As Bob Costas said, “the afterglow [of the games] will continue for a long, long time,” as he and the other announcers were able to interview the main stars of the Winter Olympic Games.

Joannie Rochette was interviewed first, talking about the loss of her mother mere days before she was set to take the ice. The bronze medalist said that when remembering these games it will always bring about sad memories, but great ones as well. The American announcers, in their own asides, keep mentioning her strength, saying that she won the hearts of the world. She indicated that after some downtime with her family at her parent’s home, she will be back.

American figure skater Evan Lysacek, too, has expressed interest in returning to the ice.

Alexandre Bilodeau, the first Canadian to win a gold medal on their home soil, in men’s moguls, was very impressed with the city of Vancouver. As partygoers wave flags from their home nations in the background, Bilodeau admitted he had never seen his country party that hard before.

So, after more somewhat obsure Canadian artists (French singer Marie-Mai, Hedley and Simple Plan, who were probably best left in their 2003 glory) sang some high-octane songs, the games and the following party were declared officially over. A bittersweet moment, these games will always be remembered for the scenes they showed as they rolled the credits- the beautiful, picturesque scenery of Canada and amazing feats of athleticism from athletes world-wide.

For anyone who didn’t catch the Closing Ceremony, it’s repeating in full again on NBC right now!