Hi guys,
I'm still a little shaken up after yesterday afternoon's wild hockey game where we were attempting to claim our 14th gold medal when against the United States during that tense and dramatic overtime period. The U.S was really going all out in those final critical minutes of the third period, desperately trying to tie the game. In the end, just when most thought Canada would secure victory, a very shocking twist had occurred as the U.S was successful to even the score when only about 24 seconds remained in the final period. Though it was frustrating for the Canadian audience, it seemed somehow appropriate that such drama and tension should erupt given that we were in the midst of shattering records while seeking redemption after the unfortunate loss we suffered following the first encounter with the U.S before having to take on Germany, Russia and Slovakia (it was a tough road). By the time all was said and done, with everyone on the edge of their seats (especially myself clutching my shirt with sweaty palms), the country's new hero, Sydney Crosby, managed to make an impeccable score during the frantic beginning of overtime, bringing Canada its well deserved 14th gold medal while both making history and calming the nerves and extreme pressure of Canadians.
It was a real pleasure to watch the Winter games over the last two and a half weeks and see Canada not only triumphant in ranking as third in total number of medals acquired (26), but also making history for breaking the record of the total earned gold medals collected by any country for the Winter Olympics - the old record standing at 13, which was set by the Soviet Union in 1976 and then by Norway in 2002. As such, we are number one for the most golds for the 2010 Winter games. As I had stated with much enthusiasm following Canada winning the 2009 (and 2003) Montreal fireworks competition.....GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm really proud of our athletes.
In any case, after all of the chaos, I just wanted to share the fireworks display during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SM8kf1N4gU
I'll post the closing once it is available (you're always welcome to do so as well if you happen to come across it).
Other than that, we've made it to March, and soon it will be time to put the clocks one hour forward (March 14th). It turns out that my prediction (based on El Nino), thus far, for this Winter has been on the right track as we've, most assuredly, seen a mild Winter season while being snow-deprived across much of this nation - this combination was often problematic for outdoor Winter sports during the Olympics. For the East, major storm systems in February were forced to stay South of the border. Still, though, Winter has time to play with, and so it's not over until it's over. At least, however, we're off to a good start, though breezy (thanks to storm systems out East in the Atlantic), for the first week of March as temperatures are, overall, exhibiting similar values left behind by February - that is, above normal.
Trav.
(Proud to be Canadian)
