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Showing posts from 2024

Interesting week so far

 Yup. Monday was my colonoscopy. Was...... Interesting. Kinda cool to see the inside of a colon though. Watched 5 polyps removed. No cancer. Yesterday was the US election. Today I saw the IIHF announce they're preparing a proposal for 3x3 hockey as soon as the 2030 winter Olympics. Interesting. That's it so far.

Time change + CFL division semis

It's time to fall back. At 2am tonight we turn our clocks back "officially." Be sure to do so before you go to bed. Unless you live somewhere where you don't have to. Like Saskatchewan. Where I am. Tonight is when we go to standard time. Now for the CFL division semis. The east semi had Toronto beat Ottawa 58-38 and will face Montreal in the east final next Saturday. In the west, Saskatchewan beat B.C. 28-19 and will face Winnipeg, also next Saturday. We're that much closer to the Grey Cup.

Dodgers champions

 The Los Angeles Dodgers just won the 2024 world series, winning game 5 7-6 and the series 4-1. The 4th time they've beaten the Yankees in the series. It is also their 8th championship. Congratulations to the Dodgers.

Check this out

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 This is from about 1962. The foreground is Colt Stadium, first home of the Houston Astros (Colt 45s at the time. In the background is the beginning of construction of the Astrodome. Neat en.

Make it official

 It's official. Glasgow Scotland is host of the 2026 Commonwealth games.  It will run from July 23 to August 2. It's a scaled down version. The sports that were dropped were: Rugby 7s, field hockey, badminton, twenty20 cricket, squash and diving.

Dodgers to world series

 It will be the New York Yankees vs the Los Angeles Dodgers For the world series as the Dodgers beat the Mets 10-5 in game 6 of the NLCS and the series 4-2. It will be the 12th meeting between the Yankees and Dodgers in the world series. The Yankees hold an 8-3 edge. (Yankees in 1941, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1977 and 1978. Dodgers in 1955, 1963 and 1981). It will be my first time watching these two. I started watching baseball in 1983

Yankees to world series

 The New York Yankees are off to the world series after beating Cleveland 5-2 in 20 innings. Juan Soto hit the 3 run home run to win it. They will get either the New York Mets or the Dodgers. Oh yeah it's their 41st American League pennant.

Guardians to ALCS

 It will be the Cleveland Guardians vs New York Yankees in the ALCS after Cleveland beat Detroit 7-3 in game 5 today. ALCS starts Monday.

Dodgers to NLCS

 The Los Angeles Dodgers will be facing the New York Mets in the NLCS after beating the San Diego Padres in game 5 2-0.  Series starts Sunday in Los Angeles.

Ice hockey at the 1980 winter Olympics

 This tournament went from February 12-24, 1980. 12 teams played. The Olympic Fieldhouse and Olympic Arena hosted the games. Canada hockey team returns and finishes 6th. Tournament best remembered for the "miracle on ice" as the United States beat the Soviet Union before beating Finland to win gold. They had also beat Czechoslovakia and tied Sweden. Their roster fielded exclusively amateur players. The United States, as mentioned, won gold, Soviet Union the silver and Sweden the bronze. Next is the 1984 tournament in Sarajevo Yugoslavia (now Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇦).

Yankees into ALCS

 The New York Yankees are into the ALCS after beating the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in game 4 and the series 3-1. They await the Detroit/Cleveland series.

Mets to NLCS

 The New York Mets are into the NLCS after beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in game 4 of the NLDS and the series 3-1. It's their first NLCS visit since 2015 when they beat the Chicago Cubs in a four game sweep. Stay tuned for their opponent.

Would you believe.. .

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 .....this is Las Vegas in 1947? Wild eh.  How it's changed. Enjoy.

League division series begun

 Began with Cleveland beating Detroit 7-0. Philadelphia vs New York Mets is on now, Kansas City at New York Yankees at 4:38 and San Diego at Los Angeles at 6:38. Stay tuned. This should be fun.

Detroit, Kansas City advance

 The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals each advance to the division round. Detroit swept Houston, Kansas City swept Baltimore. Each was a two game sweep. Detroit plays Cleveland next and Kansas City plays Yankees next.

Post season baseball upon us

 Regular season finally ended with today's Atlanta/N.Y. Mets double header. And they split the double header and Arizona gets eliminated. Arizona had losing records versus Atlanta and the Mets, so they needed a double header sweep to get in. Mets won the first one 8-7 and the Braves won game 2 3-0. Atlanta will play San Diego, Mets will play Milwaukee, Kansas City plays Baltimore and Detroit gets Houston in the wild card round. The Yankees, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Los Angeles got the byes into the division round.

1978-79 NHL season

 The 1978-79 NHL season had 17 teams and 80 games. Cleveland Barons and Minnesota North Stars merged. First contraction since 1942. March 29, 1979 the WHA/NHL merger happens. July 26, 1978 John Tonelli signs with the New York Islanders. October 18, Minnesota trades Dennis Maruk to Washington. March 11, Randy Holt of Los Angeles earns 67 penalty minutes in the first period. April 8 Denis Potvin is second defenseman to score 100 points. Preliminary round: Philadelphia 2 Vancouver 1, New York Rangers 2 Los Angeles 0, Toronto 2 Atlanta 0, Pittsburgh 2 Buffalo 1.  Quarter finals: New York Islanders 4 Chicago 0, Montreal 4 Toronto 0, Boston 4 Pittsburgh 0, New York Rangers 4 Philadelphia 1. Semifinals: New York Rangers 4, New York Islanders 2, Montreal 4 Boston 3. Stanley Cup finals: Montreal 4 New York Rangers 1. Montreal is 1979 Stanley Cup champions. Bob Gainey is Conn Smythe trophy winner. 1979 #1 draft pick is Rob Ramage. He played 1044 games, 139 goals, 425 assists and 564 points for C

First day of fall

 Fall has already arrived. Began at 6:44am Prince Albert time.  Kinda feels like it too. Leaves are already turning color. Lots of yellow around along with some green. Enjoy 

News of the day

 1. Glasgow Scotland is set to be announced as host of the 2026 shortly. Announcement day to be determined. 2. The 2025 world Juniors schedule is out. Canada begins on boxing Day vs Finland (6:30 pm Prince Albert time), December 27 vs Latvia, December 29 vs Germany and New Year's Eve vs the United States. The tournament is in Ottawa.

The PWHL has team names

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 They were unveiled this morning. They are: New York Sirens, Minnesota Frost, Boston Fleet, Toronto Sceptres, Ottawa Charge and Montreal Victoire. And her are the logos. What do you think?

Canada at the Paralympics

 The Paralympics are done. The flame extinguished. Speeches made. And the handover to Los Angeles 2028. Canada finishes with 29 medals. 10g, 9s, 10b. 13 medals in the pool. A world record thrown in there. Nicholas Bennett (2g, 1s), Brent Lakatos (1g, 1s), Austin Smeenk (1g, 1b), Aurelie Rivard (1g, 1s, 1b), Cody Fournier (2g) and Tess Routliffe (1s, 1b) are the multiple medalists I can find. So that is it for another 4 year cycle. Next winter games are Milan/Cortina D'Ampezzo in 2026, next summer games, as mentioned, is in Los Angeles in 2028.

One last one, flag bearers

 Last medal of the day, and it comes from Nate Reich and it's a silver in the 1500 T38 wheelchair race. That is now 10g to 9s, 10b for 29 total. Could hit 30 tomorrow. Nicholas Bennett and Brianna Hennessy are Canada's flag bearers at the closing ceremony tomorrow. Awesome. Can't believe the Paralympics end tomorrow.

Add two more

 First the bronze. It's from Shelby Newkirk in the 100m backstroke S6. Now the gold. Danielle Dorris wins it in the 50m S7.  That is now 10g, 8s, 10b for 28 total.

A hatrick of medals

 First the gold. It comes from Austin Smeenk in the 800m T34 wheelchair race. Next the silver.bit comes from Brianna Hennessy in para canoe. And now the bronze. It comes from the women's sitting volleyball team. A historic first medal in this sport. That is now 9g, 8s, 9b for 26 total. I don't think we're done yet.

Golden sprint

 Cody Fournier has another gold, this time in the 100m T51 race. That is now 8g, 7s, 8b for 23 total.

Golden swim

 Sebastian Massabie has the gold in the 50m freestyle S4 and it was a world record. That is now 7g, 7s, 8b for 22 total. 11 of them from the pool.

Silver discus

 Jesse Zessou has the silver in men's discus F37. Happened an hour ago. That is now 6g, 7s, 8b for 21 total.

Golden wheelchair race

 Brent Lakatos has another one. This gold is in the 800m T53 wheelchair race. That is now 6g, 6s, 8b for 20 total

Two to start

 Let's start with the bronze. It came from Tess Routliffe in the pool. Her bronze was in the 100m breaststroke SB7.  Now the gold from Aurelie Rivard in the 400m freestyle S10. Her 13th Paralympic medal. That is now 5g, 6s, 8b for 19 total. 10 of them in the pool.

