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Through luck and the generosity of others, I managed to go an Olympic hockey game for three straight days in a row starting on Thursday. The game on Saturday night was a complete surprise as I didn’t even know I was going to that game until less than three hours before game time. A friend of mine suddenly got three tickets when someone he knew couldn’t use them. He decided to give one ticket to me and another to my co-worker.

It turned out we had tickets to a women’s ice hockey game out at the Thunderbird Arena at UBC. My two previous games were at Canada Hockey Place, so I welcomed the change in venue. The rink out at UBC is much smaller than CHP but it’s much more intimate so you can really see the action up close. The concessions are also much more reasonably priced out at UBC. While you’ll be ripped off for food and drink at CHP, the items out at UBC don’t appear to have an “Olympic” premium placed upon them.

The game itself was between Russia and Slovakia. Both these teams aren’t on the same level as the US and Canada but it was an interesting game nonetheless. Early on, it was clear that Russia had an edge on the Slovakian team which caused me to cheer for the Slovaks the entire game. In the end, Russia won 4-2. The Slovakian goalie was very busy and played very well. She was a victim of a few unlucky bounces.

After the game, we just left the campus as the arena is really the only Olympic thing out there. It’s weird since if you exit CHP after a game, it’s downtown and there’s everything related to the Olympics around you.

My luck ran out today as no one offered me tickets to anything! Though to be honest, I’m kinda glad I didn’t get to see Canada play the US today. It was disappointing enough to watch it at home, I can’t imagine how much it probably sucked to watch it live at CHP.

Today I attended my very first Olympic event as I had a ticket to the Canada vs. Swiss men’s ice hockey game. At the game, I was going to meet up with my sister’s boyfriend and a mutual friend of theirs.

Since I didn’t know how bad transit and the security checkpoints would be, I left plenty of time to spare. Skytrain heading west was definitely crowded, especially for a Thursday afternoon. While it was crowded, it didn’t prevent me from getting on the first train that arrived. I even had the luck of getting on the same car as Gordie Robertson, one of the members of the gold medal winning Canadian hockey team in Norway back in 1952. The 83 year-old was quite gregarious on the train and had his gold medal with him, allowing me to come closer to a gold medal than ever before.

It turns out that clearing security wasn’t a big deal at all. Since I didn’t have a bag, I was able to use the express lanes where I didn’t even have to wait. I went straight to one of the many open lanes where I emptied my pockets into a tray, airport style. I then proceeded through a metal detector and then collect my belongings on the other side. I breezed through in less than 30 seconds.

What did take long was what awaited me afterwards. Spectators that cleared security are herded into a waiting area just outside Canada Hockey Place. The reason for this there is usually a game going on beforehand and officials needed to clear out the arena before letting spectators in for the next game. So I, along with many other people, waited. We waited for well over an hour on our feet. Once we were allowed to proceed, we were in for more patience testing procedures. Though there were hundreds of people in this waiting area, we all needed to go up a single, narrow staircase that crossed the street and then went back down to street level to the arena. It took me fifteen minutes to get to the staircase from the time people were allowed to proceed.

From there it was clear sailing into the arena as I didn’t even have to wait to get my ticket checked. My seat was excellent, lower bowl, row 17 at one of the ends of the rink. During the warm-up, I remarked at the amazing job VANOC had done with transforming GM Place to Canada Hockey Place. Usually, GM Place is the home of the Vancouver Canucks. As such, the arena is decked out in everything related to the Canucks, from logos to signs to colour schemes. Canada Hockey Place, however, is now a completely neutral site. There is not a shred of Canuck materials visible anywhere. Everything inside and outside the arena has now been branded with Vancouver 2010 images and colours. If you didn’t know any better, you’d be hard pressed to even guess which NHL team usually plays here.

I was also impressed with the business-like nature of conducting an Olympic hockey game. There are no national anthems to be sung. There are no pre-game ceremonies. There are no video introductions to be watched. There are no corporate sponsors to thank. After the warm-up, the starting lineups are announced and then the puck is dropped.

