come be our best friend. >> that's what's happening "today in the bay." see you in a half hour. good morning. breaking news overnight. a new wave of deadly clashes in the ukraine as a shaky trace collapses and an emergency meeting is held to try to end the violence. one winner. a lone ticket matches the $425 million powerball drawing making it one of the largest individual jackpots ever. in contention. the u.s. women dig deep on the ice to land in figure skating's medal hunt. >> that was work! that was hard work. does he everything, but she had to fight for so many of those elements. >> can anyone knock off the reigning champ after her dazzling performance? scott hamilton and kristi

yamaguchi give us their best guesses. and the history-maker. ted ligety the only american skier with two gold medals, and one race left in sochi. not before he hangs out with us, today, thursday, february 20th, 2013. -- 2014. >> from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" at the olympic games with matt lauer and savannah guthrie live in olympic park in sochi, russia. >> welcome to "today" and sochi on a thursday morning. good morning, everyone. i'm savannah guthrie. >> and i'm matt lauer. alongside natalie morales and al roker. with medal winners -- that's ted ligety, who took home gold yesterday.

took home gold yesterday. we're going to talk to him about that record setting performance. >> but first we want to get to our top story this morning. we're talking about violence intensifying in the ukraine overnight between police and anti-government protesters. richard engel joins us. >> reporter: good morning, matt. we are still overlooking the square that is in the center of this protest. a short while ago, we heard renewed gunfire. the death toll is continuing to rise. we've seen more injured being brought to field hospitals. there was supposed to be a truce in place, and both sides are accusing the other of breaking it. around :a.m. 9:00 a.m. in kiev, police retreated from position. in pursuit with the anti-government protesters, now advancing out of their fortified camp. we watched at least one policeman dragged away.

the protests had been contained. suddenly they had broken out of the square and into the side street. retreating under attack, police got much more violent and protesters started dropping, carried away to any shelter the demonstrators could find. many claim government forces now using snipers, too. protesters have turned this hotel lobby into a field hospital. the injured are still streaming in. we've seen volunteers using bed sheets to treat the wounds and some of the injuries at least appear to have come from ammunition. >> no supplies have been stored here. the injured given care on the floor. we watched at least three protesters die. by the afternoon, protesters were spreading across downtown kiev and a reported truce appeared over even before it

began. right now we are seeing the demonstrators continue to take up positions abandoned by police, spreading their protest camp across much of kiev. they are reoccupying the position that the riot police have abandoned. back to you. >> richard, be safe. thank you very much. >> let's turn to what's happening here in sochi. big day, a lot of headlines. big day on the ice. >> a lot of headlines, especially on the ice. the u.s. women are in the women's gold medal game. the american girls pulled off strong performances in the ladies' short program heading into the freestyle finale tonight. beauty and grace on display in one of the most highly anticipated events. women's figureskating underway with the short program on wednesday. >> triple lutz into triple toe, no problem. >> south korea's yuna kim the one to beat. the gold medal winner in vancouver, kim sits in first place heading

into tonight's free skate. [ applause ] >> triple toe. big. >> russia's adelina sotnitkova is in second. and gracie gold twirled her way to fourth followed by the russian who took a costly spill. >> ow! >> triple loop -- >> still in the running, americans ashley wagner and polina edmund. american ted ligety makes history racing to the top of the winner's stand in the giant slalom. he becomes the first american man to win two olympic golds in alpine skiing. a battle for gold on the bobsled track came down to a tenth of a second. >> can they do it to the line? no!

canada gets the gold. >> americans alana myers and lawyer i don't know williams took silver, on the heels of the defending gold medal camps from canada. a stunner in men's ice hockey as the russian team was eliminated by finland. >> the finns put their sticks in the air. >> the host country, which had hoped to compete for gold won't even medal. the americans advance with a win over the czech republic. team usa now plays its old rival canada in a semifinal match-up on friday. but today all eyes are on the women's game between, you guessed it, the u.s. and canada. the president may have put it best. >> i may not feel as warm toward canadians as i usually do, at least until those matches are over. >> it is a big rivalry. meantime, france picked up three medals sweeping men's ski cross. check this wild photo finish out for second place in one of the preliminary races, three skiers all crash. they slid across the finish. the russian skier prevailing,

though, because of his outstretched bow. he's safe and he wins. that's incredible. shows you how close. >> you mentioned we had a couple of great american bobsled teams. >> we do, right there! >> and we'll break down the lady's figure skating competition with scott hamilton in a bit as well. the current medal count, the u.s. in the lead with 23, followed by russia, the netherlands and norway. >> okay. and natalie, you have the news back home. an old threat back at the forefront again this morning. the department of homeland security is warning airlines about the threat from overseas, officials say a recent threat they consider credible is warning of possible attempts to attack planes using explosives contained in shoes.

passengers on flights to the u.s. will get additional scrutiny and checkpoints. the threat was not particular to any airline, country or time. president obama is back at the white house this morning after a one-day summit with mexico's president and canada's prime minister. the touchy issue of the keystone x.l. pipeline front and center, and the multibillion dollar oil route from alberta to the gulf coast still a sore spot between canada and the u.s. canada insists environmental impact is no longer a concern, but president obama gave no indication he'll speed up his decision on whether to approve it. it's official -- someone bought the winning $425 million powerball ticket. we don't know who won but we know where. that's where we find miguel this morning. >> reporter: good morning to you. milpitas is just outside of san jose, california, here in the

silicon valley. it's here at the gas station where the $425 million powerball ticket was sold. the winner here will take home $242 million if they choose that cash prize. the chance of winning was 1 in 175 million. that winner has not yet stepped forward. the first time they'll have that chance will be at 8:00, in about an hour this morning. the lines were packed here yesterday. we do expect someone to step forward soon. natalie? >> going to make lots of friends quickly in milpitas, california. thank you. some big news from the tech world. facebook disclosed yesterday it is buying the instant messaging service whatsapp in a deal worth $16 million. julia is in burbank with the details. good morning. >> reporter: facebook is making its biggest acquisition ever, spending $16 for whatsapp. the leading mobile messaging service. it's allowed users to send text, photo, or video messages to anyone else with it without

