February 22 marked Canadian sports history, as Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir won Canada’s first gold medal for ice dancing at the Vancouver Olympics Games.

Meanwhile, another young Canadian duo finished the competition with little fanfare.

Vanessa Crone, 19, and Paul Poirier, 18, skating at the Olympics for the first time, represented the Scarboro Figure Skating Club. Their score placed them 14th and they ranked 12th in the free dance portion of the competition.

“I don’t think they were disappointed with where they ended up,” said Martha Finerty, office manager at the Scarboro Figure Skating Club. “Their gold medal this year was getting to the Olympics.”

The Scarboro Figure Skating Club has seen a spike in membership following Crone and Poirier’s success. The club may even have to begin offering an adult program to accommodate interest.

“Membership has gone up tremendously,” Finerty said. “It’s just clearly inspired everybody.”

That inspiration has also touched other skaters at the Scarboro Club.

“The dancers that skate with Paul and Vanessa every day, they’re even more motivated now to know what’s achievable,” club board member Jo-Anne Desveaux said. “Before it was all these people in other clubs and other places in the world that made it to the Olympics and now it’s their teammates who have made it. It’s just inspired them to work even harder for their goals.”

The local community has encouraged the young athletes throughout their Olympic journey.

“Before they left we had an Olympic send-off for Paul and Vanessa and I was shocked at how many people in the Scarborough club and their friends and family that came out to support [them],” Desveaux said. “I think everyone here just feels more bonded.”

Desveaux expects the pair to represent Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

“They’re so young, they have another three Olympics left in them,” Desveaux said.

Crone and Poirier will return to the international ice dancing circuit with renewed competitive hunger.

“They’re going to the world championships in March in Turin, Italy,” Finerty said. “And they’re aggressively going after that top 10 finish.”

Canadian snowboarder Jasey-Jay Anderson overcame a 0.76 second deficit in the the final of men’s parallel giant slalom, to win gold Saturday at Cypress Mountain.

Anderson triumphed through fog and rain, edging rival Benjamin Karl of Austria,who took silver.

It was a long-time coming for  Anderson, who has 59 podium finishes and 26 victories in 207 career World Cup starts, but hasn’t reached the podium in the past four Olympics.

“It’s been my whole life,” Anderson told CTV, “You really need to persevere and be hard-headed many many times.”

The 34-year-old defeated Tyler Jewell of the United States, Rok Flanders of Slovenia and Stanislav Detkov of Russia to reach the finals, where he delivered the run of his life to beat the superstar Karl.

The win was well deserved for Anderson, who’s been in the sport nearly 20 years, and is a four-time world champion, however, he seemed surprised as he pumped his fists at the finish.

“It was definitely surreal,” he said to CTV. “I’m shocked.”

Anderson fought off tears as cameras showed his young daughters celebrating in the stands.

Later, he spoke of course conditions being a factor in overcoming Karl in the end.

“I had the better course and my style of riding requires a better course,” he said to Canwest News Service. “When it’s rough, I always get those mistakes in there and they break up the momentum.”

Karl, the 24-year-old in his first Olympics had looked poised to win gold, as he defeated Anderson in the first heat of the final.

However, it wasn’t enough to stop the Canadian, who stunned the noisy crowd with his comeback.

“I just thought a true athlete thrives on adversity,” he said to CBC. “So, I tried to be a true athlete.”

Other Canadians competing, Matthew Morison and Michael Lambert, finished in 11th and 12th respectively but did not make it through qualifiers for the quarterfinal run.

France’s Mathieu Bozzetto won bronze.

After being knocked down by the United States in Friday’s semifinal loss, it looked like Finland was down for the count.

But the Finns got back up on their skates, scoring four unanswered goals in the third period to beat Slovakia 5-3 in Saturday’s bronze-medal game.

Oli Jokinen had two goals, including the game winner, as the Finns erased a two-goal deficit after two periods for their fifth Olympic medal since the 1988 Calgary Games.

Finland’s Jere Lehtinen, Ville Peltonen and Saku Koivu matched a record with their fourth Olympic ice hockey medal.

Sami Salo, Niklas Hagman and Valtteri Flippula added goals for the Finns, who took home silver in the men’s tournament four years ago in Turin.

Pavol Demitra had one goal and two assists for Slovakia for a tournament-leading 10 points heading into Sunday’s gold-medal game between Canada and the U.S.

Marian Hossa scored his fourth goal of the Games before adding an assist to give him nine points, good for second behind his teammate. Marian Gaborik also scored for Slovakia, who has never reached the podium in men’s Olympic hockey.

Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, coming off a shaky semifinal game in which he allowed four goals on seven shots, had 19 saves in the win.

Demitra’s second goal of the tournament came shorthanded with less than two minutes to play in the second, giving his team a 3-1 lead heading into the third.

