Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post

octothorp · 01-13-2010, 01:52 PM

Freestyle Ariels: On the men's side, Steve Omischl is Canada's best performer, although he hasn't had any podium finishes yet this year. Oliver Rochon and Ryan Blais are both in the top 20, but Rochon has never had a podium finish, and Blais has not had one since 2007. On the ladies' side, Canada has three women in the top 20, but none in the top 10. Veronika Bauer has a great history in the sport, but along with relative newcomers Amber Peterson and Sabrina Guerin, they're very unlikely to medal. Actually, anything other than a Chinese sweep would be a bit of a surprise.
Moguls: Jennifer Heil won gold here in Turin, and along with fellow Canadian Kristi Richards, is dominating the world cup circuit once again. Heil has been the model of consistency over the last five years, and has 45 world cup podiums in 77 starts, as well as two world championship titles. With this event on the first day of competition, my money is on Heil to become the first Canadian to win gold on home soil. Richards has a world cup victory this year, so she can't be ruled out either. On the men's side, last year Canada was clearly the best nation in the world, with three of the top four athletes; this year, Alexandre Bilodeau is still one of the top three in the world, but neither Vincent Marquis or Pierre Alexandre Rosseau have performed well this year. Both have podium finishes and victories in their past though.
Ski-cross: First year for this event, and one that could be good for Canada. Just this week, Canada got three medals at a world cup event. On the men's side, Christopher Delbosco had his second ever world cup victory, and Stanley Hayer also has a podium finish this season, as does David Duncan. On the women's side, Ashley McIvor and Julia Murray are ranked second and third in the world this season. Kelsey Serwa was ranked third in the world last year, but was off to a rough start this year prior to winning gold at this most recent event.
Medal predictions: I'm going to go with 4: Nothing in freestyle, but each of the four events in moguls and ski-cross could have a Canadian in the mix, and in the case of the women's events, possibly multiple medals in either of them.

Ice Hockey: I'm going to be brief with this one, since everyone on the board is familiar with the situation. A women's medal is as sure a thing as automatic, the only real question is whether it'll be gold or silver. The men's team has to be considered the favorite for gold, but there's at least three or four teams that will push them, so a medal is not a certainty.
Medal Predictions: 2 medals.

Snowboarding Cross: Robert Fagan has three silvers in world cup races including one this year, and is third overall in world cup standings. Mike Robertson had two podiums last year, but none yet this year; still can't be counted out. On the women's side, Maelle Ricker is having a great season, winning two of the three races she's competed in this year, and four of the last six going back to last season. Dominique Maltaise has podiums in four of her last five. Both Ricker and Maltaise struggled at the last world cup event, but a double medal isn't out of the question here, as they shared the podium in their first and second races this year.
Snowboarding Halfpipe: Mercedez Nicole has some top ten finishes in the last couple seasons, but hasn't been on the podium since 2005, and she's Canada's only real shot on the women's side. On the men's side, Brad Martin has a few podiums in the last couple years, including a silver last february, but he hasn't competed since August and I can't find any injury info on him. Prospects are not good in halfpipe.
Snowboarding Parallel: Prospects are much better here, with three men in the top seven in the world this season. Jasey Jay Anderson again leads the way for Canada, and has two golds, a bronze and a fifth in his four starts this year. Michael Lambert had his first podium finish, a silver, in december, and Matthew Morison won gold a week later. Morison is interesting, because he has ten podiums in 37 world cup races, so he definitely has the high end potential, but his consistency is weak, as he has a lot of finishes outside of the top 10. On the women's side, Kimiko Zakreski is much the same story: a podium finish last month, but only two other top 10 finishes in her career.
Medal Prediction: 2 medals, likely in women's cross and men's parallel. Multiple medals in both those races are not out of the question though. I think Canada will definitely improve on the one bronze in 2006 though.

Short track speedskating: On the men's side, Charles Hamlin is looking fantastic right now. At a world cup event in Montreal this year, he won the 1500, the 500, finished 3rd in the 1000, and led the Canadian team to a silver in the relay. At the next event, he won a bronze in the 1500, while brother Francois won bronze in the 1000 and Francois-Louis Tremblay won gold in the 500, and the relay team won gold as well. Tremblay is off from his prime overall, but is still a threat in the 500. Francois Hamlin is a less likely medal threat, but could rise to the challenge.
On the women's side, the Chinese have been absolutely dominant in every discipline this year, but three different Canadians have won silver or bronze medals in the 500: Kalyna Roberge, Jessica Gregg, and Marianne St. Gelais. As well, the women's relay team has won bronze in all four races this year.
Medal Prediction: 5 medals. I'd like to go higher, but the nature of the sport is just so unpredictable. Still, the men's side is a threat in every race, and the women's side is consistent in two of the four races. This was a solid event for Canada at the last Olympics, with four medals, three of them silver.

