Against tense global backdrop, let the Games begin
On the one hand: The world gathers for a scripted, globalized spectacle of competition and unity. North Korean athletes and performers stream into the rival South for a display of cooperation that maybe, just maybe, could ease anxiety about possible nuclear war. The North's head of state announces plans to visit the South for the first time. The U.S. vice president is stopping by, too. On the other: Angry South Koreans bump up against riot police to protest the arrivals. The North's government immediately calls the demonstration a "spasm of psychopaths.
GANGNEUNG, Korea — Eeli Tolvanen is 18 and already being projected as the next Finnish hockey star.
Olympics blog: Mikaela Shiffrin turns in steady 1st slalom run
The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local): 10:10 a.m.Mikaela Shiffrin was steady in the opening run of the slalom as she tries to win a second straight gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics.The 22-year-old American was the fourth racer to take the course and wound up 0.48 seconds behind current leader Wendy Holdener of Switzerland.Shiffrin showed no hint of fatigue after winning the giant slalom a day earlier. She won the Olympic slalom four years ago in Sochi.WATCH: SHIFFRIN TRAILS AFTER FIRST SLALOM RUNWATCH: SHIFFRIN ON VOMITING BEFORE RACE---9:35 a.m.
“Eeli is a great player with an unbelievable shot,” Finland coach Lauri Marjamaki said. “He brings us so much, his open-minded game and fearless (style). The whole atmosphere is exciting because Eeli is on our team.”
With three goals and six points in his first two Olympic games, Tolvanen is adding more credibility to the idea that the Nashville Predators will sign him in time to help their playoff push. He was a Predators’ first-round pick (No. 30) last June. Tolvanen has 17 goals and 34 points in 47 games playing for Jokerit (Finland) in the Kontinental Hockey League.
The Predators could use another scorer.
“It’s amazing (what he is doing),” said Finland teammate Lasse Kukkonen. “It’s a privilege to be on the same team with him.”
More: U.S. women's hockey team works on net-front presence before semifinal against Finland
American figure skater Vincent Zhou is brilliant, bemusing
The personality of American figure skater Vincent Zhou, who made his Olympic debut with a superb short program Friday, was neatly summed up by his social media response to a fan who recently asked what era he would visit if he could travel back in time."If I time traveled," he said, "I would likely end up in outer space because Earth is moving at 67,000 mph and time travel is only time travel and not spacetime travel. If you traveled back in time 1 seconds, you'd be (about) 1,116.667 miles into space away from the surface of Earth where you were just standing.
More: Team USA's loss to Russians further proof it'll need more than a 'Miracle' for Olympic hockey medal
More: Ilya Kovalchuk still has 'gas in (his) tank,' and the Russians are Olympic hockey favorites
Other important NHL story lines at the Olympics:
Rasmus Dahlin, Sweden: The excitement of Dahlin making the Swedish Olympic team has given way to the reality that he’s 17 trying to crack a veteran lineup. He was a healthy scratch in his first game, and played six shifts (4:36) in Sweden’s second game.
None of this impacts the fact that NHL scouts view him as a franchise defenseman who can help a team in a variety of ways.
Ilya Kovalchuk, Olympic Athlete from Russia: If the Olympic Athletes of Russia win the gold medal in men’s hockey, it’s only going to strengthen the notion that Kovalchuk could still be a top NHL goal-scorer. He has scored 63 goals and registered 141 points in his last 113 games in Kontinental Hockey League games.
Weather postponements led American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin to skip today’s Super-G competition, leaving the event reigning champion Anna Veith’s to win. Weather postponements led American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin to skip today’s Super-G competition, leaving the event reigning champion Anna Veith’s to win.
Would he be an interesting fit for the New York Islanders’ John Tavares (if he re-signs) or the Los Angeles Kings’ Anze Kopitar or the New Jersey Devils’ Nico Hischier? How about the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby.
