Why are Canadians so Eager to make Crosby their Hero?

The 2010 Olympics in Vancouver - what a great ride.

I love the Winter Olympics... I don't know what it is that makes me so passionate about sports on ice and snow, growing up in Southern California, but the Winter Games have always had a special place in my heart.

This year's Olympic Ice Hockey teams had a great selection of Anaheim Ducks on the rosters: Bobby Ryan & Ryan Whitney (USA); Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, and Scott Niedermayer (Canada); Teemu Selanne & Saku Koivu (Finland); and Jonas Hiller & Luca Sbisa (Switzerland). It was great to watch all of them representing their countries. Selanne broke an olympic record for most all-time Olympic points and got his 3rd career Olympic medal, Koivu his 4th. Hiller did such a great job in net for the Swiss--although the USA took out the Swiss in an elimination game, I was proud of Hiller, and I am happy to have him be the force in front of the Anaheim Ducks net. Although Bobby Ryan started out strong with the first USA goal of the tournament (against Hiller), he didn't continue to shine as I had hoped. He did continue to be a part of a very hardworking American team, though, that surprised so many over the course of this tournament.

The Canadians OWN hockey. As an American, you can hardly think of the sport without associating it with the Great White North. It is no surprise that the Canadians won the Gold, only a surprise that the Americans gave them such a run for their money, with Parise tying it up in the last 30 seconds of regulation play. It was an exciting game, and a fantastic tournament.

My main gripe with the media and the Olympic games this year, though, is that they were trying so hard to make Crosby the face of the Canadian team. "Crosby and the Canadians," they say. This irks me, because the Canadian team is full of talent. I think Crosby is a great player, but I think many of the NHL athletes are great players, and I don't feel that Crosby's personality warrants him to be the face of hockey. As I was watching the Olympic games, I took notice that Crosby was not a shining star on this team. He was not a leader. He was not a superstar. Without his buddy Malkin (who did happen to impress me & had the most points for Team Russia), he was simply a good hockey player--a very manageable hockey player.

Before the start of overtime, @SixFourG asked, "Ok hockey fans on both sides of the border. Hero predictions please." I couldn't help but think, "Anyone but Crosby." Of course, as everyone knows, Crosby ended up getting the game winner in overtime. I turned to the boyfriend, "Was that Crosby?" Damn. My fingers turned to Twitter, "Fuck! Crosby doesn't do SHIT this whole tournament, & now he gets to be a national hero." Before that goal, was the media wondering, "How are we going to justify the amount of time we've spent talking about how Crosby is going to carry this team, when the team doesn't need to be carried, and there are teammates with more goals and points than him?" They should have been. Lucky for them, though, Crosby got the game-winning goal. They could continue to fill our televisions and PC monitors with images of his face. Crosby, the face of hockey. Whoop dee fucking doo.

That said, congratulations to all of the Olympians for making this experience unforgettable.