Zsuzsanna and I were witnesses to history on Thursday afternoon, as
Hayley Wickenheiser led Canada’s women’s hockey team to Olympic gold on
home ice.
The Americans didn’t stand a chance.
Not
against Shannon Szabados, who stopped all 28 shots on goal for the
first-ever shutout in a gold medal game. Not after Marie-Philip Poulin
put two first-period goals on the scoreboard.
Congrats to the entire team, and to coach Melody Davidson-the first bench boss ever to win back-to-back Olympic titles.
The
roar of the crowd was still reverberating inside Canada Hockey Place
when we rushed off to the Pacific Coliseum to watch the Women’s Figure
Skating final.
We ran into Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed on the way in, and said a quick hello before finding our seats.
At
their best, the Olympics are a celebration of transcendence -
outstanding athletes exceeding themselves to push the limits of their
sport.
But Joannie Rochette’s performance was something more.
She
skated beautifully, in the shadow of personal tragedy, to take Canada’s
first spot on the podium since 1988. But the medal didn’t
matter-Joannie was inspiring not just for her performance, but for her
courage.
It was a privilege to watch.
Michael Ignatieff will be blogging and tweeting his experiences during the Vancouver Olympic Games. Check back here for updates!
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