Ten signs that Vancouver’s gearing up for 2010

Originally published on IHWC.NET in 2007

By Lucas Aykroyd

Hockey players like to take it “one game at a time.” Fans, journalists, and hockey officials often look much further ahead. Admittedly, there are three IIHF World Championships yet to be completed before we can truly start thinking about what will take place at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. But there are already signs (some serious, some not-so-serious) that this scenic West Coast metropolis of 2 million is mustering up the right vibe to host the most high-profile international hockey tournament in history. Let’s take a closer look.

1. WELCOME TO STOCKHOLM WEST: The Vancouver Canucks currently boast four marquee Swedish players on their roster, and three of them suited up for the gold medal-winning team in Turin 2006. Forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin ranked first and second in team scoring this year with 84 and 81 points respectively, and defenceman Mattias Ohlund contributed another solid season of 30-plus points along with power play and penalty-killing duties. All three are only under contract with the Canucks through 2008-09, but barring injury, it wouldn’t be surprising for them to sign extensions that will keep them in Vancouver right through the Olympics to defend Tre Kronor’s title on their home ice at GM Place. And how about Markus Naslund? The 33-year-old Canuck captain missed ’06 with a nagging groin injury. But if he’s still on board come 2010, it would be a great chance for him to emulate what Nicklas Lidstrom did in Turin by shedding his reputation as a great NHL performer who doesn’t do as well in international competition.

2. SWEET BOBBY LOU: When Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo opened the 2006-07 playoffs by facing an NHL-record 76 shots and winning a quadruple-overtime marathon versus the Dallas Stars, it was just the latest indication that he could win the starting job between the pipes for Team Canada in 2010. Luongo has 20.25 million reasons to stick around Vancouver for the next three seasons. And if the Montreal native can lead the Canucks to a Stanley Cup between now and 2009 and also backstops Team Canada to Olympic gold, he could become the first player to join the Triple Gold Club (he won IIHF World Championship in 2003 and 2004) in Olympic competition on his club team’s home ice. (OK, that’s a lot of ifs, but they’re reasonably plausible ones.)

3. ONE RINK LEADS TO ANOTHER: Construction is underway on the UBC Winter Sports Centre, which will be used as the secondary hockey venue in 2010. The 47-million-dollar CDN project has already seen the restoration of the old Father Bauer Arena (named after the famous Canadian national team coach of the 1960’s) and the addition of a new practice facility, and by summer 2008, the 7,000-seat competition arena will be ready to go as well.

4. TICK-TOCK, LET’S DROP THE PUCK: An Olympic countdown clock has been erected in the Vancouver Art Gallery plaza facing West Georgia Street, indicating the number of days, hours, minutes, and seconds left until the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Olympics. Those festivities will take place in BC Place Stadium, the city’s 60,000-capacity covered football stadium, right across the street from GM Place.

5. CONGRESS IS IN SESSION: For the first time ever, the IIHF Semi-Annual Congress will take place in Vancouver this fall (September 20-22), giving the governing body of world hockey an opportunity to check out the site of the 2010 Games in advance. Organized in conjunction with Hockey Canada, this gathering will enable IIHF Council members to report on current activities around the globe and chart the course for the 2008 IIHF World Championship in Halifax and Quebec City, in addition to future tournaments.

6. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT: IIHF President René Fasel has made regular visits to Vancouver since 2003 in his role as chairman of the IOC Coordination Commission, which ensures that preparations for all aspects of the 2010 Games are on schedule and keeps the lines of communication open between the IOC and the various winter sports federations.

7. INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY CUISINE: Robson Street, which offers Vancouver’s trendiest shopping and dining, recently witnessed the opening of a sports bar/restaurant named Seventy-Two, whose theme is the famous 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union. With 19 plasma TVs available, you can watch hockey while munching on nachos, calamari, and burgers, and then check out memorabilia autographed by Team Canada ’72 members and vivid painted murals with captions like “The Canadians battled with the ferocity and intensity of a cornered animal – Anatoli Tarasov.” (seventytwo.ca, #112-1025 Robson St.)

8. PURE FAN-DEMONIUM: When big hockey events come to Vancouver, new attendance records are set. That seems to be the rule. For instance, in 2005, a record 16,331 fans packed the Pacific Coliseum for the Canadian Hockey League’s Top Prospects Game, where Gilbert Brule’s four points led Team Cherry to an 8-4 win over Team Davidson. Total attendance at the 2006 IIHF World Junior Championship, where Canada defeated Russia 5-0 in the final, was a stunning 325,138. And the 2007 Memorial Cup, pitting the host Vancouver Giants against three other teams in the battle for Canadian junior hockey supremacy, will attract some 120,000 spectators. Tickets for 2010 Olympic hockey will go on sale 12 to 18 months before the tournament starts.

9. HELLO, BC HOCKEY HALL-OF-FAMERS: Three out of the four 2007 inductees into the BC Hockey Hall of Fame are outstandingly associated with hockey in both Vancouver and international circles. Brian Burke, who restored the Canucks to respectability during his six-year stint as GM, also served as an NHL vice-president when full NHL participation in the Olympics was achieved for the first time in Nagano 1998. Brett Hull played his minor hockey at the North Shore Winter Club in North Vancouver before going on to become the highest-scoring right wing in NHL history, and also participated in six major international tournaments: he won the 1996 World Cup and finished second in scoring at the 2002 Olympics with Team USA. And Dennis Kearns, who logged 10 seasons on the blueline with the Canucks, played an important role in Canada’s return to IIHF World Championship competition after the hiatus between 1970 and 1976, as he wore the red Maple Leaf in Vienna 1977 and Prague 1978.

10. SPIRIT OF 2010 HOCKEY TOURNAMENT: This is a special designation that unites multiple minor hockey tournaments under a common theme across the province of British Columbia from February through April each year leading up to the Olympics. In 2006, for instance, 42,000 kids took part in nearly 200 tournaments, and all received commemorative hockey pucks and participation certificates. The goal is to build the sport and promote healthy living heading into 2010. Check 2010legaciesnow.com for more details.