A Little Hockey Talk With Our American Friends…

I thought I was done with writing Olympic posts… but I was wrong.

Yesterday was the culmination of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Events, and the Closing Ceremony.

The first event was the “Marathon” of the Winter Olympics, a 50 kilometre cross country ski race… an event that the European countries dominate and won.

The second event was the Gold Medal Game of Men’s Olympic Hockey… Team USA against Team Canada.  Through Twitter, the good-natured trash-talking between American and Canadian Tweeps was flying back and forth pretty quickly.

The first periods of the game went Canada’s way, but with a few minutes to go, the US Team pulled their goalie, and came storming back to tie the game, and send it to overtime.  In sudden-death, the play went back and forth, and both teams had chances.  There could not be a closer finish. 

It was only a matter of time until one team or the other got a lucky bounce, because both teams were pressing, and both goalies were keeping their teams in it.  But… in the end, it turned out that Canada got the last goal, and so Canada won the Gold Medal.

In that moment, the US Team’s hopes of a Miracle On Ice replay were dashed.

In that same moment, a lot of Tweets went out, congratulating Canadians for the Team Canada win.

I have a few American acquaintances who I keep in touch with… and every one of them were gracious in their congratulations.

Some Canadian friends are currently at a US Trade Show, and they were stunned by the number of people saying, “We wish it could have been our team, but it wasn’t, so we’re glad it was you.”

A lot of Canadians have been really vocal, saying “Hockey is OUR Game…”

But we conveniently forget that Olympic Hockey has NOT been our Game.  We won Gold in 1920, 1924, 1948 and 1952.  FIFTY years pass, and, in 2002, on the 50th Anniversary of our last win, Canada finally won Gold again… this time in both Men’s and Women’s Hockey.  Hockey is our game, but we do not own it.

Yes, we are good at it, as are many of our International friends.

Many of my American friends said yesterday, that the better Team won.  Because the game was taking place on Canadian soil… we will do the Canadian thing, and thank them for their kindness and grace.

I would like to think, because the two teams were so close in skill, that it could have gone either way… but the Gods of Whimsy decided to write a fairytale ending to our beloved Vancouver Olympic Games, and Team Canada won.

Thanks to the Gods of Whimsy for allowing us to finish the Olympics smiling from ear to ear… and coast to coast.

Thanks to our American Friends for being understanding in our joyous celebrations.  As Canadians, these Olympic Games have brought our country together, as we have not been together, in recent memory… and have allowed us to bond as a Nation, something that the Americans do VERY well, and we do, VERY rarely.

Thanks also to our American Friends for being our Friends… and after these Games, I hope, a little bit better friends.  We are more alike, than different…

Thanks, friends !