Canadians Flock to the Streets to Celebrate Hockey Win

A man stands in front of a huge Canadian flag shortly after Canada's 3:2 victory over the United States in the final male hockey game of the Vancouver Olympic Games. (Courtesy of Iskender Piyale-Sheard)

TORONTO, Canada—It was a historic day. Canada is the first country to ever win 14 gold medals at the Winter Olympics. And what could have been better than breaking this record by winning that ultimate gold medal in Canada’s favourite winter discipline, hockey.

Soon after Canadian hockey star Sidney Crosby scored in overtime to beat the United States 3:2, hockey fans in Toronto, Canada, flocked from bars, restaurants, public spaces and home onto the streets of downtown Toronto, forcing police to close off parts of Yonge and Dundas streets at the intersection of which stands one of Toronto’s busiest public space, Dundas Square. They celebrated loudly their pride and satisfaction at the outcome of the game--and of the Games in general that successfully came to a close on Sunday night.

Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas streets were reopened to traffic many hours later around 11 pm, but the fans remained at Dundas Square to continue chanting “Ole!” and singing the national anthem, “O Canada.”