The People's Choice Wears Sequins

Yeah, I know it's another night for Canada's hockey heroes.
Sudden death time has arrived in the men's tournament and a nation will hold its collective breath for however long the Canadian ride lasts at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.
Even though Canada-Germany isn't a matchup with much in the way of cachet, expect the audience numbers for CTV to soar through the roof one more time. Maybe it won't quite match the all-time Canadian sports television record of 10.6 million who watched Canada and the U.S. on Sunday, but rest assured it'll blow away the competition tonight.
Now all that being said, the best story of the Olympics tonight won't involve pucks and sticks (blasphemous as that may sound). Rather, all eyes should be pointed toward Pacific Coliseum and the women's short program in figure skating, where perhaps the most emotionally heart-rending story of these Games will continue to unfold.
We speak of the drama surrounding six-time Canadian champion Joannie Rochette, who is dealing with the unimaginable — the shocking death of her mother, Therese, of a heart attack at age 55 early Sunday — as she prepares for the biggest competition of her 24-year-old life. It is impossible to fathom what she is feeling right now.
By all accounts, Rochette has shown a steely focus in practices in the days since her father, Normand, delivered the terrible news early Sunday morning. Clearly, skating is her sanctuary right now, the place where life still seems normal — or as normal as anything can be in the pressure cooker that is the Winter Olympics.
There is no doubt that, when she glides to centre ice tonight around 11:30 for her short program, Rochette will have the support of a nation behind her — and not just because she is a medal contender. Not anymore. Through her coach, Manon Perron, Rochette expressed gratitude yesterday for the thoughts and prayers that have been pouring in since Sunday. They have been a needed source of strength.
The Rochette story is sure to touch a nerve south of the border, with NBC no doubt poised to champion the courage that she'll show tonight just by stepping on the ice (especially with no American woman expected to be a serious contender in what is considered perhaps the marquee event of the Winter Olympics in the U.S.).
For those of us who know her so well, it is a virtual certainly that we'll have lumps in our throats as we watch this sweet young woman deal with personal tragedy in her own way. No matter what happens, we will cheer her every move and want to give her a warm hug afterward.
Joannie Rochette, you see, has that effect on people. She is a caring, giving person who always asks how you're doing and is sincere in wanting to know. Rochette was deeply moved by a World Vision trip to Peru last year and can't do enough to help the less fortunate.
Now, in her time of greatest need, it is time for all of us to give something to Rochette. Give her the strength to be brave tonight on the biggest stage of them all, when her heart is so heavy with grief.
On a night when hockey is front and centre once more, let's not forget about a petite young fighter from small-town Quebec who needs a country's support more than ever. She's one of our heroes on skates, too.