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Originally Posted by guccilvr
So some teams are complaining that the Canadian fans are being boorish by being loud and boisterous during opposing teams curling "throws". Even the Canadian teams are saying that it's not fair.
Man, I never knew there was so much controversy in sliding rocks on ice.  |
The British men's team liked being serenaded with the National Anthem going into the final end, and it seemed to have inspired the Canadian men's team.
British curling team lose after Canadian national anthem blasted out - mirror.co.uk
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Britain's curlers saw their gold medal hopes shattered - thanks to the Canadian national anthem.
David Murdoch's team led the tournament-favourite home side 6-5 in Vancouver with just one end to play.
But as they knuckled down to the crucial last few stones, the 5,600-strong crowd suddenly launched into a lung-bursting rendition of "O, Canada" to stir the home team into action.
The match had to be stopped until the fans finished singing as the players could not concentrate and the sweepers could hear their instructions.
Trailing by one, Canada were inspired to finish the game by scoring two points for victory, beating their top rival 7-6 to remain unbeaten in the tournament.
"The national anthem, wasn't that something?" said Canadian skip Kevin Martin.
"You noticed that we didn't play during that. It was amazing. Something you remember for the rest of your life. I've never heard that in any sport I've ever been to."
Scottish skip Murdoch's last stone fell short, giving the Canadians two and sending the home crowd - including hockey legend Wayne Gretzky - into a frenzy.
Canada have won all six of their matches in Vancouver with three remaining in group play, while Britain's world champions are in danger of missing the semi-finals.
"We had a great chance in the 10th there. Unfortunately we were a little short with it," said Murdoch.
"Every game's a must-win now for us to finish 6-3."
As for Murdoch's reaction to the unexpected rendition of the national anthem? "I thought it was hilarious," he said. "It's not something that you're ever going to see stopping a match again, is it?" Last night's Murdoch's men got back to their winning ways with a 4-2 victory over the USA.
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A few women's teams seem to like it as well
Raucous fans make competitors feel the noise | Sports | Reuters
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With ear-splitting cheering, chants, pounding feet and stadium waves the sell-out crowd at the Vancouver Olympic Center tried to dispel the image of curling as a conservative spectator sport.
The competitors are not accustomed to the racket and flag-waving in what on the first day of play quickly became the Thunderdome of Curling, but they loved it.
"I have to say that it's really amazing to play in front of this crowd," Thomas Ulsrud, captain of Norway's men's team, said after his first game on Tuesday against Canada.
"There must be some hockey fans out there, because I've played a lot of curling tournaments, but never with a crowd as loud as this."
The venue seats about 6,000 people, which is not large for a Canadian curling arena. What it lacks in seating capacity it more than makes up for in decibel levels.
The frequent cries from the ice of "Hard! Hard!" as rock throwers demand their team mates sweep more intensely is often drowned out by the din of the boisterous fans, especially when their beloved Canadian teams nail a shot.
It is unfamiliar territory even for the host country's curlers, Canadian skipper Cheryl Bernard said after winning her first match against Switzerland.
"The noise is very stimulating. It kind of gets right inside of you," she said. "It's really loud out there, which is great, but I'm not used to it. I think we all felt that we could feel the noise right inside."
Canada is a hotbed for the sport, which has a reputation for being a genteel pastime of strategy and precision. It is the home to most of the world's curlers, and the fans are well-versed and expecting their Olympic teams to excel.
At the venue, there are frequent chants of "Here we go, Canada, Here we go!" In fact, a boy who was little bigger than a toddler led the chanting from his perch on his father's lap for several ends on Tuesday.
But the din is not reserved for the Canadians. Plenty of U.S. fans keep it loud when those teams play in one of the four games that take place simultaneously. There are smaller eruptions for the Germans, Swiss and others too.
It all makes for a thrilling Olympic experience, Niklas Edin, Sweden's captain, said.
"You can really feel the excitement. It's a great venue."
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I really hope Joannie Rochette has a great skate tonight, she's got a lot on her mind with her mother's sudden passing on Sunday.
Brodeur's out, Luongo is in for Canada for what may be the rest of the tournament depending on his performance, Babcock made the obvious move after the USA game.
I find it amusing how Crosby's lack of production is blamed on 'not being with the proper linemates' by all the media here, rather than the kid having a shitty tournament, the media always seem to pass the buck for the kid here, it's never his fault when he plays bad, it's always a linemate issue, pretty pathetic excuse really.