Top 100 reasons to be happy about the olympics.

They're at home
Not since 1988 has Canada played host to the Olympic Games. More than 2,500 of the world's best winter athletes from over 80 nations will compete in our very own backyard.
99O Canada
How many times will we hear a Canadian belt out our national anthem on the podium? Canada ranked 3rd in the medal count in 2006, but we're aiming to Own the Podium in 2010.
98Wotherspoon's elusive gold
Canada's most decorated male speed skater and the world record holder at 500m, Jeremy Wotherspoon is competing at his fourth Games. All that's missing from his resume is Olympic gold.
97Women's Hockey Rivalry
Canada has been runner-up to Team USA in the last four international tournaments. Can Canada's women solve the rival Americans and win their third straight Olympic gold at home?
96Liz Manley's Successor
World silver medallist Joannie Rochette could end a 22-year figure skating drought. If she hits the podium in Vancouver, she'll be the first Canadian woman to do so since Manley won silver in 1988.
95Torch Lighting
Who will light it and how will it be lit? Guess-makers are already throwing out names, with Betty Fox, Rick Hansen and Nancy Greene getting mentions.
941st gold on home soil
Canada has played host to two Olympic Games but has never won Olympic gold at home. We're due.
93Curling lingo
The hammer. The hog line. Hurry hard! We'll have a chance to hear the lingo enjoyed by rock-heads all over the world in Vancouver.
92Ski Cross
The event makes its debut in Vancouver, where skiers will go head to head as they rip down hills and fly over jumps. Translation? Plenty of chances for racers to get tangled up.
91Klassen's comeback
Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen is back in action after knee surgery forced her to miss last season. Three more medals and Canada's most decorated Olympian ties Claudia Pechstein's long track record with 9.
90Historic curling repeat
Canada's men have the chance to become the first to defend their Olympic gold medal in curling. They're going for the repeat at home, and they're the favourites.
89Ageless wonder Gregor Staehli
Watch the 41-year-old Swiss slider aim to become the oldest individual gold medallist in Winter Olympic history. The reigning world champion, he'd also be the first man to win three Olympic medals in skeleton.
88History for Canadian lugers
Canada has never won an Olympic medal in luge, but it could happen in Vancouver. Alex Gough's 4th place finish at the 2009 World Championships was the best-ever for a Canadian.
87Pierre Lueders' brakeman
Will it be the veteran or the star running back? Lueders competed most of last season with David Bissett, but won nationals with Edmonton Eskimo, Jesse Lumsden.
86Ole Einar Bjoerndalen
The Norwegian has won nine Olympic medals. Four more, and the biathlete becomes the most decorated winter Olympian in history.
85Indoor parties
Vancouver will play host to the first-ever indoor Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Vancouver's 60,000-seat BC place.
84Shaun White
One of the most recognizable winter Olympians in the world, the American is looking to defend his Olympic gold medal in halfpipe. Watch out for his back-to-back double corkscrew.
83Bode Miller
Need we say more? The party animal of alpine skiing is back with the American national program, and looking for a return to the Olympic podium after missing out in 2006.
82Gold for Orser?
Two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser has a chance to win that elusive gold medal. The Canadian coaches figure skater Kim Yu-Na of South Korea, and she's the favourite.
81Speedy sliding centre
Just how fast is the Whistler Sliding Centre? Many say it's the world's fastest track, with four-man bobsleighs ripping along at speeds of over 150 km/hour.
80Mega coverage
Canada has never seen Olympic coverage like this. The Consortium will be providing the biggest and most robust coverage in Olympic history through every available medium.
Indoor parties
Vancouver will play host to the first-ever indoor Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies at Vancouver's 60,000-seat BC place.
84Shaun White
One of the most recognizable winter Olympians in the world, the American is looking to defend his Olympic gold medal in halfpipe. Watch out for his back-to-back double corkscrew.
83Bode Miller
Need we say more? The party animal of alpine skiing is back with the American national program, and looking for a return to the Olympic podium after missing out in 2006.
82Gold for Orser?
Two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser has a chance to win that elusive gold medal. The Canadian coaches figure skater Kim Yu-Na of South Korea, and she's the favourite.
81Speedy sliding centre
Just how fast is the Whistler Sliding Centre? Many say it's the world's fastest track, with four-man bobsleighs ripping along at speeds of over 150 km/hour.
