I watched the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics women’s ice hockey gold medal game this morning.

As a Canadian and a hockey fanatic, of course I was overjoyed that the Canadian women won the gold medal with a convincing and dominating win over their biggest rivals, the U.S. women’s squad. All of the team’s training, effort and resiliency paid off. All of their hard work. Their dedication. Now, finally, they can head to the podium to receive their reward. That reward? Something more important than the medal itself—the pride and thanks of a nation where hockey approaches religion. The satisfaction of knowing that, right now, at that very moment, they are the absolute best in the world at what they do. read more