Canada's ambitious goal is to top the medals table at the Vancouver Winter Olympics but it will be a hollow achievement to much of the Great White North unless the men's hockey gold is among the final tally. Hockey's place in Canadian culture is closer to religion than a simple sporting pastime, a unifying force in a country of 33 million people that is often split by politics and language.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60S00G20100129?type=sportsNews