Long-track speedskating: On the men's side: Start with the 500: Jamie Gregg had a bronze at a world cup race in Calgary, and the home crowd could give him a similar result this time around. Same goes for Denny Morrison in the 1000, and he's added two bronze in the 1500. Lucas Makowsky has also had a silver in the 1500, meaning that Canadians have medaled in more than half the world cup 1500 races this year. Canada doesn't have a medal in the 10,000. Canada has been very strong at team pursuit, medaling in four of the last six world cup races.
On the women's side, this will be one of the most-watched disciplines for Canadians. Christine Nesbitt is the best chance in the 500, though she has no medal finishes this year. However, Nesbitt has won every single 1000 race this year on the circuit. Kristina Groves has just missed the podium in the 1000, and last year had four podium finishes in the event. Groves and Nesbitt have been dominant in the 1500 as well, each winning gold twice in the five races that have been held. Infact, when you include teammate Brittany Schlusser's bronze, Canada has won nine of the fifteen medals awarded in the event this year. Groves also has a bronze in the 3000, Canada's lone medal in the event. Now, you may notice a couple names missing from the list: neither Clara Hughes or Cindy Klassen have medaled yet this year, although Hughes has been close in the 3000. Cindy Klassen is coming back from injury and will be focusing on the 3000, and given her pedigree, cannot be ruled out. Canada has a great medal shot in the team pursuit, with two golds and a silver in three races this year.
Medal prediction: This is one sport where Canada might have trouble matching the Torino totals: eight is a lofty goal. On the men's side, I expect another medal in the relay, but none in the solo races (they could surprise though). On the women's side, I expect one in the 1000, two in the 1500, and one in the team pursuit. Whether either Klassen or Hughes can medal in the distance races is a big question mark; either would be a huge story. I think Hughes gets it done. So I'm predicting 5 for the Canadians here.

Total: well, it adds up to 28 medals, but I'm going to downgrade that slightly given that some people will shockingly underpreform. Let's say 25, which still seems pretty optimistic given previous performances. But the home advantage, some new sports that we should excel at, and a lot of athletes peaking at the right time could make it the best Olympics ever for Canada.

Bonus predictions:
Jennifer Heil will win the first gold medal on Canadian soil.
Kristina Groves will win the most Canadian medals, with 3.
Kimiko Zakreski is my longshot, never-heard-of-before medalist pick.

