If you're a proud Canadian tonight......

[KiranA]

RAISE YOUR HAND!!!!

*raises both hands in the air*

[Steven Edwards]

*raises ha....*

Oh. Sorry. :o

[NorthQuad]

Ouch, I pulled a muscle.

[rdf]

Everyone who loves the Olympics and sports are all Canadians tonight. Great games you put on, with the hockey win such a rewarding ending for Canada. I know I'm proud.

[Danine]

You guys should be proud!

Congrat's on hosting a great Olympic games!

[Zeus]

They were almost as awesome as the Sydney games... ;)

Once again, congratulations Canada. It was a fabulous way to end a fabulous games.

Chris.

[Eileen]

Congratulations team Canada! Great game!

[mr_coffee]

that hockey game was good! I'm raising my hands just because i want to be a winner.

[Van Quad]

that hockey game was good! I'm raising my hands just because i want to be a winner.

:hahaha:You'd better raise your hand, your children may be Canadian!

[lynnifer]

And here all this time I was wondering where the 'really good' performers were ... they were in the closing ceremonies! Michael J Fox, Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Nickelback, Michael Buble .. awesome! Okay, I'll put William Shatner in there because he was funny.

[Obieone]

Excuse me ... pardon me ......sorry ....{{{{raising hand}}}} opps ... sorry {{{it's up}}}} me ..... me me me me .... I'm a proud Canadian :thumbsup: :high5: :first: ..... but all that moose ... and no beaver tail to be found :no: !!

Congrats Vancouver .... you done good .... very very good !!

Obie
ETA - oops found some :D http://www.canadiandesignresource.ca/officialgallery/miscellaneous/beaver-tail-pastry/

[christopher]

I'm watching Avril Lavigne right now and it's AWESOME!!!

.. because I have her on mute with Arcade Fire going.

Anyways, my hands up up in the air, waving like they just don't care.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

[KiranA]

Christopher, it's funny that you say Arcade Fire. On my FB status, I had said that instead of Nickelback, Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan, they should have had Arcade Fire, Patrick Watson and The Tragically Hip.

[orangejello]

It's been a really emotional day for me. I didn't think I would really care that much whether the hockey team won or lost. I was just happy they made it to the final and figured that was good enough, win or lose. I admit I was pretty cynical all along that an Olympic gold medal could really mean that much to millionaire hockey players. But when I watched them taking turns skating around the ice with that giant Canadian flag after the game, I found I had tears in my eyes. Watching the coverage of the crazy crowds in the streets in Toronto and Vancouver and elsewhere, and then watching the closing ceremonies, I had more tears. It was one of those seemingly very rare chances for the entire country to share in something and really just a great day to feel good about being Canadian. It wasn't just the hockey game today though. It was the entire Olympic experience of the past 17 days. The men's hockey gold was just the icing on the cake.

There is something else for me though about today. I watched the game with some family and friends. Which was nice. Everybody was very excited before the game and that excitement grew as the game went on. But most importantly I watched the game with my dad. He suffered a very serious stroke in January and his recovery has been very slow and very painful for him and my family. Watching the game today was the first time we have seen him be happy since he got sick. He was also interacting and engaging with people on a level we haven't seen since the stroke. Of course the hockey game alone wasn't the cause. But over the course of the afternoon, watching the game seemed to open up something that we had been waiting and hoping for. But not expecting right now. I am still trying to process that. At any rate, this entire day will stay with me for a long time. For many reasons.

As for what these Olympics meant to Canadians and the change that seem to come over the country during the games, yesterday I watched a remarkable video essay put together by Globe and Mail columnist Stephen Brunt. For me he summed it up better than anybody else has been able to. I couldn't embed the video but it's worth clicking the link and taking a look.

link to Stephen Brunt Video (http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/index.html?assetid=16afced6-f953-42f8-88ce-46c9493947e9#)

[Kari in Pacific NW]

Um, can't raise hand (or arm, for that matter). I'm not a Canadian, but live within 75 miles of the border. Hugs to Canadians. I watched most of the Olympics, and it was great.

[cheesecake]

Can any of my Canadian friends help me locate and buy one? A knock off is good.
Email me if you can help.

Great show, great games, great win. Congrats, you Canadians should be proud.

