O Canada

Here's to our closest neighbor and ally, Canada. What a great country and a great host to the Winter Olympics.

Following is from The Oregonian columnist David Sarasohn:

"Canadians, says the proverb, are Americans with health care and no gun. Vancouverites, you could say, are Portlanders with even more rain and much better Chinese food."

J. P. Parisé was an NHL hockey player who played for the Minnesota North Stars when we lived in the Twin Cities. After his retirement, Parisé returned to Minnesota where he coached and was hockey director at Shattuck-Saint Mary's, where his son Zach Parise, Olympic hockey player for Team USA, and Sidney Crosby, Olympic hero for Team Canada, played.

Ryan Miller, goaltender for Team USA, was named MVP of the tournament despite losing to Canada in the Gold Medal game. He grew up in East Lansing and attended Michigan State University, where it is possible he was in a class taught by my sister Marilyn. (Or maybe Sparty hockey players didn't take Linguistics.)