Now for the game itself. I got worried about five minutes into the first period and the worry never left me the entire game (even when Canada was leading 2-0). On the official scoresheet, it will read as a Canadian shootout win over the Swiss but let’s face it, the real winners here are the Swiss. The Swiss team played a near perfect game for them that followed their strategy down to the letter. They needed to rely on a hot goalie, keep close to the Canadians, and capitalize on their chances if some came their way. That’s exactly what they did. If I were the Swiss team, I’d be going to bed tonight thinking the Canadians were certainly beatable.

Whatever chemistry, flow, and confidence that Canada exhibited in the last two periods against Norway was visibility lacking in the game against the Swiss. Their passing was not crisp. Some defensive giveaways gave people like me in the stands fits. They passed way too often in situations that just called for a simple shot. Meanwhile, the Swiss did all the little things right, seemingly winning all the small battles for the puck. They also appeared to be in the right place on the ice, exactly at all times.

The Swiss are currently ranked 10th in the world in hockey. Canada made them looked potential world champions tonight. After I left the game, there was a lot of cheering going on in downtown Vancouver. I wasn’t in a cheering mood as tonight’s game made me realize there might be some difficult times ahead for the men’s team. Canada will face the US on Sunday and let me be clear, the US are a far better team than the Swiss. If the same Canadian team shows up on Sunday as it did tonight, they will get a beating on the ice that will embarrass Canadian hockey throughout the world.

Despite my disappointment in the Canadian team, I was otherwise delighted to be at such a high-profile Olympic event, something I’ll never forget. Thanks once again to my little sister for making that happen!

The Olympics in Vancouver are now nearly a week old and many people I know have been lucky enough to attend several events, ranging from hockey games, curling, figure skating, half-pipe, to the medal ceremonies. While I’ve been downtown three times in the last five days, I myself have yet to attend any of the ticketed events. That will change tomorrow as I will take in one of the Olympic ice hockey games.

Because I have the best little sister in the world, I am going to the game featuring the Canadian men’s vs. the Swiss. I’d be thrilled to be going to any hockey game but considering this one features the very best Canadian players, I am super excited. Normally, people would go to a Canuck game just to see one superstar on an opposing team but the Canadian team is a team of superstars. Canada is expected to beat the Swiss but let’s not forget what happened the last time these two teams met in Olympic competition. In 2006, Swiss hockey history was written when a Swiss team led by the goal tending of Martin Gerber defeated the mighty Canadians 2-0 in a game that embarrassed our nation. Since then, Swiss children are told the story of that day in between their watch and chocolate making lessons.

Team Canada is a very different team this time around though. While I expect the Swiss to not be pushovers, I think the odds of another miracle on ice will be very slim. It should be a good game. I am quite excited for my very first Olympic competition. Thanks once again to my sister for making this happen!

One of my cousins flew into Vancouver yesterday for a short two day stay to take in the Olympic city. We met up for a few drinks in Yaletown tonight. He was quite impressed with the party atmosphere that prevailed throughout the downtown core.

Since we didn’t have a lot of time, we basically just walked through Yaletown, then down Granville, to Robson Square, and then to Burrard where the CTV late night newscast was going on. It was there we saw Bill Good and Pamela Martin. I was able to see Blake Price up close as he finished the sports. As soon as he was done, he ran out of that holding pen they have out on Burrard and quickly went back inside the CTV building. He’s a lot shorter than I thought he would be.

After that I took my cousin towards the outdoor cauldron near Coal Harbour. I had to go after that. I’m still amazed by number of people who are downtown on a nightly basis. For the next two weeks, there are no real weekends, it’s busy every night.

In all of this Olympic excitement, I totally forgot to make a Valentine’s post on the weekend. As some of you know, it’s been a near annual tradition where I write something about my Valentine’s Day. Usually the post describes how I make a fine meal for myself, drink alcohol, masturbate, fall asleep, wake up, go to 7-11, and buy three litres of pop for myself. In any case, read one of my earlier posts here.