carrier texting fees. it's free for the first year and then charges 99 cents per year. facebook is gaining the 450 million monthly users and they're highly engaged. 70% tuesday daily. it's growing faster than any other mobile social app, adding a million users daili. to put this in context, whatsapp has nearly twice the number of users as twitter. >> wow, that's huge. julia, thank you very much. and more proof this morning that golf is not all fun and games, take a look at rory mcilroy. he hit a very tricky shot and you can see it didn't go so well. the ball sailed toward the crowd. the fan fell into some cacti. oh, that's going to hurt. in a is pretty crazy right

there. i think they can forgive rory for that shot, though. >> but what did he get on the hole? >> i don't know. >> i had many run-ins with a jumping toya. they're bouncy cacti. >> ooh. >> then when you get that drink of water -- >> they're prickly. >> natalie, thank you very much. mr. roker? >> we have a very active weather system going on. ahead of it, severe weather, behind it, blizzard conditions. let's show what we've got. for today, damaging winds, tornadoes possible from new orleans up to cincinnati, as far east as atlanta. tomorrow, that whole mess moves to the east from southern new jersey and the gulf coast, all the way down to orlando. likely damaging wind gusts and hail. and on the back side of the system, we're looking at snow. as you see on the radar, severe

weather moving in to chicago on, into wichita. futurecast shows the snow wrapping around the low pressure system making its way up to the great lakes. blizzard conditions will develop. along the coast look for heavy rain and thunderstorms into new york city and washington d.c. generally one to two inches of rain per hour. cleveland into syracuse. that's going to cause some flooding problems. ironwood, duluth, eau claire, minneapolis up to 12 to 14 inches of snow and blizzard conditions likely. coming up in the next 30 minutes, we're going to tell you about flooding problems throughout a good portion of the country, but we're going to get to your local forecast in the

>> good morning to you. you made it to thursday. temperatures are a little on the chilly side to start. you want to dress for the two parts to the day. we're going to warm up into the low 60s in many bay area cities as of lunch time. 60 at noon in san rafael. and we're talking about the 70s in some of the warmer cities across the bay area. mostly in the tri-valley where you find the 70s. throughout the rest of the day 69 degrees in the north bay. morning low clouds, we'll make way to a beautiful sunny afternoon. next 30 seconds.3 c3 programa corto y las caídas. coming up, scott hamilton with more on the ice program and

more on thrills and spills. >> triple lutz. triple toe. >> gracie gold fought to the finish and in fourth to still make it to the podium. >> beautifully landed. >> ashley wagner's clean skate kept her chance to med medal alive. she's in sixth. >> the triple toe loop. beautifully landed. >> while newcomer 15-year-old polina edmund stands strong in seventh. >> she may be one of the greatest competitors i've ever witnessed. >> the reigning queen, yuna kim, barely holds on to first place with less than a full point. russians carolina kostner and adelina sotnitkova. >> for the hometown favorite, a disappointing fall on her triple flip. >> oh! >> leaves her in fifth place, almost ten points behind the

leader. [ applause ] >> scott hamilton is nbc olympic figure skating analyst and the 1984 gold winner. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> that was an exciting night. the top three separated by a fraction of a point. is that unusual to be that close at the top of the board? >> for yuna it is. she usually goes into the long program with a 12-point win. i really want to see how she competes. i've seen her win and trounce the competition but now she's going to have to compete. and she skates last, not her favorite place to skate. tonight's lining up to be exciting. >> gracie gold, the american, came into fourth place. a couple of months ago she wasn't even considered the top u.s. skater. to me she sort of willed herself to get to this place. >> well, she willed herself and skated herself into this place. she fought for everything last night. it wasn't one of those squeaky

clean performances i've seen her do. ashley wagner in sixth, polina edmunds in seven. it went totally like that. so it's really amazing what is blossoming now in the american ladies figure skating. >> do you think either gracie or ashley or polina has a chance? >> well, you look at sotnitkova, anything can happen on the podium. >> that's why they skate the free skate program. >> when you look at yulia, she struggled along. the last olympics -- now there's a new love and vitality. any one of those skaters, if they return to their past habits, anything can happen on the podium. anything can happen on the podium.

>> and for yulia lipnitskaya, she was so good and then she had that fall. >> when you're a pole vaulter and you go like that, you're probably not going to get over the bar. that's what happened to her. when i see a skater and they're devastated and go -- i go, oh, they're done. she got off the ice and she was so angry. she was like so angry, she got off the ice and she's like i want to get back on the ice now! she was such a favorite for her to go out in the short was unexpected. but the way she got off the ice, i think she going to be pretty

good tonight. >> and her teammate, adelina sotnitkova, nobody had been talking about her. >> it's the quality of the long program that does it. it still worth much more with the short program. but with sotnitkova, if she has any failures and yulia skates the way she can, they can trade places. >> and as you say, that's why we skate. >> it is, that's why they skate! >> it is going to be so much fun. thanks for being here. of course, you can watch the finale tonight on nbc primetime. guys, back to you. >> savannah, thank you very much. willie, you were watching the skating last night. i was watching the hockey at the same time. >> thanks for pointing you out.

i was watching the figure skating, couldn't take my eyes off it. a lot of russians talking about that fall. but the big story is hockey. we saw russian fans streaming out of this arena with very long faces because russia lost in the quarterfinals to finland 3-1, knocked out of the olympics with all those expectations. the state media calling this, quote, a "soul destroying failure." this a tweet from the moscow news saying russia has lost 1-3 to finland, this is our office right now, all the employees with their heads on their desk. and natalie's dear, dear friend, the polar bear mascot. this is a tweet from sochi 2014 writing "bear is inconsolable" after russia lost to finland. >> he needed a big bear hug. >> did you just volunteer for that?

be careful what you wish for. >> the oddest part of the evening, al roker, if you'll step in for me, the russian coach was interviewed by the russian press and they went after him. we're going to role play. i will be the reporter, al is the russian coach. actual quotes. >> what future do you see if any of your own work and your coaching staff because, you know, your predecessor was eaten alive after the olympics. >> well, then, eat me alive right now. >> no. i mean -- >> eat me and i won't be here anymore. >> we have the world championships coming up. >> well, there will be a different coach, won't there because i won't exist anymore since you have eaten me! >> you're staying, aren't you? >> yes, i will remain living! [ applause ] >> testy in the press conference. worse than that, believe it or not. >> good. thank you. boris, thank you very much, as well. >> to natasha. coming up, ted ligety made

olympic history with his second career gold medal in sochi. ted shred on why he says it's the medal he waited his whole life for. and history with u.s. picking up not one but two medals in women's bobsledding and they are celebrating with us here this morning. [ applause ] medals in women's bobsledding and they are

coming up, the u.s. women's [ male announcer ] introducing new fast acting advil.

