosen by their fellow athletes—U.S. hockey player Angela Ruggiero and British skeleton racer Adam Pengilly.

— The singing of the Olympic anthem by renowned Canadian tenor Ben Heppner.

— A tongue-in-cheek revue of Canadian icons and symbols, featuring singing-and-dancing Mounties, tabletop hockey players, dancing canoes and flying moose and beavers.

— A segment in which Canadian actors—including William Shatner and Michael J. Fox—made fun of national stereotypes.

Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease, received a huge ovation.

“I lived in the U.S. for 30 years,” Fox said. “But if the U.S. is playing Canada in hockey, I’m sorry, I’m wearing a maple leaf on my sweater.”

The FINLAND vs SLOVAKIA 2010 Olympic Hockey Bronze Medal game is scheduled on Saturday February 27, 2010 at around 7:00 PM PST at the Canada Hockey Place, UBC Thunderbird Arena.

FINLAND vs SLOVAKIA Hockey Game Preview

Finland and Slovakia have enjoyed impressive runs during the Olympics. Only one, however, will leave with a medal when they meet for the bronze on Saturday night.

The Finns’ hopes of returning to the championship game ended in jaw-dropping fashion Friday with a 6-1 semifinal loss to the United States.

Selanne, a star with the Anaheim Ducks, will be wrapping up his fifth and last Olympics. After becoming the all-time leading scorer in the modern era of the games while in Vancouver, the 39-year-old hopes to go out with his third medal since NHL players were allowed to participate starting in 1998.

“There’s bronze on the line,” Selanne told the International Ice Hockey Federation’s official Web site. “It’s all about bouncing back and trying to take what’s left.”

Finland, which lost 3-2 to Nordic rival Sweden in the championship game four years ago in Turin, has two silvers and two bronzes in men’s hockey.

“A bronze medal from this kind of tournament is huge. We have to remind ourselves it’s not over yet,” Selanne added.

Though coming off a nail-biting 3-2 loss to Canada in Friday’s other semifinal, Slovakia has already assured itself of its highest finish in Olympic play since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The Slovaks’ showing in British Columbia has included upset wins over Russia – a gold medal favorite coming in – and Sweden, a traditional power on the international stage. They nearly made it three straight Friday as Lubomir Visnovsky of the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings’ Michal Handzus scored in the third period against Canada’s Roberto Luongo to make it a one-goal game.

With Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jaroslav Halak pulled late for an extra attacker, Pavol Demitra was unable to beat his Vancouver Canucks teammate with what would have been the tying goal with about five seconds to play.

“We still have a great chance (Saturday),” Hossa said. “We just have to regroup because today was a really tough game. It would be a dream come true if we got third place.”. (Source)

UPDATE: Finland routs Slovakia 5-3 to win 2010 Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey Bronze Medal.

Game Recap

Finland has won the bronze medal in hockey, rallying from a late two-goal deficit for a 5-3 victory over Slovakia.

Olli Jokinen scored the tying and go-ahead goals during the dynamic third-period comeback by Finland, the only team to win four medals in the past five Olympic tournaments.

Finland’s Jere Lehtinen, Ville Peltonen and captain Saku Koivu all won their fourth medals, equaling an Olympic record shared with three players.

Teemu Selanne didn’t score in what was likely the final game for the Olympics’ career scoring leader.

Pavol Demitra had a goal and two assists for the Slovaks, who couldn’t win their nation’s first medals in a team sport. Slovakia still had its best Olympic finish in fourth place.

The USA vs CANADA 2010 Olympic Hockey Finals game is scheduled this Sunday February 28, 2010 at around 3:00 PM EST at the Canada Hockey Place, UBC Thunderbird Arena.

With Canada’s 3-2 win over Slovakia in the Semi-Finals Friday night, the gold medal game now is set. Team USA and Canada is set to take the ice at 3 pm EST on Sunday February 28.

Canadian fans will fill the stands, bars and living rooms with dreams of watching a sequel to their big 2002 win in Salt Lake and redemption for last Sunday’s loss to Team USA. American fans would love to see a carbon copy of that thrilling game, a 5-3 win that millions in Canada have spent the better part of this week trying to forget.

