The energy in Vancouver last was like I’ve never seen it before. It seemed everyone had a smile on their face. The night was pretty much perfect (minus the hydraulic problems at BC Place).

After enjoying the ceremony for a couple of hours at Moxies on Georgia, Wayne Gretzky proceeded to carry the Olympic flame out of BC Place and into the streets of Vancouver. My friends and I thought we’d head outside and see if we could catch him. Our first thought was that he was at least one block over, but sure enough, as soon as we step out the door…. BOOM there’s Wayne Gretzky about 10 feet away. As I struggled to pull my camera out of my bag, I proceeded to chase him and the entourage up the street. When I finally stopped to snap a photo, it was way too blurry, so there I was running again. A few blocks later and just short of losing the beers from Moxies, I was able to get a quick bumpy video of Canada’s hero with the flame. The video is not that great, but I can say I was there and I could have literally reached out and touched Wayne had I been looking to be arrested.

Did you enjoy the Opening Ceremony? My favorite parts were the big spirit bear and the Avatar like whale swimming around BC Place.