Just to finish up, if you’re out and about in Vancouver taking in the various Olympic related events, do ensure you check out the Vectorial Elevation light show. It’s free and best of all, there are no lineups, you can see it from many different places in or near downtown Vancouver. If you can’t get to it, at least view it from a web cam. It’s stunning even from your computer.

Odds are that if you’re Canadian, you know the Olympics started this weekend in Vancouver. The opening ceremonies on Friday night became the most watched television program in Canadian history. I thought the ceremonies were well-done for the most part. I really didn’t have high expectations though, as I didn’t think anything could turn BC Place into anything other than a block of concrete. I was wrong though, as the aging stadium was almost unrecognizable (in a good way). There must have been some crazy expensive projection technology being used because it quite impressed me (especially the whales). I also enjoyed the large bear whom I thought might actually animate. Props to the person who decided that a slam poet was a good thing to have at the Olympics. Shane Koyczan is going to be a popular guy going forward. I only wish two things could have been different that night. First, I wish that fourth arm of the cauldron would have worked. Talk about a logistical nightmare. Second, when Gretzky was on that pickup truck, someone should have held back the unwashed masses that tailed the Great One almost the entire way to Coal Harbour. Overall though, it was a good show.

If you’ve lived in Vancouver for any appreciable time, I must say if you can, you have to see what this city is like right now. It’s unbelievable. Downtown Vancouver appears to be just one giant party now. There are people everywhere. The vibe and atmosphere is quite positive and nearly everyone is in a great mood. I’ve lived in Vancouver for many years and I don’t think anything comes close to what I’m seeing now. While in any normal circumstance, it’s fun to live in downtown Vancouver, it seems like such a special treat to be living there now. I’m quite envious of some of my lucky friends who make their home there.

The downside of all this activity is that there are long, long lineups nearly everywhere you go. The free pavilions, exhibits, and shows don’t have just reasonable lineups, they have stupid long lineups. Some of my friends watch the entire opening ceremonies while waiting in line for the German Fan Fest tent. The consensus was it was not worth queuing up for three plus hours. That was a reoccurring theme that I heard from many people over the weekend. The waits were so long, what was waiting for you when you got in just wasn’t worth it. Take for example, the free zip line ride across Robson Square. It looks super fun as everyone can watch people fly through the air over one of the most popular destinations downtown. Unfortunately, people are waiting up to five hours for 15 second ride! Five hours. That might be your entire day right there.

The key to seeing everything without lining up too much is to time it right. If possible, don’t go at the busiest times. Yeah, that sounds too simple but it’s true. Take for example the Saskatchewan pavilion. On Sunday night, the lineup was less than ten minutes. Go when people are at work if you can. It’s in this regard that I envy a friend of mine who’s currently unemployed. He gets to go to everything anytime he wants, without major hassles.

The city is alive with excitement and the actual events have barely started. Could this city become even more electric?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ_Ok947o5I&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

The Olympic torch entered Vancouver proper today and the excitement throughout the day was palpable. Just after the noon hour, the torch came along Willingdon, passing by the EA campus. It looked like most of the studio were out there to see it come by. I timed it pretty good with two other co-workers as we waited less than five minutes to see it go by. The torch bearer ran right by me. I feel pretty lucky to have seen it twice in less than a three days.

Once I got back to my desk, I continued to watch the torch relay via live web cam. It was amazing seeing the large crowds that came out to watch the torch go by. I felt sorry for the runners who had to navigate the steep hill up Willingdon towards Metrotown. If it wasn’t for my dentist appointment, I would have been able to watch Canuck legend Trevor Linden carry the torch along Main Street. Instead, I had to settle for the video above which I found later.

