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Win or Lose, Canadians Booze
An American in Vancouver Bar for USA-Canada Hockey
Canadians go crazy for their country in the USA-Canada hockey game.
Photo: Simon Leung Photography
They came dressed in their CANADA hockey shirts, their CANADA scarfs, wearing CANADA gloves and draped in Canadian flags.
When the athletes took to the ice, they screamed, cheered, yelled "GO CANADA" and pounded thunder sticks.
Yet this was only for an ice skating event. The day's real attraction – the USA-Canada hockey game – had yet to even start. What happens when the game actually begins!?
The American (top right) observes the Canadian national spirit.
Photo: Simon Leung Photography
To Canadians, this game was a matter of national pride, a chance to show their big neighbor to the south how their sport is played, on their home turf, second in importance only to winning the Gold Medal. "We just can't lose to the Americans," they have said ever since the game was scheduled. The sport is so important to them that for months they have been saying if they don't win the Gold Medal in men's hockey, then the entire hosting of the Games will be a bust.
So they turned out by the thousands, packing into bars all over the country and in particular Vancouver, where just a few blocks away the game was taking place as part of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. PubClub.com took in the game from a rocking sports bar, the Yaletown Brewery.
PubClub is definitely not Canadian but the concept of the website was conceived in part while in Toronto. So there is a definite Canadian connection. Yet being American, PubClub was vastly outnumbered on this fine day.
It was a rocking atmosphere, not unlike being in an American sports bar for a championship game filled with fans of one of the participating teams. Except these fans were LOUD, the noise level reaching airport decibel levels before the game, and they were rooting for their country. The atmosphere was electric! It was almost as exciting as being at the game itself.
Oh, yeah, Canada: Beers, cheers and Team Canada hockey.
Photo: Simon Leung Photography
Once the game began, the peoplel calmed down considerably, especially after the Americans scored in less than a minute. From that point, they were nervous, groaning when a shot was blocked, cheering wildly when Canada tied the game at 1-1. But moments later, they were in shock as the Americans scored to go up 2-1 while many had yet to even put down their beer.
The game itself was terrific – fast-paced, well played and with enough hard hits to resemble an American football game. One could just feel the intensity of it pouring out of the TV screens. The Americans won because they played like Americans play most sports – by being aggressive and putting on the pressure from start to finish. The Canadians were initially passive, but stepped up their emotions to the pace of the Americans, the result being a thrilling contest.
Gee, imagine if they had actually won the game!
Photo: Simon Leung Photography
Oh Canada got close, but as the third period wore down with the USA holding a two-goal lead, the talk turned to "well, it's really better this way because it will wake them up." Then usddenly Canada scored with three minutes remaining. and that statement was suddenly forgotten like an empty beer. When the Americans put it away with an empty-net goal and won 5-3, there was not quite the reaction one from the States would expect.
Instead of throwing their hands up in disgust, cussing the team and coaches and running after the waitress to bring them their bar tab, the Canadians stayed and partied. They had cheerfully adopted the PubClub.com cheer of "Win or Lose, We Booze!"
By this time, half the bar knew PubClub was American and Canadians came over with handshakes and doing beer cheers. One fine gentlemen even picked up the PubClub tab!
"Welcome to Canada," he said.
Imagine, if you will, a Florida Gators fan doing that for an Alabama fan after this past year's SEC Championship game. It simply would not happen.
Canadians are so friendly, so overwhelming docile, that it's part of their makeup. It was bit out of character for them to pump out their chest like an American about their hockey team for these Games, and after the loss, they went back to their more natural state of mind.
They are fun loving, beer drinking happy people. And they proved it by singing a Canadian hockey song, still proudly sporting their Canadian-branded clothes and wearing Canadian flags and partying late into the night.
Imagine had they actually won the game.
– MORE VANCOUVER 2010 OLYMPIC STORIES –
• How to Identify Canadians at the Games
• Winter Olympics Fans & Party Guide,
• Winter Olympics Fun Photos,
• Lindsey Vonn, America's Olympic Star,
• Tips on Ways to Identify Canadians at the Games
• A Look at the Games & Scene in Vancouver
• A Look at the Games & Scene in Whistler
• Arrival in Vancouver of the Olympic Torch.
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