Ryan Donato, USA: Seems as if the Boston Bruins will want Donato’s blend of speed and shooting ability in their lineup by next season.
He looks NHL ready. He’s the son of former NHL player and current Harvard coach Ted Donato. Ryan is a smart player. “He’s a shooter,” said U.S. linemate Troy Terry.
Brian Gionta, USA: At 39, Gionta has showed that he still has quickness and an ability to make things happen. He hasn’t scored for USA, but he has created a breakaway with a quick burst of speed. He is playing with some passion.
He looks like he could help an NHL team as a role player in the playoffs.
Miro Heiskanen, Finland: This is a quality Finnish team, and Heiskanen is averaging 13:53 minutes per game on defense
The Dallas Stars prospect plays a smooth, dependable, well-rounded game. He looks like he could be ready for the NHL next season.
Could fast skier Ester Ledecka and fast swimmer Katie Ledecky be distant cousins?
The names are unusual and similar. Ledecka is Czech, Ledecky is of Czech descent. Ledecka's grandfather's surname was Ledecky. And each would be happy to be related to the other.Ledecky — the swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist — sent out a tweet following Ledecka’s sensational winning run, congratulating the ski racer. “That’s what Ledecka’s do!!!” Ledecky wrote.
Related slideshow: Best of the 2018 Winter Olympics (Provided by photo services)
Phoebe Staenz (88), of Switzerland, fights for control of the puck with South Korea's Choi Yujung (6), of the combined Koreas team, left, and Han Soojin (17), of the combined Koreas team, during the classification round of the women's hockey on, Feb. 18.
Gold medallist Marcel Hirscher, centre, of Austria poses with silver medallist Henrik Kristoffersen, left, of Norway and bronze medallist Alexis Pinturault, right, of France during the victory ceremony for the Alpine Skiing Men's Giant Slalom on, Feb. 18.
Katie Uhlaender of United States, center, is hugged by Jean Schaefer, left, and Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler in the finish area after the final run of the women's skeleton on, Feb. 17.
Gold medalist, Poland's Kamil Stoch is congratulated by his wife Ewa Bilan-Stoch following the men's large hill individual ski jumping event on, Feb. 17.
Gold medal winner Kamil Stoch, of Poland, is flanked by silver medal winner Andreas Wellinger, of Germany, left, and bronze medal winner Robert Johansson, of Norway, during the venue ceremony for during men's large hill Individual ski jumping competition on, Feb. 17.
(L-R) Silver medalist Jinyu Li of China, gold medalist Minjeong Choi of Korea and bronze medalist Kim Boutin of Canada celebrate during the victory ceremony after the Short Track Speed Skating Ladies' 1500m Final A on, Feb. 17.
Elise Christie of Great Britain falls after a crash with Jinyu Li of China while Choi Minjeong of South Korea wins the series during the Short Track Speed Skating Ladies' 1500m Semifinals on Feb. 17.
Samuel Girard of Canada and John-Henry Krueger of the United States celebrate after coming in first and second place, respectively, during the Short Track Speed Skating Men's 1000m Final on, Feb. 17.
(L-R) USA's John-Henry Krueger, Canada's Charles Hamelin, Canada's Samuel Girard and South Korea's Seo Yira compete in the men's 1,000m short track speed skating semi-final event on, Feb. 17.
(L-R) Austria's silver medallist Anna Fenninger Veith, Czech Republic's gold medallist Ester Ledecka and Liechtenstein's bronze medallist Tina Weirather pose on the podium during the medal ceremony for the alpine skiing women's Super-G on Feb. 17.
Gold medalist Sarah Hoefflin of Switzerland, center, celebrates with silver medalist Mathilde Gremaud of Switzerland, left, and bronze medalist Isabel Atkin of Great Britain after the women's slopestyle competition on, Feb. 17.
Figure skater Felipe Montoya of Spain is photographed with multiple exposure during his performance in the men's short program competition on, Feb. 16.
