Live hockey chat, 2 p.m. ET

Star hockey reporter Paul Hunter joins Chris Young for a live hockey chat at 2 p.m. ET today, taking your questions and comments.

Give us your prognostications, pose your questions and share your confidence or angst as we count down the hours and minutes until Canada's next - and possibly biggest - hockey test at these Olympic Games, the Russians.

Interview: Kleintje Pils

Gerardus and Rudolf, the Bakker brothers, hail from the coastal hamlet of Sassenheim, Netherlands, and are founding 30-year members of Kleintje Pils, the 11-piece brass band that goes home today - and the Richmond Olympic Oval (and Vancouver) will be much less boisterous for their departure. Kleintje Pils – the name means “a little beer” in Dutch – have been revving the supporters in the speedskating venue for the last 12 days. They've played all around the world, and have the seal of approval of the Dutch royal family, having played at the wedding of the Dutch prince. These guys even wear wooden shoes. I caught up with the Bakkers yesterday, before it all came apart when hot Dutch favourite Sven Kramer was shockingly DQ'd in the 10,000m, the rarest of misfortunes – for one thing, it shut up Kleintje Pils. An interview, photo and video, after the jump.

Morning links, Day 13

The links are back:

Joannie Rochette brought the Pacific Coliseum house down last night, as Rosie DiManno reports:

“For you, maman,” she said repeatedly in French, in the kiss ’n’ cry.
Her score of 71.36 was a season’s best and left her in third spot heading into Thursday night’s long program, Rochette’s forte.
“Words cannot describe,” she said afterwards, through an intermediary, declining to speak with reporters in the mixed zone.
She thanked the crowd for helping her through. “It was hard to handle but I appreciate the support.”
Only a non-athlete could think that simply competing is a moral victory. Rochette, for all the tragedy and trauma inflicted on her spirit in recent days, is not merely going through the motions at her second Olympics — she’s in the top quintet of ladies favoured to vie for a medal. That’s what all the work and training, discipline and self-denial has been for, leaving home at 13, coming out of her shy shell, visualizing and dreaming.

Ashleigh McIvor was just another spectator at Cypress on Sunday, watching teammate Chris Del Bosco crash out of the medals. Now she's an Olympic champion.

Those red mittens everyone wants? They're at 3 million pairs sold, Around the Rings reports (subscription required). Original order was for one million. 

After he was denied here by Evan Lysacek - and according to his scorecard, figure skating's new system - Evgeni Plushenko gave himself a platinum medal. Then it was taken down from his website.

Sven Kramer's DQ was one for the ages. De Telegraaf reports (in Dutch).

Hockey schedule today (Pacific): US-Switzerland (noon), Russia-Canada (4:30 pm), Finland-Czech Rep. (7 pm), Sweden-Slovakia (9 pm). Stable condition: Slovakia's Lubos Bartecko, elbowed in the head.