So much so, indeed, that one newpaper poll this week revealed that 60 per cent of Canadians believe that the Games have been one of the country's most important, defining moments.
And Canadian silver medal moguls winner Jen Heil said: "I've been so, so impressed. It's been a great Games and I think most of the athletes have been completely blown away by it.
Moguls silver medal skier Jen Heil
"Sure we've heard some of the criticism from some of the media, but it really doesn't ring with our experience or the atmosphere out on the streets with the people. It's been inspiring to see people out there genuinely enjoing it all.
"Up at Cypress we've been having a great time, and we've created a world-class venue there."
Canadian hero Alexandre Bilodeau. Picture: Martin Boyle
Heil was speaking as she announced that she is giving $25,000 to a charity designed to provide an education to young women in deprived countries, while team-mate and Canada's first home-soil gold medallist, Alexandre Bilodeau, will give $25,000 to a cerebral palsy charity.
The now-familiar sea of red which greets all Canadian competitors. Picture: Martin Boyle
Meanwhile, Vancouver's Skyline monorail, a clockwork-regular driverless transport system that has kept the city moving during the Games, has also become a great place to meet people, and one passenger told me: "It's been the best experience ever, everyone's getting involved and the Games have brought so much to the city.
"Sure there's a lot of big money and big business but we have to hope it leaves a legacy. We've got a great police force, great transport system and I'm delighted how well we've dealt with all the people.
"This has really been Vancouver's chance to sell itself to the world."
Of course, there are some doubters and critics, and it seems only right that they have been able to find a voice in the sea of red, with another big protest set for the closing day of the Games. Indeed, one Canadian told me: "To be honest, I find it really hard to be patriotic amongst all this because I look around and I see so many foreign companies setting up shop.
"What is there that we're doing that's actually Canadian? We bought furniture from Germany and even brought a team of German guys over to put it all together. You can't even buy a Canadian car these days - everything's American or it's Japanese and German.
"It's like we've been happy to give squatting rights to the whole world and forgotten how to do anything for ourselves."
But despite some voices of dissent, just how did some elements of the British press misread the mood quite so spectacularly? Anecdotally, some of the journalists aren't even in the country, while another miserly article was written after a particularly moody scribe's bus broke down.
The reality, though, is that there is an enormous challenge to find a new, fresh angle for each story. Instant messaging, social network feeds, web stories and in-depth television coverage have all served to make newspaper reporting of results all but redundant, forcing print sports journalism in new direction, and from time time pushes public and editorial opinions in different direction
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