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>> a very good thursday morning to you. 7:26. i'm laura garcia-cannon. the two men accused of beating bryan stow outside dodger stadium may enter a plea deal in court. if the deal goes through, louie sanchez would get 8 years in prison, marvin norwood would be sentenced to four. so stow is still recovering. he suffered massive brain damage in the attack. >> we're waiting for the winner of the powerball to come forward. the winning $425 million ticket was sold at the chevron gas station. the owner will get a million dollar prize for selling the ticket. here are the wing numbers.

all eyes here in the bay area will be on this young olympian. san jose's polina edmunds, sits in seventh place after yesterday's short program. the morning she hits the ice for the free skate competition. you can watch her skate during our prime time coverage here on nbc bay area. go polina, go. big fans here. want to check in with christina loren. >> she is such a cutie pie. 42 degrees in oakland, 45 in the hometown of polina san jose, 50 degrees in san francisco and 50 in half moon bay. we're going to be about 53 degrees at lunch time in san francisco, that's a nice day. look at this sunshine coming in. we'll hold on to the warmth add 4:00 p.m. you make your way home. i want to show you san rafael nice and clear this morning. 66 degrees there. at about 4:00 p.m. so you can ditch that jacket for today. kind of tuck it in the corner for the next few days, we're going to keep on climbing. 65 in san francisco, 70 in the east bay, peninsula 68 today.

let's check your drive. >> we do have traffic out there. not quite as bad as we often see on a thursday, some folks on vacation and businesses there affecting the rest of the commute. looking toward 880 in oakland, a little slower drive developing around the coliseum. north 880 on the map, slowing there, the bay bridge toll plaza the backup, and slowing down the east shore freeway, 880 south through hayward in the 50 miles per hour range down into union city, fremont, and there are the northbound routes for the north. >> thanks a lot, mike.

it is 7:30 now on a thursday morning, 2the 20th day of february 2014. it's a beautiful day here in sochi park in russia, temperature about 60 degree. >> it is beautiful here. you know what else is beautiful? all the medal winners we have on our plaza this morning. coming up, they call themselves the wolf pack. they are the medal winning women of u.s. bobsledding. they picked up two medals at the sliding center. we talk to them about their history making performances. >> and it's one of the most

anticipated matchups. they looked so great out there, the u.s. women's hockey team going for gold tonight against canada, the defending champs, jenna bush hager found out why a win would mean so much to them. >> and we'll get you caught up on headlines back home. one lone winning ticket was sold in last night's $425 million jackpot. it was one of the largest single winners in history. the airlines are being warned about a potential terror threat based on new intelligence. the home land security department says terrorists may attempt to hide explosives in shoes. >> and that brief thaw comes to a brutal part in the midwest today. up to a foot of snow and blizzard conditions expected from iowa to the upward

peninsula of michigan. >> back to you, matt. >> let's go to man they call ted shred. he became the first american with two alpine skiing medals. you said people have been coming up to you and saying "olympics, olympics, olympics" and you just wanted to get here and get it over here. was it worth the wait? >> it was definitely worth it. my first two events didn't go that great. i giant slalom is my bread and butter. >> this from your hometown newspaper. "ted ligety did not just win the giant slalom at the sochi olympics. he owned it, dominated it, yanked it away from everybody else, hung it out his window."

>> the conditions went to being kind of wintery. that was kind of an adjustment for some of those on the tour. >> a a couple things that your girl friend said yesterday, she said before the race yesterday you were as calm as she had seen you here in sochi. how do you remain calm or get calm before a race of that mag sued? >> i just know i'm skiing well in giant slalom. i have that confidence and ability. i didn't have that confidence in the other events. i knew if i didn't have any huge mistakes, it should equal gold medal. >> she also said in the days before the race, you went online and read anything people were writing about you, the good, the bad, the ugly.

some people wrote things like "if he wins silver here, it will be a disaster." >> i wasn't reading everything. i was reading about bode and there was stuff about me in there as well. >> ski racing is a fringe sport. it's nice to hear others' perspective on it that doesn't usually write about it. >> that's your way of saying this don't know what they're talking about, right? >> no, not all of them. >> phil mayer, bill johnson, picabo street, bode miller, lindsey vonn, julia mancuso. do you know what they have in common? >> they all have a bunch of med

med -- medals. >> they all have one. they have half as many as you. >> has it sunk in yet? >> it's hard to explain how it feels. it's a huge relief but it doesn't feel like an olympic win until i get that medal. >> the best giant slalom skier in the world. >> thanks a lot. >> ted ligety. let's get a check of the weather here from al roker. >> ted, your brother is here. he has certainly on his head. what is that? >> i signed his forehead. i didn't get a very good signature on it, though. >> what's your name? >> charlie. >> did you know he was going to sign your forehead? >> he warned me right beforehand but i didn't think he'd actually do it. >> it could have been worse.

there are other places he could have signed. >> and that's mia, ted's girl friend. >> i didn't sign her forehead, though, because she would have gotten mad. >> and then charlie would have gotten mad and spoiled a beautiful moment. >> we're talking about flooding conditions and then blizzard conditions. we have 18 inches of snow, up to a foot and a half of snow already on the ground. you add to that warming temperatures, 40s, 50s and 60s so that snow is going to be melting. add to that anywhere from 1 to 3 inches of rain and you have the potential for a lot of flooding. you can see the risk of strong storms through the southeast. in the next half hour they've upgraded part of that to a moderate risk. we have blizzard conditions up around the great lakes, icy

conditions around the u.p. of 7:37. good morning to you. i'm meteorologist christina loren. temperatures are pretty chilly in the north bay. 39 degrees. we've got the 40s, low 40s in the east bay and tri-valley, we're at 50 in san francisco. 49 along the peninsula and 45 degrees right here in san jose. a little patchy low cloud cover. as we head throughout the day highs comfortable, we're talking about a return of that beautiful beach weather. temperature 69 in santa cruz. up to 70 tomorrow. >> and that's your latest weather. savannah? >> all right, al. thank you. >> today's olympic start is it brought to you by kellogg's. from great starts come great things. >> and now to your today's olympic start and an historic showing for the women