And two more

 First the gold. Nicholas Bennett has his second one, this one in the 200m individual medley SM14.  Woohoo!! Next the silver. Reid Maxwell has it in the 400m freestyle S8.  Yeeeeesss!!  That is now 4g, 6s, 7b for 17 total. 

A pair of early medals

 First a gold. It comes from Greg Stewart in shot put. Also he's 7 foot. And came out of retirement last year.  Now the silver. It comes from Nathan Clement in the T1-2 road time trial. That is now 3g, 5s, 7b for 15 total.

Swimming to bronze

 This one is Katie Cosgriffe in the 100m butterfly S10 event. Yeeesss!!!!  That is now 2g, 4s, 7b for 13 total.

Wheelchair racing to gold

 Happened this morning. Cody Fournier wins it in the T51 200m race. Yes. That is now 2g, 4s, 6b for 12 total.

Swimmer strikes gold

 The first gold of the games goes to Nicholas Bennett in the SB14 100m breast stroke. This gold is Canada's 400th gold overall at the Paralympics.

Two more bronze

 First in wheelchair triathlon. Leanne Taylor takes the bronze. Second from Austin Smeenk in T34 100m wheelchair racing.  Yeeesss. That is now 4s, 6b for 10 total.

Silver on the track

 This one from Brent Lakatos in wheelchair racing. His silver was in the T53 400n event. That is now 4s, 4b for 8 total. Yeeees!!!!

Another silver in the pool

 It's Aurelie Rivard with her second one. It's in the S10 100m freestyle. That is now 3s, 4b for 7 total.

Pair of silvers

 Both in the pool.  First was Nicholas Bennett in the S14 200m freestyle. The second was Tess Routliffe in the SM7 200m individual medley. That is now 2s, 4b for 6 total.

Two more bronze on the track

 First was from Keely Shaw in the C4 3000m individual pursuit. Second was from Alexandre Hayward in the C4 3000m individual pursuit. That is now 4b.

Bronze in the pool

 This goes to Aurelie Rivard in the S10 50m freestyle. Not a shabby start to the Paralympics. That is now 2b so far.

Bronze cyclist

 First Canadian medal goes to Kate O'Brien in the C4-5 500m track cycling event.  First of many I hope. Stay tuned for more.

Canadian flag bearers are....

 Katarina Roxon and Patrick Anderson. Roxon is in swimming and Anderson plays wheelchair basketball. They will be leading 126 athletes at the opening ceremony tomorrow during the parade of nations. Let the games begin.

Dodger stadium at night

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 Here is Dodger stadium at night and Los Angeles in the background. Cool eh? I think baseball history nut on Twitter posted this.

Canada at the Paralympics

 Some more by the numbers. Canada will be sending 126 athletes to these games. 69 female, 56 male and one as they/them. 4 of the athletes were at the 2000 games (Pat Anderson, Yuka Chokyu, Lance Cryderman and Ruth Sylvie Morel). There are 39 debutantes. 5 are going to their 5th games (Amy Burk, Bo Hedges, Trevor Hirshfield, Travis Murad and Katarina Roxon). 4 are going to their 6th (Pat Anderson, Brent Lakatos, Cindy Ouellet and Mike Whitehead). Games go from August 28 - September 8.

1977-78 NHL season

 This season had 18 teams and 80 games. Clarence Campbell retires as NHL president. John Ziegler is named president. All teams had to put names on backs of jerseys. Officials also put names on backs of their jerseys - until the 1994-95 season.  Mike Bossy sets rookie record with 53 goals (wins Calder trophy).  Boston sets record with 11 20 goal scorers. (Bob Miller was 11th). Preliminary round: Detroit 2 Atlanta 0, Toronto 2 Los Angeles 0, Philadelphia 2 Colorado 0, Buffalo 2 New York Rangers 1. Quarter finals: Montreal 4 Detroit 1, Toronto 4 New York Islanders 3, Boston 4 Chicago, Philadelphia 4 Buffalo 1. Semi finals: Montreal 4 Toronto 0, Boston 4 Philadelphia 1. Stanley Cup final: Montreal 4 Boston 2. Larry Robinson is Conn Smythe trophy winner. #1 draft pick in 1978 was Bobby Smith, drafted by Minnesota. He played 1077 games, had 357g, 679a 1036 points. Soon the 1978-79 NHL season.

2024 (XXXIII Olympiad) games

 These games were in Paris from July 26 to August 11. 206 nations and 10714 athletes participated. Highlights include:  1. Breakdance debuted here. 2. Final games under Thomas Bach. Dominica, St Lucia, Cape Verde, and Albania won first medal. Dominica, St Lucia, Botswana and Guatemala won first golds. Refugee Olympic Athletes team also won a medal. 3. 85 nations won a medal. 4. 32 Olympic records and 10 world records fell. 5.  Siffan Hassan won a bronze in 5000 and 10000 meter and a gold in marathon. That's over 57km in running. Wow. 6.  One podium sweep and it was France in men's BMX. Toris Daudet (gold), Sylvain Andre (silver) and Romain Mahieu (bronze) was on the podium. 7. United States and China tied for most gold (40). United States won most overall (40g, 44s, 42b) with 126. France had 16g, 26s, 22b for 64 total. Canada won 9g, 7s, 11b for 27 total. Coming up had the Paralympics.

Closing time

 The flame is out. Closing speeches have been made. One heck of a party. I can imagine the party. Caught some of the closing ceremony on my last break. Handover to Los Angeles 2028 also happened.  That's it for that. Time for an Olympic break.

Carrying the Canadian flag is.....

 Summer McIntosh AND Ethan Katzberg. Two very good choices. (Kinda called Summer though). So many other choices came up the last week though. Anyway Summer and Ethan will carry the flag proudly.

Breaking for Gold

 Breaking news. Phil Wizard has gold in break dancing. Made it look easy I'm guessing. That is now 9g, 7s, 11b for 27. Highest total in a non boycott games. Only two behind what they put up in the 2018 winter games.

Silver in 800m

 Marco Arop almost won gold. By .01s. He gets the silver in the 800m.  Very good run. That is now 8g, 7s, 11b for 26 total.

Golden canoe

 Katie Vincent has a gold in the 200m single canoe race. Last lunge and a photo finish later, she wins. That is now 8g, 6s, 11b for 25 total.

Silver lining in beach volleyball

 Melissa Humana-Parades and Brandie Wilkerson is coming home with a silver in beach volleyball, losing to Brazil in 3 sets. Still a great finish. That is now 7g, 6s, 11b for 24, tied for the highest in a non boycott year with Tokyo. And there's two days left.

Golden relay

 The mens 4x100m relay team has just won GOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLD!!!  It may have been the last race Andre De Grasse, Brendan Rodney, Aaron Brown and Jerome Blake will run together and they're coming home golden. That is now 7g, 5b, 11b for 23 total. WOOOOOOOOO!!!

Canoeing to a bronze

 Katie Vincent and Sloan Mackenzie paddled to a bronze in the C2 500m event. Woohoo. That is now 6g, 5s, 11b for 22 total.

Taekwondo bronze

 It's Skylar Park with the bronze in the 57kg weight class. Had to win a repechage to get to the bronze match and did so. That is now 6g, 5s, 10b for 21 total. Woohoo!!!

Silver weightlifter

 Maude Charon has just won a silver in weight lifting 59kg class. Absolutely killed it. That is now 6g, 5s, 9b for 20 total.

Pole vault to bronze

 Alysha Newman has herself a bronze. She cleared 4.85m, which is a personal best for her. She failed to clear 4.90m. She still leaves with a bronze. That is now 6g, 4s, 9b for 19 total.

Hammer throwing to gold x2

 This time it's Camryn Rogers as she wins gold in the hammer throw. She got it in her 2nd last throw. Woohoo!!!  That is now 6g, 4s, 8b for 18 total. Yaaayyy!!!!

Hammer throwing to gold.

 Ethan Katzberg absolutely killed this. He is the first Canadian to win gold in hammer throw and also the youngest to win it. He's only 22.  That is now 5g, 4s, 8b for 17 total.

Boxing to a bronze

 Wyatt Sanford has himself a bronze in the 63.5kg weight class. He lost the semi final match and was auto awarded the bronze, as will the loser of the other semi. Sooooo...that is now 4g, 4s, 8b for 16 total.

Golden Summer x3

 She's done it again. This time Summer McIntosh had gold in 200m individual medley. That makes 8 medals in the pool. Previous high was 6 medals at one games. Canada has something special with Summer McIntosh. That is now 4g, 4s, 7b for 15 total.

Double medal in the pool

 This happened in the mens 100m butterfly. Josh Liendo with the silver an Ilya Kharun with the bronze.  YAHOOOO!!!  That is now 3g, 4s, 7b for 14 medals. A super Saturday so far.

Rowing to a silver

 The women's 8s, who had to make the final via repechage, has a silver. Second Olympics in a row the 8s medal. That is now 3g, 3s, 6b for 12 total. Don't think we're done with the medal haul yet.