80Mega coverage
Canada has never seen Olympic coverage like this. The Consortium will be providing the biggest and most robust coverage in Olympic history through every available medium.
79Lindsey Vonn
Can the American have the most successful Olympics of any alpine skier? Vonn is the reigning downhill and super-G world champion, and now has her sights set on Olympic gold. Some experts say she could sweep all 5 alpine events.
78Alpine hardware
Edi Podivinsky's bronze in 1994 was the last time a Canadian alpine skier won an Olympic medal. Now, both Canada's ladies - the Speed Queens - and men - the Canadian Cowboys - are targeting a goal of three medals in Whistler.
77Aboriginal influence
For the first time in Olympic history, a committee was created to rally aboriginal communities across Canada to participate in the Games in as many areas as possible.
76Golden Cowboys
No Canadian man has ever won Olympic gold in alpine skiing - but the Canadian Cowboys could make history. The team includes reigning world downhill champ, John Kucera.
75Paerson's medal haul
Sweden's Anja Paerson needs two more medals to become the most decorated female alpine skier in Olympic history. She says 2010 will be her final Games, so it's likely her last shot at medals No. 6 and 7.
74Colourful biathlon
Where else will you find yellow cedars, dyed bright red hair and a blazing pink rifle? Only in biathlon, thanks to the Callaghan Valley (yellow), six-time Olympic medallist Kati Wilhelm (red), and Canada's Zina Kocher (pink).
73Sandra Kiriasis
The overall World Cup champ for seven straight years, the German pilot is the only female bobsleigh athlete to win multiple Olympic medals. Kiriasis is looking to bring home hardware from her third straight Games.
72Figure skating comebacks
Big names are back in the mix in 2010: Reigning Olympic champion Evgeni Plushenko of Russia returns after a three-year absence, and three-time world champs Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo of China come out of retirement to skate for Olympic gold.
71Omischl's elusive title
A four-time overall World Cup aerials champion, Canada's Steve Omischl is looking for the one title not yet included on his impressive resume: Olympic gold.
70The Gregg family
Dad Randy Gregg was Team Canada's hockey captain at the 1980 Games. Mom Kathy Vogt was a long track speed skater at two Olympics. Now it's daughter Jessica's turn to carry on the family name on the short track - and could be son Jamie's turn on the long track.
Turn 13
The Shiver. Wedge. Lueders' Loop. These are among the names of turns at the Whistler Sliding Centre. Turn 13 takes the cake: 50/50, so named because a four-man sled has a 50/50 chance of making it through safely.
68Curling's new look
Gone are the days of chain-smoking, pot-bellied, boozing curlers. Now it's all about fitness and nutrition for the world's best. John Morris, a member of Kevin Martin's team, even wrote a book on the topic.
67Olympic NHLers
Alex Ovechkin won't want to hear this, but 2010 could be the last time NHL players face off at the Winter Games. The league says the risk of injury to its top players and inconvenient break in schedule aren't worth it.
66Wolf vs. Wang
Long track's 500m is a battle of two women: Germany's Jenny Wolf and China's Wang Beixing. Watch these skaters go head to head on Day 5 in Vancouver.
65Need for speed
The fastest luge speed ever clocked: 153.98 km/hour at the Whistler Sliding Centre. This record could be matched - or even better, beaten - at the 2010 Games.
64The Finnish Mafia
Are you afraid of the Finnish Mafia? You should be. X Games champ Peetu Piiroinen and World Tour champ Antti Autti are out to dethrone American Shaun White, the reigning Olympic gold medallist in men's halfpipe.
63Team Ghana
For the first time in history, Ghana will have a team at the Winter Games - and it's one man strong. Skier Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong, known as 'The Snow Leopard,' grew up in Ghana's snowless capital, but honed his skills in the UK.
62Rising stars
Canada's Tessa Virtue, 20, and Scott Moir, 22, look to become the youngest Olympic ice dance champs ever. They'd also be only the second Canadian ice dance team to reach the Olympic podium.
61Canuck coaches
Want to win an Olympic short track medal? Just hire a Canadian. The Germans, Dutch and Americans all have Canadians running their programs.
60Duff Gibson's return
The Canadian slider won gold at the 2006 Olympics, and he's back in 2010 - in the CTV broadcast booth. Listen as the Olympic skeleton champ calls the men's and women's action from Whistler.
59No more hot-dogging
Lindsey Jacobellis probably won't show off in 2010. The American was on her way to snowboard cross gold in 2006 when she did a board grab for the crowd. Then she fell. And lost the gold.