For Canada, it was a foregone conclusion they’d be here. For the United States, it was an attainable but lofty goal.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the gold medal game. After the Americans defeated the Canadians for the first time in Olympic competition since 1960, the U.S. grabbed the number one seed and a bye, only to dismiss the Swiss and Finns on route to the gold medal game. They enter the game having blitzed the defending silver medalist, Finland, 6-1.

Hockey Canada, conversely, put the country in a collective state of panic. The world’s number one team had to play in the qualification round just to get to the final eight. Now they’ve cruised in the consecutive elimination games since losing to the U.S. to set up the showdown the hockey world has been waiting for. (Source)

You can watch USA vs CANADA Hockey Finals Live 3:00 p.m. EST on NBC, NBCOlympics.com or at the Vancouver2010.com site.

UPDATE: Canada wins Gold by routing USA 3-2 in Overtime. Sidney Crosby’s goal in overtime lifted Canada to a dramatic 3-2 win over Team USA and the Men’s Olympic hockey gold medal.

Game Recap

Canada took the final gold of the Winter Olympics when they beat United States 3-2 in overtime to win the men’s ice hockey competition on Sunday.

Sidney Crosby scored 7:40 into overtime to earn its second men’s hockey gold medal in the last three Olympics.

Crosby’s shot from the lower part of the left circle eluded goalie Ryan Miller, the tournament MVP.

The United States had forced overtime on Zach Parise’s goal with 24.4 seconds left in regulation.

Finland took the bronze by beating Slovakia on Saturday. (Source)

The CANADA vs SLOVAKIA 2010 Olympic Hockey semi-final game is scheduled this Friday February 26, 2010 at around 9:30 PM EST at the Canada Hockey Place, UBC Thunderbird Arena.

Canada is back on track as the country’s dream of men’s ice hockey Olympic gold received a jolt of confidence with a ruthless and an electrifying 7-3 win over arch-rivals Russia on Wednesday.

Canada’s gold medal mission has come into sharper focus with only the tournament surprise package ninth-ranked Slovakia standing between the hockey crazed nation this friday.

After Canada brought the top-ranked Russians to the exit, Slovakia took to the ice, pulled of the biggest upset and delivered the shock of the Vancouver Olympic tournament knocking off reigning champions Sweden 4-3 in a quarter-final thriller on Wednesday to advance to the men’s semi-finals. Tomas Kopecky put in the winning goal past a sprawling Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist in the third period to set Slovakia on the way to a showdown with Canada in the next round that few people expected.

“They (Canada) play at home and they are really going to come out hard,” Slovakian forward Marian Gaborik told reporters. “The most important thing is going to be the first 20 minutes of the game because they are going to come out hard and everyone knows that.

A few days ago Canadian confidence was shaken by a surprise loss to the United States that plunged the Great White North into a fit of fretting.

Their backs pressed to the wall and facing elimination for the second straight day, Canada responded the same way they did 24 hours earlier in a qualification game against Germany with a ruthless all out attacking display. While Canada’s 8-2 thrashing of the Germans was expected the mugging delivered to the world champions was not.

You can watch CANADA vs SLOVAKIA Hockey Live 9:30 p.m. EST on MSNBC.

UPDATE: Canada routs Slovakia 3-2 to advance in the Men’s Ice Hockey Finals for the Gold Medal showdown against USA.

Game Recap

Canada set the stage for an explosive end to the Vancouver Games, taming the Slovakian giantkillers 3-2 on Friday to reach the Olympic men’s ice hockey final and a showdown with the United States.

It will mark the second time in three Winter Games that the North American rivals have clashed for the gold medal hockey mad Canadians covet more than any other.

Slovakia arrived in the semi-finals as the surprise packages after upsetting Russia in the preliminary round and delivering the shock of the tournament by knocking off reigning champions Sweden in the quarter-finals.

Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow and Ryan Getzlaf but the Slovakians threatened to claim their biggest scalp yet with two late third-period goals to set up a nail-biting finish.

