Blog: Where were you?

Where were you when Sid the Kid became Sid the Man? I watched it all unfold through the wall of monitors in our studio control room, taking in the images captured from our cameras out in the field, LIVE as it happened.

Kevin Newman was on the air, reporting it. First, the American goal, with 24 seconds left in regulation. Then, Crosby's spectacular goal in overtime, preserving the mental health of an entire nation. And of course, the spontaneous celebrations on the streets of downtown Vancouver. I couldn't truly exhale from what was an extraordinary Canadian moment until Kevin bid goodbye to the TV audience and we signed off for the day. After our final show, my Global National colleagues and I popped open a bottle of champagne, toasted the Canadian men's hockey team - and each other - for a job well done.

I live in downtown Vancouver. When I got home later that evening, I started to think how silly it was that I watched the whole thing on TV - through a wall of monitors in the control room - when it was happening literally blocks from where I live. I got a text message from a friend, urging me to come meet him and others down on Granville Street, about a 15-minute walk from my place, to "soak it all in." So I took a little stroll. Here's what I saw.

I immediately got lost in a sea of hockey-mad humanity. Strangers were giving me high-fives and I could hear people chanting, "Sid the Kid! Sid the Kid!" I even saw grown men weeping. The game had ended about three hours ago.

People burst into off-key renditions of O Canada. You know those old musicals where the characters seemed to randomly burst into song? Totally unrealistic, right? Well, sometimes, you can't help but sing along, sing out loud and sing it proud.

Probably the most remarkable scene - several young Sikh men started a group victory dance and invited everyone to join in. We did. And if you look closely at the video, you can see a young group of Muslims, dancing alongside the Sikhs. When have you ever seen THAT before?

More dancing. African drummers appeared seemingly out of nowhere and gave us all a beat. That 'sea of hockey-mad humanity' I mentioned earlier? It was a vast sea, with what seemed like every ethnicity represented. It was all so very Canadian.

By the end of our 'stroll,' my friend turned to me and asked, "Aren't you glad you came out?" I nodded yes, I was very glad. Years from now, when I'm asked the question, "Where were you?" -- I can answer truthfully. I was there.

Rosa is the broadcast producer for Global National with Kevin Newman, based in Vancouver.