Curling is the most conversational game going, but the Chinese women's team isn't saying anything to the media at the Games.

Sports columnists who lament these Olympics' absence of Cold War us-vs.-them tension might be heartened to hear this: China and skip Bingyu Wang, the defending world champions, have enforced a media blackout, leaving their Canadian coach, Dan Rafael, to do the talking.

He's not happy about it, either. It's simply un-curling-like:

"They were told they had a choice to speak or not, leaning more to the 'not' than the 'speak.' ... It’s not the way I work. It’s not the way I live. If somebody asks you a question, you answer the question."

China's team leader maintained there would be no fallout from Rafael's criticism. Our own Jennifer Jones noted:

"Li suggested the ban could continue throughout the round robin, but Rafael refused to comment. I’m going to watch this story with interest, as I’ve never seen a team behave this way before. Curling is all about

Kevin van der Perren's skeleton costume made its Olympic debut Tuesday night, eight months before Halloween. Despite his unfortunate timing, Kevin still loves trick-or-treating. His favorite candies are Twix, 100 Grand, and Pixy Stix. His mother wants him home by 9, before the older kids start causing trouble.

The Hockey Story sets the scene and the storylines for the day's Olympic ice hockey action, in a handy and easy-to-follow numerical format.

1. Jaromir Jagr returns to North America

Finally, Jaromir Jagr has come back to North America. The former Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers star winger left for KHL millions in Russia two seasons ago, but leads the Czech Republic into what is, on paper, the first real marquee match of the hockey tournament against Slovakia (12 a.m. EST; US TV: CNBC). Both of these teams feature NHL standouts, including hulking defenseman Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins and Marian Hossa of the Detroit Red Wings on Slovakia. Rangers star Marian Gaborik will reportedly miss this game, but check the lineup tonight anyway.

2. Kiprusoff gets what he deserves

Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff said he wouldn't play for Finland if he wasn't the starter. Well, he's playing on Wednesday as the starter against Belarus (3 p.m. EST; US TV: CNBC), with goalie Niklas

Via Deadspin, we get our hands on this amazing picture. It's just a guy, standing alone in some snow, watching hockey. Hey, sometimes you've just got to watch hockey alone in a field. Best caption wins a slide projector.

Previously, a couple of chill bros celebrate a snowboard race.

Gold, Patrick: "Dude! Whats mine say? Sweet! Whats MINE say?"

Silver, karen: "If you think my hat's funny looking? Then take a look at his!"

Bronze, The Monkey Boy: "Who's got two fingers and does not wear the stretchy pants?? These guys!"

It might not shock that Michael Ignatieff, Canada's opposition leader, couldn't just offer a simple "Go Canada" when asked about the Olympic hockey tournament.

It is not quite John Kerry's Lambert Field moment, but it feeds the portrayal of Iggy as aloof and detached. The CBC's Suhana Meharchand kind of fed that stereotype.

"It's interesting: Michael Ignatieff, he wasn't wearing a hockey jersey and I told you I was only going to speak to people in hockey jerseys, but he just happened to be at the Aboriginal Pavilion across the road and so I talked to him. He's Russian background, so he was a little bit betwixt and between about who he's pulling for. He took the very pragmatic approach."

Did you get that? He might be cheering for the Russians, and he wasn't even wearing a hockey jersey. Pass it on.

For the record, Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, once said, "I do not believe in roots," in a book about his Russian heritage.

After every Olympic event, rather than receiving their medals, athletes are given a bouquet of flowers. At the Beijing Olympics, roses dominated the bouquets. In Turin, it was rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias. This year, it's green mums and hypericum berries.

The bouquets come from Just Beginnings Flowers and Margitta's Flowers in Surrey, British Columbia. Their entry was chosen from 58 contending florists. June Strandberg, the bouquet designer and owner of Just Beginnings, teaches floristry to women who have left prison, are recovering from addiction, or have been victims of violence. It's a pretty amazing program, and Strandberg has even taken it behind bars, where she educates convicts. She believes it's her work with these correctional programs that secured the Olympic contract.

For the Vancouver Olympics the florists made 1,800 bouquets, 1,707 of which will be given to medal-winning athletes in the Olympics and Paralympics. The flowers are grown locally, but they aren't in

You wouldn't think that basketball and figure skating have anything in common. Outside of constant jumping, you'd be right. Nonetheless, Evan Lysacek has been training alongside the Los Angeles Lakers, and because of that, he and they have formed a bond.

After Lysacek's graduated from high school in Illinois, he moved to California to train. Thanks to coach Frank Carroll, Lysacek began practicing at the Toyota Sports Center, the training facility used by the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. Soon Lysacek was using the gym and weight room when the Lakers weren't.

It wasn't long after that that Lysacek began garnering respect from the basketball players. Yahoo! Sports' Martin Rogers caught up with Lamar Odom and Jordan Farmar.

"We have seen him and we know about what he does,” said Lamar Odom, whom Lysacek lists along with [Kobe] Bryant as his favorite sportsmen. “As an athlete you can respect excellence in any sport and the level of dedication and preparation it

There is no denying that American ice dancer Tanith Belbin is a beautiful woman. As she glides across the ice with partner Ben Agosto, it's hard to take your eyes off of her. But the Belbin you'll see take the ice Friday night is very different than the one who won silver at Turin in 2006.

This Belbin is 10 pounds heavier, and she couldn't be happier about that.

According to the New York Times, Belbin and Agosto went to new coaches, including Natalia Linichuk, in 2008. One of Linichuk's first suggestions was for Belbin to put on weight. Belbin was resistant, which brought to light Belbin's problems with eating.

“I thought I was out of control and that the weight gain must be my fault,” she said. “I was like, I’m eating nothing and I’m still not losing weight. I swear, I’m not eating anything and I’m exhausted and cranky and stressed and all of those things that make you gain weight even more.”

With Linichuk's help, Belbin changed her eating and training habits. She grew stronger,