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