Vancouver Celebrates with Restraint

Moments after the last fireworks exploded above Canada Place, the thousands who'd flocked to the waterfront joined together in a euphoric rendition of 'O Canada.' A rain-drenched Wayne Gretzky had lit the Olympic Torch and the Games had officially begun.

It was a stirring end to a tumultuous Opening Ceremony, which many will remember for its pomp and splendour, and few will forget for the somber event that preceded the joyous celebration.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was tragically killed after crashing on a training run in Whistler less than 24 hours before the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremony. Kumaritashvili was scheduled to compete in the men's singles luge on Saturday.

His fellow Georgian athletes entered BC Place to applause from the more than 60,000 spectators. A black ribbon was tied to the Georgian flag and the Georgian delegation and many athletes from competing countries wore black armbands in mourning.

The Canadian and Olympic flags were lowered to half mast and Vancouver organizing committee chairman John Furlong asked that athletes "compete with his spirit in your hearts."

The solemn mood soon passed with a continuous march of athletes, talented performers and a dazzling array of visual delights.

Musical acts included performances by the four hosting First Nations, Bryan Adams and Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan, fiddler Ashley MacIsaac and KD Lang who sang the affecting Leonard Cohen song, 'Hallelujah.'

Olympic flag bearers included hockey great Bobby Orr, astronaut Julie Payette, actor Donald Sutherland, racecar driver Jacques Villeneuve, singer Anne Murray and Olympic gold medalist Barbara-Ann Scott-King. Betty Fox, the mother of Canadian icon Terry Fox, and a favourite for the torch lighting position, also carried a flag.

Fireworks exploded outside BC Place as five high-profile Canadian athletes lit the Olympic Cauldron. Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, speedskater Catriona Le May Doan, NBA star Steve Nash, Paralympian Rick Hansen, and skiing superstar Nancy Greene all waited patiently as a hydraulic problem delayed the lighting before eventually joining together to ignite the cauldron and ring in the Games.

Gretzky then took to the streets, raising the torch as rain drizzled down into his open car. The crowds followed him to the Canada Place where the evening concluded with the lighting of the external cauldron and the official beginning of the 2010 Olympic Games.