Your Tuesday Olympic Quotage

Once again, I provide you with some quotage from the day’s coverage on the networks of NBC Universal. Let’s start with Universal Sports and its studio shows.

UNIVERSAL SPORTS AT THE VANCOUVER GAMES:

NEWS, NOTES AND QUOTES FOR FEBRUARY 16, 2010

February 16, 2010 — On the fifth day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Universal Sports at the Vancouver Games continues its five-hour programming block, starting at 10 a.m. ET and continuing daily until the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, February 28. 

Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz:

News Alerts:

·     The men’s super-combined skiing event was canceled today.

·     The men’s U.S. hockey team competes for the first time today against Switzerland.

·     Shani Davis dropped out of the men’s 500m speed skating event, due to flooding on the ice and wanting to concentrate on the 1000m and 1500m events.

·     Bode Miller, winning bronze in the men’s downhill event on Monday, is now the most decorated Olympian among American skiers with three medals (two silver medals in 2002).

·     Seth Wescott gets back-to-back Olympic Gold medals (2006, 2010), making him one of the most decorated snowboard cross athletes in the history of the sport.

Picabo Street, 1998 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2002 Olympian and Alpine skiing analyst (on Bode Miller’s bronze medal-winning run in the men’s downhill): “Bode just settled, had a peaceful look in his eyes. He was more focused, he appreciated being out there.  He has an amazing feeling for the snow. He’s a little older, he has a baby now and that really changes things for you…I’m really proud of him.”

Street (on Bode Miller reaction to Aksel Lund Svindal beating his time in the men’s downhill): “These guys are buddies; they spend all year on the (World Cup) tour together and they really feel for each other.”

Street (on Bode’s future at the Vancouver Games): “We can expect a bunch from him because he has some expectations for himself now. He is real and people can attach to that.  No one else on the tour can go through a turn like him with his hand behind his ‘boohiney’ and still stay up.”

Bode Miller, 2002 Olympic Silver Medalist and 2010 Olympic Bronze Medalist: “I was really nervous this morning; that’s not unusual for me. I expect a lot from myself and I know I’m going to push the limits.”

Kenan Harkin, Snowboarding analyst (on snowboard cross): “It’s six runs down a very challenging course, one that really tested these guys. There’s a lot of technical aspects and you saw a lot of guys going down…”

Harkin (on Seth Wescott, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Snowboard Cross Gold Medalist):  “I was alone when I watched—I was screaming—that’s right, I’m my own best friend. He said he had a bad start, so he had to adapt on the fly. He was patient, he stayed back, let other people make mistakes, and he passed them.”

Harkin (on how to amass speed on the snowboard cross course): “In the halfpipe, air is essential, but not so on the snowboard cross course. You want a straight jump and to stay low and get on the backside of the jump…it’s not just gravity, there’s a lot of little bits of finesse that creates speed. “

Street (on weather delays for the skiing events):  “It’s touch-and-go right now—not anything new for the racers. Mother Nature is the boss.”

Street (on women’s Alpine medal contender Lindsey Vonn): There’s a fine line between confident and cocky, and she doesn’t want to come off as cocky. She’s trying to walk that line.”

MEET THE OLYMPIC PRESS:

Bode Miller, winning bronze in the men’s downhill event on Monday, is now the most decorated American skier in United States Olympic history with three medals (two silver medals in 2002).

Alan Abrahamson, NBC Olympics and Universal Sports reporter: “U.S. has eight medals.  Just three days in, it’s amazing.  It’s a third of the total from Torino.”

Abrahamson: (on Miller): “Bode is an athletic talent and a genius on skis.”

Amy Shipley, Washington Post reporter (on Bode’s evolution from the 2006 Winter Olympic Games):  “It’s problematic NOT to use the genius, it’s disrespectful to the competition and your spot on the Olympic team. They (the public) weren’t upset that he failed in Torino (skied out of the course), they were upset that he lacked respect and spent his time in the bars, and didn’t do well.”

