These Olympics were complicated — but also wonderful at times

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In retrospect, maybe it was too much. Too much Olympics, with these ones starting only six months after the last ones ended. Too much of a tough act to follow, with Canada coming off its best Summer Games ever. Too much to question about the host country. Too much going on over here, as we continue to grapple with the pandemic — and with those trying to tear things apart.

Or maybe it was not enough. Not enough gold medals, with Canada winning its fewest at the Winter Olympics since 1994. Not enough success in some of our favourite sports, like curling, figure skating and men's hockey. Not enough (or actually any) NHL stars. Not enough (or actually any) indication that Russia — or whatever we're supposed to be calling it — will ever clean up its act. 

For all these reasons, and probably a few others, these were a complicated Olympics. And, let's be honest, not the greatest we've ever seen. But they did deliver some great moments.

The Canadian women's hockey team's gold-medal victory over the archrival United States was as good as it gets — and another reminder that these players deserve a top-notch league of their own. Short track icon Charles Hamelin put the perfect punctuation on his brilliant Olympic career with a walk-off relay gold.

WATCH | Women's hockey provided more great Olympic moments:

Cancer survivor Max Parrot won a gold and a bronze in snowboarding and now owns an Olympic medal of each colour. Hamelin's teammate Steven Dubois and long track skater Isabelle Weidemann, Canada's flag-bearer for the closing ceremony, both collected the full set right here in Beijing.

All told, Canada piled up 26 medals — four gold, eight silver, 14 bronze. That was the fourth-largest total in Beijing, and tied for the second-most ever by a Canadian team at the Winter Olympics.

Yes, the gold count came in a little light. But one of the beauties of the Olympics is that they honour more than just the winning performance. Sometimes, in some ways, a silver or bronze can feel as good as gold. Think of speed skaters Ivanie Blondin and Laurent Dubreuil bouncing back from disappointments to take silver. Or Canada winning a surprise bronze in the mixed team ski jumping event. Or alpine skier Jack Crawford reaching his first podium just days after missing one by a blink of an eye. Or the emotional release when Brad Gushue's team salvaged a curling bronze. These moments, and many others, were worthy of celebration, even if they didn't end with a Canadian on the top step of the podium.

WATCH | Olympic cauldron extinguished to close Beijing 2022:

The hope now is that there are better things to come — for Canada, for the world, and for the Olympics. The next three Games are closer to home, in some wonderful locations: Summer 2024 in Paris, Winter 2026 in northern Italy, and Summer 2028 in Los Angeles. Canadian athletes should shine at all of them. They showed us in Beijing and in Tokyo that this is now truly a country for all seasons. And that, maybe, brighter days are ahead.