How the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics brought out the patriot in all of us

We definitely proved those Olympic pessimists wrong.

When Zach Parisé, son of Jean-Paul Parisé, scored the tying goal for U.S.A. with 24 seconds left in the game, the sound of racing hearts could be heard across Canada.

In a movie, Team Canada would score the winning goal in overtime to take home the gold. And that’s just what happened.

When Sidney Crosby shot the puck past Ryan Miller, the American goalkeeper, Canada Hockey Place roared as we won our 14th gold medal.

An award-winning screenwriter couldn’t have written it better.

The reaction to that goal could be heard all across Canada and even overseas. CTV showed footage of Canadians celebrating in downtown Vancouver, Whistler village, Nova Scotia, downtown Toronto, and in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Canadians in London even tweeted about Trafalgar Square being a sea of red and white and celebrating the win at a nearby pub.

The 2010 Winter Olympics had a bit of a rocky start, with many being apathetic or even opposed to the Olympics being held in Vancouver.

It was like people were waiting for us to crash and burn. But the opposite happened.

The Olympic games ended on a high as we broke a record, winning the most gold medals ever won at the Winter Games.

But we came away with more than just medals. We came away with a greater connection to our fellow Canadians and a sense of pride that we always had, but didn’t always show.

We will look back on these past two weeks as historic, defining moments in Canadian history.

But first, we have to get through the week with this Olympic hangover.