58Jenn Heil
No freestyle skiier has ever won back-to-back Olympic titles, and Canada has never won Olympic gold at home. Mogulist Jenn Heil could be the first to do both.

57Friends and foes
Canada's Denny Morrison and American Shani Davis are friends, former training partners, and two of the world's best speed skaters. Watch them go toe to toe in Vancouver.
56China's short trackers
The Chinese women might be unbeatable. Headlining the team is Wang Meng, who won three medals at the 2006 Olympics and three more at the 2009 Worlds.

55Canada's Hollingsworth
The gold medal favourite at the 2006 Olympics, Mellisa Hollingsworth nearly finished off the podium. After winning bronze in Torino, the skeleton racer is hoping for a smoother slide at Whistler.
Lueders' last hurrah?
Canada's most decorated slider is piloting his fifth and maybe final Olympic Games. Watch Pierre Lueders try to add to his medal haul in Whistler.
53Curling hotties
Who's hot? Well, check out Canada's John Morris, the Czech Republic's Jiri Snitil, China's Xu Xiaoming and Finland's Kalle Kiiskinen. All four guys made curling's 'Hotties' list.
52Short track's fans
Fans sporting the maple leaf may be hard to see when short track kicks off at Pacific Coliseum. The South Korean men's team and China's women's team are the favourites in 2010, and flag-waving fans will be out in droves.
51Bold beautiful biathlon
Canada's top female biathletes are looking to trade their pin-up for podiums. The women's team made a 2009 nude calendar to help fund their quest for Olympic success.
50Chan vs. Joubert
To quad or not to quad? That is the question between figure skaters Brian Joubert of France and Canada's Patrick Chan. Chan's quad is in progress, while Joubert might attempt three. Will it be the difference-maker?
48Australia's golden Canuck
Olympic moguls champion and Vancouver native Dale Begg-Smith returns home to defend his title, but he's still representing Australia. He moved and quit the Canadian team when told he spent too much time on an IT business that later turned him into a millionaire.
47Short track's spills, thrills
Watch short track speed skating and you'll see why it's been called 'Human NASCAR.' Half a dozen skaters rip around tight corners at 50km/h. They bump, push, fall and slide, and there's no shortage of spills.
46Canada's short track streak
One short track speed skating relay team has won a medal at every Olympics since the sport joined the Games' roster in 1992: Canada's ladies. Can they keep the streak alive?

45Katie Uhlaender's inspiration
The American slider always drew inspiration from dad, Ted, a pro baseball player. One year before the opening ceremony for the 2010 Games, Ted lost his battle to cancer. Katie is gunning for gold in her dad's honour.
44Biathlon: You try it
It's not as easy as it looks. Try cross-country skiing between 7.5 - 20 km with a 3.5kg rifle on your back, then lie down and shoot at tiny targets. It's one of the most demanding Olympic sports there is.
43Cool Runnings II
Who will be Vancouver's Jamaican bobsleigh team equivalent? Could be Australia. Pilot Christopher Spring is a former sprinter who moved to Canada in 2007 and got hooked on bobsleigh. Now he's training full time in Calgary.
42China's curling dynasty
Curling's big in China? Yes it is, and Canada's Dan Rafael helped put it on the map. Since he started coaching the national teams three years ago, the women became world champions and the men qualified for the Olympics.
41Anni Friesinger
'Sexy Anni' is one of the world's most famous and accomplished speed skaters. Watch her gun for a third Olympic title and fifth Olympic medal in Vancouver.
40The next Great One
Meet a female player whose skill set has been likened to Sidney Crosby's: Marie-Philip Poulin. She's expected to play a big offensive role on Team Canada's top line as the women go after their third straight Olympic gold.
39Curling ice guru

Meet the guru of curling ice making in Canada and the man in charge in Vancouver: Manitoba's Hans Wuthrich. He has an 'Eye on the Ice' wireless system that monitors everything you can think of to create perfect ice.
Curling ice guru
38 22 Feet
That's the height of the monster at Cypress Mountain: the largest Olympic halfpipe in history. Expect some seriously big air.
37Russia's pairs
They've won gold at every Olympics since 1964. Now that's a streak. While Russia's figure skating pairs for 2010 aren't favourites, they should never be counted out. Look out for Kavaguti and Smirnov, and Mukhortova and Trankov.