Carrie Sheinberg, 1998 Olympian and sports reporter:  “He’s truly the most electric thing to come out of the start gate.  Any race without Bode is a boring ski race.  But thank God this isn’t a judged sport, or he would never be at the Olympics.”

Figure Skating Review/Preview:

For the first time since 1960, a pair from Russia/Soviet Union does not win the pairs event at the Olympic Winter Games.

Peter Carruthers, 1984 Olympic Pairs Silver Medalist and Figure Skating analyst (on the performance of Chinese pair skaters Shen and Zhao): “You could hear a pin drop…where they came from (two bronze medals, torn Achilles tendon, bronze again). The struggle, the perseverance. No matter what came to this team, they met it. It was an amazing experience for them. Now they are the Olympic gold medalists, and look at what China has done with pairs skating in general.”

Carruthers (on German pair skaters Savchenko and Szolkowy): “I think this sets us up for four years from now.  Hold back a little bit, and that’s what you get (a bronze medal).”

Jamie Salé & David Pelletier, 2002 Olympic Gold Medalists in Pairs Figure Skating for Canada (on the pairs performance by Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Aleksandr Smirnov that did not earn a medal):

Salé: “I think she was so freaked out by that (errant) throw that it threw her off completely.”

Salé: “Chinese pairs teams have such a pure love and joy for skating.”

Sandra Bezic, NBC Olympics Figure Skating Analyst: “The goal of the men’s short program is
to skate clean; but if you don’t have the quadruple jump, then you’re playing catch up.”

Pelletier (on Russian skater and 2006 Olympic champion Yevgeny Plushenko): “He’s a super technician. He’s so consistent, and he already has what everyone else is chasing – an Olympic Gold Medal – and that calms you down.”

Salé: “I don’t believe (the sincerity of) Plushenko’s skating.”

Carruthers (on Johnny Weir): “Too much focus off the ice, not enough on it.”

Pelletier: “A little less talk, a little more action.”

Pelletier (on Jeremy Abbott): “It’s the best men’s short program I’ve seen in the last 10 years.”

Pelletier  (on Evan Lysacek): “His technique is flawless, he can create emotion on the ice.  Frank Carroll (Michelle Kwan’s longtime coach and current coach of Lysacek) is a huge help.”

Nastia Liukin, 2008 Olympic Gymnastics Gold Medalist: “Of the Summer and Winter Olympic sports, figure skating and gymnastics are the most similar, with the artistry, judging, music and choreography. They relate well.“

Liukin (on returning to competitive gymnastics): “I took the year off, but I have London in the back of my mind.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON UNIVERSAL SPORTS NETWORK – WEDNESDAY, FEB. 17, 2010:

Vancouver Olympic News Center and Morning Buzz:  Guests include David Barba and James Pellerito, Producers of “Be Good Johnny Weir,” the eight-part Sundance Channel original documentary series.

Meet the Olympic Press: Featuring Andrea Joyce, NBC Figure Skating reporter.

Figure Skating Review/Preview: Brian Boitano, 1988 Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist, and Don & Tanya Lysacek, parents of men’s figure skater Evan Lysacek.

FUN QUOTES AND FACTS OF THE DAY:

Vancouver is known as “Hollywood North.” Many feature films have been made in the city, including the ‘The Twilight Saga,’ ‘X-Men’ series, ‘Juno,’ ‘Double Jeopardy’ and ‘Bird on a Wire.’

Canadian Fan (during Stacey Dale’s piece on why Canadians use the word “Eh?”): “We talk a lot, no one ever listens, so we have to answer our own questions with an “eh?”  Definition of Eh: used to represent a sound made in speech in a variety of situations, in particular to ask for something to be repeated or explained or to elicit agreement.

