Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Geoff Russ: There is nothing morally superior about a silver medal at the Olympics

Can we banish this cult of mediocrity?

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

Too many Canadians are comfortable with second place, even to the point of celebrating it.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.

Unlimited online access to National Post.

National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Support local journalism.

Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.

Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.

Unlimited online access to National Post.

National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.

Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.

Support local journalism.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.

Enjoy additional articles per month.

Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account

Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments

Enjoy additional articles per month

Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

In the final showdown of the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Milano-Cortina Olympics, the United States beat Canada in overtime to take the gold medal.

Geoff Russ: There is nothing morally superior about a silver medal at the Olympics Back to video

It was an honourable loss. A deeply talented Team Canada ran into the brick wall that was American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 shots, allowing Jack Hughes to score the overtime winner.

A normal, mature country would recognize the game as a painful defeat, a source of short-term anger, possibly long-term bitterness, and a cause for self-reflection. Some Canadians did that, but others tried to pretend that a silver medal was some sort of moral victory for the country.

This newsletter tackles hot topics with boldness, verve and wit. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)

There was an error, please provide a valid email address.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Platformed will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

Interested in more newsletters? Browse here.

“I’d rather be a Canadian with a silver than an American with a gold,” a quote that Bruce Croxon, a former CBC presenter, approvingly posted on X, as he tried to turn second place into a sort of deranged sacrament.

Let us be serious. Taking pride in being the runner-up is reserved for underdogs. As a wintry nation that led the gold medal count at the 2010 Winter Olympics, we are not meeting the expectations we set for ourselves 16 years ago.

That should have been a permanent new benchmark, not a one-time miracle. We should expect to win as a country, not least at the Winter Olympics.

Who truly believes a single player on the men’s hockey team would prefer a silver medal to gold?

Macklin Celebrini, a breakout star of the tournament, was clear in how he felt, stating that falling short of gold “will always stick with him.”

Our public culture has a terrible habit of thinking that second place can be a personality trait. Sentimentalizing resignation to defeat is certainly not an instinct for our athletes, but it is for many of those who fancy themselves as the stewards of our official narratives.

Jamie Sarkonak: Canada chose its Olympic decline

Lisa Bildy: Human rights rules on gender ideology are just blasphemy laws

Advertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

This losing energy infects our politics, our economy, and the most intimate decisions of middle-class life.

One Canadian who does not exemplify this is Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player who ever lived, and a winner in every sense of the word. Now he is booed because he will not condemn U.S. President Donald Trump with the same vitriol as bitter men like Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders.

Upon learning that some rabid Canadians had booed Gretzky at a sporting event, Saunders sneered that it was “a small win” on X.

It hurts petty people to be reminded that Gretzky exemplifies true excellence of the sort that scares those who pathologise mediocrity. Despite the ongoing political crossfire between Canada and the U.S., Gretzky has made it clear that, “I’m a hockey player, I’m a Canadian, I’m a true Canadian. I want Canada to win a gold medal, and I’ve never wavered from that.”

FIRST READING: One in four Canadian employees now works for government NP Comment

FIRST READING: One in four Canadian employees now works for government

Ontario property owner and contractor fined $157K for damaging threatened bird habitat Canada

Ontario property owner and contractor fined $157K for damaging threatened bird habitat

Advertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

'Moral panic': Conservative MP blasts aid to Cuba, urges government to spend it on 'our own people' Canada

'Moral panic': Conservative MP blasts aid to Cuba, urges government to spend it on 'our own people'

John Cleese says he's now avoiding B.C. because of crackdown on gender ideology criticism NP Comment

John Cleese says he's now avoiding B.C. because of crackdown on gender ideology criticism

Chris Selley: At least we're richer than Alabama in complacency NP Comment

Chris Selley: At least we're richer than Alabama in complacency

That should silence the tantrums, but Gretzky will provoke their rage for the rest of his life, because our cult of second place cannot tolerate the presence of a man whose entire public identity was built around winning. If you are psychologically invested in settling, excellence is anathema.