bobsledders of team usa. for the first time americans won multiple medals in this event, elena meyers, lauryn williams and jamie greubel and aja evans took bronze. good morning to you. >> good morning. congratulations. el -- elena, i hope you're feeling good about this medal. >> i feel really good. racing is about coming down to those hundredths of seconds. we laid it out there and hopefully made our country proud. >> in august you were at a rookie bobsled camp and you are the fifth athlete to win a medal in the winter games and the summer games. that's pretty good. >> it's a pretty cool

opportunity. i never thought i would accomplish all of this. i couldn't have done it without four hometowns and all of america behind me. it taken a village to help me realize these goals and aspirations in such a short period of time. >> if you had to choose between summer olympics and bobsledding, could you choose? >> i think summer olympics, it was kind of warm here. i would say all four of them. >> good answer. >> jamie, getting to the bottom of the track your family was there. can you describe that moment? >> it was incredible just to see the joy and the tears. they know how much i've sacrificed and all the hard work. just to have them there was so special. >> aja, you are part of a winning tradition here. the u.s. women's bobsled team has medaled in every event since

it was introduced into the olympics. what do you attribute the success to? why do you think it works? >> our support system is amazing, not just us standing out here, from the coaches to the mechanics and our family members back home, we have a very strong base. at the end of the day we're fighting for a medal but we have each other's backs. >> about two weeks ago you joined me here on the plaza. before the events began, we took a picture. you weren't silver and bronze medalists then. can we update it? >> we can photo bomb it. >> up next, can the u.s. women's hockey team win their first gold medal in 16 years? the much anticipated rematch with canada. >> and what can the american with canada. >> and what can the american women do to ♪ ♪on that podium?

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it is so good when you need a little escape. [ mom ] still counting. we're back now in sochi with "today's athletes to watch" the women of team usa hockey face off against canada for the goad medal today. our contributing correspondent jenna bush hager caught up with them at practice. good morning. >> good morning. this is a grudge match for the ages. the u.s. women's hockey team against rival canada. their lost in vancouver left them holding silver and dreaming of gold. the women of u.s. hockey took to the ice for one last practice before the big game against canada tonight. >> how are you guys feeling? >> amazing. i think for us it has been a

long four-year journey. and to have most of the preparation done, mine as you good night's sleep, we're ready to rock. >> the u.s. women's team has medaled every olympics game since women's hockey was added in 1988. they won the inaugural game and have fallen shy ever since. >> it's a bittersweet feeling but the last four years, it's been pure motivation. every rep in the weight room, every practice, everything we're doing on and off the ice is pure motivation for the gold medal. >> they score! >> team usa won their seed wednesday. veterans like four-time olympians julie chu have led their way to the most motivated team ever seen.

>> they have motivated all of us. we have to focus on our speed, and focus on what we do well, capitalize on our strength. >> i'm a twin, too. they say twins have this special connection. do you feel like that helps you on the ice? >> i have had three goals, she's assisted on all three of them. i think that kind of goes to show. >> we can't really well. i think that's the key to our success. we can throw no-look passes and know each other is going thro b there. >> for the first time the u.s. hockey team will be led by a woman. coach katie lee hopes this year the team will reach gold. >> she's prepared us for everything. >> it's our chance to earn it and that's what we are prepared to do. it's not having dreams and taking it easy but knowing when

we step on the ice, we're going to earn a gold medal. >> and this is a true rivalry. last year twice pre-olympic games broke into fights. >> and you can watch the u.s.-canada gold medal game right here on nbc. >> coming up, why olympic figure skating will never sound the same again after tonight. and from the orange room, is it a dog? is it a wolf? what one olympic athlete spotted is it a wolf? activia tummies, athlete spotted happy people when you feel good inside. you live life with a smile. but when you feel bloated, with discomfort,

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good morning everyone. 7:56. i'm scott mcgrew. 24 santa clara county and rural metro ambulance employees were fired after admitting they paid for cpr recertification cards and didn't take the training. a spokesman says they admitted to buying the cards from an instructor. we're still waiting to find out what happens to the instructor. firefighters say the third fire to burn down a house in sunnyvale may have been started on purpose. the latest fire happened last week quickly spread to the homes around it. the first suspicious fire at the house happened two years ago while the family was on vacation. the next two fires happened as the home was rebuilt. fire investigators don't think any one else is at risk from this arsonist. let's check your weather. good morning. >> good morning to you, scott. the time is 7:56. temperatures are cold enough for a jacket out there. mostly the upper 40s to low 50s

headed to a comfortable afternoon. even in san francisco. we'll hit the mid-60s there. looks like the drive is picking up. we'll check on that. temperatures are going to be warm for today. you'll notice on the seven-day forecast and then we have a lot of rain headed our way as of late tuesday next week. as promised, here is mike inouye. >> as we've been talking about this week's commute shifts around. a little unusual, vacation for many, south bay schools, the san mateo bridge we see a slower drive. this is earlier than we sometimes see this for west 92. look at the map. west 92 slows to the peninsula side, south 101 jammed up the last half hour into san mateo. north 101 at 92, reports of a stalled motorcycle on the connector out of lanes but distraction as well so expect more slowing both directions through san mateo. the build through the south bay t northbound routes steady so. where the south bay schools are off we see the commute holding off as far as the freeways go. that's good news. >> ski week, not study week.

another local update in a half hour. ♪ ♪

♪

it's 8:00 on "today." coming up, in it to win it. >> triple lutz! triple toe. >> a strong showing for team usa in the ladies short program and with the final skate tonight, will there be an american medal? skating legend kristi yamaguchi weighs in live. >> and a husband and wife win medals within moments of each other, making for a memory the pair will never forget. and game, set, mismatch. jenna bush hager and i team um on the tennis court for a friendly fashion forward match against figure skaters johnny

weir and tara lipinskiin today, february 20, 2014. >> hi, mom, in dallas, texas! >> hi to my fiancee in north miami beach. >> good luck to our daughter lee playing hockey tonight in the gold medal round. >> everybody, thank you so much for the support and all my friends in carson city that couldn't be here. >> go, usa! >> hi to our friends and family back at home. go usa! >> awe. good morning. back to "today." nice to have you along with us. and we're here with a few of our friends this thursday. >> i chose that song from elvis

