Looking back, the Olympics played out like a Shakespearian play in reverse. Tragedy cast a pall over Vancouver before the first faux snowflake had fallen at Opening Ceremonies, when Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died after losing control of his sled on at the Olympic Sliding Centre. Steady village rains exacerbated the gloomy atmosphere in Whistler and Vancouver, as marquee alpine ski events were postponed due to soft snow and lousy light. But, as one would expect in this glorious landscape, nature came to the rescue, dispatching spring sunshine and 50+ temperatures, inviting guests into the streets and onto the patios. The American ski team, and Olympic team in general, established an historic run of dominance with Bode and Lindsey golds, among other medals, and Julia silvers, while the hosts finally evicted the albatross of never winning at home, when Alexandre Bilodeau, the first of several mythical Canadian narratives, took gold in Men’s moguls. All of Canada celebrated their first hero on the streets, while enticing visitors from across the globe to nosh elk, dance to live Acadian fiddle and accordion or wash down some Saskatchewan pilsner at the provincial houses. The Americans took the medal count for the first time since Lake Placid, not in 1980, but in 1932! There were favorites, like Shaun White, who is so much better than everyone else, he must use magic, and surprises, like first ever US medals (gold and silver!) by Bill Demong and Johnny Spillane in nordic combined. Canada’s much harangued “Own the Podium” campaign just needed an adjective, as in “Own the Top Podium,” because the host country set records for host gold medals with 14. But even owning everyone of the gold medals in the Royal Mint, folks lined up for over seven hours to see the medals in production, would lack luster for this typically humble citizenry if they failed to win medal in the national obsession: men’s hockey. Anxiety turned to panic after ho hum early performances against weaker opponents and a loss to rival USA. Considered the Golden Child since he was age 10, Sydney Crosby fulfilled his destiny yesterday when he scored the overtime winner. NBC, which had fumbled the first USA-Canada game, will hopefully take note that yesterday’s gold medal affair was watched by one out of every three Americans watching TV, an astounding figure, which should force the NHL owner’s hand to include NHL players in 2014. Wandering up Granville yesterday, as hundreds of thousands of flag bearers sang their national anthem, it occurred to me that even the Bard himself would have been hard pressed to script a better finale. For once, bragging rights belong to oh, let’s say Canada.
