Golden Finish, Golden Games

Okay, Canada, are you happy now?
With a gold rush of epic proportions over the last 48 hours, your athletes pushed their victory total to an almost unthinkable 14 at the Vancouver 2010 Games — a record for any country in a single Winter Olympics. More importantly, the record-breaker came in the sport that matters most of all to Canadians, that being the breath-taking 3-2 overtime victory over the United States in the men's hockey final.
In just about every way, it was a golden finish to a golden Games. For Vancouver, a stunningly beautiful city which embraced the Olympics like no other host city before it. And for Canada, which swelled with a national pride that hasn't been seen for generations, if at all.
Canada's identity, it's been suggested, has been transformed by what has gone on over 17 glorious days in Vancouver. It began with the country-wide trek of the Olympic flame that started in the fall, igniting the Olympic spirit at every stop along the way. By the time the cauldron was lit on Feb. 12, it had reached a fever pitch.
Even when our athletes weren't bagging medals with great regularity in early days of the Games, our national pride never wavered. Spontaneous renditions of O Canada were often heard breaking out on the streets of Vancouver, in the picturesque village of Whistler and at pretty much every sporting venue at the Games. Always, with a joyous gusto.
The singing reached a crescendo as Canadian athletes made an unprecedented charge to the top of the medal podium in the Games' final few days. No, we didn't "own the podium" — the U.S. topped the medal count for the first time in Winter Games history — but nobody won more than we did. No country heard its anthem played more often at a victory ceremony at these Winter Olympics. That's no small feat.
And yes, we got the last one, the cherished hockey gold in a game that most likely produced the largest television audience in Canadian history.
Friendly folks that we are, the world surely wasn't surprised that we were wonderful hosts. But the thirst for victory ... with this was something new for us to put on display. And it was there right down to the end. Give a listen to a tearful Devon Kershaw, who produced a best-ever Canadian result (fifth) in today's 50-km cross-country skiing finale but made it clear he was anything but satisfied.
"I'm 1.5 seconds short of being Olympic champion and that stings," said the native of Sudbury, Ont. "After two hours and 50 minutes (of skiing), to come up 1.5 seconds short of a gold medal is a bitter pill to swallow."
This is the new Canadian mentality and, I say, what's wrong with it? Why not strive to be the world's best and to beat the world's best. And enjoy the heck out of this wild and crazy ride for as long as it lasts.
But alas, the fun is about to end. The closing ceremonies are underway at B.C. Place and soon, we'll bid goodbye to this grand party. It will be a sad parting, indeed, for all who felt the magic of these Games.
"Can we vote to make this last for another two weeks?" snowboarding gold medallist Jasey-Jay Anderson asked on CTV earlier today.
Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm in if you are.