Vancouver 2010: Day 15 – The Gold Rush Continues

CANADA'S MEDAL COUNT

SILVER – Jenn Heil (Day 2: Women's Moguls)
BRONZE – Kristina Groves (Day 3: Women's Long Track Speed Skating – 3,000m)
GOLD – Alexandre Bilodeau (Day 3: Men's Moguls)
SILVER – Mike Robertson (Day 4: Men's Snowboard Cross)
GOLD – Maëlle Ricker (Day 5: Women's Snowboard Cross)
SILVER – Marianne St-Gelais (Day 6: Women's Short Track Speed Skating – 500m)
GOLD – Christine Nesbitt (Day 7: Women's Long Track Speed Skating – 1,000m)
GOLD – Jon Montgomery (Day 8: Men's Skeleton)
SILVER – Kristina Groves (Day 10: Women's Long Track Speed Skating – 1,500m)
GOLD – Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir (Day 11: Figure Skating – Ice Dance)
GOLD – Ashleigh McIvor (Day 12: Freestyle Skiing – Ladies Ski Cross)
GOLD – Kaillie Humphries / Heather Moyse (Day 13: Women's Bobsleigh)
SILVER – Helen Upperton / Shelly-Ann Brown (Day 13: Women's Bobsleigh)
SILVER – Tania Vicent / Kalyna Roberge / Jessica Gregg / Marianne St-Gelais (Day 13: Short Track Speed Skating – Women's 3,000m Relay)
BRONZE – Clara Hughes (Day 13: Long Track Speed Skating – Women's 5,000m)
GOLD – Canada (Day 14: Women's Hockey)
BRONZE – Joannie Rochette (Day 14: Ladies Figure Skating)
GOLD – Charles Hamelin (Day 15: Short Track Speed Skating – Men's 500m)
GOLD – Charles Hamelin / Olivier Jean / Francois-Louis Tremblay / Guillaume Bastille / Francois Hamelin (Day 15: Short Track Speed Skating – Men's 5000m Relay)
SILVER – Canada (Day 15: Women's Curling)
BRONZE – Francois-Louis Tremblay (Day 15: Short Track Speed Skating – Men's 500m)

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(Photograph By: Gerry Kahrmann / Canwest News Service)

Do you hear that noise? It's hard to miss…

The silence is deafening as critics of Canada's "Own the Podium" are no doubt eating crow tonight.

O Canada indeed as our athletes brought home two Gold Medals, one Silver Medal, one Bronze Medal and are guarenteed to win at least three more and are in the running for a fourth!

Let's start with Charles Hamelin. Our male speed skaters have struggled in Vancouver but tonight they got back on track. Charles Hamelin cruised his way to a Gold Medal in the Men's 500m (Short Track) while Francois-Louis Tremblay won the Bronze Medal.

Just over 45min later, Charles Hamelin won his second Gold Medal of the night as part of Canada's 5000m Relay (Short Track) team. Hamelin, his brother Francois, Francois-Louis Tremblay, Guillaume Bastille and Olivier Jean won Canada's second Gold Medal of the Day!

So while there were celebrations in the speed skating world, it was heartbreak for our curlers. Cheryl Bernard's foursome gave up two in the tenth and a steal of one in the eleventh, as she lost her grip on a Gold Medal. So Canada would have to settle for Silver while Sweden won its second straight Gold Medal.

Four medals in one day and the news kept getting better…

Canada is guarenteed three more medals before these Olympic games are done!

Men's Curling – Canada goes for Gold on Saturday.
Long Track Speed Skating: Team Pursuit – Canada goes for Gold on Saturday
Men's Hockey – Canada goes for Gold on Sunday

Canada is also sitting in second place thru two heats in the 4-man bobsled which could give us yet another medal!

Working with just our guarenteed medals, Canada will win 24 medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics. That would tie them with their all-time record set at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino. A medal in bobsled would give Canada a record setting 25th medal.

Canada has also won 10 Gold Medals (not counting any of our guarenteed medal events) which shatters the old record of 7, which was set in 2006 in Torino.

So I once again ask… where are all the "Own the Podium" critics now?