"a little less conversation, a little action" for our u.s. hockey team. >> though you guys could have dressed a little more patriotic. >> keir simmons is here with the latest on the olympic action. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. look at the photo finish, three players all vying for second place crashed and slid across the finish line. the pressure is on here now. and tonight the big event, women's figure skating where team usa need as strong performance in order to make the medal count. at the iceberg skating palace tonight, one of the most highly anticipated events of the winter games. ladies free skate. reigning olympic champion junia kim leads the pack above adelina

sotnitkova and carolina kostner and yulia lipnitskaya. the u.s. going into the event fourth, fifth and seventh place respectively. ted ligety taking home the gold in the giant slalom. he's the first american to win two gold medals in alpine skiing. ligety talked to matt earlier on "today." >> i just know i'm skiing well in giant slalom. i have confidence in my ability. i don't have the same confidence in the other events. i knew if i didn't make any huge mistakes, i should win a gold medal and luckily it ended up going that way. >> and women's bobsled, canada taking the stop spot.

usa-1 and usa-2 taking the silver and bronze. >> and team usa hockey, the women getting ready to take on canada today. the bitter rivals facing off for the fourth time in an olympic medal game. and it's another match between team usa and canada, the americans beating the czech republic and advancing to the semifinal match against the canadians on friday. and after taking on finland, the russian team is out, a bitter blow to the home country. and people are talking about how that russian hockey team were under so much pressure on their own soil. so imagine what it must be like to be yulia lipnitskaya, the 15-year-old russian skater, who will perform again today. yesterday she fell.

guy, she's just a child. as a father of a daughter, i felt what would it be like to be her parents watching the pressure she was under. >> what were we all doing when we were 15? certainly wasn't that. >> if they gave gold medals for slacking, maybe. >> i wish you wouldn't have had us go back there. >> meanwhile, natalie is checking the stories. >> this morning there is a new and urgent warning to intensify the search for possible shoe bombs at airports. officials say the advisory from the department of homeland security is based on new intelligence that militants might try to attack passenger flights using shoe bombs. this applies to flights from overseas airports to the u.s. homeland security is telling screeners to x-ray shoes worn or carried by passengers and to use special swabs to detect traces of explosives. >> a new round of deadly

violence undermined the truce obtained overnight in kiev. at least ten were killed this morning when protesters clashed with riot police and the officers opened fire. fighting has claimed over three dozen lives and left hundreds wounded. the european union is holding a meeting to $ to discuss the crisis. >> two men are expected to played guilty in the beating of a fan today. the father of two suffered brain damage. sources say the two suspects will accept a deal that carry prison sentences of four and eight years. >> and we're waiting to find out who bought the winning ticket for the $425 million drawing. it was sold at a gas nation near california's silicon valley.

the cash may payout is worth $242 million. 17 tickets matched enough tickets to win a $1 million prize. >> and in saint. petersburg squ gusting winds whipped around while the pope gave his mass. >> it's a little breezy. where are you from? >> greenwich, connecticut. >> you're not sure? you had to think about it. are you in the protection program? >> i am. >> there you go. we mentioned the severe weather down south. we now have a moderate risk from

memphis to nashville, widespread damaging winds, a few tornadoes possible, we're watching from tupelo up to louisville. could be dangerous. we can see heavy rain making its way into chicago. we're going to be looking at that a little bit later on. mild temperatures this afternoon. here's what's happening. the jet stream is going to ridge up into the east. in a brings up warmer air. look at the temperatures, anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees above average. as we get to next week, a ridge builds out west, pushing the jet stream way up to the north. over alaska, it gets way -- guess what's back? polar vortex. oh, it's not quite as bad. before you turn on me, just take a look one more time. rob's not going to go for it, no matter how much i beg for him to go back to the map. there it is! look at that. the temperatures drop but they're not quite so bad. not quite so bad. see, look, look, see?

savannah and matt don't think it's so good morning to you. temperatures right now are still pretty chilly out there. we're in the 40s and 50s. we have a good looking day shaping up, and if you've been messing the 70s, they return as of today. 69 for the north bay. comfortable conditions for today, we'll hold on to that warmth all the way through this upcoming weekend. and monday, we have changes. our pattern will shift. we're talking about potentially a lot of rain. we'll keep you updated. >> and that's your latest weather. now comes the tough part of the program everybody's waiting for, it's time for "al's russian class." >> students, members of the u.s. women's bobsled team, are you ready?

>> yeah! >> a common russian expression for someone who just came out of the shower is -- [ speaking russian ] what does that mean? does it mean fresh as a daisy, congratulations on a light steam or rain, rain go away? >> rain, rain go away. >> what do you think? >> rain, rain go away. >> it means congratulations on a light steam. >> oh! >> big comeback now. second run. >> "from russia with love" is the title of a james bond book and movie. how many james bond movies are there? a, 15; b, 19; c, 23.

>> 23. >> that's right. >> an old russian superstition says you should do what after forgetting something at home? a, look at yourself in the mirror; b, tap your left hand or, c, throw it away? >> a. >> a is correct, look at yourself in the mirror. it is supposed to keep you from doing that again. that's why matt never forgets anything! >> there you go. >> and that's "al's russian class." >> nice done, ladies. up next on "trending," what is sure to be the hottest not olympic video today, two rappers delight. >> and the figure skating darling of sochi will be crowned

tonight. kristi yamaguchi will tell us what we can expect. >> and savannah and jenna serve it up on the tennis court against johnny weir and tear a l -- tara lipinski. ♪ make a change for a better day ♪ ♪ i'm gonna do it...

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[ male announcer ] it's easy to choose the perfect bath update for your family. wow. ♪ this is the one. [ male announcer ] lowe's selection of bath updates makes it easy to refresh your bathroom. download the free lowe's creative ideas planner to get started. bring your style to life with this allen + roth marble top vanity for only $375. with this allen + roth marble top vanity what does that first spoonful taste likok. honey bunches of oats. ching! mmmm! mmmm! mmmm! wow! it's the oats. honey. yeah. honey bunches of oats. we are back from sochi and it's time for "what's trending today." >> all right. savannah, natalie, willie, i know you're all big figure skating fans. get ready to see and hear the sport in a whole new way. >> we're used to seeing the routines go like this.

