For six straight Olympic Games, from Sydney in 2000 to Vancouver in 2010, I was the Toronto Star’s Olympics editor/organizer on the ground.
I would get our credentials and housing set up and then, on the ground, coordinate our assignments for the reporters and make sure everyone had what they needed to get the job done, including getting media tickets from the Canadian Olympic Committee to cover the big events that had limited media seating. I also would write most of our web stories, usually off a television set in the Media Centre, where I spent 99% of my time. It wasn’t as “glamorous” as being out in the field covering events live, but I still got to be part of the biggest sporting event in the world, and occasionally I would sneak out to see some events.
In Sydney, about all I saw was a swimming race and a couple innings of a baseball game. It wasn’t much better in Salt Lake in 2002 or Athens in 2004. I saw some Canadian skating medals at the Turin Games in 2006 but not a lot else.
By 2008, however, I was finding I could skip out now and then to cover some events live. I got to, amazingly, see Usain Bolt win the 100 meter dash and the 200 meter dash at the Birdsnest Stadium in Beijing. I also got to see Michael Phelps win his record eighth gold swimming medal, and that was incredible.
When it came to Vancouver, I was pretty busy writing web stories and keeping an eye on things from the press centre most of the time. I got out to see some short track speed skating and maybe some curling, but not a lot. I think the folks I work with felt a little sorry for me, I’m not sure. All I know is that, somehow, the day of the men’s gold medal hockey game, with Canada enjoying home ice, The Star had an extra press ticket for the game. All the folks who HAD to be there already had seats, including my buddy Paul Hunter from Star sports, and I’m sure Damien Cox and Rosie DiManno. I don’t remember the details, but my co-workers insisted I take the last ticket so I could perhaps enjoy the game.
Needless to say, I didn’t balk.
I was in the press section near the blue line, maybe 20 rows up, writing updates for thestar.com and for my relatively new Twitter account. Much to my amazement (this being in the still early stages of the Internet), there were people around the world who had no way of watching the game live, so they were messaging me on Twitter. I wish I could go back and find those notes, as it was pretty cool. The notes went something like, “Wow, I’m a Canadian in Malaysia. I’m so glad I have someone to tell me what’s happening in the game. How is Canada doing? What? WE SCORED????!!!!????”
Sidney Crosby admires his gold medal after Canada defeated the U.S. in the gold medal men’s hockey game at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. JIM BYERS PHOTO
It was the thrill of a sporting lifetime to be so close to the action. We’re not supposed to cheer in the press box, but the air definitely went out of the place when the U.S. tied the game at two goals apiece with a few seconds left in regulation. I was a mess, trying to type out updates and keeping an eye on the game at the same time.
Then came overtime. I was typing and looked up to see what I thought was number 87 rifle a puck towards the American goalie. I turned to Paul Hunter and said, “Holy sh–. Did that just happen? Oh, MY GOD!”
I sat down to write and went blank for a second.
“Wait, Paul, that was Crosby, right?”
I didn’t want to delay my file, but I thought maybe I should credit the right guy with the goal.
The place, of course, went nuts. I quietly celebrated and then got down to typing. Luckily I had brought along a pretty decent camera, so I snapped a few photos as the medal ceremony went on and as players gathered for the traditional “look at us, we won the gold medal” photo.
Team Canada after the big win. JIM BYERS PHOTO
(On a side note, I think perhaps the best story written about the goal that I saw was this analysis by my old friend and colleague at the Star, Mary Ormsby. Fantastic journalism.)
It was, to say the least, exhilirating. I remember walking back from the arena to my hotel and high-fiving anyone I could find. I managed to find my son, who was studying at UBC at the time and had watched the game at a large sports bar downtown. He and his buddies were a little past their peak by the time I got there, but it was still a blast to celebrate with them.
Like so many of us, I can’t believe it’s been ten years. I loved covering the Olympics for the Star for so many years, but by 2010 I was the Travel Editor and thought I should focus on that full-time. So, I gave it up and let someone else organize the London Games, which I watched from a distance with some combination of longing and dismay. ON the other hand, I was more than happy to skip the Winter Games in Sochi in 2014.
Sidney Crosby takes the flag at the Vancouver 2010 Games. JIM BYERS PHOTO
I got to cover some amazing events as a sports writer; the 1992 and 1993 World Series wins by the Blue Jays, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game against the Raptors, Phil Mickelson’s meltdown at the 2006 US Open golf championship, and much more. But no one event ever got me as excited as the Olympics, which is a circus of immense proportions and touches on everything from sports to politics to entertainment and business.
And I got to go out on an amazing note, watching Sidney Crosby’s magic goal (and at my end of the ice) in a game riddled with tension. Ten years later I can still remember the sweat on my palms and the crackle of nervous energy rippling through the stadium. I’ll never forget the sight of Crosby’s gloves flying into the air and the delirium and the surge of patriotic pride and the sheer, unadulterated joy that his simple flick of the wrist brought on. And I’ll never forget how lucky I was to be there.