On Queen Latifah (spotted in Whistler): “Let’s find her and give her a (Steve Nyman Official Racing) Toque.”  Summer Sanders, speaking with Steve Nyman, 2006 and 2010 Olympic Alpine skier, in Whistler, Canada. Queen Latifah, an American rapper, actress, and singer, has won a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Award, a Grammy Award, as well as an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination.

To the daytime coverage which included the start of the men’s hockey tournament.

DAY 5 DAYTIME HIGHLIGHTS OF NBC WINTER OLYMPICS COVERAGE

“No one is better prepared. No one is better trained. No one is more consistent.” -NBC’s Scott Hamilton on USA’s Evan Lysacek

“What he does in the air, what he does with his jumps is sick and twisted.” – Hamilton on Russia’s
Yevgeny Plushenko

VANCOUVER - February 16, 2010 - Daytime coverage of the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games continued today on NBC and USA Network. On NBC, live gold medal final coverage included the men’s biathlon 12.5km pursuit gold medal final. Also on NBC, coverage of the women’s biathlon 10km pursuit gold medal final. USA Network had a double dose of live USA team sports as men’s hockey made its Olympic debut with Team USA facing off against Switzerland and USA men’s curling took on Germany.

NBC’s figure skating analyst Scott Hamilton previewed the live men’s short program tonight in primetime.

The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore stopped by the studio with Al Michaels to discuss the weather conditions in Vancouver and the surrounding event sites.

Coverage highlights include:

NBC
MICHAELS ON GOLD MEDALIST SETH WESCOTT AND THE AMERICAN FLAG HE CARRIED AFTER HIS VICTORY:  “There’s a story behind that flag. It was presented to his family at his grandfather’s funeral. His grandfather was a World War II veteran and Wescott wrapped himself in that flag four years ago when he won the gold in Torino. After yesterday’s race he said that having that flag waiting for him at the finish line motivated him to win again. He got it done.”

MICHAELS ON CANTORE’S WEATHER LESSON: “I feel like I’m back in the second grade in PS 139 after watching Mr. Wizard.”

SCOTT HAMILTON’S PREVIEW OF THE MEN’S SHORT PROGRAM
HAMILTON ON THE STAR TALENT PERFORMING TONIGHT: “So many skaters have come back and so many skaters are at the top of their form. It’s a tall order. This event is so deep. There’s like nine guys who are legitimately in it for medals. It’s just going to come down to how they perform and how the judges sort them out.”

HAMILTON ON USA’S EVAN LYSACEK: “No one is better prepared. No one is better trained. No one is more consistent. This year, he took his triple axle and he put a little more height under it. Coming in as the reigning world champion, there’s a lot of eyes on him.”

HAMILTON ON USA’S JEREMY ABBOTT: “Jeremy Abbott is extraordinary. What he did at the U.S. Nationals was phenomenal. I’ve never in my life seen a skater do two performances like that, two competitions in a row. If he does that here, adding a triple axle to his long program, it’s beyond superhuman what he’s accomplished.”

HAMILTON ON RUSSIA’S YEVGENY PLUSHENKO: “I said it in 2006 in his long program, what he does in the air, what he does with his jumps, is sick and twisted. It is just unbelievable what he can do in the air. It’s phenomenal. He’s consistent and he’s probably the best competitor I think I’ve ever seen in men’s figure skating”

HAMILTON ON CANADA’S PATRICK CHAN: “He’s just an unbelievable talent. What this guy does on the ice is amazing. He’s got the triple axle problems, but I think he has that sorted out. What this guy does on the ice with his footwork, with his spins, with his programs, it’s everything the International Skating Union wants in a skater. He’s a great competitor, he’s tough mentally and I expect him to skate perfectly. Even with all the excitement in the audience. There are a lot of Canadian flags waving in there that can bring the adrenaline up and affect your performance.”
 