[KiranA]

Great post, OJ. It moved me in the same way I've been moved for the last two weeks. I also reposted the link to your video because I think it was a great summary of the Olympic experience. Thank you for sharing your personal experience.

[Patrick Madsen]

I call myself a CAmerican. I live right on the border and am married to a Vancouver girl. Well, Terrace but we did live in Van.

Now comes the rush for the border. Gonna be a lineup tonight.

[canuck]

Great to hear that being with family and friends got you dad interacting again Amanda! It's the best "therapy" he could have got!

It's been a really emotional day for me. I didn't think I would really care that much whether the hockey team won or lost. I was just happy they made it to the final and figured that was good enough, win or lose. I admit I was pretty cynical all along that an Olympic gold medal could really mean that much to millionaire hockey players. But when I watched them taking turns skating around the ice with that giant Canadian flag after the game, I found I had tears in my eyes. Watching the coverage of the crazy crowds in the streets in Toronto and Vancouver and elsewhere, and then watching the closing ceremonies, I had more tears. It was one of those seemingly very rare chances for the entire country to share in something and really just a great day to feel good about being Canadian. It wasn't just the hockey game today though. It was the entire Olympic experience of the past 17 days. The men's hockey gold was just the icing on the cake.

There is something else for me though about today. I watched the game with some family and friends. Which was nice. Everybody was very excited before the game and that excitement grew as the game went on. But most importantly I watched the game with my dad. He suffered a very serious stroke in January and his recovery has been very slow and very painful for him and my family. Watching the game today was the first time we have seen him be happy since he got sick. He was also interacting and engaging with people on a level we haven't seen since the stroke. Of course the hockey game alone wasn't the cause. But over the course of the afternoon, watching the game seemed to open up something that we had been waiting and hoping for. But not expecting right now. I am still trying to process that. At any rate, this entire day will stay with me for a long time. For many reasons.

As for what these Olympics meant to Canadians and the change that seem to come over the country during the games, yesterday I watched a remarkable video essay put together by Globe and Mail columnist Stephen Brunt. For me he summed it up better than anybody else has been able to. I couldn't embed the video but it's worth clicking the link and taking a look.

link to Stephen Brunt Video (http://www.ctvolympics.ca/video/index.html?assetid=16afced6-f953-42f8-88ce-46c9493947e9#)

[lynnifer]

Cheese ---> http://store.hbc.com/team-canada-jerseys/vancouver-2010-olympic-team-canada-replica-jersey-red/prod375181657.html

They aren't cheap @ $135! The authentic ones are $400 ...

[cheesecake]

Cheese ---> http://store.hbc.com/team-canada-jerseys/vancouver-2010-olympic-team-canada-replica-jersey-red/prod375181657.html

They aren't cheap @ $135! The authentic ones are $400 ...

Yikes, I think I will look for a t-shirt or something else. Everything I found that I like is out of stock. Guess the Olympics are good for the economy, eh?

Thanks Lynnifer.

[LindaT]

Great game! We are in MN hockey country.
OJ, that is great that your Dad enjoyed it so much.
What a year Sidney Crosby had. Being captian of the Stanley Cup winning team and then scoring the winning goal in the Olympics.

[CowboyCrip]

What was that last song by Nickelback? It Rocked!

[christopher]

Cheesecake, take 10 minutes and watch his cute little story. It's a Canadian classic!

IJlilwLlBhg

[AO]

I want to be Canadian too!

[SCIfor55yrs.]

Cheesecake, take 10 minutes and watch his cute little story. It's a Canadian classic!
]

I enjoyed the story! I would like to be a Canadian too if I do not have to wear one of those caps like they wore in the closing ceremony. lol

[Eileen]

OJ, I, too, was touched by your description of your dad enjoying the game and family time so very much. How wonderful!

[lynnifer]

What was that last song by Nickelback? It Rocked!

Burn it to the Ground
BxgeSv88c2w

Loved it too!

OJ, I thought that was great too about your dad.

[Zeus]

And here all this time I was wondering where the 'really good' performers were ... they were in the closing ceremonies! Michael J Fox, Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Nickelback, Michael Buble .. awesome! Okay, I'll put William Shatner in there because he was funny.

You lost me at Nickelback... :D

Chris.

