Top 10 | Canadian moments at the Winter Games

The Olympic Games always provide great moments of emotion. There were 10 of them at the Winter Games (since 2000), which we still remember.

Katherine Harvey-Pinard
Press

1. Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal – Vancouver 2010

This is one of the most defining moments in Canadian Olympic history. Canada led 2-1 against the United States in the final of the hockey tournament until only 24 seconds remained in the game. The Americans tied the game, throwing a cold, however freezing, shower into a Rogers Arena filled with red jerseys. Crosby settled the argument in overtime, accepting a assist from Jarome Iginla to score the golden goal. In Vancouver, the crowd was jubilant. Canadians across the country celebrated the victory.

2. The love of two brothers – Sochi 2014

The whole world was moved as Alex Bilodeau hugged his brother Frédéric, who suffers from cerebral palsy, after winning his gold medal in mogul skiing. The Quebecer also became the first Canadian in history to win an Olympic gold medal on Canadian soil.

3. The Last Olympic Dance – PyeongChang 2018

One of the greatest Olympic stories remains that of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The figure skaters, who teamed up for 20 years, rocked many when they performed their program to the sound of the film’s music red Mill, in PyeongChang. Taking gold in the ice dance and team event that year, the duo became the greatest medalist in Olympic history in figure skating with three gold and two silver in three. participation in the Games (2010, 2014 and 2018).

4. Cindy Klassen and her five medals – Turin 2006

Arriving in Turin in February 2006, Cindy Klassen already had an Olympic medal in her memory box. Two weeks later, she had five more. In a single edition of the Olympics, she won five medals, one in each of the events in which she took part (one gold, two silver and two bronze). At the time, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, called her a “woman of the Games”.

5. The strength of Joannie Rochette – Vancouver 2010

Joannie Rochette’s performance in Vancouver in 2010 went beyond sports. The 24-year-old athlete at the time learned of her mother’s death two days before the competition. She decided to participate anyway, supported by a whole country, and grabbed the bronze medal in the women’s individual event. The last solo medal for a Canadian skater was in 1988 …

6. Turnaround – Salt Lake City 2002

The figure skating duo Jamie Salé and David Pelletier delivered a flawless performance in the final of the pairs event in 2002. To everyone’s surprise, the gold medal was awarded to the Russian tandem of Elena Berejnaïa and Anton Sikharulidze, who had not been perfect. An investigation quickly revealed that there had been an exchange of votes between the French and Russian federations. Salé and Pelletier finally took the first step of the podium with their opponents to receive their gold medal.

7. Two sisters on the same podium – Sochi 2014

Having a family member at the Olympics is already exceptional. Of them ? Even more. Three ? It is almost a miracle. This was the case for the Dufour-Lapointe sisters in mogul skiing in Sochi in 2014. Two of them, Justine and Chloé, were respectively on the first and second step of the podium. Their smiles said it all!

8. Illustrious Kim Boutin – PyeongChang 2018

We all remember the disqualification of South Korean Choi Min-Jeong in the 500m final, which won the bronze medal for Kim Boutin. The Quebecer lived through the horror in the days that followed, receiving thousands of comments from angry Koreans. But we also remember the moment when Boutin and Marianne St-Gelais hugged each other, when the result was announced. The Sherbrooke native showed a lot of courage in the days that followed and eventually won a silver and two bronze at these Games, becoming the first three-time individual medalist in speed skating.

9. Marie-Philip Poulin brings gold to Canada – Sochi 2014

Beautiful moment of hockey. And it is none other than Marie-Philip Poulin who is at the origin. The Canadians trailed 2-0 against the Americans with 3:26 to play in the grand final. They closed the gap for the first time, then Marie-Philip Poulin equalized the score by recovering a puck left alone in front of the goal with 54 seconds to go. In overtime, the Quebecer took a shot from the wrists of the enclave to get gold for the representatives of the maple leaf.

10. The Games of Marc Gagnon – Salt Lake City 2002

Marc Gagnon achieved quite a feat on the short track speed skating tracks in 2002. The native of Chicoutimi started his Games with a disappointment by being disqualified in the quarter-finals of the 1000m. The following days were however memorable. He first won a bronze medal in the 1,500m. At the microphone of Radio-Canada, we saw him shed tears of joy after his race. A few days later, he won gold in the 500m, then with the men’s team in the 1,500m relay. This is called a beautiful harvest!