With their tournament on the line, the Finns came out flying in the final period.

Hagman’s power-play goal at 5:06 cut Slovakia’s lead to one with 15 minutes left to play, before Jokinen tied the game up just 90 seconds later.

Jokinen would add another two minutes later with the man advantage to give Finland a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish.

Flippula’s empty-net goal at 19:49 cooled off a late Slovenian rally to preserve the win.

Finland outshot Slovakia 33-22, going 3-for-8 on the power play. Slovakia scored twice in seven tries with the man advantage.

Teemu Selanne, the all-time leader in tournament scoring, was held without a point in what was likely his final Olympic appearance.

Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette and Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic, both Olympic bronze medallists, have been named the joint recipients of the Vancouver 2010 Terry Fox Award.

The award, created by the Fox family and Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, is in honour of the athletes(s) who best exemplify the type of courageous and selfless qualities that Fox did during his cross-country run for cancer.

“Few people have touched the soul of this great nation like Terry Fox did on his Marathon of Hope in 1980. In honour of his spirit we created this award with the Fox family – one which we’re proud to present today to Petra and Joannie,” said VANOC CEO John Furlong, in a press release Saturday

Rochette touched a nation when the 24-year-old Ile Dupas, Que. native skated to bronze in the ladies’ event just four days after the sudden passing of her mother.

Theresa Rochette, 55, died of a heart attack shortly after arriving in Vancouver to watch her daughter compete in the Games.

With the weight of a country and Olympic community behind her, the six-time national champion became the first Canadian female figure skater to reach the podium since Elizabeth Manley claimed silver at the 1988 Calgary Games.

“I feel proud and the result didn’t matter but I’m happy to be on the podium,” Rochette told Quebec Media, Inc. after the free skate. “This was a lifetime project with my mom and we achieved that.”

“Joannie touched all of us this week with her determination to push on and compete here at Canada’s Games even as she struggled with the painful sudden loss of her mother, Thérèse,” Furlong said.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when she took to the ice on Tuesday after her mother’s death. We all held our breath and willed her on as she gave a remarkable, dignified performance – one that helped her earn bronze. Her grief, determination and her grace have touched all of us.”

Majdic crashed during training for the cross-country individual sprint classic, falling off the course and into rocks,  suffering a collapsed lung and four broken ribs.

Determined to compete in the final and unaware to the extent of her injuries, the 30-year-old skier fought through unbearable pain to win bronze, her country’s first medal of the Games.

“I could feel the injury every time I moved and it still hurt really badly,” she told the Agence France-Presse. “It might have been a bronze, but for me this medal is gold with little diamonds.”

“Petra showed true grit when she picked herself up and stayed on to compete at Whistler Olympic Park in the women’s sprint classic after sustaining an injury while warming up on the course,” Furlong said.

“She performed in pain knowing her country and family were counting on her to win Slovenia’s first medal at the Games – and she did with a bronze medal finish.”

“Both women are an inspiration to all of us and have provided us with unforgettable performances at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games,” he said.

The committee responsible for choosing the recipients included Fox’s brother Darrell, sportscaster Brian Williams, Olympian and VANOC board member Charmaine Crooks and former rower Tricia Smith.

Justyna Kowalczyuk of Poland earned her third medal of the Olympics, as she won the gold medal in the ladies’ 30km mass start in a time of 1:30:33.7 at Whistler Olympic Park earlier Saturday.

A race that is a test of endurance and strength, came right down to a final sprint for the gold between Kowalczyk and Marit Bjoergen of Norway, who have been rivals on the World Cup circuit.

Kowalczyk held on and crossed the line in a photo finish, as she denied the Norweigan of her fourth gold medal of the Games beating her by a one minute 0.3-second margin.

Aino-Kaisa of Finland rounded off the podium, earning the bronze medal with a time of 1:31:38.7 seconds.

Canada’s Sara Renner completed her last race as an Olympian with a 16^th place finish.

The Alberta native is known for the infamous ski-pole incident at the 2006 Winter Games; where the Norwegian coach generously gave her a ski pole after hers had been broken by a competitor. Renner and teammate Beckie Scott went on to win the silver medal.

Racing in her fourth and final Olympics, Renner has decided to retire as a skier to focus on her family.

26-year-old Madelaine Williams of Canmore, Alberta, also competed in the race and placed 46^th.

On the final day of the 2010 Olympics, the Canadian men’s hockey team prepares to take the stage against team USA, fighting for a gold medal.

Team Canada barely beat the Slovakia team on Friday night, which allowed them to be a contender in the upcoming hockey game airing Sunday on CTV at 12:15 p.m. PST.

“We were too easy on Miller last time,” Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock told Sports Illustrated. “We won’t be this time.”

February 21, was the first game between Canada and the USA, which ended with a devastating loss for team Canada, taking them down a rockier road to be in contention for a gold medal.