Slovakia stormed the Canadian goal in the final minutes but the hosts grimly held on for victory.

Finland, 6-1 losers to the United States in the other semi-final, will play Slovakia for the bronze. (Source)

The USA vs Finland 2010 Olympic Hockey semi-final game is scheduled this Friday February 26, 2010 at around 3:00 PM EST at the Canada Hockey Place, UBC Thunderbird Arena.

Finland’s men’s ice hockey team entered into the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory against Czech Republic last Wednesday. Finland broke a scoreless struggle with six minutes left in the game and added another for the win.

Finland will face the United States (USA) this Friday.

Niklas Hagman deflected a shot by Janne Niskala that snuck behind Czech goalie Tomas Vokoun for a powerplay goal that held up as the game winner in a hard-hitting contest marked by some spectacular goaltending.

The Czechs mounted a furious attack for an equaliser around the two-minute mark and pulled Vokoun, who had saved 29 of 30 shots on goal at Thunderbird Arena.

But Finland took almost immediate advantage as they stole the puck and poked it out to Valtteri Filppula, who added an empty net goal with 1:35 left to ice the victory.

“It’s a huge win,” said Finnish netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, who stopped all 31 shots aimed his way. “We are not the biggest favorites but when you play as a team anything is possible.”

The United States (USA) advanced to the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory against Switzerland earlier on Wednesday. USA needed a pair of third period goals from Zach Parise for the win.

You can watch USA vs Finland Hockey Live 3:00 p.m. EST on MSNBC, NBCOlympics.com or at Vancouver2010.com site.

UPDATE: USA defeated Finland 6-1 to advance to the Men’s Hockey Finals for Gold.

Game Recap

The shot by Ryan Malone of the United States into a wide-open net left Finland goalie Miikka Kiprusoff staring at the ceiling and shaking his head.

What happened next in this semifinal jolted Canada Hockey Place: The Americans scored four times on Kiprusoff in a six-goal first period, surging into the Olympic gold-medal game with a 6-1 rout of Finland on Friday.

The US will meet the Canada-Slovakia winner on Sunday, 50 years to the day after capturing gold in 1960 at Squaw Valley, Calif.

It is the second time in three Olympics the American men will play for gold. They haven’t claimed the top spot on the podium since the 1980 Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid, N.Y.

Captain Jamie Langenbrunner slammed his stick against the boards as his teammates hugged on the bench.

Canada edged the U.S. for gold during the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, and a rematch could be in store. The Americans (5-0) topped the host nation 5-3 to conclude preliminary play Sunday.

So much for the Americans having to ride the stellar play of Ryan Miller to win. Miller was relieved by Tim Thomas with 11:31 left in the game after stopping all 18 shots he faced. Miller had played every minute of the tournament until then.

Thomas allowed Antti Miettinen’s deflected goal with 5:14 left in the game to spoil the U.S. bid for consecutive shutouts after a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Switzerland on Wednesday.

The U.S. didn’t wait long for offense. The six goals in the first tied the U.S. Olympic record for goals in a period, a feat accomplished five other times but not since a 1964 win over Germany.

Finland, the silver medalists four years ago in the Turin Games, will have to settle for a shot at the bronze. This proud group of aging stars, including Teemu Selanne and captain Saku Koivu, earned bronze in 1998 when the NHL first started sending players to the Olympics.

The Americans were eliminated by Finland in the 2006 Olympic quarterfinals, but the Finns were the final opponent for the 1980 U.S. team that shocked hockey. (Source)

The United States will get a chance to end a 50 year long losing drought against the Canadians. The USA vs Canada 2010 Olympic Hockey game event is scheduled to start today February 21, 2010 at around 4:40 PM PST at the Canada Hockey Place, UBC Thunderbird Arena.

The two teams have played each other a total of 15 times at the Olympics. The Canadians have won 10 of those games and tied three. The United States beat Canada in the 1996 World Cup taking a best-of-three final. Canada defeated Team USA on American soil in the gold medal game at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games.

“Canada and Russia will always have a rivalry in men’s hockey,” Toews said. “US and Canada is one that has grown. But they are both different. The one with Russia dates back a long time. I have grown up with the American one being bigger and at the forefront.”

