More than two weeks after the fact, I am still thinking
about the Canada’s bronze medal victory in hockey at the winter Olympics. I caught the last ten minutes of the game, exciting in
its own right, and watched until the very end of the medal presentation,
mesmerized.
It was clear to me that the Canadian team wanted this
win. After all, the Czechs would
be happy to be medaled in their stead.
With three minutes left, and Canada leading by three, the Czechs
scored. Then, Canada took a too-many-men
penalty. The Czechs scored
again. The score was then
6 – 4
with two minutes left. Am I
watching a CFL football game, I asked myself, where no lead is safe? In the end, Canada
prevailed. The joy is still
infectious.
The ceremony itself had all the hallmarks of a gold medal
presentation. The only thing
missing was the singing of the national anthem. Blue carpets were stretched on the ice for the
dignitaries. Officials
methodically made their way down the line of players, placing the bronze medal
around the neck of each player, and taking the time to convey a few words of
congratulations. Every single
player beamed. Each was ecstatic. Then, they converged to take a group photo. To commemorate a bronze medal!
I am thrilled for this group of men. When the NHL announced that it would not release its players, Hockey Canada looked to other professional
leagues to build a team. According
to the Toronto Star, thirteen players come from the KHL, four from the Swiss
league, three each from Sweden and the American Hockey League, and one from
Germany and Austria. Forward
Andrew Ebbett explained the thrill: "What a
special honour. A year ago, nobody
in this locker room would even have been given a chance to be here. I’m 35
years old, and I never thought I’d be at the Olympic Games. I’ll cherish this
one for a long time." In his congratulatory tweet, Peter Mansbridge echoed those
sentiments.
At average age 31,
these players were a mixed bag of sporadic NHLers, former NHLers and
international players. That so
many of them now in their thirties are still active players, though, speaks to
their passion for the sport. For
many, it was a career highlight.
Ben Scrivens, the injured goalie, said, “This is forever,” he said. “This is something you’ll
remember for the rest of your life.”
For me, the event shone a spolight on two essential life
mindsets that, in my view, often get lost in the glare of the media emphasis on
winning and being the best.
·
Carpe diem. Opportunity doesn’t ask permission to interrupt the status
quo. It arrives when you are
making other plans. To seize it
requires courage, grit, and hard work.
·
Be
grateful. More athletes
left the Olympics disappointed, without medals or even best times. "Losing is painful, occasionally
horrific and, for many Olympians, inevitable," Nathan Vanderklippe wrote
in the Globe and Mail. Best, then, not to put onself on such a
pedestal that a silver medal becomes an unworthy crumb. Bask in the sweet moments of life; they
cushion the inevitable disappointments.
In moments like Team Canada’s bronze medal win, sports can inspire at a
visceral level. At those moments, it can stop people in their tracks to
reflect on the intrinsic reset value of private victories that, to general
amazement, bear unexpected fruit in
a public sphere.