Team USA's Ryan Donato (2nd right) scores against Slovakia's Jan Laco (2nd left) in the men's preliminary round ice hockey match on, Feb. 16. The Unites States won 2-1.
Italy's Michela Moioli reacts after winning gold as bronze medal winner Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic crashes across the finish line during the women's snowboard finals on, Feb. 16.
Gold medalists Natalie Geisenberger, Johannes Ludwig, Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt of Germany, silver medalists Alex Gough, Sam Edney, Tristan Walker and Justin Snith of Canada and bronze medalists Madeleine Egle, David Gleirscher, Peter Penz and Georg Fischler of Austria during the Medal Ceremony for the Luge - Team Relay Competition on, Feb. 16.
China's Mengtao Xu crashes while training for the women's aerials qualifying on, Feb. 16.
Mettle to medal: Krueger perseveres to podium in 1,000 meters
His silver is first U.S. individual medal in short-track speedskating since Vancouver.Krueger, 22, won the silver medal in the 1,000-meter short-track speedskating, becoming the first American man to win an individual short-track medal since Vancouver.
Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States finished fourth in the women's slalom at Yongpyong Alpine Centre on, Feb. 16.
Germany, Canada lead in 2-man bobsled; US struggles
Christian Poser is the husband of an American bobsled star. Justin Kripps was born in Hawaii. And the way things are looking, they both could win Olympic two-man medals on Monday night.Thing is, Poser races for Germany and Kripps drives for Canada.And the sliders racing for the U.S. didn't exactly have the same level of success on the opening night of bobsledding at the Pyeongchang Olympics.The German sled driven by Nico Walther and pushed by Poser — whose wife is U.S.
From left, Alexandra Jekova of Bulgaria, Chloe Trespeuch of France, Eva Samkova of the Czech Republic, Michela Moioli of Italy, Lindsey Jacobellis of the United States and De Sousa Mabileau Julia Pereira of France compete in the women's snowboard cross finals Feb. 16.
Madison Olsen of the United States warms up prior to the women's freestyle skiing aerials qualification on Feb. 15. Multiple exposures were combined to produce this image.
Canada's Ted-Jan Bloemen competes in the men's 10,000m speed skating event on Feb. 15. Bloeman sets a record time of 12 minutes 13:77 seconds and bags the Gold medal.
Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany embrace as they celebrate during the venue ceremony after winning the gold medal in the pairs free skate figure skating final on Feb. 15.
Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, celebrates her gold medal during the venue ceremony at the Women's Giant Slalom on Feb. 15 in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim of North Korea and their coaches Canadian Bruno Marcotte and Kim Hyon-son following their performance during the Figure Skating Pairs Skating Short Program of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 14.
Ryan Zapolski of the United States looks on against Slovenia during the Men's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round Group B game on day five on Feb. 14. Slovenia won 3-2.
A man impersonating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gestures as he stands before North Korean cheerleaders attending the Unified Korean ice hockey game against Japan on Feb. 14.
Player of the combined Koreans team pick up stuffed animals thrown on ice by supporters after the preliminary round of the women's hockey game against Japan on Feb. 14. Japan won 4-1.
Gold medalist Shaun White of the U.S. is flanked by silver medalist Ayumu Hirano of Japan and bronze medalist Scotty James of Australia as they hold Soohorang Olympic mascots during the flower ceremony on Feb. 14.
Arianna Fontana of Italy crosses the finish line ahead of Choi Min-jeong of South Korea during the women's 500-meter short track speed skating final Feb. 13.
Pavel Sitnikov of Russia, J.R. Celski of the United States and Roberto Pukitis of Latvia fall during the men's short track speed skating 1,000-meter race Feb. 13.
Russia's Yekaterina Nikolayeva fight for the puck against the United States' Monique Lamoureux-Morando during their women's hockey game Feb. 13. The United States won, 5-0.
