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Leading up to SportsCentres Year In Review on Christmas Eve, TSN and TSN.ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2012. And TSNs reporters and analysts who covered the events as they happened offer their personal reflections on the stories. Today, TSN and CTV personality Brian Williams looks back at Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps highlighting the memorable Olympic Summer Games in London. To get some perspective on the impact of the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, its useful to look back at what took place two years earlier. Vancouver 2010 forever changed our country in a profoundly positive way. No longer are we apologizing for winning. Instead, we are justifiably taking pride in the many great accomplishments of our fellow citizens. The after-glow from Vancouver created an interest both in our Canadian athletes and in the London Games that was greater than any Summer Games I have seen, going back to my first in Montreal in 1976.  While the medal total was not quite what Canadian Olympic officials had predicted, and there was but one gold, the 2012 Games and the stories set forth by the Canadian athletes captivated this country like never before.  More on the Canadian athletes later on. There is no question that for Canadians, London was the perfect city to follow Vancouver. The culture, the history and of course the Royals struck a chord not just here in Canada but around the world.  And of course, London became the first city to host three Olympics (1908, 1948 and 2012) and that alone made it appealing and truly special.  The success of London 2012 makes it easy to forget that just two weeks before the Games began there was no noticeable buzz or Olympic fever in the British capital. That quickly changed for two key reasons. The first was the spectacular success of the Opening Ceremony. I spoke with the director Danny Boyle on the eve of the ceremony. He told me his goal to produce a "live" movie that would tell to the world a "uniquely British story." He certainly succeeded. From the colourful pageantry celebrating British history to the unlikely team of Queen Elizabeth and James Bond "parachuting" into the Olympic stadium, it all worked brilliantly. Even her Majestys corgis performed to perfection. The second reason the London Games captivated the world was the great success of the British athletes.  Remember that in Vancouver it was the record number of Canadian gold medals and Sidney Crosbys "golden goal" that put an exclamation mark on the Games, not only for Canada but for viewers around the world.  The exact same thing happened in London. Thanks to the Britains athletes, the lack of buzz just prior to the Games was quickly replaced by Olympic fever not just in Britain but around the world. Spectators rocked the many venues as the host countrys athletes began to pile up medals.  Fans and viewers around the world were caught up in the excitement.  And it is important to remember the faces of the British medalists reflected the multi-cultural makeup of the British Isles. Now lets get back to Team Canada. The cover story of the Aug. 20 edition of Macleans magazine featured the headline "Heroes and Heartbreak."   Canadas heroes were many, particularly Rosie MacLennans golden smile after winning on the trampoline. And there were Canadas divers, swimmers, canoeists, kayakers, weightlifters, judokas, cyclists, rowers and wrestlers. But the story that truly captured the country was the courageous and dramatic saga written by the womens soccer team.  Who can forget the three-goal performance for the ages by Christine Sinclair in the controversial loss to the heavily favoured U.S.? Sinclair, a well-deserved recipient of the Lou Marsh Award as Canadas top athlete for 2012, rallied with her teammates to put that loss behind them and defeat France for the bronze medal. It was the first team medal for Canada at the Summer Olympics since the mens basketball team won silver in Berlin in 1936. Then there was Derek Drouin, surprising everyone but himself with a bronze medal in the high jump - Canadas first since Greg Joys silver in 1976. And the heroes were not just medalists. Damian Warner turned in a remarkable performance to finish fifth in the decathlon. I say remarkable because the decathlon is the most grueling of all Olympic events. In fact, the only Canadian decathlon medal in Olympic history was Dave Steens bronze in Seoul in 1988, an achievement unfortunately overshadowed by the Ben Johnson scandal. As for the Canadian heartbreak in London, there was Simon Whitfields bicycle crash that took him out of the mens triathlon. And of course in Athletics, the stunning disqualification of the Canadian mens 4x100 metre relay team. Their apparent third place finish was put up on the stadium scoreboard, only to be taken down some 10 minutes later. Prince Edward Islands Jared Connaughton bravely went before the cameras, accepted responsibility for stepping on the line, and apologized to his teammates and the country. I can think of no better example of the ability to accept both victory and defeat with grace, class and dignity than that shown by coach Glenroy Gilbert and his inspirational young runners. Even Prince Harry when he visited our studio with his brother Prince William spoke of the spirit and heart of the Canadian athletes. He recalled sitting next to Canadian rower and medalist Malcolm Howard at Canada House as they cheered Canadas womens eight to silver. And during that same interview Prince William spoke of the Vancouver Olympics and how the success of the Canadian athletes inspired the country, adding that he hoped he would see the same happen in his own country.  Thanks to British athletes like heptathlete Jessica Ennis, distance runner Mo Farah and cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, William got his wish. Perhaps the biggest stars of London 2012 were a Jamaican sprinter and an American swimmer. Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps can truly be said to transcend the Olympic Games. In London, Phelps became the winningest Olympian of all time, bringing his career medal total to an incredible 22. Bolt won gold in the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4 by 100 relay, duplicating the feat hed accomplished four years earlier in Beijing. The mere mention of those two Olympic icons ignites the argument as to who is the greatest Olympian. Because Phelps sport is swimming he competes in more events than Bolt.  But swimming is a more specialized sport than sprinting, so the field of competition is smaller. As Donovan Bailey said to me in our London studio, "not every able-bodied person swims, but they all run." Good point. But its countered by the fact that although the races Bolt runs may differ in terms of distance, his running technique remains basically the same. Phelps, however must compete in several events requiring very different styles. To me, the bottom line is that while its fun to debate the question, it is impossible to say who is the greatest overall. In closing it is important to remember that the Summer Olympics are the largest regularly scheduled peaceful gathering of nations, sporting or otherwise. As such they reflect the world as it exists at that moment in history. Athletes march behind their countries flags and listen to their national anthems when they stand on top of the medal podium.   Thus the Olympics are political by their very nature, and that was true in London in the Opening Ceremony when the IOC refused to honour the memory of the Israeli athletes massacred at the Munich Games in 1972. And 2012 was the 40th anniversary of that event. I have been fortunate to cover 14 Olympic Games, and London 2012 once again reminded me that while far from perfect, the Olympics in their purest form speak to sportsmanship, integrity and fair play. NFL Jerseys China . The Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization said Saturday they have accepted a posting fee of $25.7 million for the 25-year-old left-hander. Wholesale Jerseys From China . Arsene Wengers team trails leader Chelsea by 10 points, after Norwich captain Grant Holt capitalized on goalkeeper Vito Mannones error in the 19th minute. http://bloodcopy.org/wholesale.html . - Scott Wedgewood stopped all 32 shots he faced as the Plymouth Whalers blanked the visiting Kitchener Rangers 3-0 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Jason Arnott seemingly is going to get another shot at a Stanley Cup. The New Jersey Devils traded the veteran center to the Washington Capitals on Monday for center David Steckel and a second-round draft pick in 2012. Arnott had to waive his no-trade clause for the Devils to make the deal, and Washington was one of the teams he felt gave him a chance to win another Cup, especially playing with Alex Ovechkin. There werent many ... centers available, and he was one that a lot of people wanted to have, Capitals general manager George McPhee said. Hes been the captain of an NHL team, hes won a Cup - and those kinds of intangibles, I think, were something we wanted in the room. Stuck in second place in the Southeast Division after three consecutive titles, the Capitals also got defenseman Dennis Wideman in a deal with the Florida Panthers on the leagues trade deadline day. Wideman will help Washington until defenseman Mike Green can return from a head injury. McPhee said Green will be sidelined at least a couple of weeks, maybe longer. New Jersey has made a frantic playoff push in the past two months, posting a 17-2-2 record to move to within nine points of a playoff berth with 20 games to play in the regular season. Still, the Devils are only 13th in the Eastern Conference and will have to leapfrog five teams to keep alive their streak of making the postseason every year since 1997. Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said he would not have made the deal without getting something in return, noting Steckel is one of the top faceoff men in the NHL. The draft choice also gives him a chance to land a prospect down the road. We felt that in order for us to trade Jason Arnott, we had to bring a player into our lineup that would not miss a beat with the type of team we had, Lamoriello said.ddddddddddddIt had to be a perfect fit because we dont want to lose anything in what has been happening. Arnott gives Washington a big, strong center, who has been a clutch playoff performer with 66 points in 106 postseason games. He scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Devils in the second overtime of Game 6 in their series with Dallas in 2000. Arnott also has a hard shot that can be very effective on the power play. He had 13 goals and 11 assists in his second stint with the Devils. He was acquired in an offseason trade with Nashville. Im at the end of my career, Arnott said in an interview with the Star-Ledger of Newark. I want a chance at another Stanley Cup. I think Washington has a good potential to be a Stanley Cup championship team. Steckel had five goals and six assists in 57 games. The 28-year-old has two seasons left on his contract. He can be used in all situations, Lamoriello said, especially when the game is on the line. Lamoriello was adamant that the Devils were not throwing in the towel by dealing one of their top players. Exactly the opposite, he said. Unquestionably. We will continue to do what we have done: take it one game and one day at a time. The ultimate goal is to have success and let the end result take care of itself. But this is a player we talked about. Steckel gained notoriety at the start of the year for a blindside hit to the head of Sidney Crosby on Jan. 1 in the Winter Classic. The Pittsburgh Penguins superstar also was hit in the head on Jan. 5 by the Lightnings Victor Hedman and he has not played since. Steckel said he was looking the other way and turned and collided with Crosby. It obviously wasnt intentional, Steckel said at the time. ' ' '