All my patients, my staff at WestcoastSmile Dental Studio and yours truly, Dr Jeffrey Norden were all a bit tired Monday. Like most of Canada, all of us got up early Sunday morning to watch the Canada-Sweden Gold medal hockey game in Sochi. It was great to see our Canadian hockey players show they are the best in the world. That being said, I don’t know about you, but something was different about this gold medal run. I just didn’t feel the same drama and tension of 2010. As I watched early Sunday morning I guess I never felt in doubt about Canada winning gold. In fact, even in the semi-final against the USA, although it was a one goal game, I didn’t feel the anxiety I did in 2010. I don’t know if it was the Olympic venue being all the way in Sochi, Russia or the 12 hour time difference but I didn’t feel what I did in Vancouver. It seems hard to believe that 4 years have passed since Vancouver hosted the best ever winter Olympics. The time has passed like a blur. As the Vancouver 2010 Olympic dentist for men’s ice hockey, I was fortunate to have a rink side seat to many of the great dramas that unfolded for the men’s ice hockey tournament. Some of those special memories included seeing all the greatest hockey players in the world gathered in one place and meeting many of them; chatting with the great Russian goaltending legend Vladislav Tretiak from the historic 1972 Canada-Russia Summit Series at the beginning of the Canada –Russia hockey game and getting him to sign my jacket; seeing the late former Canuck Pavel Demitra score a great game winning goal for Slovakia, watching Canuck Ryan Keslar be one of the most dominant players in the tournament, the enthusiasm of the Latvian fans, seeing two young Canadian hockey players named Jonathon Toews and Drew Doughty foreshadow in Vancouver the kind of hockey players they would become and of course being rink side for Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal in overtime. I had so many great memories of walking to and from the Ice Hockey venue at Rogers Arena, seeing the amazing enthusiasm of the crowds all around me for the Olympics. I will never forget the sea of people gathering outside the arena on gold medal day to watch the game on the outdoor monitors. The city of Vancouver had a spirit of camaraderie lead by the 1000’s of volunteers and followed by rest of the people of Lower Mainland that I may never experience again. My daughter was 2, now she is 6; it was a great time, a great party but gosh has it already been four years. Time passes quickly, embrace your own special moments. It passes all too soon.