Curler Anastasia Bryzgalova, Olympic Athlete from Russia, delivers a stone in the mixed doubles curling bronze medal match with Alexander Krushelnitsky against Norway's Kristin Skaslien and Magnus Nedregotten on Feb. 13.
Anastasia Bryzgalova, below, throws the stone as Russian teammate Aleksandr Krushelnitckii looks on during their mixed doubles semifinal curling match against Switzerland on Feb. 12.
Erica Uden Johansson (21) of Sweden celebrates scoring a goal against Korea defender Chung Gum Hwang and goaltender So Jung Shin of Korea during a women's ice hockey preliminary round game on Feb. 12.
Lukas Hofer of Italy shoots in the foreground with the rest of the competitors stacked up next to him during the men's 12.5-kilometer biathlon pursuit on Feb. 12.
Germany's Katharina Althaus, center, is surrounded by teammates after winning the silver medal in the women's normal hill individual ski jumping event on Feb. 12.
Bronze medalist Anais Bescond of France, left gold medalist Laura Dahlmeier of Germany, centre, and silver medalist Anastasiya Kuzmina of Slovakia celebrate during the victory ceremony after the Women's Biathlon 10km Pursuit on Feb. 12.
Mirai Nagasu of the United States, second from left, reacts after competing in the women's free skate during the team figure skating competition on Feb. 12.
From left, bronze medallists Nathan Chen, Adam Rippon, Mirai Nagasu, Bradie Tennell, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, Chris Knierim, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the United States wave during the award ceremony at the team figure skating event on Feb. 12.
From left, Canada's Laurie Blouin, Jamie Anderson of the United States and Finland's Enni Rukajarvi wave their national flags at the award ceremony for the women's snowboarding slopestyle event on Feb. 11. Anderson won, with Blouin second and Rukajarvi third.
Semyon Yelistratov, Olympic Athlete from Russia, poses with his bronze medal at the victory ceremony for the for men's 1500m short track speed skating event on Feb. 11.
Saila Saari (27) of Finland shoves Monique Lamoureux-Morando (7) of the United States during the Women's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round - Group A game on Feb. 11.
Ted-Jan Bloemen of Canada, right, crosses the finish line a fraction of a second before Norway's Sverre Lunde Pedersen during the men's 5,000 meters race on, Feb. 11.
Netherlands' Carlijn Achtereekte, centre, teammates Ireen Wust, left and Antoinette De Jong,right, celebrate winning gold, silver and bronze in the women's 3,000m speed skating event on Feb. 10.
(L-R) Silver medalist Marit Bjoergen of Norway, gold medalist Charlotte Kalla of Sweden and bronze medalist Krista Parmakoski of Finland pose during the Medal Ceremony for the Cross-Country Skiing Ladies' 7.5km + 7.5km Skiathlon on Feb. 10.
Sara Hjalmarsson, left, of Sweden scores a goal in the third period against Japan during the Women's Ice Hockey Preliminary Round - Group B game on Feb. 10. Sweden won 2-1.
North Korea's Hwang Chung Gum and South Korea's Won Yun-jong arrive during the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Feb. 9, 2018.
Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the North's Parliament, second from left in the back, and Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong, center, observe with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, front left, first lady Kim Jung-sook, second lady Karen Pence, and United States Vice President Mike Pence during the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics.
A fan outside the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang on Feb. 9, South Korea.
Germany, Canada lead in 2-man bobsled; US struggles .
Christian Poser is the husband of an American bobsled star. Justin Kripps was born in Hawaii. And the way things are looking, they both could win Olympic two-man medals on Monday night.Thing is, Poser races for Germany and Kripps drives for Canada.And the sliders racing for the U.S. didn't exactly have the same level of success on the opening night of bobsledding at the Pyeongchang Olympics.The German sled driven by Nico Walther and pushed by Poser — whose wife is U.S.
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Going to an NHL game is a great way to cheer on your favourite team, heckle a rival and get closer to the game. But be aware, there are times when the fan interaction may go too far, like these...
