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.