Bronze in the pool

 This one from Kylie Masse in the 200m backstroke. I thought first one of these games. That is now 3g, 2s, 6b for 11 total.

Tennis bronze

 Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski have a tennis bronze, winning in straight sets 2-0. It's Canada's second ever tennis medal (I think Daniel Nestor). That is now 3g 2s 5b for 10 total.

A bronze in trampoline

 This bronze comes from Sophiane Methot. I think the second Canadian to win a medal in trampoline after Rosie MacLennan. Way to go. That is now 3g 2s 4b for 9 total. Yes.

Golden Summer x2

 Yup Summer McIntosh has her 2nd gold and 3rd of the games. She won the 200m butterfly, 40 years after her mom Jill competed in the same event. At 2:03 pm Prince Albert time, she will be in the 4x200m free relay. Potential medal alert. That is now 3g, 2s, 3b for 8 total.

Swimming to a bronze

 Ilya Kharun has a bronze in the 200m butterfly. He also got a Canadian record and also a first ever medal in this event. That is now 2g, 2s, 3b for 7 total.

Silver lining in rugby 7s

 Canada women's rugby 7s team has a silver. New Zealand beat Canada 19-12 in the gold medal game to win the tournament. The silver is Canada's best result (bronze in 2016). That is now 2g, 2s, 2b for 6 total.

Golden Summer

 Summer McIntosh just won gold in the 400m individual medley. Her first ever Olympic gold. Last medal for Canada in this event was a bronze in 1976. Event was introduced in 1964 and Canada had 2 silvers and the bronze. And now a gold. I smell more for Summer. That is now 2g, 1s, 2b for 5 total.

Two more medals

 First was in diving. Nathan Zsombor-Murray and Ryan Wiens won bronze in the 10m synchro event. That gets followed up by Christa Deguchi winning gold  - yes GOLD - in judo 57kg class. Yes!!!! That is now 1g, 1s, 2b for 4 total. Stay tuned.

Fencing to a bronze

 A first ever medal in fencing, and it comes from Eleanor Harvey in foil. Woohoo!! Actually watched this duel. Congratulations Eleanor. That is 1s 1b for 2 total.

Canada's first medal is....

 A silver from Summer McIntosh in the 400m freestyle. Also her first Olympic medal.  Her time was 3:58.37.  Ariana Titmus of Australia won gold and Katie Ledecky with the bronze. Good start.

Let's add an upset

 Fares Arfa of Canada knocked off the 3 time defending gold medalist Aaron Szilagyi in men's sabre. Big. Arfa moved to the round of 16.

First medal of games goes to ..

 ....air rifle mixed team gold goes to Huang Yuting and Sheng Lihao of China, the silver to Keum Ju-Hyeon and Park Ha-Jun of South Korea and the bronze to Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev of Kazakhstan. Oh were on folks.

The opening ceremony

 The flame has been lit. Speeches have been made. The games officially open. And Celine Dion capped it off. What an opening ceremony. 205 nations made their way down the Seine River. Performances were outstanding. Teddy Riner and Marie-Jose Perec lit the cauldron that resembled a hot air balloon. 16 days of insanity lays ahead. Let's go get it.

2024 (XXXIII Olympiad) games preview

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 We've made it to the preview. The 2024 Paris Olympics begin tomorrow and end on August 11. 206 nations and 10714 athletes scheduled to participate. Paris is second city to host 3 times. (1900 and 1924), with London being first (1908, 1948 and 2012). Breakdance debuting here. Final games under Thomas Bach. 2nd time an opening ceremony would be held outside a stadium (2018 summer youth Olympics the first). The ceremony, along with parade of nations, will be held on the river Seine. Refugee Olympic Athletes makes a return and Russian and Belarus athletes under individual neutral athletes banner. Canada will be sending 315 athletes to the games and will be led out by Andre De Grasse and Maude Charon. Here is the emblem for today.

2020 (XXXII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Tokyo Japan from July 23 to August 8, 2021. The games were delayed a year due to COVID. 206 nations (refugee Olympic Athletes and Russian Olympic athletes included) 3x3 basketball, freestyle BMX, baseball (returns), softball (returns), Madison cycling returns (men) or debuts (women) karate, sports climbing, surfing, and skateboarding debuts or returns. Bermuda, Philippines, and Qatar win first gold. Burkina Faso, San Marino, and Turkmenistan win first medals. United States won most gold (39) and most overall (113). Japan won 27g, 14s, 17b for 58 total. Canada won 7g, 7s, 10b for 24 total. Tomorrow - the 2024 preview. Here is the emblem for today.

Canada's flag bearers are...

 ... Andre De Grasse and Maude Charon. Both champions. Charon a gold medalist in weight lifting and De Grasse a multi medalist in track. Great choices. They'll do Canada proud.

2016 (XXXI Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil from August 5 - 21. 207 nations and 11180 athletes participated. Refugee Olympic Athletes team debut, as well as Kosovo and South Sudan. United States wins gold 1000. Bahrain, Fiji, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kosovo, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Tajikistan and Vietnam, as well as a member of the independent Olympic Athlete team (Kuwait) won first gold. Karate, squash, golf, roller sports and rugby debuted here. United States won most gold (46) and most overall (121). Brazil won 7g, 6s, 6b for 19 total. Canada won 4g, 3s, 15b for 22 total. Tomorrow - the 2020 games in Tokyo Japan. Here is the emblem for today.

2012 (XXX Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in London Great Britain from July 27 to August 12. 204 nations plus 2 independent Olympic athlete nations and 10518 athletes participated. Women's boxing added, making these games the first time every sport had female competitors. 85 nations won at least one medal. Netherlands Antilles (dissolved before the games) and South Sudan (recognized in 2015) were the two nations that had independent athletes. Tennis mixed doubles return for the first time since 1924. 32 world records fell. 7 nations won first medal: Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala and Montenegro. United States won most gold (48) and most overall (104). Great Britain had 29g, 18s, 18b for 65 total. Canada won 2g, 6s, 10b for 18 total. Tomorrow - Rio de Janeiro. Here is the emblem for today.

2008 (XXIX Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Beijing China from August 8 to 24. 204 nations and 10899 athletes participated. 87 nations won at least one medal.  Serbia and Montenegro debuted as separate nations. Nepal, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu debuted. 125 Olympic records fell, including 37 world records. Mongolia and Panama won first ever golds. Afghanistan, Mauritius, Serbia, Sudan, Tajikistan and Togo won first medals. China won most golds at 48, along with 22s and 30b for 100 total. United States won most overall with 112 (36g, 39s, 37b). Canada won 3g, 9s, 8b for 20 total. Tomorrow - 2012 in London. Here is the emblem for today.

2004 (XXVII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Athens Greece from August 13-29. 201 nations and 10557 athletes participated. Athens is 4th city to host a summer games twice (Paris 1900, 1924 and 2024, London 1908 and 1948 and Los Angeles 1932, 1984 and 2028). A new obverse design introduced. Several world records fall. Chile, Chinese Taipei, Dominican Republic, Georgia and Israel won first golds, while Eritrea and Paraguay won first medals. United Arab Emirates won first medal AND first gold. Kiribati and Timor Leste debuted. Women's wrestling and women's sabre added. Marathon ran on same route as 1896. Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco won 1500m and 5000m . Michael Phelps won 6g and 2b to win most swimming medals in one games.  United States won most gold (36) and most overall (101). Greece won 6g, 6s, 4b for 16 total. Canada won 3g, 6s, 3b for 12 total. Tomorrow - 2008 in Beijing. Here is the emblem for today. 

2000 (XXVII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Sydney Australia from September 15 to October 1. 199 nations and 10647 athletes participated. First games to have 300 events. Last games under Juan Antonio Samaranch. Triathlon began. Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland won on women's side, Simon Whitfield won on men's side. Ian Thorpe of Australia debuts. Cathy Freeman of Australia lights cauldron, then wins 400m on home soil. Cameroon wins historic soccer gold. Democratic Republic of Congo reappears for first time since 1980. From 1984 to 1996 they competed as Zaire. United States won most gold (37) and most overall (93). Australia won 16g, 25s, 17b for 58 total. Canada won 3g, 3s, 8b for 14 total. Tomorrow - the games return to Greece. Here is the emblem for today.

2025 MLB sked is out

 The 2025 MLB season sked is out. Here are 5 things to know. 1. March 18-19 is the Tokyo series. The Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs open the season. Dodgers first trip to Japan.  2. March 27 is opening day for the rest of the league. 3. May 16-18 is rivalry weekend. Includes Yankees v Mets, White Sox vs Cubs and Angels vs Dodgers. 4. All star game is July 15 in Atlanta. 5. September 28 is closing day of the season. Cheers.