On the one hand: The world gathers for a scripted, globalized spectacle of competition and unity. North Korean athletes and performers stream into the rival South for a display of cooperation that maybe, just maybe, could ease anxiety about possible nuclear war. The North's head of state announces plans to visit the South for the first time. The U.S. vice president is stopping by, too. On the other: Angry South Koreans bump up against riot police to protest the arrivals. The North's government immediately calls the demonstration a "spasm of psychopaths. 
The Latest on the Pyeongchang Olympics (all times local): 10:10 a.m.Mikaela Shiffrin was steady in the opening run of the slalom as she tries to win a second straight gold medal at the Pyeongchang Olympics.The 22-year-old American was the fourth racer to take the course and wound up 0.48 seconds behind current leader Wendy Holdener of Switzerland.Shiffrin showed no hint of fatigue after winning the giant slalom a day earlier. She won the Olympic slalom four years ago in Sochi.WATCH: SHIFFRIN TRAILS AFTER FIRST SLALOM RUNWATCH: SHIFFRIN ON VOMITING BEFORE RACE---9:35 a.m. 
The personality of American figure skater Vincent Zhou, who made his Olympic debut with a superb short program Friday, was neatly summed up by his social media response to a fan who recently asked what era he would visit if he could travel back in time."If I time traveled," he said, "I would likely end up in outer space because Earth is moving at 67,000 mph and time travel is only time travel and not spacetime travel. If you traveled back in time 1 seconds, you'd be (about) 1,116.667 miles into space away from the surface of Earth where you were just standing. 
Weather postponements led American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin to skip today’s Super-G competition, leaving the event reigning champion Anna Veith’s to win. Weather postponements led American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin to skip today’s Super-G competition, leaving the event reigning champion Anna Veith’s to win. 
The names are unusual and similar. Ledecka is Czech, Ledecky is of Czech descent. Ledecka's grandfather's surname was Ledecky. And each would be happy to be related to the other.Ledecky — the swimmer and five-time Olympic gold medalist — sent out a tweet following Ledecka’s sensational winning run, congratulating the ski racer. “That’s what Ledecka’s do!!!” Ledecky wrote. 
On the one hand: The world gathers for a scripted, globalized spectacle of competition and unity. North Korean athletes and performers stream into the rival South for a display of cooperation that maybe, just maybe, could ease anxiety about possible nuclear war. The North's head of state announces plans to visit the South for the first time. The U.S. vice president is stopping by, too. On the other: Angry South Koreans bump up against riot police to protest the arrivals. The North's government immediately calls the demonstration a "spasm of psychopaths.
Oh boy. 
His silver is first U.S. individual medal in short-track speedskating since Vancouver.Krueger, 22, won the silver medal in the 1,000-meter short-track speedskating, becoming the first American man to win an individual short-track medal since Vancouver. 
Christian Poser is the husband of an American bobsled star. Justin Kripps was born in Hawaii. And the way things are looking, they both could win Olympic two-man medals on Monday night.Thing is, Poser races for Germany and Kripps drives for Canada.And the sliders racing for the U.S. didn't exactly have the same level of success on the opening night of bobsledding at the Pyeongchang Olympics.The German sled driven by Nico Walther and pushed by Poser — whose wife is U.S. 
Against tense global backdrop, let the Games begin 
Olympics blog: Mikaela Shiffrin turns in steady 1st slalom run 
American figure skater Vincent Zhou is brilliant, bemusing 
Snowboarder Ledecka borrows Shiffrin's skis, wins Super-G gold 
Could fast skier Ester Ledecka and fast swimmer Katie Ledecky be distant... 
We Have an Unwritten Olympic Rules Situation Developing Between the U.S. and... 
Mettle to medal: Krueger perseveres to podium in 1,000 meters 
Germany, Canada lead in 2-man bobsled; US struggles 
