This just might be as good as it gets

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 26/02/2010 (5902 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — The Swedes, we figure, would be up for it big time. Maybe the Norwegians, too. Same goes for the Swiss, Americans, Chinese, British…

Heck, anybody that has faced Kevin Martin here at the Winter Olympics — or at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, the Brier, the worlds and so on — would probably be game for a bit of exploratory surgery on the veteran skip.

You know, like slicing open his arm, maybe the top of his head, to see if the man was indeed human or some sort of curling cyborg.

Martin, as he has done so often since piecing together his current squad four years ago, was robot-like in taking apart Sweden’s Niklas Edin 6-3 in the men’s semifinal Thursday at the Vancouver Olympic Centre.

Oh sure, there were some delicate moments but, as is often the case in a game involving Martin, he made the key shots when he had to — including stealing deuces in the fifth and sixth ends — en route to his 10th straight win here.

"A big save by the ol’ skipper in the fifth end and that was kind of the game turnaround right there," said Canadian second Marc Kennedy. "That’s why you’ve got Kevin there."

As accomplished as any curler on the planet, Martin will now chase the one thing missing from his extensive resumé on Saturday against Thomas Ulsrud of Norway: Olympic gold.

"It’s a lot of work to get back here and you don’t get that many chances in a lifetime," said Martin, who has a silver medal from the 2002 Olympics after losing 6-5 to Norway’s Pal Trulsen. "We’ll give ‘er our all, but I roll with punches pretty good.

"It definitely won’t be the end of the world if we don’t win, but I seriously want to get up that podium one more step."

The expectations for Cheryl Bernard’s Team Canada weren’t nearly as lofty when their season began — they were a dark horse heading into the Canadian Trials last December and entered a field here that included the reigning world champion in Bingyu Wang of China and defending Olympic champion Anette Norberg — but now find themselves one step from the top of the podium as well.

Even though she was battling a head cold, Bernard and her squad of Susan O’Connor, Carolyn Darbyshire and Cori Bartel gutted out a 6-5 win over two-time silver-medallist Mirjam Ott of Switzerland and now face Norberg in the gold-medal game Friday.

Bernard is looking to become the first Canadian woman to win Olympic curling gold since Sandra Schmirler in 1998.

"There were a lot of nerves in that game," said Bernard. "I think it was a little bit of the fear of having (to possibly) play the bronze-medal game, not so much trying to win. It wasn’t a stellar game, but we made the necessary shots we needed to."

Bingo. And that’s become this outfit’s trademark since the Trials in Edmonton — making the big shots when called upon and forcing the opposition into errors.

And so while Martin’s crew was expected to be here, Bernard & Co. want to finish what has been a dreamy season in style.

"I can’t even describe the feeling," said Bartel. "Now we know we’re assured of at least some hardware… the suitcase is going to be a little heavier on the ride home. But we’re not done yet. We’ve had a great two weeks and we want to finish on a great note and make that crowd happy because they’re awesome."

That pro-Canadian crowd of 5,600, as has been the case all week, could be a factor again for both Bernard and Martin. Check that: they WILL be a factor for both Bernard and Martin.

It is the grandest stage in curling. It’s on Canadian soil. And both of this country’s teams are in a gold-medal match.

Could this have been scripted more perfectly?

"We’ve only got one more game in front of this amazing crowd so we’re going to relish it and we’re just going to try and give her hell," said O’Connor, the sharp-shooting Canadian third.

"We’re guaranteed a medal now, but we certainly want it to be the right colour."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

WOMEN’S MATCHUP

CANADA VS. SWEDEN

 

When: Today, 5 p.m. CT.

The matchup: Canada’s Cheryl Bernard vs. Sweden’s Anette Norberg.

The 4-1-1 on Sweden: Norberg is the defending Olympic champion… The Swedes went 7-2 in the round-robin, losing 10-1 to Russia and 6-2 to Canada… Norberg finished second to Canada’s Bernard in shooting percentage in the round-robin, (81 per cent to Bernard’s 82).

The 4-1-1 on Canada: Bernard, third Susan O’Connor and second Carolyn Darbyshire all finished atop their positions in shooting percentage. Lead Cori Bartel ranked eighth… Canada was 8-1 in the round-robin, losing to China 6-5.

 

MEN’S MATCHUP

 

CANADA VS. NORWAY

 

When: Saturday, 5 p.m. CT. The matchup: Canada’s Kevin Martin vs. Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud.

The 4-1-1 on Norway: Ulsrud is a three-time bronze medallist at the Worlds… Coached by Pal Trulsen, the same skip who edged Martin in 2002 to win gold… Third on the World Curling Tour’s money list this season, behind Martin and Glenn Howard… Ulsrud finished first among all skips with an 86 shooting percentage.

The 4-1-1 on Canada: Martin has won everything but an Olympic gold… Winnipeg-born John Morris finished first among all thirds with a shooting percentage of 83. Martin was second to Ulsrud among skips, Marc Kennedy was second among seconds, ditto for lead Ben Hebert… Martin’s squad went unbeaten in Winnipeg in late January to win the BDO Classic and are now 18-0 in their last 18.

Quotable: "(Thursday’s) win is small satisfaction and a little bit of relief. Either way we get an Olympic medal. Still, got to stay focussed." — Marc Kennedy