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Monday, March 01, 2010
Olympic Gold Medal Count: Canada wins in a landslide
There were 85 gold medals handed out in the non-men-hockey division, and one in the hockey division. That one is worth 86 gold medals to me. Take the men’s hockey out, and exactly half the reason to watch the Olympics goes away. By my count, that’s 13 gold medals in the non-hockey division, plus 86 for winning the hockey, and that makes it 99 gold medals. Germany was second with 10.
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A fantastic effort by the Americans. Who doesn’t love Zach Parise? His father, J.P. Parise, played for Canada in the 1972 Summit Series against USSR. I presume most of the dual-citizens choose America as their home team because of the depth on the Canadian team. Brett Hull, famously cut from one earlier Canadian team, led the American team in a win in 1996 against Canada. Said Gretzky: “Who cut Hull off the team?” Bryan Trottier, part Native American, chose USA. It’s a great thing that this happens. I love all the teams frankly. You put all the Russians in a Canadian jersey, and they’d be fantastic to root for, especially Ovechkin. It’s at the point where there’s really no disparaging going on.
At the end of each game, the Canadian crowd simply gives both teams a standing ovation, for the sheer beautiful play and great effort, all for no money, just for love of country. It’s a wonderful thing these athletes do.