An Olympics that began with the death of a luger ended Sunday with an exuberant celebration of Canada -- reflecting a determined comeback by the host country's organizers and athletes.
VANCOUVER (AP) -- From the Pacific coast to the shores of the Black Sea. From the peaks of western Canada to the Caucasus mountains of southern Russia. From gleaming North American skyline to palm-fringed resort in the former Soviet Union.
At BC Place on Friday night, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson became the first active NHL player to march in an Opening Ceremony. It wasn't an easy feat to accomplish, but still, Johnson said, "It was the coolest thing I've ever done."
Johnson was only able to make the trip from L.A. to Vancouver because of some scheduling luck. He said that after he was named to the U.S. Olympic team on Jan. 1, he took a look at his NHL schedule to plan his Olympic travel. He realized he was off on Friday, Feb. 12 - the night of the Opening Ceremony - and played in L.A. on Thursday and Saturday. So he asked the Kings whether he could go, if he promised to be back in time for Saturday night's game. They said it was fine, so he invited his family to come along and got to work planning.
NBCOlympics.com's Alan Abrahamson names his top 10 moments from Vancouver's Opening Ceremony.