1996 (XXVI Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Atlanta Georgia from July 19 to August 4. 197 nations and 10320 athletes participated. Beach volleyball, mountain biking, softball, lightweight rowing, women's swimming, women's fencing team rhythmic gymnastics and women's soccer debuted here.24 nations made their debuts here. Andre Agassi wins "golden slam" ( Olympic gold, Australian open, French open, U.S open Wimbledon). In men's 100m, Donovan Bailey sets then world record of 9.84 in winning gold. Him, Robert Esmie, Bruny Surin and Glenroy Gilbert win 4x100m gold.  Deon Hemmings first woman to win gold for Jamaica. Lee Lai Shan wins Hong Kong's only gold as a British colony. Following nations won first ever summer games medal; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burundi, Ecuador, Georgia, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Mozambique, Slovakia, Tonga, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. First time no nation swept the medal podium. United States led most gold and overall with 44g, 32 s, 25b for 101

1992 (XXV Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Barcelona Spain from July 25 to August 9. 169 nations and 9386 athletes participated. First games not to have a boycott. South Africa makes return to games. Olympic cauldron lit by flaming arrow. Deratu Tulu of Ethiopia wins 10000m. Her and South African Elana Meyer made a hand in hand victory lap. Germany sends unified team. Following Soviet Union break up, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania debuted here. Russia and 15 other former Soviet Union republics send unified team. Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina also debut after Yugoslavia break up. Kyoko Iwasaki wins gold at 14. Susi Susanti wins Indonesia first gold in badminton.  Unified team won most gold (45) and most overall (112). Spain won 13g, 7s, 2b for 22 total. Canada won 7g, 4s, 7b for 18 total. Tomorrow - 1996 in Atlanta. Here is the emblem for today.

1988 (XXIV Olympiad) games

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 These games were in Seoul South Korea from September 17 to October 2. 160 nations and 8453 athletes participated. 7 nations did not participate due to various reasons (boycott, didn't respond to invite, athletic and financial reasons. Vladimir Arterov wins 4 gold in gymnastics, while Daniela Silivas of Romania won 3 gold and equalled Nadia Comenici 7 perfect 10s. Women's sailing was its own event. Lawrence Lemieux of Canada won the Pierre de Coubertin medal when he helped an injured competitor in peril. Anthony Nesty won Suriname first medal when he won the 100m butterfly. Last time USA basketball sent an amateur team. Indonesia wins first medal - a silver in archery. Soviet Union won most gold (55) and most overall (132). South Korea won 12g, 10s, 11b for 33 total. Canada won 3g, 2s, 5b for 10 total. Tomorrow - 1992 games in Barcelona Spain. Here is the emblem for today.

Canada by the numbers

 Here we go. 338 athletes heading to Paris. 316 participating and 22 alternates. 193 women, 123 men. Oldest athlete is Jill Irving at 61. Youngest is Fay De Fazio Ebert at 14. Oldest male Mario Deslauriers at 59 and youngest male is Nicholas Zhang at 18. Ontario has the most athletes at 141, Quebec 58, B.C. 45, Alberta 34, Nova Scotia 10, Saskatchewan 9 Manitoba 6, New Brunswick 3 and Prince Edward Island 2. Also 5 sets of siblings. 10 days to go. Let's do this.

1984 (XXIII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Los Angeles CA from July 28 to August 14. 140 nations and 6800 athletes participated. 14 Eastern bloc nations boycotted for the 1980 U.S led boycott. First games that had athletes living in one Olympic village. Opening ceremony featured Bill Suitor arriving via Jet Pack. People's Republic of China returns to games after agreement with IOC to rename Republic of China to Chinese Taipei (Taiwan). Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco first female Olympic champion of muslim nation to win gold for Morocco in 400m hurdles. Synchro swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and wind surfing debuted here. Mary Lou Retton first gymnast outside Eastern Europe to win all around. United States won most gold (83) and most overall (174). Canada won 10g, 18s, 16b for 44 total. Tomorrow - 1988 in Seoul South Korea. Here is the emblem for today.

1980 (XXII Olympiad) games

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 These games were in Moscow, Soviet Union from July 19 to August 3. 80 nations and 5256 athletes participated. 66 nations boycotted due to U.S. led boycott over Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Czechoslovakia won soccer gold over East Germany. India won 8th field hockey gold. In 400m swimming, 16 swimmers finished in under 4 minutes. Medal count: Soviet Union won 80g, 69s 46b for 195 total. East Germany won 47g, 37s, 42b 126 total. Bulgaria won 8g, 16s, 17b for 41 total. Tomorrow - the 1984 games in Los Angeles. Here is the emblem for today.

1976 (XXI Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Montreal Canada from July 17 to August 1. 92 nations and 6073 athletes participated. 29 nations boycotted when IOC refused to ban New Zealand after their rugby team toured South Africa. women's basketball, women's handball and women's rowing added. Canada first host country to not win gold. Nadia Comenici scores 7 perfect 10s, winning 3 golds. Alberto Juantorena first male to win 400m and 800m in same games. Hasely Crawford wins Trinidad and Tobago first gold. 5 American boxers win gold. Alex Oakley of Canada is oldest track and field athlete at 50, and 5th Olympics. Soviet Union won most gold (49) and most overall (125). Canada won 5s, 6b for 11 total. Tomorrow - 1980 (and more boycotts). Here is the emblem for today. 

1972 (XX Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Munich, West Germany from August 26 to September 11. 121 nations and 7134 athletes participated. Overshadowing the games was the Munich massacre. First official mascot appears. A daschund named Waldo. Mark Spitz wins 7 swimming golds. Soviet Union beats United States in basketball final in controversial finish. Handball (1936) and archery (1920) return, while slalom canoeing debuts. Olympic oath for officials begins here. Soviet Union won most gold (50) and most overall (99). West Germany won 13g, 11s, 16b for 40 total. Canada won 2s, 3b for 5 total. Tomorrow - 1976 in Montreal. Here is the emblem for today.

1968 (XIX Olympiad) games

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 The 1968 games were in Mexico City from October 12-27.  112 nations and 5516 athletes participated. First in Latin America. First to use all weather track. First to use electronic time keeping. George Foreman wins heavyweight boxing gold. Games held at 2240m (7350 feet) above sea level. East and West Germany competed as separate nations. First games televised in color. Canada competes first time under new flag. United States won most gold (45) and overall (101). Mexico won 3g, 3s, 3b for 9 total. Canada won 1g, 3s, 1b for 5 total. Tomorrow - the 1972 games in Munich Germany. Here is the emblem for today.

1964 (XVIII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Tokyo Japan from October 10-24 1964. 93 nations and 5137 athletes participated. First games in Asia. South Africa excluded from games due to apartheid regime. Games first to be televised internationally.  Yoshinori Sakai lit the cauldron. He was born in Hiroshima on August 6 1945, same day the atomic bomb was dropped on city. Judo, volleyball and women's pentathlon added. Abebe Bikila defended marathon gold. Joe Frazier wins boxing gold with broken thumb. Last games to use cinder track. Zambia gains Independence on last day of games, becoming first to enter as one nation, and leave as another. United States won most gold (36), Soviet Union won most overall with 96. Japan won 16g, 5s, 8b for 29 total. Canada won 1g, 2s, 1b for 4 total. Tomorrow - 1968 in Mexico City. Here is the emblem for today.

Meet the mens basketball team.

 Here they are. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, RJ Barrett, Khem Birch, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Melvin Ejim,Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Troy Likes, Jamal Murray, Andrew Nembhard, Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell. Good luck in Paris guys.

Meet the women's rugby team

 And here they are. Olivia Apps, Fancy Bermudez, Alysha Corrigan, Caroline Crossley, Chloe Daniels, Asia Hogan-Rochester, Piper Logan, Carissa Norsten, Krissy Scurfield, Florence Symonds Keyara Wardley, Charity Williams and substitute Taylor Perry. Good luck in Paris.

1960 (XVII Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Rome Italy from August 25 to September 11. 83 nations and 5347 athletes participated. First Paralympic Games were also held in Rome. Gert Fredrickson of Sweden wins 6th sprint canoe gold. Aladar Greenwich of Hungary wins 6th consecutive gold in team sabre. Wilma Rudolph, a former polio patient, wins 3 gold in track. Abe Bikila is first African and first Ethiopian to win marathon. He wins it running barefoot. Pakistan wins field hockey gold, dethroning India's 6 straight golds. Japanese men's gymnastics team wins first of 5 straight golds. 6 days after emergency appendectomy, Jeff Farrell wins 2 swimming golds. Soviet Union wins most gold (43) and most overall (103). Host Italy wins 13g, 10s, 13b for 36 total. Canada wins one medal - a silver in men's is with coxswain. Tomorrow - the 1964 games in Tokyo Japan. Here is the emblem for today.

1956 (XVI Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Melbourne Australia from November 22 to December 8. 72 nations and 3314 athletes participated. First games in southern hemisphere. First games held outside summer months. Equestrian events held in Stockholm due to strict Australian quarantine laws. 9 nations boycotted for various reasons. In water polo, Hungary vs Soviet Union had "match of blood" where violent moments happened. Audience had to be restrained to avoid further unrest. Game was ca6and Hungary awarded win, with them being ahead at time of cancellation.  John Ian Wing wrote a letter to IOC and suggested the athletes matched in as one at closing ceremony. It's a tradition that continues today.  Soviet Union had most gold (37) and most overall (98). Host Australia had 13g, 8s, 14b for 35 total. Co-host Sweden had 8g, 5s, 6b for 19 total. Canada won 2g, 1s, 3b for 6 total. Tomorrow - 1960 in Rome. Here is the emblem for today.

