Canada vs. U.S.

As the top athletes from around the globe gathered in Vancouver to compete in their respective sports, Olympic fans everywhere tuned in to every televised moment.

For two weeks the world united through the tragic death of Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, touching stories like Alexandre Bilodeau’s inspirational brother, and Joannie Rochette’s pain of losing her mother suddenly.

Canada was setting records in medal earnings and our Own the Podium campaign was proving to be a valuable investment. We were proud to be Canadian.

But then, like any Olympics in my memory, the men’s final hockey game seemed to be the culmination of our efforts. Canada versus the United States always seems to be much more intense than when we’re competing against any other country. We seem to feel that beating the States is the only time it really matters. More times than I care to remember I heard people saying, “I don’t care how many medals we get, I just hope we get more than the U.S.”

Is that really what it comes down to? Are we only proving our value by beating the U.S. in the gold medal count? It certainly seemed that way on Sunday while watching the men’s hockey final. Huge cheers erupted when the Canadian team came on the ice – and rightly so, we have a lot to be proud of – but the boos in Shoeless Joe’s that followed the U.S. team taking the ice were just as loud. I found myself embarrassed to be sitting in the same bar as those people and wondered why it gets so personal only when we are up against the States.

Perhaps it’s because Canadians feel that hockey is our game and our honour needs to be defended, or maybe we feel that the U.S. has laid claim to every major sport. But whatever the reason, I don’t think it’s an excuse to boo another team, especially at an event that is supposed to showcase good sportsmanship and world unity.

Of course I’m glad the Canadian team won, but it could have gone the other way just as easily, as demonstrated in the previous game they played. Maybe the reason the men’s game can be so intensely competitive is because most of the players play together during the NHL season and can laugh about it afterwards.

We send our players out as an extension of ourselves: we cheer them to victory and feel saddened with losses. There is a special bond with hockey that most Canadians share: even those who couldn’t care less during the regular season tune in to the Games. Let’s just try to keep our sportsmanship in check and remember the true spirit of the Olympics.