The End of the Games

The Olympics ended with a bang! I admit to be a huge sport buff, but these Olympics made the whole Canada one enormous hockey crowd. People were walking around in red or white Team Canada hockey jerseys, with faces painted in the same colors.

More modest ones had only a scarf, a hat, or just red mittens, with a maple leaf tucked on the collar or timidly painted on the cheek. And that's not in Vancouver, but here in Toronto, thousands of miles away. For 18 days it was a real fun to be Canadian.

Today, the last day of the games, the only thing on the schedule was the men's hockey final. In Canada, that pretty much means the only thing that matters. Especially when the gold medal game is between Canada and the USA. The old rivalry, made even more intense by the fact that the Americans beat Canada in the early stages of the Olympic tournament.

The game was befitting the Olympics. It was hockey at its best. High on action, high on drama with the happy ending. Canada lead 2:0 early in the second period, USA scored to come out for the final period trailing 2:1. After 19 min and 36 seconds of nuclear hockey in the third period, USA tied the game with 24 seconds before the end. Finally, in overtime, Sidney Crosby, a Canadian superstar who didn't shine brightly throughout the tournament, scored the "sudden death" goal, winning the game and the gold for Canada, and a place in history for himself. The whole country jumped and partied deep into the night.

Overall, the games were a great success, not only for bringing the Country together shrouded in the newly found national pride, but also because Canada won 14 gold medals, more than any country in history of Winter Olympics. It was a great event to watch, something we'll remember for a very long time.