36Hamelin family affair
The Hamelins are a dominant force on the short track speed skating scene in Canada. Dad Yves runs the program, and brothers Charles and François are looking to share the podium in Vancouver.
35Bobsleigh first?
No Canadian woman has ever won an Olympic medal in bobsleigh. Pilots Helen Upperton and Kaillie Humphries are major contenders to make it happen for the first time - at home.
34Crawford's new style
Canada's Chandra Crawford is going for gold again - but with a new technique. The cross-country skier won using the free technique in Torino, but in Vancouver, the race swiches to classical.
33Trevor Marsicano
He's 20 years old, and already a star. The American speed skater burst onto the international scene in 2009 with four medals at the world championships. Watch out for Marsicano in Vancouver.
32Long track talent
Groves, Nesbitt, Morrison, Hughes, Wotherspoon, Klassen - that's just part of Canada's star-studded speed skating team. Canada won 8 Olympic medals in 2006, and the haul is expected to be even bigger in 2010.
31US halfpipe dominance
Can any team spoil the USA's party in the pipe? No country has won more Olympic medals, and reigning Olympic champions Shaun White and Hannah Teter are among a handful of potential podium finishers on the American team.
30Cross-country first?
No Canadian man has ever won an Olympic medal in cross-country skiing, but a trio of Canadians - Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov and Alex Harvey - have won world cup medals. History could be made in Vancouver.
29End of an era?
An American figure skater has stood on the podium at every Olympics since 1968 in the ladies' competition. In 2010 there are no clear US favourites, but watch Rachael Flatt and Sasha Cohen try to come out of the woodwork to keep the streak alive.
28Aerial sweep
China won its first ever Winter Olympics medal in 2006, and now, only four years later, the country could achieve a podium sweep. Five ladies' freestyle aerialists rank among the world's top 10. Now that's fast progress.
27Miracle on Ice
The Soviet Union won four straight Olympic gold medals before the 1980 Games, when 20 American college kids shocked the hockey power in Lake Placid. On Feb. 22, 2010, hockey fans can celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 'Miracle on Ice.'
26Jagr and Palffy
The former NHL stars are back to represent their countries on the world's biggest stage. Jaromir Jagr, 37, led the Czech Republic to gold in 1998, and Ziggy Palffy, who had three 30-goal seasons for the Kings, will suit up for Slovakia.
25David Möller
If he cracks the Olympic podium, expect the accomplished German luger to bust out some sign language. While his hearing is perfect, Möller's parents are both deaf, so he often signs to the camera, speaking to them directly through the TV.
24Bill Demong's quest
Watch Demong try to become the first North American to win an Olympic medal in nordic combined. The American has a solid shot - he won five World Cup gold medals in 2008-09, and challenged for the overall title.
Luge dominance
Four-time Olympic medallist Armin Zöggeler is going for his third straight gold in Vancouver. A medal of any colour ties the Italian for the most Olympic hardware won by any luge athlete.
22Clean cross-country?
Doping scandals stole the sport's headlines at the last two Olympics. Will Vancouver 2010 give fans a reason to cheer for true athleticism, or will positive drug tests again steal the show?
21Canada on the short track
Want to win an Olympic medal in short track? Just hire a Canadian. The Germans, Dutch and Americans all have Canucks running their programs.
20Gregor Schlierenzauer
He dominated the 2008-09 World Cup circuit, and broke a few records en route to the overall ski jumping titles. You may never have heard of him, but Austria's Schlierenzauer made more prize money last season than American alpine star Lindsey Vonn.
18Renner and Crawford
Sara Renner won silver in the team sprint event in 2006 with Beckie Scott. Chandra Crawford is the reigning individual sprint champion. Can the duo team up to win cross-country gold in Vancouver?
17Philip Boit
Kenya's king of cross-country skiing is headed to his fourth Games. A middle distance runner, Boit started skiing in 1996 as part of a Nike-sponsored project. He turned in his best Olympic result in 2002: 64th out of 69 competitors.
16Jason Myslicki
He competes in Nordic combined, a sport that gets no funding and little attention in Canada. Case in point: Myslicki swapped cold beer for ski wax during the 2008-09 World Cup season. The heart of Canada's program, he came out of retirement in 2008 to compete in Vancouver.
15Ivan Babikov's return
The cross-country skier is making his Olympic debut for Canada, but it's his second Games. Babikov competed for Russia in Turin, but is now part of what may be the strongest and deepest team in Canadian history.