The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games officially opened Friday night in a ceremony filled with stirring musical performances, dazzling light shows, and tributes to Canada's aboriginal history and natural wonder.
Spirited from BC Place to Vancouver's waterfront on the back of a pickup truck, Canadian icon Wayne Gretzky capped the two-and-a-half hour spectacle by lighting the outdoor cauldron.
Moments earlier, Gretzky joined several other high-profile Canadian athletes -- Paralympian Rick Hansen, speedskater Catriona Le May Doan, NBA star Steve Nash and skiing icon Nancy Greene –- in the lighting of the indoor cauldron at BC Place.
"I declare open the Games of Vancouver celebrating the 21st Olympic Winter Games," Governor General Michaelle Jean said to thunderous cheers from the stadium's 60,000 spectators.
Vancouver Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong welcomed the world's athletes to Canada, telling them that "you are among good friends" and wishing them "breathtaking memories."
Furlong praised them for being role models for the children of the world.
"You compete with such bravery, conviction and pride," he said.
"Through our example tonight … our children will begin to dream and believe what is possible. Let us touch as many as we can, while we can."
The spectators rose to their feet when Canada's Olympic athletes entered the stadium.
With big smiles on their faces, the athletes –- dressed in their signature red and white jackets -- waved and gave their thumbs up as they circled the stadium floor.
Speed skater Clara Hughes carried the Canadian flag.
"I feel like the most beautiful Maple Leaf has fallen into my hands and that's the Canadian flag," Hughes said just prior to pacing Canada's team in. "It means the world. I never imagined as an athlete I would have this honour."
Earlier in the evening, against a backdrop of soaring, majestic-themed music, the ceremony opened with a snowboarder sliding down a ramp and jumping through a giant set of Olympic rings.
Several red-uniformed Mounties entered a darkened stadium carrying a Canadian flag.
Each of the four host First Nations performed.
Nikky Yanofsky, who sang "I Believe," the theme to CTV's Olympic Games broadcast, belted out ‘O Canada.'
The entertainment portion of the ceremony included performances from singers Nelly Furtado, Bryan Adams and Sarah McLachlan and fiddling sensation Ashley MacIsaac.
The crowds gently waved fake candles back and forth as k.d lang, sang a stirring rendition of the Leonard Cohen song ‘Hallelujah.'
An elaborate light show replicated images of the aurora borealis, totem poles, orcas and the Rocky Mountains.
Various forms of dance were represented, including ballet and tap.
The task of carrying the Olympic flag into the stadium fell to a number of notable Canadians from all walks of life: Betty Fox, the mother of Canadian icon Terry Fox; actor Donald Sutherland; Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve; gold medal figure skater Barbara Ann Scott; singer Anne Murray; former Canadian Forces general Romeo Dallaire; hockey legend Bobby Orr; and astronaut Julie Payette.
The excitement of the ceremony was tempered by the death earlier in the day of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili during a training run in Whistler.
His sombre-faced teammates walked into the stadium wearing black scarves and the crowd rose to its feet to pay its respects.
The crowd later held a minute of silence for the fallen athlete.
The ceremony didn't go without a hitch.
The lighting of the indoor cauldron was delayed for several heart-pounding minutes when a hydraulic problem prevented four pillars from rising from the floor.
Eventually, three of the four made it up.
With an estimated three billion viewers expected to tune in, the pressure to produce both a celebration and a showcase for Canada was immense.
"There are live television events, but they are nowhere near as complex. They don't have the weight and gravitas attached to them as an opening ceremony," said David Atkins, the executive producer of the ceremonies, in a recent interview.
"Winter Games happen every four years and it's something that the country that's hosting it spends a great deal of time and money and effort trying to get right, so they're just really very, very significant events."
This is the first time an Olympic ceremony has been held at an indoor venue.
With files from The Canadian Press
