GOLD, EH, LOCKS!

What does winning Gold in hockey mean to Canada?

Everything.

The sport has always been galvanizing for the country, whether it be any day of the week at community rinks that dot the frozen landscape north of the 49th parallel, or Saturday nights on TV from October to June.

They often state that hockey is part of the fabric of Canada and you couldn’t find a truer truism – or a stronger weave.

The biggest stars, the greatest moments, the strongest memories are all tattooed onto the collective Canadian psyche by the sport of hockey.

Paul Henderson and the 72’ Summit Series vs the Soviet Union is a fable – and a postage stamp. Bobby Orr is mentioned in Tragically Hip lyrics, his epic Stanley Cup winning goal for the Bruins instantly recognized. Wayne Gretzky is Canadian royalty, TV pundit Don Cherry is the Pope, and Sidney Crosby just skated into folklore.

Hockey makes Canadians feel good – or lousy – depending on the outcome.

The World under 20 tournament is almost exclusively held in Canada, not because other countries don’t have arenas, because Canadians care about it on par with the NCAA National Championship in football in the States.

The men’s Olympic team was announced live on two networks in Canada and then debated for hours. Swedish Olympians found out they’d been picked to represent their country by surfing the internet.

Hockey is undoubtedly the country’s identity internationally, it’s the logo on their business card and the silhouette against their flag.

As the saying goes, “Canada is Hockey, and Hockey is Canada.”

And when it comes to their game of hockey Canadians believe in a phrase popularized by fictitious NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby – “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” There is no silver, no runner-up, no second best in this sport in that country.

So today they celebrate Crosby, the 2010 team, their double gold performance in the sport at the Vancouver games, and, they celebrate themselves – because across Canada they are just givin’er, swilling Sleeman, Molson and Labbatt products as they rejoice in jubilation, yelling not “they did it”, but “we” did it, all the while doing so with an undercurrent of relief, because if you are going to trumpet your supremacy, you’d better back it up.

Swagger on Can – a – da!