Meet The volleyball team

 Meet the mens volleyball team. They are: Danny Demyanemko, Luke Herr, Nick Hoag, Brodie Hofer, Xander Ketrzynski, Eric Loeppky, Justin Lui, Stephen Marr, Funny McCarthy, Arthur Szvarc, Lucas Van Berkel, Brett Walsh and substitute Ryley Barnes.  Good luck in Paris guys.

1952 (XV Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Helsinki Finland from July 19 to August 3. 69 nations and 4932 nations competed.  Most world records were broken here until 2008. People's Republic of China, Soviet Union, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Israel, Thailand, Saarland, Ghana, Guatemala, Netherlands Antilles, Nigeria and Vietnam debuted. Final games under Sigfrid Edstrom. Taiwan (formerly Republic of China) withdrew from games over China entering. Germany and Japan were reinstated. United States won most gold (40) and most overall (76). Host Finland won 6g, 3s, 13b for 22 total. Canada won 1g and 2s for 3 total. Tomorrow - 1956. Here is the emblem for today.

1948 (XIV Olympiad) games

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 The 1948 games were held in London from July 29 to August 14. 59 nations and 4104 athletes participated. These were known as the austerity games. No new venues built. Fanny Blankers-Koen won 4 golds in athletics. Bob Mathias youngest male to win a gold at 17bin track and field. Veikko Huhtanen of Finland won 3g, 1s, 1b in men's gymnastics. Guyana, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Korea, Lebanon, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela debuted here. USA won most golds (38) and most overall (84). Host Great Britain won 3g, 14s 6b for 23 total. Canada won 1s, 2b for 3 total. Tomorrow - the 1952 games. Here is the emblem for today.

1936 (XI Olympiad) games

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 The 1936 games were in Berlin Germany from August 1 to 16. 49 nations and 3963 athletes participated. First games to be televised. Radio broadcasts reached 41 nations. Torch relay began here. Jesse Owens won 4 golds in sprint and long jump. Last games under Henri de Baillet-Latour. Iris Cummings last survivor of these games. Liechtenstein, Afghanistan, Bermuda, Bolivia and Costa Rica debuted. Host Germany won most gold and most overall (38g, 31s, 32b 101 total). Canada won 1g, 3s, 5b for 9 total. WWII cancelled 1940 and 1944. Next games is 1948 in London. Here is the emblem for today.

The rest of the equestrian team

 Here's the rest of the equestrian team. They are: in dressage; Camille Carier with horse Finnlanderin, Jill Irving with horse Delacroix 11, Naima Moreira with horse Statesman and Chris Von Martels with horse Eclips (sub). In eventing we have: Jessica Phoenix with horse Freedom GS, Karl Slezak with horse Hot Bobo, Michael Winter with horse El Mundo and Colleen Loach with horse FE Golden Eye (sub) Good luck in Paris.

1932 (X Olympiad) games

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 These games were held in Los Angeles from July 30 to August 14 1932. 37 nations and 1332 athletes participated. Great depression attributed to low numbers. An Olympic mascot was used for first time, although unofficially. Olympic village was built for first time, becoming a model for future games. Only 3 nations competed in field hockey. United States lost to India and Japan and still took bronze. India wins gold and Japan silver. Takeichi Nishi wins Japan's (to date) only gold in equestrian on horse Uranus. 3000m steeplechase ends up going one extra lap due to an official's error. Womens 80m hurdles and women's javelin added. Colombia debuts. Host United States wins most medals (44g, 36s, 30b 110 total). Canada won 2g, 5s, 9b 16 total. Tomorrow is 1936 games. Here is the emblem for today.

Meet the water polo team

 Here is the women's water polo team. They are: Verica Bakoc, Serena Browne, Axelle Crevier, Jessica Gaudreault, Shae LaRoche, Elyse Lemay-Lavoie, Blaire McDowell, Hayley McKelvey, Marilia Mimides, Kindred Paul, Clara Vulpisi, Emma Wright. Good luck in Paris ladies.

1928 (IX Olympiad) games

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 The 1928 games were held in Amsterdam Netherlands from July 28 - August 12. 46 nations and 2883 athletes participated. First games under president Henri de Baillet-Latour. Symbolic flame lit for first time. Greece led parade of nations and host nation ended it for first time, a tradition that still continues. Coca Cola first appeared as sponsor for first time.  First games to have fixed 16 day schedule. Athletics held in 400m track for first time. Lithuania appears as independent nation for last time until 1992. India wins first of 6 straight field hockey golds. United States won most gold (22) and most overall (56). Host Netherlands had 6g, 9s, 4b for 19 total. Canada had 4g, 4s, 7b  for 15 total. Tomorrow is the 1932 games. Here is the poster for today.

Meet the breakdance team

 It's a team of one and it's Phil Wizard (real name Philip Kim). Good luck in Paris Phil.

Meet the athletics team

 Here's the full team. They are: Mariam Abdul Rashid, Eliezer Adjibi, Mohammed Ahmed, Marco Arop, Duan Asemota, Jerome Blake, Aaron Brown, Kyra Constantine, Andre De Grasse, Jean Simon Desgagnes, Evan Dunfee, Malindi Elmore, Crystal Emmanuel Ahye, Thomas Fafaro, Ben Flanagan, Lauren Gale, Rowan Hamilton, Michelle Harrison, Ethan Katzberg, Adam Keenan, Marie-Eloise LeClair, Audrey Leduc, Pierce LePage, Cameron Levins, Rory Linkletter, Kieran Lurb, Olivia Lundman Jaqueline Madogo, Ceili McCabe, Sade McCreath, Sarah Mitton, Christopher Morales Williams, Malachi Murray, Anicka Newell, Alysha Newman, Jasneet Nijar, Simone Plourde, Madeline Price, Brendan Rodney, Camryn Rogers, Zoe Sherar, Jazz Shukla, Lucia Stafford, Alyanna Stiverne, Savannah Sutherland, Damian Warner and Regan Yee. Good luck in Paris.

1924 summer games (VIII Olympiad)

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 Paris was host of the VIII Olympiad, which ran from July 5 to 27. 44 nations and 3089 athletes participated.  Last games under Pierre de Coubertin. Opening ceremony and several events held at Olympic stadium of Colombes. The "flying Finns" dominated long distance. Paavo Nurmi won 1500m and 5000m. Ville Ritola won 10000m and 3000m steeplechase and silver in 5000m. Albin Stenroos won the marathon and the Finns won 3000m and cross country team events. Marathon fixed at 26.219 miles. First games to have standard 50m pool and lanes. Citius, altius, fortius used for first time.  First games to have Olympic village. United States won most gold and overall (45g and 99 total). Host France had 13g, 15s, 10b 38 total. Canada won 3s and 1b for 4 total. Tomorrow is 1928. Here is the first emblem for the summer games.

Meet the boxing team

 Only two here. Tammara Thibeault (75kg) and Wyatt Sanford (63.5kg). Good luck in Paris.

Meet the women's basketball team

 Here is the team. They are: Natalie Achonwa, Kayla Alexander, Laeticia Amihere, Bridget Carleton, Shay Collie, Aaliyah Edwards, Yvonne Ejim, Nirra Fields, Sami Hill, Kia Nurse, Cassandre Prosper and Syla Swords. Good luck in Paris ladies.

1920 (VII Olympiad)

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 The 1920 summer games were held in Antwerp Belgium from August 14 to September 12 1920. 29 nations and 2626 athletes participated. 1916 games in Berlin Germany were cancelled due to WWI. Antwerp Belgium was chosen to host after the war. Hungary, Germany, Austria, Bulgaria and Ottoman Empire were barred from the Olympics for starting the war. The Olympic oath and Olympic flag were used for first time. Games had a week of winter sports. Figure skating retuned from 1908 and ice hockey was added.  Nedo Nadi win 5 gold's in fencing, Guilherme Paraense won Brazil first gold in sport shooting, and Paavo Nurmi won golds in 10000m, 8000m and team cross country and a silver in 5000m. United States won most golds (41) and most overall (95). Host Belgium had 14g, 11s, 11b for 36 total. The 14 golds were tied for 4th and 36 total was 4th overall. Canada won 3g, 3s, 3b for 9 total. Tomorrow, the 1924 games. Here is the poster for today.

Meet the soccer team

 Meet the team that will attempt to defend gold. They are: Sinai Avuto, Janine Beckie, Kadiesha Buchanan, Sydney Collins, Sabrina D'Angelo, Jessie Fleming, Julia Grosso, Jordyn Huitema, Cloe Lacasse, Ashley Lawrence, Adriana Leon, Michelle Prince, Quinn, Jayde Riviere, Jade Rose, Kailen Sheridan, Evelyne Wiens, Gabrielle Carle (sub), Lysianne Proulx (sub), Deanne Rose (sub), and Shelina Zadorsky (sub). Good luck in Paris.

