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The idea of including winter sports in the Olympic Games dates back to 1900, when organizers planned to include figure skating as part osalef the 1900 Games in Paris.

Capitalizing on the public interest aroused by the Canada-Soviet Hockey Series of 1972, Douglas Fisher of Hockey Canada, and Alan Eagleson of the NHL Players' Association, arranged to bring national teams from Europe to compete against Canada and the US in tournaments which would be staged, every 3 or 4 years, in North American arenas.

The Canada Games are a national sporting event held every two years in Canada, both the Winter and Summer Games being held at four-year intervals.

Behold the long-suffering Canadian sports fan. A curious beast, prone to moans and grumbling and yet, for all that, possessed of a seemingly indomitable, utterly inexplicable, sense of optimism. This time things will be different. This time my heart will not break.

After the heroic row to the finish by the Canadian men's four last Saturday, after the photo finish showed they'd failed, by a mere 8-100ths of a second, to catch Great Britain, Buffy Williams walked as close to the Olympic medal podium as security would permit to witness a silver medal being draped over her husband Barney's head.

LET OTHERS OBSESS about Canada's slow medal start in the XXVIII Olympiad in Athens. The national baseball team has better things to do, both on the field and off.

From 1971 to 1977, (except 1975), the Canadian stage of the world circuit took place at Mosport. In 1977, Jody Scheckter, in his Wolf Ford, was the last Mosport champion. The drivers then refused to participate in the racing judging the track too dangerous.

This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on March 11, 2002. Partner content is not updated.

Hockey is Canada's national winter game and arguably its greatest contribution to world sport, and this prowess undeniably translates to the Olympic arena as well.

The Canadian Open is an annual event run by the Royal Canadian Golf Association for professionals and amateurs who qualify. It is the fourth-oldest national GOLF championship in the world, having first been played in 1904 at the Royal Montreal Golf Club.

In 1967 several hundred cross-country skiers led by former Canadian National Ski team member, Don MacLeod, celebrated the Centennial year by skiing 100 miles (160 km) from Montréal to Ottawa.

Canadians have never needed banana peels as a cure for rare displays of over-confidence; ice works well enough. It was ice last week on the speed-skating oval and in Salt Lake City's figure-skating arena that momentarily flattened Canada's self-described "best ever" Winter Olympic team.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir rose above politics and scandal to show what it means to be Olympic greats

Since the first British Empire Games were held at Hamilton, Ontario, in August 1930, and attended by 400 competitors representing 11 countries, Canada has been a leading proponent and participant in this quadrennial multi-sport festival.

Her name is Rhona Martin of Dunlop, Scotland. On ice, she barks orders like a gunnery sergeant, and slings stones like a giant killer. She lists her occupation as housewife, and her hobbies - when not crushing the gold medal hopes of Kelley Law's dream team - as swimming and working out.

This article was originally published in Maclean’s magazine on March 16, 1998. Partner content is not updated.