As the 21st Winter Olympic Games draw to a close, I, like most Canadians today, can’t help but swell with pride at what was accomplished here over the last two weeks & the Olympic fever that spread across our nation, bringing us together with the rest of the world. This was one for the history books, as our country hosted, & our athletes excelled. And what a ride it was, full of tragedy & triumph from start to finish. Here are a few of my own memorable moments, some of which are uniquely Canadian!
The tragic death of an Olympic athlete on opening day, Georgian Luger Nodar Kumaritashvili. No one could imagine the sorrow for
his family, his team mates, & his country men. The thoughts & prayers of the world go out to them.
The Opening Ceremonies, complete with it’s malfunctions & leaving many of us here realizing why the rest of the globe seems to think we all live in igloos if that’s how we represent ourselves on a world stage….& let’s not forget all those phallic symbols….though that may have been a positive for our image??
The constant bashing in the media, including headlines that referred to us as “Hosers”, for fencing off the Olympic flame, giving environmentally friendly Zambonis a try, & not having the God-like power of being able to control the weather.
But finally….the Games seemed to come together, & the true spirit of the Olympics began to shine….
Slovenian cross-country skier Petra Majdic, joint winner of the Terry Fox Olympic Award for courage, after winning a bronze medal with 5 broken ribs & a punctured lung….now THAT’S true dedication, the personification of an Olympic athlete!
Canada’s first gold medal on Canadian soil, won by Alexandre Bilodeau for Men’s Moguls, & Canada’s last gold medal, won in the historic Men’s Hockey match with the United States.
Medal after medal after medal, coming in third overall with 26, & first in gold, with 14, breaking the record for most gold medals in any Winter Olympic Games.
The fantastic personality of Men’s Skeleton gold medal winner, Canadian Jon Montgomery, who celebrated his win with a pitcher of beer in the streets of Whistler.
The heart wrenching story of Canadian figure skater, bronze medal winner, & the other 
recipient of the Terry Fox Olympic Award, Joannie Rochette, who lost her mother suddenly in Vancouver mere hours after arriving to see her daughter compete.
The Canadian Women’s Hockey Team celebrating their win on the rink with beer & cigars, causing quite a hoopla…personally, I think it was fantastic…& much ado about nothing….take a chill pill folks. Just as soon as you win gold, then you be my guest & celebrate however you damn well please!
Of course, for most Canadian’s, the highlight of the Games & the perfect ending to an incredible journey, the goal heard ‘round the world…Sidney Crosby scoring the overtime game winner for Team Canada gold in Men’s Hockey…on Canadian ice….how sweet it is!!
And as the joys & the sorrows played out in front of us, we all felt a connection to these games….to the incredible athletes from around the world, to the camaraderie amongst them, to the pride of being Canadian thus, in some small way, a part of it all. Even better was seeing North America as a whole dominating the games, another first in Winter Olympic history, & despite the huge hockey rivalry, reinforcing the brotherhood we share with our neighbours to the south. The Americans broke some records as well, with the highest medal count for their country in a Winter Olympics, & breaking the all-time Winter Olympic medal count previously held by Germany, with 37 medals, as they showcased incredible talents of their own.
Finally, the 21st Winter Olympic Games draw to a close….with the streets of every major Canadian city, from coast to coast shut down, flooded with red & white, as the nation joined together in celebration of their successes in these Games….Only in Canada, eh?!! And despite the fact that I, as a Canadian, couldn’t quite wrap my head around the Opening Ceremonies, I was delighted with the way we closed it all. Poking fun throughout at the missteps we’d seen along the way, the tongue-in-cheek humour of every possible Canadian stereotype being paraded out, & showcasing some of our best & brightest Canadian stars. Best of all was Catherine O’Hara saying out loud for all of us, while poking fun at the lack of snow…“No, we don’t live in a frozen tundra!”. The Closing Ceremonies WERE uniquely Canadian. We are definitely polite, we are definitely kind. But staunch?? Never. As the VANOC President John Furlong would proclaim in his closing speech, “Now you know us, eh??!!”. And we hope you come back to see us some time!
So thank you to Vancouver, the IOC, the entire country who bled red & white for the last 17 days, & the international community who graced us with their own amazing athletes. Thank you for the memories, for the inspiration, & for giving us all the power to believe. I AM CANADIAN!
Signed,
The Mayor!
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Mayor, you said it all!!!