1912 (V Olympiad)

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 The games of the VI Olympiad was held in Stockholm Sweden from May 5 to July 22 1912. 28 nations and 2406 athletes participated.  Women's diving, women's swimming, decathlon, pentathlon and art competition debuted here. Electronic timing in athletics introduced here. Egypt, Iceland, Portugal, Serbia and Japan made their debuts here. Last games to allow "private entries.". United States won most gold with 26 and hoat Sweden won most overall with 65. Canada won 3g, 2s, 3b for 8 total. Tomorrow, the 1920 games. Here is the poster for today.

1908 summer games (IV Olympiad)

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 The games of the IV Olympiad was held in London from April 27 to October 31 1908. 22 nations and 2008 athletes participated. The financial restraints of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius near Naples in 1906 caused the games to be relocated to London.  The marathon was ran at 26 miles.  It became standard in 1924. Figure skating was added.  Oscar Swahn of Sweden won gold in running deer shooting, becoming the oldest Olympics champion. John Taylor first African American to win gold, this in the medley relay.  Host Great Britain won most gold and most overall (56g, 146 total). Canada won 3g, 3s, 10b for 16 total. Tomorrow - the 1912 games. Here is the poster for today's entry.

1904 summer games (III Olympiad)

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 The games of the III Olympiad were in St Louis Missouri from July 1-November 23. 648 athletes and 12 participated. Russo-Japanese war tensions and travel difficulties accounted for low participation. Boxing, dumbbells and freestyle wrestling debuted here. Lifesaving demonstrations were held on a temporary pond on Skinker and Wyodun Boulevards. George Eyser won 6 medals with a wooden left leg. Frank Kugler won four medals in wrestling, weightlifting and tug of war. He is the first to win medals in 3 disciplines. USA ran away with the medal haul (had the most athletes) with 76g and 231 total. Canada won 4g, 1s, 1b for 6 total. Tomorrow, the games of the IV Olympiad. Here is the poster for today's entry.

Time to meet the.....

 ..... Gymnastics team. They are: Ellie Black, Cassie Lee, Shallon Olsen, Ava Stewart, Aurelie Tran, Zachary Clay, Rene Cournoyer, Felix Dolce, William Emard, Samuel Zakutney. And I trampoline it's Sophiane Methot. Now beach volleyball. The teams are: Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec, Melissa Humana-Parades and Brandie Wilkerson, and Sam Schachter and Daniel Dearing. Now archery. The two athletes are Virginie Chenier and Eric Peters. Good luck in Paris to all.

1900 (II Olympiad)

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 The games of the II Olympiad was held in Paris from May 14 to October 28, 1900, during the world's fair. 26 nations and 1226 athletes participated. Was held on a non leap year (?).  Helene De Pourtales was first women's champion, winning gold in sailing. Most of the medallists received a trophy or cup. Some of the competitions was angling, ballooning, cricket and underwater swimming. Alvin Kraenzlein won 60m. 60m was dropped after these games. France win most gold and overall medals (27g and 102 overall). Canada participated at the Olympics for first time and won a gold and bronze. George Orton won them both. Gold in 2500m steeplechase and bronze in 4000m steeplechase. Tomorrow is the 1904 summer games. Here is the poster for today.

Tennis serving up some judo to the Olympics

 Start with tennis. 5 going.  They are: Bianca Andreescu, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Gabriela Dabrowski, Leylah Fernandez and Milos Raonic. 7 judokas for judo. They are: Kelly Deguchi (52kg), Christa Deguchi (57kg), Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard (76kg) Ana Laura Portuondo Isasi (76kg), Arthur Margelidon (73kg), Francois Gauthier Drapeau (81kg) and Shady El Nahas (100kg). Good luck in Paris.

1976-77 NHL season

 The 1976-77 NHL season had 18 teams and 80 games. Highlights include: 1. Montreal goes 60-8-12, including 33-1-6 at home. That's right, 1 loss at home. 2. California Seals move to Cleveland, becoming the Barons. 3. Kansas City Scouts move to Denver, becoming the Colorado Rockies. 4. March 9, 1977 New York Rangers retire Rod Gilbert #7. 5. June 24 1976 Bobby Orr signs with Chicago. 6. March 26 Boston trades Ken Hodge traded to Rangers for Rick Middleton. 7. October 7 1976, Stan Mikita gets to 1300 points. Playoffs: preliminary; New York Islanders 2 Chicago 0, Buffalo 2 Minnesota 0, Los Angeles 2 Atlanta 1, Toronto 2 Pittsburgh 1. Quarter finals; Montreal 4 St Louis 0, Philadelphia 4 Toronto 2, Boston 4 Los Angeles 2, New York Islanders 4 Buffalo 0. Semi finals; Montreal 4 New York Islanders 2, Boston 4 Philadelphia 0. Stanley Cup finals; Montreal 4 Boston 0. Guy Lafleur won Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. #1 draft pick in 1977 was Dale McCourt. He was drafted by Detroit. He play

The 1896 (I Olympic Games)

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 The first summer games of the modern era negan in Greece from April 6-15. 14 nations and 241 athletes (numbers disputed, athletes all male). Athens was chosen to host the same day the IOC was created. United States won most gold with 11, while Greece won most overall with 47. Highlights include Carl Schumann winning most individual medals with 4 - all golf (team parallel bars, team horizontal bars, vault and Greco Roman wrestling), while Spyridon Louis won the marathon on home soil, supposedly on original route on first marathon. Tomorrow - the games of the II Olympiad. Here is the poster of the first games.

Skateboard and jumping to Olympics

 We start with skateboarding. In women's park it's Fay De Fazio Ebert. In men's street it's Matt Berger, Ryan Decenzo and Corband Russell. Now for show jumping. It's Erynn Ballard with horse Nikka Vo Bisschop, Marco Deslauriers with horse Emerson, Amy Millar with horse Truman and substitute Tiffany Foster with horse Battlecry. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the.......

 First the weightlifting team.  Maude Charon and Boady Santavy will be heading to Paris. Next the biking team. In BMX it's Molly Simpson. In mountain biking, it's Gunnar Holmgren and Isabella Holmgren. In road cycling, it's Olivia Baril, Derek Gee, Alison Jackson and Michael Woods. In track cycling, it's Erin Atwell, Dylan Bibil, Ariane Bonhomme, Maggie Coles-Lyster, Michael Foley, Laurianne Genest, Mathias Guillemette, James Hedgcock, Carson Mattern, Kelsey Mitchell, Sarah Orban, Tyler Rorke, Sarah Van Dam and Nick Wammes. Good luck in Paris.

Florida Panthers champions

 Congratulations to the Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers. They won game 7 2-1 to take the series. Connor McDavid won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP despite losing the Stanley Cup. 42 points will do that. That's it for another season.

Meet the women's golf team

 Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp was selected to the golf team not that long ago.  Good luck in Paris ladies.

Meet the canoe kayak sprint team

 13 of them here. They are: Sophia Jensen, Sloan Mackenzie, Katie Vincent, Connor Fitzpatrick, Toshka Besharan-Hrebacka, Natalie Davidson, Riley Melanson, Courtney Stett, Laurent Lavigne, Nick Matveev, Simon McTavish and Pierre-Luc Poulin.  Good luck in Paris.

Rowing to the Olympics

 12 rowers going.  They are: in double skulls; Jenny Casson and Jill Moffatt. In women's 8's; Abby Dent, Caliegh Filmer, Kasia Gochalla-Visierski, Kristen Kit, Maya Meschkuliet, Sydney Payne, Jessica Service, Kristina Valicer, Avalon Wasteneys, Kristen Siermachesky (sub) and Cassidy Deane (sub). Good luck in Paris.

It's summertime

 It's the first day of summer. Summer officially begins at 2:50pm Prince Albert time.  And wouldn't you know it, it's warming up. Also drying out at the same time.  Soon a trip to the lake.

Meet the table tennis team

 4 players here. They are: Jeremy Hazing, Edward Li, Eugene Wang and Mo Zhang. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the diving team

 5 divers here. They are: Margo Eelam (3m), Caeli McKay (10m, 10m synchro), Kate Miller (10m synchro), Rylan Wiens (10m synchro) and Nathan Zsombor-Murray (10m synchro).  Good luck in Paris.

Meet the mens golf team

 Only two here. Corey Conners and Nick Taylor. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the triathlon team

 Three athletes here. They are: Emy Legault, Tyler Mislawchuk and Charles Paquet. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the 3x3 basketball team

Meet the women's team. They are: Katherine Plouffe, Michelle Plouffe, Paige Croton and Kacie Bosch. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the synchro swimming team

 9 athletes here. They are: Scarlett Finn, Audrey Larothe, Jonnie Newman, Raphaelle Plante, Kenzie Priddell, Claire Scheffel, Jaqueline Simoneau, Florence Tremblay and substitute Sydney Carroll. Good luck in Paris.