[lynnifer]

There was still a lot of Canadian talent missing .. but I was going to be upset if Alanis was not involved! lol

I have post-Olympic sadness. lol One of our guys was stationed right where the Americans entered the ice for the final game ... talk about lucky! Though, 28 days away from family ... 14hrs straight shifts with no break ... staying in a 30ft room on a ship with a complete stranger. lol!

[cheesecake]

Cheesecake, take 10 minutes and watch his cute little story. It's a Canadian classic!

IJlilwLlBhg

Loved it, thanks! Sounds like the Yankee vs. Red Sox division we have here.

[lynnifer]

Did anyone catch this crap?

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Canada+golden+Games+leave+critics+faced/2628127/story.html

The London Times, which on Feb. 18 ridiculed Canada's “Calamity Games,” paid grudging respect to one of the British and U.S. media's main targets: the Own The Podium federal program to fund elite athletes. “Canada has owned that bloody thing,” wrote columnist Rick Broadbent.

“A man died, the weather played havoc with the schedule, a mountain was a near disaster of a venue, and the Olympic flame, a beacon of sport's importance to all, was locked away behind a wire fence. The British media was hammered for reporting this, but it merited it,” he wrote in Monday's Times.

The Guardian's columnist Lawrence Donegan, who on Feb. 15 rashly declared that Canada was en route to hosting “the worst Games ever,” timidly avoided mentioning that prediction as he rather weakly repeated his criticisms of Vancouver Organizing Committee chief executive John Furlong.

I admit that the Olympic organizer, an Irishman, couldn't speak a lick of french to save his life (anyone else cringe at his pronunciations with Jack Rogge standing behind him at the Olympic games?) ... but I think the other criticisms are unwarranted. Let's see how London does in 2012 ... because I expect bedlam.

[loreo]

two hands in the air! Woot woot!

I am Canadian!
AOnQROgk1IM

Based on the original Joe Canadian
BRI-A3vakVg

[Imight]

I still couldn't wave a flag with a leaf on it tho.

someone had to say it. =P

[rdf]

They're just jealous, as is Time.

The Vancouver Games: A Gold in Drinking (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1968544,00.html)

Sounds like my kind of town :beer2:

Did anyone catch this crap?

http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Canada+golden+Games+leave+critics+faced/2628127/story.html

The London Times, which on Feb. 18 ridiculed Canada's “Calamity Games,” paid grudging respect to one of the British and U.S. media's main targets: the Own The Podium federal program to fund elite athletes. “Canada has owned that bloody thing,” wrote columnist Rick Broadbent.

“A man died, the weather played havoc with the schedule, a mountain was a near disaster of a venue, and the Olympic flame, a beacon of sport's importance to all, was locked away behind a wire fence. The British media was hammered for reporting this, but it merited it,” he wrote in Monday's Times.

The Guardian's columnist Lawrence Donegan, who on Feb. 15 rashly declared that Canada was en route to hosting “the worst Games ever,” timidly avoided mentioning that prediction as he rather weakly repeated his criticisms of Vancouver Organizing Committee chief executive John Furlong.

I admit that the Olympic organizer, an Irishman, couldn't speak a lick of french to save his life (anyone else cringe at his pronunciations with Jack Rogge standing behind him at the Olympic games?) ... but I think the other criticisms are unwarranted. Let's see how London does in 2012 ... because I expect bedlam.

[Leif]

I still couldn't wave a flag with a leaf on it tho.

someone had to say it. =PYou know, some say that actually could be better than a flag with a bunch of white dwarf's on it tho. =P

[cheesecake]

I wanted to say a big thanks to the group of Canadians who offered to help me in pursuit of a maple leaf shirt. The prices are obscene but perhaps when the Olympic frenzy dies down, I may be able to nab one.

About the clousing ceremony, I kept thinking of Shaun, his cow bell and his galloping moose. Must say I miss all 3 but mostly Shaun and his moose.

Thanks everyone!

[td_trust]

i live in vancouver a few blocks from the downtown core. it's been amazing!

[canuck]

I'm suprised that Amanda Marshall wasn't in the opening or closing ceremonies seems like CTV was playing "I Believe In You" every 5 minutes or so my brother was complaining.

[brucec]

If you raise your hand, and no one's around to see
does it still count?

[rdf]

If you raise your hand, and no one's around to see
does it still count?Only if you do this:

http://www.morethings.com/music/willie_nelson/willie-nelson-170.jpg