In the early evening, I watched as the torch made its way out of UBC in rainy, wet weather. It was slightly surreal watching the torch being handed off on campus streets and walkways that I myself walked along so many times before, in very similar rainy conditions. Even though it was wet and cold outside, the crowds still turned out in force. I was constantly surprised at the large number of people who were waiting for just a glimpse of the torch.

As the torch made its way across the Burrard Street bridge, the sheer number of people made it impossible for the web cam van to continue. It had to stop and just let the torch go on without it. Unfortunately, that meant I couldn’t see Michael Buble carry the flame towards Yaletown.

Today is the last day of the torch relay. The Olympics will officially begin this evening. There have been so many times in the past when I used to think about when the Games would start and my prevailing thought would be, “that is a long time away”. It is no longer a long time away. Despite what you might think of the Olympics being in Vancouver, the reality is that there’s no stopping it now. Someone will light the cauldron tonight and that will signal the beginning of the Games. The whole world will be watching Vancouver and Canada as a whole for the next two weeks. We might as well make the best of it. Let’s cheer on our athletes. Let’s show the world what Vancouver has to offer. You might even want to try to have some fun in the next two weeks.

I hope to see everyone around town in the next little while!

In the mid-afternoon tomorrow, I have to venture into downtown Vancouver to see my periodontist. This task isn’t something I’m looking forward to for two reasons. First, the reason why I’m seeing a gum specialist is because my regular dentist thinks I’ll probably have to have gum surgery in the same damn area again. I’m also a bit worried that transit might be stupid busy tomorrow afternoon. It shouldn’t be, as I don’t think anything large-scale and Olympic is happening. I lucked out as had my appointment been today or on Friday, I would been caught in some major crowds. Today was a midday dress rehearsal for the opening ceremonies. Friday will be the actual opening ceremonies itself.

I read that today’s dress rehearsal caused transit to be very crowded as several thousand people tried to get to BC Place. I wonder if that’s how busy transit will be going forward starting Friday. I guess by the end of day I’ll know if they’ll have to slice up my gums again.

Of all people, it was actually a friend in Australia who let me know that the Olympic torch was coming through my community on this day. Bryan informed me about a week ago that this was the day the torch would be winding through New West. At the time, the exact route had not been announced, so I wasn’t sure how easy it would be for me to see it. Then just before the weekend, the route was updated on the official Olympic web site. To my surprise, the route would be going by my apartment building just half a block away. Not only would it be close, it would be coming by at a reasonable hour, around noon. The torch has gone through thousands of communities and people have lined up for it, in the early morning and through bone-chilling temperatures. I figured it would be a mistake for me to not go see the torch bearer run by when the effort to do so was less than buying a loaf of bread at the corner store.

The night before, I decided the best place to see the torch bearer run by would be the corner he or she would have to turn to get off Columbia and head towards the quay. The schedule listed that time would be about 12:30pm. I left my apartment this morning around 11:40am or so. By the 11:45am, I was standing at the corner that I wanted to be at. There were already people lining the street. The crowds were pretty thin but it was easy to see that something out of the ordinary was about to happen. Also lining the street were balloons that the city had put up. A few volunteers were handing out Olympic flags branded by Coke. An energy drink company was handing samples to the people already waiting.

With the crowds being somewhat thin and the time plentiful, I decided to head off to the quay to see if the vantage point would be better there. The torch was headed there because it was scheduled to get on a paddle wheeler ship where it would taken across the Fraser River for the rest of the route. There were a lot more people at the dock and the sight lines weren’t as good, so I headed back to my corner.

When I returned there still wasn’t that many people waiting with me and I was able to reacquire my “front row” position. As I waited though, more and more people appeared out of nowhere. As the minutes went by the sidewalks began to fill with people. Because I was at the edge of the sidewalk, no one seemed to want to stand in front of me because traffic was still going at this point.