♪ >> well, the skaters usually perform to the stirring, refined sounds of classical music. but now in a dramatic shift, competitors will be allowed to use music. music with lyrics, popular music in their routines. >> up until now, that was only allowed in some disciplines like ice dancing. this a move designed to appeal to younger audiences. so in the olympics in 2018 you could see routines like this. ♪ and i need up more tonight, i need you more than ever ♪ ♪ hey party in the usa >> they have to get more hip and with the times. ♪ welcome to hotel california >> do you really think they'll choose the eagles? i hope so.

>> no. >> do the john wall. >> do the dougie while you skate. >> oh, that was wrong. >> okay, good. >> speaking of skating, ashley wagner now in sixth place heading into tonight's figure skating finale but she already i guess deserves the medal for being a great sport. who could forget ashley's not impressed face last week after learning her score in the team competition. so, last night, ashley had fun with all of the attention she's gotten for it. flashing the thumbs up and then even spoofing herself after performing her short program. and she was surprised by last night's scores again. >> yeah. >> and our man jimmy fallon is having a huge first week as the new host of the "tonight show" but how will he ever top this one? >> i don't know.

>> last night, he had brian williams take on the hip-hop classic "rappers delights but he had help from kathie lee. ♪ i brought two friends along, next on the mic is my friend hank ♪ ♪ come on check it out sing along ♪ ♪ check it out, he seems to go the handle ♪ everybody go hotel, motel, what you going to do today ♪ say what? you see i got more than mohammed's speed ♪ everybody go hotel, motel, what you goin' do today ♪ ♪ say what ♪ everybody go hotel, motel, holiday lynne ♪ ♪ say if your gouirl starting acting up, then you take her friend ♪ >> yeah! >> i love that, guys. >> i think they have perfected the form. my goodness. that's "trending" today.

today's olympic moment is brought to you by coca-cola. open a coke and enjoy the games. and, yes, it is time for today's olympic moment. this morning the perfect marriage of love and sport here in sochi. >> reporter: these games have already seen matching medals for skiing sisters, skating brothers and new husband and wife snowboarders. vic wild and alena zavarzina had parallel runs on wednesday. >> the russian crowd is going nuts for zavarzina. vic wild going into the race. each making into the medal contention. american born wild competes for russia. he married her in 2011. >> the wedding was pretty

insane. >> reporter: and because she's russian, he switched teams. >> she's pushing hard. >> zavarzina was up first, staging a comeback in the second run of the finals to catch a bronze. less than 15 minutes later, wild stormed past switzerland and claimed his own medal. >> vic takes a walk on the wild side and wins gold for russia! >> reporter: alena watching the whole way down. and how about this reunion. husband and wife turned olympic stars. >> reporter: celebrating their medals with a kiss. >> his and her medals. >> now to tonight's main event, the ladies figure skating finale, stephanie gosk has more on this event. >> good morning to you. >> it certainly is exciting. good morning, savannah. it will be a night of high drama, following last night's intense opening act. the woman they call "queen" remains on her thrown a little longer after last night's near flawless performance. >> she may be one of the

greatest competitors i've ever witnessed. >> no stranger to success, 23-year-old south korean yuna kim has her sights on becoming the third woman ever to win the gold back to back. >> triple lutz, triple toe loop! >> reporter: her reign began in vancouver. she's since become an international superstar and one of the highest paid female athletes, reportedly earning $14 million a year. still every queen has her weakness. showing top form last night, an injury earlier this season left her sidelined for six weeks. in this game of thrones there are plenty who seek to steal the crown. a team of americans at the palace gates. there's gracie gold in fourth place. with ashley wagner -- >> triple loop, beautifully landed. >> reporter: -- and polina

edmunds close behind. >> she played the whole program to the judges' side. >> during russia's team program last week, the woman in red, 15-year-old yulia lipnitskaya hypnotized the world into thinking she was the heir apparent. >> oh! >> reporter: one misstep and another russian, adelina sotnikova indicates her way in. she may be the one to win it all. and carolina kostner in third may be the one to win it all. ashley wagner said she may have trick up her sleeve. savannah. >> thank you so much. let's bring in kristi yamaguchi. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> you know better than anyone what these ladies are feeling in between the programs, facing the free skate tonight.

what do you think is going through their minds? >> really walk on egg shells. they want everything to go perfectly, they've prepared so much for this moment. all bets are off. you have to go out there and throw everything you have on the table. >> let's talk about gracie gold. a lot of people think she's the u.s.'s best chance to make it to the podium tonight. she didn't have her best short program ever. can she make it up for her in the free skate? >> she had a very good short program but i think she wanted to take back a couple of jumps. that were a little bit shaky. if she skates like in the team competition which was beautiful, confident and solid, then i think she absolutely has a legitimate chance. >> what about ashley wagner? does she not only have to skate perfectly but someone else has to falter a little bit? >> i think with this new system it's definitely not -- it's possible for her to get up there. and, yeah, there might need to be a little bit of help from someone who's up there in the top three spots right now, but it's the olympics. anything could happen. >> the u.s. skater polina edmunds did better than a lot of people expected, she's in seventh place.

for her, is this about the future? i dmierngs see her as somebody that could come back and compete again in south korea? >> absolutely. polina, this is her gig her. this is her debutante ball. she made a statement here that she is the future of u.s. figure skating. i think people are already putting up the matchup between polina and yulia in the next four years. >> it's amazingly hard to defend a gold medal. only two other women have done it in figure skating. a lot of pressure on her tonight. >> absolutely. but you saw her compete last night. she goes out there and fights. nerves of steel. i don't know how she does it. but she's beautiful, she's prepared and i think she's ready to come out here and defend her title. >> kristi, are you ready for your day to get so much better? >> yes, absolutely. >> i am bringing in 15 of my newest friends. these are the guys who pick up

the flowers and they taught me to skate the other day. hello. >> hello. >> they are so adorable. >> you guys are doing a great job out there. a lot of cuteness there. good morning to you. 8:26 right now i'm laura garcia-cannon. the man accused of beating brian stow outside of dodgers stadium enters court today. still recovering in his santa cruz home, he suffered brain damage in that 2011 attack. we're still waiting for the powerball winner to come forward. the winning numbers on your screen. 1, 17, 35, 49, 54, and power

ball 34. imagine landing those, mike. >> i imagine all the time. let me tell you about a crash west 92 past 280 toward skyline. the westbound lanes are currently blocked. tough getting to and from half moon bay. and the south 101 toward university avenue. reports of a truck with a fuel leak. we so a little additional flowing there. your northbound routes continue to recover.