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Here's how our Saskatchewan Athletes fared on Day 15 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Corinne Bartel (Lanigan, SK): Women's Curling – SILVER (Canada lost to Sweden 7-6 in 11 Ends)

Ryan Getzlaf (Regina, SK): Men's Hockey – 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 1 Shot on Goal as Canada beat Slovakia 3-2 in the Semi Finals

Brenden Morrow (Carlyle, SK): Men's Hockey – 1 Goal, 2 Shots on Goal as Canada beat Slovakia 3-2 in the Semi Finals

Patrick Marleau (Aneroid, SK): Men's Hockey – 1 Goal, 1 Shot on Goal as Canada beat Slovakia 3-2 in the Semi Finals

Lyndon Rush (Humboldt, SK): 4-man Bobsled – 2nd Place thru 2 of 4 Heats

Lucas Makowsky (Regina, SK): Long Track Speed Skating – Advances to Gold Medal race in Team Pursuit

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Here's a look at how our Canadian athletes fared on Day 15 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING: Men's 500m

Charles Hamelin – GOLD
Francois-Louis Tremblay – BRONZE
Olivier Jean – 9th

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING: Men's 5000m Relay

Charles Hamelin / Francois Hamelin / Francois-Louis Tremblay / Olivier Jean / Guillaume Bastille – GOLD

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING: Women's 1000m

Kalyna Roberge – 5th
Jessica Gregg – 6th
Tania Vicent – 17th

WOMEN'S CURLING: Gold Medal Game

Canada – SILVER (Lost 7-6 to Sweden in 11 Ends)

MEN'S HOCKEY: Semi Finals

Canada beat Slovakia 3-2

4-MAN BOBSLEIGH: 2 of 4 Heats

Lyndon Rush / Lascelles Brown / David Bissett / Chris Le Bihan – 2nd Place
Pierre Lueders / Jesse Lumsden / Neville Wright / Justin Kripps – 6th Place

LONG TRACK SPEED SKATING: Team Pursuit

Lucas Makowsky / Denny Morrison / Mathieu Giroux / Francois-Olivier Roberge advance to Gold Medal race

SNOWBOARD: Women's Parallel Giant Slalom

Alexa Loo – 12th
Caroline Calve – 20th
Kimiko Zakreski – 29th

ALPINE SKIING: Women's Slalom

Brigitte Acton – 17th
Anna Goodman – 19th
Erin Mielzynski – 20th
Marie-Michele Gagnon – 31st

BIATHLON: Men's 4×7.5K Relay

Robin Clegg / Marc-Andre Bedard / Brendan Green / Jean Philippe Le Guellec – 10th

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People of Saskatchewan should be proud as all three of Canada's goals in the Men's Hockey Semi Finals were scored by Saskatchewan boys. Patrick Marleau, Ryan Getzlaf and Brenden Morrow were all on the scoresheet as Canada edged past Slovakia 3-2.

I don't know about you, but my heart was racing in those final minutes when Canada nearly blew a 3-0 lead. Slovakia came agonizingly close to tying the game with just seconds remaining… it doesn't get much closer than that.

But that game is in the past as Canada must now turn its attention to Sunday's Gold Medal game against the United States. It's a re-match of the 2002 Gold Medal game in Salt Lake. You can beat the Americans are out for revenge – looking to play spoiler on Canadian soil much like the Canadians did in Utah. There's no doubt it'll be a classic!

If Canada's going to win Gold, they'll need to play like they did against the Russians. If they let the foot off the gas, the Americans are going to pull out the "W". And as cliché as it sounds, the game will be won or lost by goaltending. What a duel it will be as Ryan Miller goes head-to-head with Roberto Luongo.

Two great goaltenders, two great teams… one Gold Medal.

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Here's what you should keep your eye on in Day 16 of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver (All Times SK)

1:45pm – Cross Country Skiing: Women's 30K Mass Start Classic

2:51pm – Long Track Speed Skating: Men's Team Pursuit

3:00pm – 4-man Bobsleigh: Heat 3

3:13pm – Long Track Speed Skating: Women's Team Pursuit

3:31pm – Snowboard: Men's Parallel Giant Slalom

3:45pm – Alpine Skiing: Men's Slalom

4:40pm – 4-man Bobsleigh: Final Heat

5:00pm – Men's Curling: Gold Medal Game