EDMONTON – As Canadians of all ages celebrate Team Canada’s success, the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission announces bars will be able to open and serve alcohol at 5 a.m. Sunday for the gold medal hockey game.
Friday morning, Team Canada won a gold in men’s curling, a gold and silver in women’s ski cross, a bronze in men’s short track speed skating, and the men’s hockey team beat the U.S. team in a highly-anticipated semi-final game.
“It’s pride,” said Joe Kraus. “It’s great. We won a bunch of golds today.”
The victories bumped Team Canada much higher in the overall medal standings, and had Canadians across the nation celebrating.
READ MORE: Full medal count from the 2014 Sochi Olympics
Local curling rinks had their time to bask in the golden glory earlier in the day, before bars filled up and workplaces ground to a halt to cheer on Team Canada’s men’s hockey team take on its U.S. rivals.
Friday afternoon, Alberta Premier Alison Redford announced that bars will be able to open and serve at 5 a.m. on Sunday for the gold medal hockey game.
“We appreciate the outpouring of enthusiasm of Albertans who want to gather to watch the game on Sunday and will support licensees to serve liquor when the puck drops,” said Bill Robinson, president and CEO of the AGLC.
“I don’t know these people at all, but we’re sitting at the same table, watching the same game, having a great time. This is Canada; it’s the best.”
His seatmate Shanna Telcs agrees.
“We don’t always get out together and get along, but this just brings us together and makes a team.”
WATCH: Canadians celebrate men’s hockey win against U.S.
Workplaces, including dental offices, law offices and barber shops, struggled to balance productivity with cheering on Team Canada.
“It’s very tough, my friend, very tough here today,” said barber Faid Aboughaouche.
He actually angled the TV in Duggan Barbershop towards the mirror so that clients – and he – can watch the events.
“One eye is on the TV, one eye is on the head,” he admitted.
For dentist Dr. Kathy Lukas, maintaining focus is difficult.
“It’s terrible. It’s so exciting to watch the game, but I have to focus on what I’m doing, so we get our patients to watch the game for us.”
Heritage Dental Centre has TVs on the ceilings above patients, so they can follow Canadian athletes while they have their teeth cleaned.
“You should have been here yesterday,” added a dental hygienist. “We had every single room full in here and when they won we were all screaming and cheering.”
Watch below: John Sexsmith reports on how companies are balancing work with hockey
How are you showing your Canadian pride?
At Brownlee law office, a large boardroom was bursting at the seams over lunch hour Friday.
“Up until about 10 o’clock we were getting a lot of work done,” said managing partner Tom Marriott with a smile.
“This is Canada. Hockey is our game.”
READ MORE: Forecast of low productivity at work high score for men’s hockey game
At S. Bruce Smith school in Edmonton, hundreds of students packed the gym to watch the Canada U.S. hockey game.
“We want to take the opportunity to share this experience of the Olympics with our students and show our support for our Canadian athletes,” explained Assistant Principal Darrell Paquette.
“There’s an opportunity here for us to educate our kids about some memories that maybe some of the parents even had, back in the 1972 summit series, when everyone was huddled around a school intercom system, or a radio, or a black and white TV and just to bring that sense of what being Canadian is all about and sharing that together as a school.”
“This is our next generation of Canadians who really understand what the nature of being Canadian is and showing that pride and that spirit and sharing it together,” Paquette said.
Even furry friends were getting into the Olympic spirit.
Staff at K9 Club dog kennel brought in a TV so that the animals could participate in all the action.
“We wanted to make sure both staff and dogs got the chance to watch Canada play the U.S.,” explained Shawna Magnan.
Comments