it's premiere week on "tonight show" starring jimmy fallon. and tonight fallon welcomes first lady michelle obama and will ferrell. the new "tonight show" tonight. ♪ ♪ it's 8:30 now on a thursday morning, february 20, 2014. the crowd enjoying the sounds and the sights of the all-ladies drumming group.

it's a familiar sound around here. they've been marching around olympic park for the last couple of weeks. >> yeah. we've got some other special guests with us. beside the figure skaters we have seen on the ice here in sochi picking up all the flowers. they are so cute. we decided to bring them here and give them a little teddy bear. because they're always picking up those flowers and giving them away. we had to give them something to remind them of their time here in sochi. it's fun to have them with us. >> they have a big job tonight. >> yes, they do. it's a very big night. all right. well, coming up, two dynamic duos. but there can only be one winner. there's savannah and jenna versus johnny weir and tara lipinski. >> whoo! >> battle of the ages, ladies. >> they're olympic athletes, i just want to point that out. >> some of them had never been on a court before. >> yeah, that's true. >> in the meantime, it's hard to believe, but we only have one day left here in sochi. we've got some big things

planned for our return back to the u.s. next week. we have a lot of athletes that will be joining us in a big home come ing. >> yeah, we've got a lot to get to. we're kicking off a series called "love yourself." this is all about body image. we'll hear from cameron diaz, maria shriver as well as first lady michelle obama. we'll go on the road with her. >> we are. >> go on today.com and the twitter and facebook pages and get in on the conversation. it all starts next week on "today." >> anyone know in russian how to say you can stop waving now? >> i know. >> yeah. there you go. thank you very much. let's swing it over to willie in the orange room. willie? >> never stop waving, guys. never stop waving. those girls are so cute. speaking of cute, these dogs we've been telling but that are and the olympic park for the last few weeks, a lot of them being taken home and adopted. how about this video footage, though.

from one that might look a little bit scary. this is from american luger kate hansen. the beyonce dancing fame. she posted to twitter looking through her door, speculating i'm pretty sure this is a wolf wandering my hall in sochi. she thinks that might be a wolf. i think it might have been a dog but it's definitely wolf size. on the cuter end of that spectrum, back with kathie lee and hoda on the 10:00 hour. sweeting out this picture that melted a lot of hearts. check this out. fell asleep last night, rosa, one of the strays he's been looking at here, both passed out. that melted a lot of hearts here. how about it. >> well done. all right, now -- thanks so much. we've got some special folks here today. spectators -- some of them care more about the collectibles, especially pins, than they do

the games themselves. americans don bigsby, the president of the olympian collectors club and mike rosen have been together more than three olympians. they've collected tens of thousands of pins. guys, welcome. >> thank you. >> this pin collecting thing, did you ever think it was going to get this big? >> no, no. when we first started, it was just a fun thing to do and it has evolved into something really great. >> here in sochi, what's the big pin everybody's been looking for? >> it depends. what you haven't got in the big pin. but this is my favorite, the hungarian athlete's pin that's manufactured by the hungarian mint. >> now, trading is a big thing. our pal katie couric was a rabid trader. i've got the coveted nbc-owned and operated stations pin. it's a snow globe with a little

peacock. this is a very coveted pin, you know that. >> yes, it is. >> what will you trade me for these? >> i have two pins in honor of the u.s. playing canada tonight and tomorrow. this is the men's hockey team pin and the women's hockey team pin. >> ooh. you'll trade me straight up for these? >> i probably would, yes. >> all right. here you go, you got a deal! look at that. fantastic. guys, thank you so much. whenever you're wearing these, doesn't walk into a thunderstorm, okay? that would be messy. all right. there's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your good advice from al roker as usual. good thursday morning, i'm christina loren. 52. some people out there on the golden gate bridge enjoying that nice, clear sky. you will be about 63 at 4:00 p.m. warmer here in san jose. temperatures closer to san jose. in the next cupping days, we

have warm weather that will stick around. we'll have more coming up in just a minute. and back to your latest weather. >> all right, al. thanks. here in sochi, we're, of course, inundated with all things olympics, but back at home lindsey vonn hit the slopes to find out how much people know be about the olympic games. >> we're going to the vonn rendition of jay walking. >> i don't know the names but they're awesome. >> is that ashley? >> goldie. no? >> he's from minnesota? >> he's from austria. we're going to see how well he does with all of our american athletes. >> oh, my god. >> bode miller. >> yes. >> oh! lindsey vonn. >> that's you and you ski in the

olympics. >> vancouver, 2016. sorry. >> lindsey vonn. >> yes! >> it's so nice to meet you, lindsey vonn. wow, that's awesome. >> i have no idea. >> michael phelps -- >> evan, you look like michael phelps. >> is it a speed skating? >> something paul onno? >> apolo ohno. >> what's his name? >> bode miller. >> it's a fail. it's a fail. >> shaun white? >> bobsled? >> don't know. >> the jamaican bobsled team? >> they're not athletes. >> they don't look too athletic. >> starts with a "b." >> bruce. >> brian. >> we're sorry we let you down. >> it's okay. >> gracie gold. >> see, you're the first one to get her. >> they're from russia.

>> no, they're not. they're from here. >> do they look like athletes to you? >> no. >> yes. >> she looks a lot like you. >> i got hurt, i date tiger woods. >> really? you date tiger woods? >> lindsey vonn. >> lindsey vonn. we're meeting lindsey vonn right now. that is insane, my god. we should like bow down. >> all right. coming up next, match point. jenna and i take on figure skaters, johnny weir and tara lipinski. >> the olympic games and the man who created it. but first, this is "today" on nbc. ♪

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but one day you will be the greatest athlete in your sport. but before you begin to run, you will learn to walk. again. you'll curse the fact that something you mastered as a 1-year-old is now so difficult. but you will take that first step. and you will never stop moving forward. at citi, we believe in everyone's potential, which is why citi and rico are giving back to paralympic sports programs to help future athletes every step of the way.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> were we distracted by the excuses, excuses.

>> got it? >> it's out, right? >> no, it's in. >> it was in. >> i guess it's 1-1. >> hey, you know tennis terms. unfair advantage. >> court, the word court. that's a pretty simplistic term. >> get it, johnny. >> whoo! >> >> whoo! >> whoo, 30-0. lipinski, let's see it, girl. remember, this box. >> okay. >> you're right. oh! >> oh, no! >> i crushed under pressure. i'm sorry, savannah. >> that's all right. >> whoo! >> jbh redeems herself.