156th Belmont Stakes

 Forgot about this yesterday (and watched it this morning). Dornoch won yesterday's Belmont Stakes in 2:01.61. Luis Saez was winning jockey, Danny Gargan was winning trainer and owner is former major leaguer Jayson Werth.  That's it for this year's triple Crown.

Sailing to Olympics

 6 sailors heading to Paris. They are:  in ILCA 6 Sarah Douglas. In 49er Will Jones and Justin Barnes. In 49er FX Antonia and Georgia Lewin-Lafrance.  And in kite Emily Bugeja. Good luck in Paris.

Oilers dim Stars

 For the first time since 2006, the Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup finals after beating the Dallas Stars 2-1 in game 6 tonight and eliminating the Stars 4-2. They will face the Florida Panthers for the Stanley Cup starting Saturday.

Panthers claw Rangers

 For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers are in the Stanley Cup final, knocking out the New York Rangers in game six tonight 2-1. They await the winner of the Edmonton vs Dallas series. Stanley Cup finals start next Saturday.

Meet the shooting team

 Three shooters going to Paris. They are: Michele Esercitato (men's pistol), Tye Ikeda (men's rifle) and Shannon Westlake (women's rifle). Good luck to all in Paris.

One added to the fencing team

 Yup announced a little while ago. Ruien (Angel) Xiao was added, competing in women's epee. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the wrestling team

 6 wrestlers going to Paris.  They are: Hannah Taylor (57kg), Ana Godinez Gonzalez (62kg), Linda Morais (68kg), Justina Di Stasio (76kg), Alex Moore (86kg) and Amar Dhesi (125kg). Good luck to all in Paris.

The Astrodome

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 Here is the Houston Astrodome in May 1964 under construction. Pretty neat to see. 

108th Indianapolis 500

 Josef Newgarden is this years winner of the "greatest spectacle in racing." He is also the first back to back winner since Helio Castroneves in 2001 and 2002. It was delayed by thunderstorms. Average speed was 167.763mph. Congrats Josef.

Gold medal game

 Wow. Czech Republic wins this one on home soil, beating Switzerland 2-0. Their 7th as Czech Republic and 13th if Czechoslovakia is included. Switzerland earned their 4th silver.  Congrats to the Czech Republic. Next years tournament is co-hosted by Herning Denmark and Stockholm Sweden.

Bronze medal game

 It's Sweden who claims bronze after beating Canada 4-2 in the second to last game of the tournament.  It's Sweden 18th bronze and 15th time Canada finishes 4th.  Coming up has Switzerland vs Czech Republic.

Semi finals Saturday

 Canada lost a heartbreaker to Switzerland in a shootout 3-2, while Czech Republic beat Sweden 7-3 in the other semi. Switzerland vs Czech Republic for gold at 12:20 tomorrow (who saw that coming), while Canada will play Sweden for bronze at 7:20am tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Canada to semis

 Canada beat Slovakia 6-3 and is into the semi finals. It started getting one sided, the Slovakia scored two to make it 5-3, then Canada had an empty netter. Also Switzerland beat Germany 3-1, Czech Republic beat United States 1-0 and Sweden beat Finland in overtime 2-1. Semi finals has Sweden vs Czech Republic and Canada vs Switzerland.

Quarterfinals set

 Switzerland beat Finland 3-1 to finish 2nd in group A and put Czech Republic into 3rd. Switzerland will play Germany in the quarter finals, Czech Republic vs United States, Canada vs Slovakia and Finland vs Sweden are the rest of the quarter finals to be played on Thursday. 

Canada takes group A

 This went to overtime.  Canada beat the Czech Republic 4-3 to finish first in the group.  Finland has 4th and a quarter finals spot. Switzerland plays Finland to decide 2nd and 3rd.  In group B, Sweden, United States, Germany and Slovakia are 1st to 4th and in the quarter finals. Sweden play Finland in one, and Canada plays Slovakia in another. Stay tuned for the finish.

Oilers beat Canucks

 Vancouver made a game of it, but the Oilers will be playing the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference final starting Thursday afternoon beating the Canucks 3-2 in game 7. Kinda expected a seven game series.  And then there were 4 left.

Future men's hockey championships

 Some upcoming men's hockey championships. 2025 is co-hosted by Stockholm Sweden and Herning Denmark (May 9-25), 2026 is in Switzerland (Zurich and Friborg May 15-31), 2027 is in Germany (Mannheim and Dusseldorf May 14-30), and in France in 2028 (May 12-28). Plan accordingly. I hear these trips are excellent.

Meet the Paralympic swim team

 Now for our Paralympians.  20 of them here. Men: Nicholas Bennett, Alec Elliot, Fernando Lu, Sebastian Massabe, Reid Maxwell, Nicolas-Guy Turbide and Philippe Vachon. Women: Katie Cosgriffe, Danielle Dorris, Sabrina Dushesne, Nikita Ens, Arianna Hunsicker, Mary Jibb, Shelby Newkirk, Aurelie Rivard, Tess Routliffe, Katarina Roxon, Abi Tripp, Emma Grace Van Dyk and Aly Van Wyck-Smart.  Good luck in Paris.

Meet the swim team

 Straight from Devin Heroux. 29 swimmers. They are: men; Javier Acevedo, Alex Axon, Jeremy Bagshaw, Appollo Hess, Patrick Hussey, Tristan Jankovics, Ilya Kharun, Findlay Knox, Josh Liendo, Blake Tierney and Lorne Wiggington. Women; Sophie Angus, Julie Brousseau, Brooklyn Douthwright, Emma Finlin, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Ella Jansen, Maggie Mac Neil, Kylie Masse, Summer McIntosh, Emma O'Croinin, Penny Oleksiak, Sydney Pickrem, Regan Rathwell, Taylor Ruck, Rebecca Smith, Ingrid Will and Kelsey Wog.  Good luck in Paris.

Canada vs Switzerland

 Canada wins another one, and it looked like a good one, as they beat Switzerland 3-2. Canada leads group A with 17 points, the Czechs with 15 and Switzerland with 14. They're in the quarters. Canada plays the Czechs on Tuesday to finish the round robin, and Switzerland plays Finland on Tuesday, also to round out the round robin.

How about some 3x3 basketball

 Yes, the women's 3X3 basketball team has qualified for this year's Olympics in a last chance tournament and they won it 21-10 over Hungary. If I read it right it the first time for them going. Congrats.

149th Preakness Stakes

 A rather muddy race. Seize The Day wins the second jewel of the triple Crown in a time of 1:56.82. Jamie Torres is winning jockey and D. Wayne Lucas is winning trainer. The Belmont Stakes is June 8.

Canada wins yet again

 Ok I'm a little behind.  Canada had beaten Norway two days ago and today beat Finland 5-3. An expected battle here. Canada plays Switzerland tomorrow.

Stars bury Avalanche

 2 overtimes later (and a goal that should have counted), the Dallas Stars are in the Western Conference final after eliminating the Colorado Avalanche in game six 2-1. They wait the winner of the Vancouver vs Edmonton series.

Panthers claw Bruins

 Close finish. Florida Panthers have knocked off Boston Bruins 2-1 in game six to win series and will face the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference final.  Schedule to be determined.

Rangers blow away Hurricanes

Took a couple of games, but the New York Rangers are in the Eastern Conference final after beating the Carolina Hurricanes in game 6 5-3. They will get either Florida or Boston next.

Meet the badminton team

 4 athletes here.  They are: Michelle Li (singles), Brian Yang (singles), Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura (doubles). Good luck in Paris.

1975-76 NHL season

 This season had 18 teams and 80 games. Highlights include: 1. Darryl Sittler scores 6 goals 4 assists 10 points in 11-2 Toronto win over Boston. 2. June 23 1975 Marcel Dionne signs with Los Angeles Kings. 3.  November 7 1975 Phil Esposito and Carol Vadnais traded to New York Rangers for Brad Park, Joe Zanussi and Jean Ratelle. 4. October 1975 Buffalo opens with 8 straight wins. 5. Soviet teams play select NHL teams. Two memorable games include Montreal vs Red Army on new year's eve (3-3 tie) and Philadelphia vs Red Army (Ed Van Impe hit on Valeri Kharlamov. Bob Cole - they're going home).  6. April 4 1976 Tony Esposito first goalie to record 7 30 win seasons.  Playoffs: preliminary; Buffalo 2 St Louis 1, New York Islanders 2 Vancouver 0, Toronto 2 Pittsburgh 1, Los Angeles 2 Atlanta 0. Quarterfinals; Montreal 4 Chicago 0, Philadelphia 4 Toronto 3, Boston 4 Los Angeles 3, New York Islanders 4 Buffalo 2. Semi finals; Montreal 4 New York Islanders 1, Philadelphia 4 Boston 1. Stan

Canada wins again

 Boy this was a fortunate win. Canada had a 6-1 lead after 2, only for Austria to score 5 in the 3rd to tie it. Jonathan Tavares wins it 15 seconds into overtime to give Canada a 7-6 win. A flipping fortunate win. Should never have let up. Anyways, next game is Thursday versus Norway.