WOMEN’S BIATHLON 10KM PURSUIT GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Magdalena Neuner, Germany
Silver: Anastazia Kuzmina, Slovakia
Bronze: Marie Laurie Brunet, France

TRAUTWIG ON GERMANY’S MAGDALENA NEUNER: “She’s a five-time world champion, an overall world cup winner. She didn’t have the greatest of seasons last year, but this year she has been rock sharp, and now she is an Olympic gold medalist.”

TRAUTWIG ON BIATHLON IN GERMANY: “Consider that both a male biathlete and a female biathlete in the last few years have been named the German sportsman and sportswoman of the year.”

“The German flags are waving as Magdalena Neuner, who just turned 23, with a silver medal in event one, enters the stadium to a cacophony not often heard in biathlon.”

SALMELA ON THE FRENCH BIATHLETES: “What has gotten into the French? I want some of what they’re having this week!”

MEN’S BIATHLON 12.5KM PURSUIT GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Al Trautwig (Play-By-Play), Chad Salmela (Analyst)
Gold: Bjorn Ferry, Sweden
Silver: Christoph Sumann, Austria
Bronze: Vincent Jay, France
SALMELA ON SWEDEN’S BJORN FERRY: “Nothing heavy about today for Bjorn Ferry as his wings fly him into the finish for his first Olympic medal and it’s gold.”

TRAUTWIG ON FERRY: “Bjorn Ferry of Sweden is having a dreamlike approach to the stadium. The 32-year-old in his third Olympic try with nothing to show for it except for the memories.”

“Bjorn Ferry of Sweden had one miss. One miss in twenty targets.”

“It’s another gold for Sweden here on the slopes of Whistler Olympic Park.”

MICHAELS ON NORWAY’S OLE EINAR BJOERNDALEN:  “So far Norway’s big stars have failed to live up to expectations. Back home, they are already calling it a fiasco. Can you imagine what is going on as we speak on sports talk radio in Oslo? They are going crazy. They’re going crazy because they’re biggest star Ole Einar Bjoerndalen will have that added pressure on him today.”

USA
MEN’S HOCKEY: USA vs. SWITZERLAND
USA: 3 Switzerland: 1
B
ill Patrick (Host), Mike Emrick (Play-By-Play), Eddie Olczyk (Analyst), Pierre McGuire (Inside The Glass Reporter), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst)
TEAM USA’S JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER: “We’ve got room to grow, but it’s a good win for us.”

ROENICK ON THE DEDICATION OF TEAM USA:“It speaks volumes on where USA hockey has come over the last 25 years.  We have so many people who give 24/7, 365 days a year trying to make the game better.” 
 
ROENICK ON TEAM USA’S ENTHUSIAM: “I really like the attitude that team USA is coming in to this tournament with.  There is literally no pressure on them right now because everyone’s talking about Russia and Canada as being the gold medal favorites.  They can come in here and use their youth, enthusiasm and speed to give those teams fits and maybe win a gold medal.”

MEN’S CURLING: USA vs. GERMANY
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-play), Don Duguid (Analyst),
Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
USA: 5 Germany: 7
 
DUGUID ON TEAM USA’S PERFORMANCE:“I think I’d sit down and talk about maybe checking the ice a little bit, reading the ice. I think they were given a little bit too much room for certain shots or throwing a little bit too much weight. They just off killed it a bit. Either the broom was too much or they had thrown not enough weight, and that’s the key. You have to get those things established.”    

DUGUID ON TEAM USA’S JOHN SHUSTER: “John’s a very aggressive player.  He likes to win big or lose big.”
 
CATALON ON TEAM USA’S JASON SMITH AND SHUSTER:“You could not have a more tight relationship than John Shuster and his vice skip, Jason Smith. They grew up together, they played little league together, and now here they are in the Olympics.”
 
DUGUID ON COMPARING CURLING TO PLAYING POOL:“Angles are very important in curling. You have to know your angles. It is like pool.”
 