01-13-2010, 01:52 PM	#2
octothorp Franchise Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: not lurking Exp:	Freestyle Ariels: On the men's side, Steve Omischl is Canada's best performer, although he hasn't had any podium finishes yet this year. Oliver Rochon and Ryan Blais are both in the top 20, but Rochon has never had a podium finish, and Blais has not had one since 2007. On the ladies' side, Canada has three women in the top 20, but none in the top 10. Veronika Bauer has a great history in the sport, but along with relative newcomers Amber Peterson and Sabrina Guerin, they're very unlikely to medal. Actually, anything other than a Chinese sweep would be a bit of a surprise. Moguls: Jennifer Heil won gold here in Turin, and along with fellow Canadian Kristi Richards, is dominating the world cup circuit once again. Heil has been the model of consistency over the last five years, and has 45 world cup podiums in 77 starts, as well as two world championship titles. With this event on the first day of competition, my money is on Heil to become the first Canadian to win gold on home soil. Richards has a world cup victory this year, so she can't be ruled out either. On the men's side, last year Canada was clearly the best nation in the world, with three of the top four athletes; this year, Alexandre Bilodeau is still one of the top three in the world, but neither Vincent Marquis or Pierre Alexandre Rosseau have performed well this year. Both have podium finishes and victories in their past though. Ski-cross: First year for this event, and one that could be good for Canada. Just this week, Canada got three medals at a world cup event. On the men's side, Christopher Delbosco had his second ever world cup victory, and Stanley Hayer also has a podium finish this season, as does David Duncan. On the women's side, Ashley McIvor and Julia Murray are ranked second and third in the world this season. Kelsey Serwa was ranked third in the world last year, but was off to a rough start this year prior to winning gold at this most recent event. Medal predictions: I'm going to go with 4: Nothing in freestyle, but each of the four events in moguls and ski-cross could have a Canadian in the mix, and in the case of the women's events, possibly multiple medals in either of them. Ice Hockey: I'm going to be brief with this one, since everyone on the board is familiar with the situation. A women's medal is as sure a thing as automatic, the only real question is whether it'll be gold or silver. The men's team has to be considered the favorite for gold, but there's at least three or four teams that will push them, so a medal is not a certainty. Medal Predictions: 2 medals. Snowboarding Cross: Robert Fagan has three silvers in world cup races including one this year, and is third overall in world cup standings. Mike Robertson had two podiums last year, but none yet this year; still can't be counted out. On the women's side, Maelle Ricker is having a great season, winning two of the three races she's competed in this year, and four of the last six going back to last season. Dominique Maltaise has podiums in four of her last five. Both Ricker and Maltaise struggled at the last world cup event, but a double medal isn't out of the question here, as they shared the podium in their first and second races this year. Snowboarding Halfpipe: Mercedez Nicole has some top ten finishes in the last couple seasons, but hasn't been on the podium since 2005, and she's Canada's only real shot on the women's side. On the men's side, Brad Martin has a few podiums in the last couple years, including a silver last february, but he hasn't competed since August and I can't find any injury info on him. Prospects are not good in halfpipe. Snowboarding Parallel: Prospects are much better here, with three men in the top seven in the world this season. Jasey Jay Anderson again leads the way for Canada, and has two golds, a bronze and a fifth in his four starts this year. Michael Lambert had his first podium finish, a silver, in december, and Matthew Morison won gold a week later. Morison is interesting, because he has ten podiums in 37 world cup races, so he definitely has the high end potential, but his consistency is weak, as he has a lot of finishes outside of the top 10. On the women's side, Kimiko Zakreski is much the same story: a podium finish last month, but only two other top 10 finishes in her career. Medal Prediction: 2 medals, likely in women's cross and men's parallel. Multiple medals in both those races are not out of the question though. I think Canada will definitely improve on the one bronze in 2006 though. Short track speedskating: On the men's side, Charles Hamlin is looking fantastic right now. At a world cup event in Montreal this year, he won the 1500, the 500, finished 3rd in the 1000, and led the Canadian team to a silver in the relay. At the next event, he won a bronze in the 1500, while brother Francois won bronze in the 1000 and Francois-Louis Tremblay won gold in the 500, and the relay team won gold as well. Tremblay is off from his prime overall, but is still a threat in the 500. Francois Hamlin is a less likely medal threat, but could rise to the challenge. On the women's side, the Chinese have been absolutely dominant in every discipline this year, but three different Canadians have won silver or bronze medals in the 500: Kalyna Roberge, Jessica Gregg, and Marianne St. Gelais. As well, the women's relay team has won bronze in all four races this year. Medal Prediction: 5 medals. I'd like to go higher, but the nature of the sport is just so unpredictable. Still, the men's side is a threat in every race, and the women's side is consistent in two of the four races. This was a solid event for Canada at the last Olympics, with four medals, three of them silver. Long-track speedskating: On the men's side: Start with the 500: Jamie Gregg had a bronze at a world cup race in Calgary, and the home crowd could give him a similar result this time around. Same goes for Denny Morrison in the 1000, and he's added two bronze in the 1500. Lucas Makowsky has also had a silver in the 1500, meaning that Canadians have medaled in more than half the world cup 1500 races this year. Canada doesn't have a medal in the 10,000. Canada has been very strong at team pursuit, medaling in four of the last six world cup races. On the women's side, this will be one of the most-watched disciplines for Canadians. Christine Nesbitt is the best chance in the 500, though she has no medal finishes this year. However, Nesbitt has won every single 1000 race this year on the circuit. Kristina Groves has just missed the podium in the 1000, and last year had four podium finishes in the event. Groves and Nesbitt have been dominant in the 1500 as well, each winning gold twice in the five races that have been held. Infact, when you include teammate Brittany Schlusser's bronze, Canada has won nine of the fifteen medals awarded in the event this year. Groves also has a bronze in the 3000, Canada's lone medal in the event. Now, you may notice a couple names missing from the list: neither Clara Hughes or Cindy Klassen have medaled yet this year, although Hughes has been close in the 3000. Cindy Klassen is coming back from injury and will be focusing on the 3000, and given her pedigree, cannot be ruled out. Canada has a great medal shot in the team pursuit, with two golds and a silver in three races this year. Medal prediction: This is one sport where Canada might have trouble matching the Torino totals: eight is a lofty goal. On the men's side, I expect another medal in the relay, but none in the solo races (they could surprise though). On the women's side, I expect one in the 1000, two in the 1500, and one in the team pursuit. Whether either Klassen or Hughes can medal in the distance races is a big question mark; either would be a huge story. I think Hughes gets it done. So I'm predicting 5 for the Canadians here. Total: well, it adds up to 28 medals, but I'm going to downgrade that slightly given that some people will shockingly underpreform. Let's say 25, which still seems pretty optimistic given previous performances. But the home advantage, some new sports that we should excel at, and a lot of athletes peaking at the right time could make it the best Olympics ever for Canada. Bonus predictions: Jennifer Heil will win the first gold medal on Canadian soil. Kristina Groves will win the most Canadian medals, with 3. Kimiko Zakreski is my longshot, never-heard-of-before medalist pick. Last edited by octothorp; 01-13-2010 at 02:05 PM.