Hats off to America's Hat

I'd like to congratulate Canada on hosting a wonderful Olympic Games - opening and closing ceremonies notwithstanding.

I'd also like to congratulate them on winning hockey gold in a thrilling overtime match against the United States. (This is for The Doob.) Many a proud American closed the games with egg on their face after proclaiming hockey dominance over the Canadians on their turf following the Americans' resounding victory in the preliminary round. With gold in their own sport, it was perhaps a fitting end to an Olympiad that was overall won by the Mounties.

True, the United States won the final medal count with 37 total medals (nine gold); Germany even finished ahead of Canada for second with 30 medals (ten gold), while the hosts retained 26 (14 gold) for third. So if you go by the number of times a nation finished on the podium, had their flag raised, and received some color medal, the Yanks were indeed first. But the true victors should be judged by who won the most events, received the most gold medals, and had their flag raised higher than those of their silver- and bronze-laden competitors.

O Canada was played five more times than The Star Spangled Banner at medal ceremonies in Vancouver.

I make this argument as an American, proud that our athletes had to take extra time passing through security at the Vancouver airport on account of the bling. I say this disappointed that the US Hockey team had to settle for silver - the constant reminder that you were second best in the championship game, especially since that's twice in three Winter Games that Canada took the gold and left us with silver after Joe Sakic and company won on US soil in 2002.

Medalling at the Olympic games is a true accomplishment, and no athlete should feel ashamed if they 'only' received silver or bronze. But we all know that gold is the color you want, the medal you dream of. And besides, this is the Olympics, not little league where every kid gets a ribbon.

So to you, America's Hat, I tip my cap. Thanks for a great Olympics and a tremendous hockey tournament. You can keep Avril Lavigne, Alanis Morissette, KD Lang, and mimes, as well as the opening ceremony's tap-dancing bar flies. And assuming you plan on deporting Nickelback, we don't want them.