This same instinct is applied to our economy, especially in Western Canada. For too long, the risk-taking, entrepreneurial West has been treated like a fiscal sponge and cast as morally suspect. Alberta is the country’s top financial lifeline, with a productive culture of enterprise, yet it is constantly villainized as being too “American” when they try to reform healthcare to allow private-sector participation, for example.

If people want to stick it to the U.S., this is not the way. Competitors are not defeated by kneecapping the productive and demonising winners. We can silence critics by building and celebrating our own without punishing them out of a sense of paranoia masquerading as patriotism.

Being satisfied with less is a mental disease. For example, in a country rife with unaffordable housing, Canadians are now urged to rationalize becoming lifelong renters. One writer even urged Canadians to celebrate eternal renting and to disregard the “cult” of home ownership.

“It’s different for every person, and each individual’s needs change over time, but I’m still a firm believer that renting is a great option,” says Alex Avery, author of The Wealthy Renter.

As rational as renting can be sometimes, our country is a middle-class one where home ownership is the centrepiece of a secure household. A generation is being denied that, and they understand the consequences.

Our political class has not helped, such as when former B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson referred to renting as a “fun” rite of passage that was “wacky.” It is not “fun” to pay more than $2,000 for a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver every month.

Can Canadians aspire to get a real win?

Can we not treat attempts to break from our squalid status quo on matters such as our rotten health-care system as “American-style”? Let it be clear, Canadians have every right to distrust and dislike the U.S. at the moment. Scolding them for feeling a spike of anti-Americanism is fundamentally irrational, not the other way around.

The problem is that Canadian anti-American energy often manifests in the worst ways, such as spitefully attacking national heroes, scapegoating fellow citizens, and morally posturing about coming in second.

We should strive to outdo other countries, in sports and living standards. I certainly do, and am fatigued by my fellow Canadians seeking superiority by symbolism instead of performance.

Let there be no more coping mechanisms. Let us grow a taste for winning, as citizens, athletes, and as a country.

Share this Story : National Post Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Michelin X‑Ice Snow Tires: Do they stand up to unpredictable Canadian winters? I tested them on our fully electric vehicle in B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky corridor 5 hours ago Outdoor & Garden

Michelin X‑Ice Snow Tires: Do they stand up to unpredictable Canadian winters?

I tested them on our fully electric vehicle in B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky corridor

Is this spring's buzziest collection? Uniqlo x JW Anderson launches in Canada Uniqlo launches latest JW Anderson collaboration. 16 hours ago Fashion & Beauty

Is this spring's buzziest collection? Uniqlo x JW Anderson launches in Canada

Uniqlo launches latest JW Anderson collaboration.

After 30 years 'asleep,' Tiffany & Co.'s watchmaking has awoken The Tiffany Timer is just the beginning for the Tiffany & Co. watchmaking division. Read more ... 16 hours ago Fashion & Beauty

After 30 years 'asleep,' Tiffany & Co.'s watchmaking has awoken

The Tiffany Timer is just the beginning for the Tiffany & Co. watchmaking division. Read more ...

Advertisement 3Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.document.addEventListener(`DOMContentLoaded`,function(){let template=document.getElementById(`oop-ad-template`);if(template&&!template.dataset.adInjected){let clone=template.content.cloneNode(!0);template.replaceWith(clone),template.parentElement&&(template.parentElement.dataset.adInjected=`true`)}});

These are the best Amazon Canada deals of the week: Home, tech and more Take advantage of these Amazon Canada deals before they're gone 19 hours ago Deals

These are the best Amazon Canada deals of the week: Home, tech and more

Take advantage of these Amazon Canada deals before they're gone

Thuma Hybrid Mattress review: Support for a restful, rejuvenated night I tested this mattress and appreciate its high-quality layers 19 hours ago Home Living

Thuma Hybrid Mattress review: Support for a restful, rejuvenated night

I tested this mattress and appreciate its high-quality layers

© National Post