Experts believe that the Canadian team is the stronger out of the two, however goaltender Ryan Miller of team USA has proved over the course of this competition he is the favourite goaltender.

“I think we did a great job in a lot of areas against the U.S. except put the puck in the net,” said Justin Morrow, Team Canada, to Sports Illustrated. “In a short amount of time, it’s tough to get on the same page, but I think over the last few games we found it.”

The men’s cross country 50km mass start will take place Sunday at Whistler Olympic Park with a start time of 9:30 a.m. PST.

This event, which has been part of the Winter Games since 1924 is a very complex race saved for those who have excellent stamina and strength.

Peter Northug of Norway is the favourite for this competition, but unfortunately there will be no Canadians competing in this event.

The closing ceremonies will take place at the BC Place in Vancouver on Sunday, and will be sure to be a huge celebration as Canadian Athletes may be leaving with the most gold medals from the Winter Games.

After triumph and tragedy and tears of celebration and of disappointment, the 2010 Olympics will come to a close making history for our Canadian athletes and their dedicated fans.

“We will provide the Victory Ceremonies with a level of theatre and celebration not replicated by previous Games,” David Atkins said in an announcement as the newly appointed executive producer for Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics. He went on to say to the Toronto Sun that the ceremony will be a “celebration of Canadian humour, talent and innovation featuring several well-known Canadian performers and rock bands.”

Biathlon legend Ole Einar Bjoerndalen has done it again, getting his sixth career Olympic gold medal, this time anchoring his Norwegian team to a convincing win in the 4 X 7.5 km relay.

Entering the final shooting stage of the relay, Bjoerndalen was in a dead heat with Russia’s Evgeny Ustyugov. It appeared the two skiers would battle right through to the final sprint, but instead Ustyugov struggled with his shooting, missing three times and wasting valuable time reloading bullets.

Bjoerndalen took advantage by hitting all five of his targets perfectly, allowing him to leave Ustyugov behind in his tracks and would end up winning by a full 38 seconds over his next competitor.

By the time the Russian could finish his shots, Austrian Christoph Summan caught up and the two skied away together in what became a very tight race for silver.

The two skiers were side-by-side the entire final stretch, but the Austrian pulled ahead in the final 50 metres to take silver by just half a ski length.

In addition to being Bjoerndalen’s sixth gold, it was also his 11^th overall medal, far and away the most of any biathlete in Olympic history.

It was also a historic finish for the entire country of Norway. The relay medal was the 300^th in the country’s history, extending its lead overall among all nations at the Winter Games.

Canada was not a favourite to hit the podium, but finished a very respectable 10^th place considering the circumstances.

Robin Clegg, Marc-Andre Bedard, Brendan Green, and Jean-Phillipe Le Guellec all make up the first Canadian Olympic relay team since the 1994 Winter Games.

Another hurdle was that Le Guellec was the only Canadian to qualify and compete in any individual events at these Winter Games.

With an entire country and sold-out crowd behind her, the one person Joannie Rochette was missing was her biggest fan.

Just four days after the passing of her mother, the six-time national champion captured the bronze medal in the women’s free skate behind an emotional performance that will be remembered for years to come.

“I feel proud and the result didn’t matter but I’m happy to be on the podium,” Rochette told Quebec Media, Inc. “This was a lifetime project with my mom and we achieved that.”

Rochette, appearing incredibly focused during her routine, was unable to contain her emotions the moment she stepped on to the podium. Tears of joy, compromised by grief, overcame Rochette as she was presented with her medal.

“I still don’t know how I could do this and not start crying before the music starts. But that was my goal and I’m just really proud that I could skate,” she said.

She is the first Candian female skater to win an Olympic medal since Elizabeth Manley won silver at the 1988 Calgary Games, in an unforgettable performance of her own.

Kim Yu-Na won the gold, turning in a near-flawless free skate in what will go down as one of the most compelling events in women’s Olympic figure skating history. She becomes the first figure skating champion from South Korea.

“I still can’t believe it because I was waiting for this moment and it [seemed] like just a dream,” Kim told CTV. “But this is not a dream anymore, and I’m really glad I’m Olympic champion.”

A national icon and cultural sensation in her homeland, Kim proved to the world that she is head and shoulders above the competition.

Kim, skating to “Concerto” by G. Gershwin, nailed her triple-lutz triple-toe-loop combination and double-axel triple-toe-loop with flawless execution. Her 150.06 free skate was a world record, finishing with a total of 228.56.

After a record short program, the 19-year-old followed with one of the best free skates of all-time. Coached by Canadian two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, Kim showed poise and focus well beyond her age, while landing all of of her jumps with style and precision.

Mao Asada of Japan won the silver, scoring 205.50 points behind a stellar triple axel followed by a triple-axel double-toe combination. Her less than perfect step sequences coupled with Kim’s virtuoso performance prevented her from realizing the top of the podium.

Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. finished fourth, scoring a total of 190.15. It is the first time since 1964 that an American female has not medalled in the event.

Rochette skated just well enough to win silver after perfectly landing her triple-lutz double-toe-loop double-loop comination, but missed the mark on her triple-flip landing.

Skating to Samson and Delilah, Rochette landed a triple-toe-loop triple- salchow sequence and skated clean enough along the way to an overall score of 202.64.

The 24-year-old showed tremendous courage during the aftermath of such personal tragedy.

Therese Rochette, 55, died of a heart attack last Sunday morning, two days before her daughter was scheduled to skate in the women’s short program.

Just hours later, Rochette was seen practicing on the ice with her father Normand, grief stricken with emotion, watching on from the stands.

Her father was once again in attendance during the free skate, fighting back emotion on several occasions while his daughter captivated the Pacific Coliseum.

Canadian Cynthia Phaneuf, who finished 12^th after the free skate, commended Rochette’s strength and believed it was important for her teammate to stay in Vancouver and compete.

“She won’t get any better staying in her room, said Phaneuf. “It shows how strong she is. It shows that she is a person to look up to here.”

In Tuesday’s short program, Rochette managed to channel such emotion while delivering a technically sound skate and giving her a chance to reach the podium with a personal-best 71.36.

The Ile Dupas, Que. native was just as ready Thursday, albeit with the help of her mother.

“I do not see myself as a hero. When I stepped on to the ice I knew I had to be as cold as possible. My legs were shaking but my mother was there with me, giving me strength,” she said.

On Thursday afternoon the ladies 4×5-kilometre relay took place at Whistler Olympic Park, where team Norway won the gold medal and Marit Bjoergen of the winning country collected her third gold medal at the 2010 Winter Games.

Bjoergen crossed the finish line with a team time of 55 minutes and 19.5 seconds.

Norway was a shoe in for the gold medal, with Bjoergen finishing well a head of team Germany.

Chandra Crawford, Perianne Jones, Madeleine Williams and Dasha Gaiazova of the Canadian relay team could not keep up in the race, finishing 16th with a time of 1:00:05.0.

Canadian Sara Renner, who won a silver medal in Torino decided not to take place in the relay wanting to save her energy for Saturday’s 30-kilometre race.

“I know for me that the hardest part is qualifying, but once I make it through the early rounds, that’s when the excitement begins,” Renner told the Metro News. “I’m really proud that we’ve evolved into something special, something big. We’re a team with a lot of heart.”

Germany claimed the silver medal with a time of 55.44.1 and Finland took the bronze home after finishing with a time of 55:49.9.

Niklas Hagman took advantage of an equipment malfunction to score the game-winner and Mikka Kiprusoff made 31 saves for the shutout as Finland defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 in quarter-final action at the Vancouver Olympic Games.

Finland will now face the United States in the semifinals for a chance to make it back to the final round after losing the gold medal to Sweden in the 2006 Olympic Games.

Hoping to break a 0-0 tie late in the third period, Finland finally made good on their sixth power play of the game when Hagman tipped in a Janne Niskala point shot at 13:34. The Finns have Pavel Kubina’s helmet to thank for the goal.

While battling for the puck behind the goal-line, the Czech defenseman’s chin strap broke and his helmet flew off his head and behind the net. In Olympic rules, when a player loses his helmet he must either retrieve it or skate off the ice; he cannot continue to play.

Kubina opted to retrieve the helmet, allowing Hagman to easily establish body position in front of Czech goaltender Tomas Vokoun to deflect Niskala’s point shot.

Valtteri Filppula added an empty netter at 18:25 to put the game away.

It was a duel of goaltenders in this quarter-final match as Vokoun and Kiprusoff traded one spectacular save after another all game long.

Vokoun owned the opening twenty minutes, bailing out his team in an undisciplined first period for the Czechs. Finland went 0-for-5 in the opening frame, including a two-man advantage for 40 seconds, thanks to the heroics of Vokoun and his shot blocking teammates. Despite being shorthanded for much of the opening frame, the Czechs had just one shot less than Finland.

As the game went along, both teams played with more urgency, skating at faster speeds and taking more risks offensively.

The Czech’s best chance came on the powerplay in the second period. After Kiprusoff made several saves in tight, the puck found its way on Tomas Fleischmann’s stick. The Czech forward had open ice and an empty net to shoot at as the Finnish goaltender was down and out after making the initial save, but rather than quickly flip the puck into the net, Fleischamnn hesitated by the slightest of margins.

Kiprusoff made the most of the delay as he made a desperation swipe with his stick that Fleischamnn didn’t see coming. The goaltender managed to knock the puck away just as Fleischmann was about to shoot for what looked like the easiest of goals.