I think I'll listen to some ABBA to celebrate!

Four years ago, calamity struck the Swedish men's hockey team and me.
Tommy Salo ducked, a puck flew in a hockey net and Olympic minnows Belarus had unceremoniously dumped my beloved SVERIGE out of the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.
The loss meant calamity for me, because I wear my Swedish allegiance (my grandparents emigrated less than a hundred years ago) on my sleeve and everywhere else. My hockey-loving coworkers have reminded me of that Swedish failure at least weekly for four long years.
Guess what?
Sweden's hockey stars emerged from that lengthy nightmare this morning, defeating Finland, 3-2, to win Olympic gold in Torino.
Niklas Lidstrom scored the go-ahead goal, then Sweden held on for dear life against the Finns -- their neighbors and longtime rivals.
People have talked about how both Scandinavian medal contenders came from relatively small countries, whose combined population doesn't even match Florida's.
Those folks making the comparison forget that there are plenty of people like me: A Swedish diaspora for which today's "Goldjubel" celebration means more than seeing some blue-and-gold-clad athletes parading around with a flag.
Thank you, Tre Kronor!