BELOW ARE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS MORNING’S MSNBC HOCKEY COVERAGE:
MSNBC:
3:00  a.m. - 5:30 a.m.
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-by-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst)
WOMEN’S HOCKEY
Sweden 6 vs. Slovakia 2

MLECZKO ON SWEDEN’S PERNILLA WINBERG SETTING OLYMPIC RECORD: “Nobody has scored four goals in one Olympic game before.”

MLECZKO ON FIRST OLYMPIC APPEARANCE FOR SLOVAKIAN TEAM: 
“You look at these Slovakians, the Olympics is a big deal, it’s an eye opener.”

GRANATO ON LOOKING AHEAD TO SWEDEN VS. CANADA GAME: 
“Their big test is going to be against Canada. They are going to have to bring a lot more than they did tonight.”

And you have the primetime quotage which included men’s figure skating and Team Canada’s debut in the hockey tournament.

RUSSIA’s PLUSHENKO & USA’s LYSACEK LEAD COMPETITIVE MEN’S FIELD AFTER SHORT PROGRAM

“They were inspired.” – NBC’s Bezic on the top three men’s figure skaters

“In victory or defeat, it’s pretty much impossible not to like Lindsey Jacobellis.” – NBC’s Costas

VANCOUVER - Feb. 16, 2010 - Reigning world champion Evan Lysacek of the US trails reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia by less than one point (.55) after the men’s short program concluded on the fifth night of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi is only (.05) behind Lysacek setting up a competitive free skate for the gold medal on Thursday night.

SANDRA BEZIC: “The top three men truly performed inspired performances. They weren’t just good or great. They didn’t just get the job done. They were inspired.”
 
TOM HAMMOND: “It should be quite a battle on Thursday night.”

Team USA women’s snowboard cross competitor Lindsey Jacobellis, who was a gold medal favorite, ultimately finished fifth. Coverage also included the women’s luge, which was won by Germany’s Tatjana Huefner.

On cable, MSNBC’s coverage featured the women’s ice hockey game, USA vs. Russia, which was won by Team USA, 13-0. CNBC featured women’s curling with Japan defeating the USA, 9-7, and men’s hockey with host nation Canada defeating Norway, 8-0.

Olympic correspondent Cris Collinsworth again joined primetime host Bob Costas in studio, this time to introduce a segment on snowboarder Shaun White, who will defend his gold medal in the halfpipe tomorrow night in primetime.
COSTAS: “In another life, you’ve had linebackers and safeties coming to take your head off. But I don’t think you’d want to try what this kid does.”
 
COLLINSWORTH: “Uh, no. The one thing you learn about him that you may not have known going in, is that he’s one of those Michael Jordan kind of competitors. He really doesn’t want to just win. He wants to dominate. He wants to embarrass the competition. And tomorrow night, you’re going to see that he will push the envelope in a way that even he didn’t think he could four years ago.”

FIGURE SKATING:
Play-by-Play: Tom Hammond
Analysts: Scott Hamilton, Sandra Bezic and Tracy Wilson 
Reporter: Andrea Joyce
ON PLUSHENKO
Plushenko on his reputation: “Many people don’t like me. Many. But I’m going to skate anyways.”
 
“My enemies, they worry about me because I’m back. And they’re afraid a little bit.”
 
“Of course it’s my dream to skate in the Olympic Games and skate better than in
 2006. I would like to be two-time Olympic champion, like Dick Button.”
  
Hammond: “It’s appropriate he’s wearing black because he certainly does have enemies and critics among his competitors.”
 
Bezic: “His jumps were spectacular. The performance was there. He delivered.”
 
Hamilton: “This guy is special. He is really special.”

Button: “I think he likes looking like an evil character. I think he likes the fact that his beard is undone, the hair is undone and stringy. If I wanted to do a movie where there’s an evil agent, I’d pick him. I love that persona. He commands you to look at him.”

