VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Four years of frustration got an outlet Tuesday night when team Canada opened men's hockey play with a 8-0 victory over Norway.
Though it might not be fair to the players on the team, it seems the psyche of the nation depends on Canada winning the gold after the embarrassment of Torino. Right now that psyche is just fine, thank you.
Downtown Vancouver near Canada Hockey Place was a beehive of activity before the game. Canada hockey sweaters dominated the landscape, cowbells (though nothing compared to those toted by the Swiss) were abundant.
Thousands lined up across two blocks to get into a free LiveCity Downtown event that featured an outdoor big screen, friendly Mounties and a dry seat on asphalt. The crowd was there to party, but it was without doubt a hockey crowd, first and foremost. During Canada's first (unsuccessful) power play, shouts of "Shoot the puck!" punctuated chants of "Can-A-Da!"
Possibly because the police have blocked a number of streets around the arena, or because the layout of the area tends to be roomy, the big game feel outside wasn't as pervasive as, say, a walk from the T to Fenway.
All that changed in the arena. As I weaseled my way to the prime media at center ice, the rink greeted me with a sea of red. Seconds later Canada scored its second goal, and I felt the crowd cheer more than actually heard it.
And this was just Norway. This place is really going to get noisy should Canada reach the final.