“We hate to lose to anybody but especially against the Americans,” said Canadian forward Jonathan Toews who plays on the Chicago Blackhawks alongside American forward Patrick Kane. “It is a rivalry for a reason.”

US forward, Chris Drury said “No one’s betting a nickel on us. U.S. hockey has come so far. Now, it doesn’t take a miracle for us to win.”

They may be NHL teammates during the regular season sharing plane rides and going to group dinners, but when it comes to the Olympic Games there is no love lost between rivals Canada and the USA.

More than a dozen Canadian Olympians have teammates on NHL rosters that are playing for the US at the Vancouver Games, including Canada’s Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry who skate alongside Americans Bobby Ryan and Ryan Whitney on the Anaheim Ducks.

Canada and the US are the only two teams in the tournament that are made up of strictly NHL players and that helps make the Canada-USA rivalry one of the most intense. (Source)

UPDATE 2: Canada wins Gold by routing USA 3-2 in Overtime.

UPDATE 1: USA stuns Canada 5-3 in the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey preliminaries. Team USA scored in the first minute and never trailed in the game with a 5-3 win over Canada.

Game Recap

The United States beat Canada 5-3 in Olympic men’s ice hockey qualifying Group A on Sunday. Brian Rafalski put the U.S. ahead in the first minute of the game, Canada’s Eric Staal leveled but Rafalski scored again in the opening period.

Dany Heatley drew the Canadians level again before goals by Chris Drury and Jamie Langenbrunner gave the Americans a two-goal cushion over their great local rivals.

Sidney Crosby grabbed a consolation for the Canadians on a powerplay in the third period but Ryan Kesler sealed the U.S. victory with a goal into an empty net.

Team USA never trailed and beat Canada in the Olympics for the first time in 50 years. Canada now must win an extra game.

Ryan Kesler of the U.S. scored late to seal the game for the U.S. in their epic Olympic showdown at Canada Hockey Place.

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony begins at 6:00 pm. PST on Friday, February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada but US West Coast viewers will have to wait for more than an hour as NBC will show it on a tape-delayed telecast at 7:30 pm PST.

That’s right, West Coast viewers can’t watch the Opening Ceremony live, even though the 2010 Winter Olympics are being hosted in the same time zone. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony is scheduled to begin right around 6:00 p.m. PST on Friday, February 12th, 2010. The NBC coverage of the event though, is not schedule to begin airing until after 7:30 p.m. PST. (Source)

UPDATE: Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony Live is now over.

NBC has the broadcasting rights to the Olympic event, so check some exclusive videos and replay on their website. Also, you can check the official Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics website and their Youtube channel for up-to-date exclusive videos and highlights.

The 2010 Winter Olympics, also known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held on February 12–28, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Both the Olympic and Paralympic Games are being organized by the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC). The 2010 Winter Olympics will be the 3rd Olympics hosted by Canada, and the first by the province of British Columbia. Previously, Canada was home to the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec and the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta.

Following Olympic tradition, then Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan received the Olympic flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. The flag was raised on February 28, 2006, in a special ceremony, and will be on display at Vancouver City Hall until the Olympic opening ceremony. The event will be officially opened by Governor General Michaëlle Jean. Also, according to reports, Canadians Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan and Bryan Adams are some of the artists who might perform at the inauguration.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at BC Place Stadium. Competition venues in Greater Vancouver include the Pacific Coliseum, the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre, the UBC Winter Sports Centre, the Richmond Olympic Oval and Cypress Mountain. GM Place, home of the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks, will play host to ice hockey events, but because corporate sponsorship is not allowed for an Olympic venue, it will be renamed Canada Hockey Place for the duration of the games. Competition venues in Whistler include the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort, the Whistler Olympic Park and the Whistler Sliding Centre. (Source)

Of course, we will post links here on where to watch 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics live stream online free, so visit this post regularly.

UPDATE 2: Canada wins Gold by routing USA 3-2 in Overtime.

For complete 2010 Winter Olympic schedule and results, click here.