As time drew closer to 12:30pm, I witnessed the massive amount of logistical support that goes with running a torch relay through an entire country. First, I spotted a helicopter in the air. Then, the first of many support vehicles showed up. Some were specific vehicles carrying support personnel who needed to go ahead of the torch bearer. Others were sponsor vehicles from Coke and the Royal Bank. These vehicles had speakers and dancers on each side to pump up the crowd and get them into a celebratory mood. Most of these vehicles had RCMP escorts. No matter what jurisdiction the torch goes through, the RCMP are there to provide primary security.

At this point, regular traffic was still getting through but people were nearly spilling into the street waiting for the torch bearer. Not soon after, more RCMP vehicles showed up and these began blocking off traffic. People took this cue to now stand in the middle of the street. A minute later, RCMP officers on foot arrived on scene to move people back if they were in the way. The officers then just stood at strategic spots and they waited along with everyone else. Another minute went by and I could hear cheering up the street. The torch had to be nearby. A squad of RCMP motorcycle officers went by slowly. Behind them was the actual torch bearer.

He was running at a deliberate pace, not too fast but not too slow. I didn’t recognize him but he appeared to be in his 40s and he looked genuinely delighted to be running with the torch. The crowd was cheering at this point and a lot of photos were being taken. The torch bearer had at least two escorts running with him to ensure things went smoothly. He ran slow enough that I was able several photos of him. My planning turned out pretty well as he ran by me with less than six feet separating us.

Though he wasn’t running that fast, as soon as he went past me, I realized the moment was gone. He disappeared into the crowd down the street as he made his way towards the paddle wheeler. I guess other people thought the same way because a stream of people began following him. It was at this time that I met up with a friend of mine that I knew from grad school. She works nearby and she just happened to be watching the torch come by across the street from where I was. We decided to walk towards the quay to see if we could catch up with the torch before it left on the boat.

We managed to catch up to the torch as it boarded the boat and another torch bearer took responsibility for the flame. I managed to snap a couple more pictures of the torch on the boat before it took off.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s pretty inconsequential to see some dude run by with something on fire in his hand. I admit though, I’m really glad I took the time out to see the torch. It’s one of these once-in-a-lifetime things and I’ll remember this for a long, long time.

The torch will make it’s way through the rest of Vancouver during the rest of the week before it arrives at BC Place for the opening ceremonies on Friday. If it’s at all convenient for you to see it, I think you should make an attempt.

In the very early stages of making skate 3, we announced the release date for our game. This was surprising to me for two reasons. First, for the previous games, we waited much later on in the schedule before announcing a ship date. We usually get a fairly confident feeling about when the game could go out the door before letting the public know when it would be out. For our third game, we announced our ship date well before we knew how things were coming along with the game. This meant that we would have to avoid any major delays or else we’d have to publicly revise our release date.

The second surprise was the actual date itself of May 2010. Most people think that a game is worked on until close to the date that the game goes on store shelves. In reality, a game is done anywhere between one month to a month and a half before it appears in the marketplace. I remember the exact day I was told that we would be shipping in May of 2010. It was early in 2009 and I remember doing quick mental calculations as to when we’d be the most busy. I immediately realized that we’d be working like crazy during the end of February of 2010. Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave for the last few years, you know that the Olympics are being held in my fair city during that time. A year ago, I knew the timing would be bad and unfortunately, I wasn’t proven wrong in the meantime.

We’re extremely busy right now and with the Olympics coming up, it seems there’s a lot to deal with. A lot of people on my team live downtown, so their commutes have been interesting. I know my co-workers also have tickets to several events, some of them in Whistler, so juggling work responsibilities with the desire to take in the Olympics is a delicate act.

I know that our game team and company isn’t the only one going through this though. There’s a certain team that works over a certain Yaletown brew pub that’s racing to get their game done. Admittedly, they have a much more enviable position, as after a long day (and evening) of work, they can go down to the LiveCity venue there and relax. There’s also another bunch of rock stars who are also trying get their game done. I bet they could slow down time so they can get more stuff done.

To everyone trying to final right now, I hope we all get a chance to take a breather in the next two weeks or so and have some fun.