>> first of all, it's hot. second of all it's hot. >> first of all, i don't have sunglasses. >> ahh! >> oh! i'm dying. >> i'm crushing under pressure! >> johnny, have you ever thought of just switching partners or anything? >> no, savannah! >> this is the moment when -- their grace and their flair. >> ha! >> congratulations. >> good game. >> good game. >> it ended up in a tie, which is embarrassing because johnny had never played tennis and tara hasn't since she was 10. it was a tie. but i just want to say, we've prepared a little reel of jenna and i playing against each other because we are actually pretty good. >> we're not bad. we folded under pressure which

is the problem. >> yeah. >> and you know what, johnny had this weird animal on his finger, this stuffed animal, the crystal was burning my eye. so we had excuses. >> he had a bear ring, it was very distracting. >> and it had bear crystals. >> why are you scowling? >> i can't believe you guys tied them. >> i know. >> you played with andy murray one time? >> yeah, well, i choked then, too. but i went to tennis camp. >> they didn't know the word court. but it's okay. they were good sports and so were we. coming up, one the most powerful women in russia. but first, this is "today" on nbc. powerful ♪ ♪ ♪ where you think you're gonna go ♪ ♪ when your time's all gone? [ male announcer ] live a full life.

the new lexus ct hybrid with an epa estimated 42 mpg. ♪ the further you go, the more interesting it gets. this is the pursuit of perfection.

♪ we welcome you back to sochi. when you think of the typical russian entrepreneur, you may think of a flashy lifestyle or a guy dripping with money. that's not always the case.

nbc's keir simmons met up with one of the most powerful people here. it might surprise you who it is. kier. marina is one of the most powerful women in russia. she's harvard-educated but decided to return to russia. we caught up with her in moscow. moscow, a city on the move. so are the most successful people. how are you? marina from new delhi, 35, rushes after her yahoo! boss marissa mayer, she owns the country's biggest travel agency. her life in contrast to the opulence and glamorous partners. she says russia has a long tradition of successful working women. >> my mother, my grandmother were all working, all university educated. we're all brought up to work, not to be a stay-at-home mom. >> tell me about operating as a woman entrepreneur here.

it's a very traditional country. some would say that it is a little sexist. >> there have been situations where i would have to bring a male colleague or a male board member to meetings just to set the right tone. >> reporter: she shows us her 6-year-old daughter, maria. >> when we're together, we put aside iphones, ipads. >> reporter: a business meeting in one of moscow's new skyscrapers while trying to figure out how to but motherhood into her busy schedule. her business earns a billion dollars. >> it goes. >> reporter: the success and affirmation of studying in the u.s. you go to harvard and the door

opening you to the united states, and yet, you chose to come back to russia, why? >> you have a chance to come back and really make a difference. let's be honest, sheegs n's not first working mother where you say to yourself, how do you do it? but you certainly think that in this case. >> who picked up the tab for lunch? >> i think i did. she has enough money, though. >> certainly. up next, a music man of the is

we're back now on a thursday morning. nothing gets you in the olympic spirit like, well, that flame and this music. >> i love that. the score was written 30 years ago and joe sat down with the man behind it, oscar winner john williams. >> reporter: it could be argued that legendary composer john williams has appeared in more olympics than most athletes, or at least his music has. his olympic fanfare and theme debuted at the '84 summer games and remains vital to the olympic sound track. >> what did it mean for you to be asked to do something like that? >> i think it meant a lot. you know, any connection with olympics i think maybe anyone very proud, certainly me. >> reporter: for williams, now

82, gold has come in the form of oscars for his unforgettable scores in movies like "star wars." but composing an olympic theme is very different. movies, after all, are scripted, so beats of music can dance in step with frames of video. for the olympics, there is no script so to williams, the music had to feel more like a concert piece, one that starts with almost royal bravado. >> i think my thoughts about the opening flourishes had to do with very general announcements of heraldry. >> so in the olympics, who's the royalty? are the athletes the royalty? >> the athletes certainly are. they're the heros and heroines.

here the music softens and he can pictures the athletes at the start of the race. >> here you're alone and it's so quiet. >> here the tension rises and the athletes run and skate and soar. >> then it does get loud. >> and then it does get loud, that's right. maybe if my imagination is right, at the winning line, the athletes will again start to hear the crowd. a flourish for the end and a salute to the winner and to the competitors. >> the piece itself is not easy to play, whether it's the national symphony orchestra, or the boston pops. ♪ ♪ >> it can be an almost olympian feat, yet 30 years later no one has grown tired of the tune that made john williams a part of

something as iconic as the olympic. >> team usa wins! >> to be able to be some part of that thing is certainly i am grately gratified and greatly proud of. >> for "today," joe pryor, nbc news, los angeles. >> it's amazing. >> gives me chills. i love it. >> a fabulous piece of music. >> by the way, williams is gearing up for another movie, he has been asked to write the score for the next "star wars" movie. >> you finally watched it, right? >> i've seen them all now. >> we were going to have to break up or something. >> coming up, some of the time we spent here with the athletes in sochi, courtesy of our

friends from getty images. ♪ ♪ ♪ this morning -- >> we are thick with medal winners on the show today. >> two gold . good morning, everyone. 8:56, i'm scott mcgrew. all guys are on the bay area right now, polina edmunds. she hits seventh place following yesterday's short program. today she hits the ice again. you can watch her in our prime time coverage this evening. that's not the only olympics

action. in a few minutes, the gold medal final in women's hockey. we will also have the men's free style skiing competition. because of the coverage, we won't have 11:00 news today, but we'll have the latest tonight at 5:00. it's a wondrous sensation of clarity and alertness... it's owning your opponent... it's knowing beyond a doubt "you got this"... it's keeping your head down, your eye on the ball, and knocking it out of the park...

it's getting in the zone... it's keeping on your toes... on target... on top... focus is staring the world in the face and saying "bring it"... focus is power... focus is life... and 5-hour energy is focus.

it's women's hockey, and the tournament has moved to the big bolshoy ice dome. it is for gold. and it features the two world powers in women's hockey. american smiles in nagano, first goal. into a new millennium, olympic smiles and frouns shifted. in vancouver more of the same. and through the international