Meet some of the athletics team

 This is the long distance team. The marathon: Malindi Elmore, Cameron Levins and Rory Linkletter. Race walk: Evan Dunfee and Olivia Lundman. The 10,000m: Mohammed Ahmed. The rest of the athletics team will be announced in late June.

Meet the surfing team

 Only one surfer and that is Sanda Dempfle-Olin. She will be competing Tahiti, where the competition is. The furthest Olympic location away from a host city.  Anyways, good luck to Sanda.

Canada beats Denmark

 Canada is two for two as they beat Denmark 5-1. It was close for a bit. Canada plays again on Tuesday against Austria.

Canada wins opener

 Pretty close one here. Great Britain gave Canada a handful, but Canada still won 4-2 to open the tournament. They play Denmark tomorrow at 8:20am Prince Albert time.

Men's world hockey championships

 It's officially begun. Switzerland beat Norway 5-2, Czech Republic beat Finland 1-0 in a shootout, Germany beat Slovakia 6-4 and Sweden beat the United States 5-2. Tomorrow Canada plays Great Britain at 4am Prince Albert time.

Before and after.

Image
 Here you will see Mt St Helens on May 17th, 1980 (day before eruption) and about 4 months after. Crazy eh?

Meet the canoe/kayak slalom team

 Only two here. They are Lois Betteridge and Alex Baldoni. Good luck in Paris.

Stars burn Knights

 It will be the Dallas Stars vs the Colorado Avalanche in the next round as the Stars beat the Knights 2-1 in game seven. We will also have new Stanley Cup champions.  8 teams are now left.

Bruins rake Leafs

 Boston beats Toronto 2-1 in overtime in game 7 to move onto the next round, where they will  play the Florida Panthers. Last time Toronto beat Boston in the playoffs was 1959. Boston avoids back to back seasons of blowing 3 to 1 series leads.

150th Kentucky Derby

 This came down to a photo finish. Mystic Dan wins it beating out two other horses in photo finish. Winning time was 2:03.34. Winning jockey was Brian Hernandez Jr and winning trainer was Kenneth G McPeek. The Preakness stakes is in two weeks from today.

Canucks slay Predators

 The Vancouver Canucks just eliminated the Nashville Predators 1-0 in game six and will face the Edmonton Oilers in the next round. The winning goal was with 1:39 left in the 3rd.

Oilers crown Kings

 The Edmonton Oilers is into the second round after eliminating the Los Angeles Kings in game 5 tonight. They await the winner of the Vancouver vs Nashville series.

Avalanche ground Jets

 Man Colorado made this look easy. Eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in game 5 tonight, winning 6-3. They will get either Dallas or Vegas next.

Hurricanes sink Islanders

 It will be Carolina vs New York Rangers after the Hurricanes beat the Islanders in game 5 tonight and the series 4-1.  Start of the Hurricanes vs Rangers series tbd

Panthers shock Lightning

 The Florida Panthers are into the second round beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.  Also seemed like the Panthers made easy work of the Lightning. Florida will get either Boston or Toronto.

Rangers deliver Capital punishment

 New York Rangers just eliminated the Washington Capitals in 4 straight after winning game four 4-2. Seemed like that looked easy. They will get either Carolina or New York Islanders next.

Meet the fencing team

 14 person team here. Women's foil has:  Jessica Guo, Eleanor Harvey, Yunjia Zhang and substitute Sabrina Fang. Men's foil has: Blake Broszus, Daniel Gu, Maximilien Van Haszer and substitute Bogdan Hamilton. Men's sabre has: Fares Arfa, Francois Gauchon, Shaul Gordon and substitute Olivier Desrosiers. Women's sabre has Pamela Brind'amour. Men's epee has Nicholas Zhang. Good luck in Paris.

Meet the taekwondo team

 Yes, it's officially begun. We start with taekwondo. Only two athletes here - Skylar Park and Josipa Kafadar. Park in the women's 57kg class and Kafadar in the women's 49kg class. Let the road to Paris begin.

NHL playoffs opener.

 The NHL playoffs have begun with Carolina beating New York Islanders 3-1. Coming up has Toronto at Boston for the last game of the day. Two months of Insanity has begun.

Ice hockey at the 1976 Olympics

 Innsbruck Austria was host for these games and the tournament. It was held from February 2-14, 1976. Highlights include: 1. Sweden joining Canada in their amateur rules boycott, which allowed Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia to use state funded players and de facto professionals. 2. Czechoslovakia had influenza most of the tournament, even finishing with 12 players vs Poland. In that game one Czech player had a positive doping test resulting in a Poland win 1-0. Poland did not get points for it, and Czechoslovakia had a win taken away. 3. On the last day, Czechoslovakia wint up 2-0 on Soviet Union, Soviet Union came back to tie it, Czechoslovakia went up 3-2, then Soviet Union tie it, and a minute or so later went up 4-3. That's how it finished. Soviet Union went undefeated in winning gold, and Czechoslovakia silver. 4. The suprise came from West Germany. They beat the United States on last day and found out in dressing room that they had won bronze. West Germany, Finland and Unite

Canada wins

 What a game. Tied at 5 going into overtime when Danielle Serdachny of Edmonton Alberta wins it for Canada. Canada wins their 13th title, this one on USA soil. Redemption from last year. Oh yeah, Finland beat Czech Republic 3-2 in shootout for bronze. So that's it for another world's. Next year will be in Czech Republic.

Canada vs United States for gold

 Yup, again. Canada beat the Czech Republic 4-0 and the United States beat Finland 5-0 in their respective semis. Czech Republic vs Finland for bronze. The bronze game is at 11am tomorrow and the gold game is at 3pm tomorrow, both Prince Albert times.  Also Switzerland beat Germany in overtime 3-2 to finish 5th and stay in group A. Germany stays in group B. Stay tuned for the finish tomorrow. 

Quarterfinal four

 Wasn't much of a game. United States blew out Japan 10-0 to reach the semis. The semis has the USA vs Finland and Canada vs Czech Republic on Saturday.

Quarterfinal three

 It was close for awhile,but Canada beat Sweden 5-1 to head for the semis. Renata Fast with two goals.  Assuming the United States win tonight, Canada should be playing Czech Republic. Semi finals to be determined after the United States vs Japan game.

Quarterfinal two

 Only one goal in the game and it went to the Czech Republic. They knock out Germany and will play in the semis. Opponent to be determined.

Quarterfinal one

 Finland beat Switzerland 3-1 to head for the semis. Stay tuned for who they will face as the teams will be reseeded after the quarters.

UConn national champions

 The UConn Huskies are NCAA national champions for the second year in a row after beating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-60.  Congrats to the Huskies.

Canada vs United States

 Some game tonight. United States ends up winning 1-0 in overtime to finish first in group A. Canada finishes second. Only quarterfinals matchup we have is Canada vs Sweden. USA will play the 3rd place team in group B, Germany (won group B) gets third place in group A and the bottom two in group A play each other. Last day of round robin is tomorrow with Czech Republic vs Switzerland, Germany vs China and Japan vs Denmark. Stay tuned.

Women's hockey and men's curling finale

 Let's start with hockey. Canada beat Czech Republic 5-0 to go 3 for 3. Sets up the big matchup with the United States tomorrow to decide first and second in the group. Now for curling. Nik Edin beat Brad Gushue 6-5 to win this year's men's world curling championship. Gushue still had a good week. Congrats to Sweden and Nik Edin.

Semi final two

 It's in the books as a 86-72 win for UConn over Alabama. It will be UConn vs Purdue for the NCAA tournament championship on Monday night. And both #1 seeds. It's almost over.

Semi final one

 Purdue beat NC State 63-50 to advance to Monday nights championship game. Coming up is Alabama vs UConn starting shortly. Who will face Purdue? Stay tuned.

Canada 2 for 2

 Canada just beat Switzerland 3-0 in the women's hockey championships.  Closer than I thought it would be. Canada is now 2-0 so far with their next game against the Czech Republic on Sunday. Czechs play the United States tonight. Stay tuned.

Women's ice hockey championships

 This year's tournament began yesterday. Canada played its first game tonight and beat Finland 4-1. They play again tomorrow vs Switzerland.  This year's tournament is in Utica NY.

1974-75 NHL season

 This season had 18 teams and 80 games. The Washington Capitals and Kansas City Scouts were added. Also the east and west of divisions became the Campbell Conference and Prince of Wales Conference. Each conference were split in to divisions - the Adams, Smythe, Norris and Patrick divisions.  A new playoff format was introduced. 4 division winners and the 8 best afterwards made the playoffs. Division winners had a bye into quarters. Preliminary round was best of three with the 5 to 12 place playing. Winners went to quarters and reseeded. Season had: 1. May 24 1974, Reggie Leach sent to Philadelphia by California Seals. 2. March 26 1975 Washington lost 17th in a row. Two nights later they win their only road game over California. 3. April 26, New York Islanders complete 0-3 comeback over Pittsburgh. (They almost did it to Philadelphia). Islanders ended up setting a playoff record with 8 straight elimination game wins. Playoffs: preliminary; Toronto 2 Los Angeles 1, New York Islanders 2 N