'A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience': Canadians React to Hockey Gold

When 22-year-old Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in overtime to defeat the Americans 3-2 it catapulted the Olympic host city of Vancouver, and indeed all of Canada, into hockey hysteria.

It was a hysteria that rippled throughout the country into a coast-to-coast celebration that Canadians described as the most memorable experience in the country's history.

When gauging the reaction of joyous fans Sunday night it became clear the sport of hockey is more than a pastime for Canadians.

"It's our religion," said Vancouver native, Greg Mulheart, adding it was "gold or nothing for us."

Bernie LaRoux, who made the trip from Edmonton, Alberta to partake in the excitement of the Winter Games whispered emotionally, "Hockey means everything to Canada and this is the crown jewel."

The moment the winning goal was scored, Melinda Morbet, who was in fan-filled Robson Square, said she "was freaking out, I almost passed out, I couldn't breathe.

"Nothing compares to that moment, this is amazing, truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Berenika Kienc, a Polish-born naturalized Canadian, explains this country's obsession with the sport.

"Hockey is deeply ingrained in Canadian culture; it is the uniting factor for the country - a sport people of all nationalities in Canada can get behind."

Supporting Kienc's sentiment, Misha Harris, a Ukrainian-Canadian Vancouver resident, said, "Today is unlike anything I have ever seen in Canada, or may ever see again in my lifetime."

One of the many young men walking the streets in electric downtown Vancouver with a Canadian flag draped across his shoulders, hugging and high-fiving fellow Olympic celebrators exclaimed, "We've never experienced anything like this in our lives before!"

"Canadians are not usually a 'showy' nation, but this Olympics made us proud to be Canadian," said Rosanna Chipkin, another Vancouver resident. "I feel like we proved today with this win that Canada really did 'own the podium' at this winter games."

Rose Chase, with Rocky Mountaineer, the train company that transported athletes, fans and officials from Vancouver to Whistler, says the eruption of joy following the men's hockey gold medal victory was, "the pinnacle moment when it became clear what the Canadians had accomplished this Olympic Games - 14 gold medals and a new Olympic record. The best winter Olympics any country has ever hosted."

The Canadian reaction to the victory of the gold medal hockey game yesterday also revealed the strong sense of competitiveness with their American neighbors. The word "rivalry" was used repeatedly when talking about the win against Team USA.

Actor Michael J. Fox, a dual Canadian-U.S. citizen who grew up in B.C., put it best at the closing ceremony when he noted, "When watching the U.S. and Canada play hockey: I am wearing a maple leaf on my sweater."
Samantha Kuchmak, originally from Burlington, Ontario, sums it up. She says the rivalry is, "Kind of funny because of our relationship - we butt heads. For instance, when you go traveling people say Canadians are no more than passive Americans. Therefore this was a defining moment for differentiation for Canada on a world stage."