ON LYSACEK
Hammond: “Evan Lysacek brings them to their feet in Vancouver.”
 
Bezic: “To do it in this circumstance, under this kind of pressure, with that kind of intensity is spectacular.”
 
Hamilton: “Eliminate every would’ve, could’ve or should’ve. When you step on the ice at the Olympics, know that you’ve done everything that you can to be prepared for this moment. He’s done just that and he’s delivered the goods.”

ON TAKAHASHI
Bezic on Takihashi: “That was hot.”
 
Hamilton:  “He milked every moment out of that performance.”
 
Hamilton:  “All three members of the Japanese team just threw it down.”

ON WEIR
Hamilton: “With all the distraction and the sound bites off the ice, he delivered the goods on the ice.”
 
“And with that pink tassel, every man in America envies him because he’s rooming with Tanith Belbin.”

SNOWBOARD CROSS:
Play-by-Play: Pat Parnell
Analyst: Todd Richards
Reporter: Tina Dixon
Richards on snowboard cross: “It embodies a lot of the principles that you’d see day-to-day on the mountain, however, maybe on steroids.”

Parnell after Jacobellis was disqualified: “Jacobellis is off course! Unbelievable.”
 
Richards: “Uncharacteristic of Jacobellis.”
 
Costas “In an instant, her Olympics comes to a close.”

Jacobellis after her race: “I really loved the experience this time - It was mellow. It wasn’t as stressful. The first time I felt there was a lot of expectation on me.”
 
Costas: “In victory or defeat, it’s pretty much impossible not to like Lindsey Jacobellis.”

LUGE:
Play-by-play: Bob Papa
Analyst: Duncan Kennedy
Reporter: Lewis Johnson
Kennedy on Germany’s Tatjana Huefner, who won gold: “She’s been virtually flawless.”
 
Papa: “Her bronze in Torino has turned to gold in Vancouver. Tatjana Huefner wins the women’s luge.”

Below are highlights from MSNBC's Primetime coverage:

MSNBC, Women’s Ice Hockey:
USA 13 vs. Russia 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Cammi Granato (Studio Analyst), Kenny Albert (Play-by-Play), AJ Mleczko (Analyst)
Granato: “When Jenny Potter gets hot, you cannot stop her.”

Mleczko on Team USA’s Hilary Knight: “She’s been a very dynamic and exciting player to watch; youngest player on the team, but the most effective offensively.”

Granato on Team USA: “They’re coming at Russia with speed, and you can tell it’s paying off.”

Team USA’s Gigi Marvin: “I am so thankful and blessed to be on this team. Enjoying every moment.”

CNBC, Women’s Curling:
Japan 9 vs. USA 7
Fred Roggin (Host), Andrew Catalon (Play-by-Play), Colleen Jones (Analyst), Elfi Schlegel (Reporter)
Catalon on Team USA’s Debbie McCormick: “Debbie is arguably the most decorated curler in all of U.S. Women’s curling.” 

Jones on comparing curling to chess: “Curling is like chess on ice. You are always trying to think two or three shots ahead.”

CNBC, Men’s Ice Hockey:
Canada 8 vs. Norway 0
Bill Patrick (Host), Mike Milbury (Studio Analyst), Jeremy Roenick (Studio Analyst), Mike Emrick (Play-by-Play), Joe Micheletti (Analyst)

Roenick on Team Canada: “This team is just oozing with talent. It is amazing to watch.”

Roenick on Canada: “The country of Canada has been waiting for this day for seven years, and I think they finally got what they wanted. They wanted a blow out, they needed a blow out. Well guys, they got their blow out.”

Team Canada’s Jarome Iginla on the game: “We’ve been anticipating this for awhile and to get to feel that and to finally get it underway, it was awesome. ”

Emrick: “We’ve talked a lot about how this is such a new experience for Team USA to be in an Olympics, it’s the same for the majority of team Canada.”

One more post coming up.