Gold medal game delay: Air Canada flight idled for Olympic hockey fans

VANCOUVER, B.C. - Travellers the world over know the pains of flight delays - due to fog, weather, late pilots, or just plain busy airports.

But only in Canada would a flight get delayed for a hockey game.

Air Canada president Calin Rovinescu told a Vancouver business gathering that one of his company's scheduled flights sat on the tarmac as passengers finished watching the men's gold medal match between Canada and the U.S. on the final day of the Olympic Games.

He said travellers on the Montreal-bound flight just couldn't be persuaded to board the plane while play continued.

Instead, they watched the heartstopping hockey game being broadcast on airport departure screens.

Passengers on board Air Canada flights around the world during the Canada-U.S. showdown were kept apprised of the score by the flight crew, who were receiving real-time updates from operations control.